This is a short story of how I broke down while on a trail ride by myself, and how I thought I was prepaired for anything!


I was going ATV'ing and was prepaired for anything, I had my tire repair kit, air compressor, BUTTWIPE, tool kit, matches, and survival essentials. Everything needed in case of a breakdown? I thought so!

I was all geared up in case I had a flat tire so when I heard the familar whooooosssshhh of the air sudden leaving one of my tires I knew right away what it was, after all I was running stocker tires so a stick poking thru the tire would not have been a surprise. I said a couple curses then remembered my tire repair kit and brand new 12v air compressor I had just purchased at Wal_Mart for like $10 and snickered to myself. I was thinking this will only take like 2 mins, I'll stick a plug in the tire and air it back up and be on my way......ya right!

I backed up my quad up onto a flat area and inspected the tire looking for a stick, not finding one I lifted the seat up and dug out the air compressor thinking some air pressure would help me find the leak. Once I had gotten the air compessor plugged in and made sure it worked I then tried to put the nozzle of the compressor on the valve stem, but I couldnt find one! Taken aback in utter shock that them stupid SOB's at the Yamaha shop had put my tire on backwards I almost started to look on the inside of the wheel for the valve stem while cussing the dumbsh*ts at the Yamaha shop who assembled this brand new quad, but then I realized no, this tire is on the correct way hmm I looked closer for the valve stem but found nothing. I then rubbed my finger around the inside lip of the wheel where valve stems usually are whiping the mud free and then I found it, a perfect hole just about 1/4 inch in diameter where a valve stem used to be!!

Well hell! now what! I wasn't prepaired THAT much that I could dismount a tire, pop the bead and reinstall the valve stem...crap!
Anyone who has tried to work on ATV tires knows how hard those beads are to pop. Well I tried to pop the bead anyways with a small flat screwdriver but it was an excercise in futility [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]

It seems that I had driven right next to a larger stick which was wedged perfectly against the wheel and as I drive forward it hit the valve stem zipping it perfectly out of its hole, I found the valve stem resting on the ground right below the stick. It was one of those rubber pull thru types that you pull thru the hole of the wheel from the inside and snap it into place in the resting groove.

Well frustrated that I had no way of fixing my flat tire I had to find myself a way to get back out of the woods. Its amazing how far you can travel on an ATV in such a short time. If I tried to walk out I would have not been able to get to a house or signifigant road before nightfall and I really didn't feel like camping out over night and scare my family like that!.. I did tell them where I was going but they still would have had alot of difficulty finding me. I decided to trash my tire and ride out on a flat.






I wonder if a steel bolt in type valve stem might have been better? I might have just bent or broken the valve stem. I wish there was a valve stem that I could install from the outside of the wheel and not break the bead down. Or maybe someone knows how to break a bead on a tire, I have tire irons for dirtbikes but those are not suffecient to do an ATV tire.

 

05Owner, I have done that twice while out in the trail on the Grizz, luckly each time has only been a couple of miles from home and riding them out flat has not hurt the tire at all. Although I am not running stock tires aftermarket tires are pretty stiff when they are flat. I have not yet found a way to repair this out on the trail but when I put another set of tires on I am installing these FLUSH VALVES in the wheels in place of regular valves, actually I already have two sets of these just waiting to be installed.

I also carry a spare valve around with me now, if this happens again I could at least try to put it in from the outside. Maybe have to trim it down some and lube it up somehow but hey if it holds enough to get you out of the woods!

 

That has to be such a fluke, I can't imagine it happening once much less twice. Maybe it's a Yamaha thing???

 

I did the same thing last fall pushing some light brush I had dropped around the edges of a field. I had to either walk back to my Mom's house to get the truck to load it up or ride all the way on a flat. Then a little light bulb came on in my head, hey, I got tire plugs, and this is a hole, and my compressor had the little basketball inflation needle.
I think I used two plugs doubled over side by side in the stem hole, and got the needle in between them. It worked great and was still holding air a week later when I got the stem replaced at the tire shop. Whatever works, and this did for me, take care, DK

 

Thanks for sharing that story. I haven't experienced that yet, so looks like I have something else to think about and prepare for. This can definately happen in the areas I ride. Off shopping I go [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

It's all about improvising, overcoming, and adapting. Somethings gotta work. Good job to those that were able to do that [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] .

Good Luck