Now that I have done it myself with the basic tools, my fear has absolutely gone. It’s a liberating feeling hard to explain.
BHPian NTab recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
Fixing the Rear Tyre Puncture on Himalayan.
The nightmare that every Himalayan owners fear, a flat rear.
We all have dreaded about it. From using pocket friendly slimes, to expensive tubeless conversion kits, most of the Himmy owners have tried whatever they can afford or believe to work. But, there is a common factor, we all run away from fixing the damn puncture the traditional way.
My story starts with the same fear. No matter where I travel to, how beautiful the vistas are, there is this perpetual fear of ‘what if the bike gets punctured?’ Some people suggested to use anti-puncture sealant, others swear by its ineffectiveness and how it affects the handling. Few good folks guided me to tubeless conversion path, but that comes with some prerequisite, aluminium rims, and money matters. No solution in sight.
Luckily I only had to curse the tube tyres twice. The first time it was around 500kms odo reading in the city. Had to drive the bike around 500mts and the puncture was repaired. After that went to at least 4 long tours and the blessing was intact. I returned from Kushma ride few days back. My wife was the pillion this time. While the whole trip went smoothly, even though the road conditions from Mugling to Pokhara were horrendous, my rear tyre finally succumbed to this tiny thorn and drew its last breath just as we reached home. This was the second time, and hopefully the last also.
This really got me thinking about the possibility of having something like this in a remote location, especially when I am solo or with a pillion. I read about it, and the only solution that came up is to learn how to fix a puncture. So I finally decided to take the plunge, and try to fix the puncture by myself. Given that I was in the comfort of my home, even if something goes wrong, I can always ring a mechanic to rectify it. I was also just tired of living in this continuous fear of getting puncture. I love ADVs and most of them have tube tyres, how long I am gonna keep running away from this and look for expensive solutions.
For members who are novice like me, I tried to document my experience as truthfully as possible so that they can learn from my mistakes (yes, I did make some), be better prepared.
- The Tools :- 24mm spanner, Screw Driver(to hold the axle rod), Air inflator, 3 Tyre Levers(I had 2, and realised 3 would have made life easier), Valve remover, Puncture repair kit, 1 big sheet to keep everything at place and clean.
- The Process :- Start with taking out the rear wheel. It’s a fairly easy process. Just keep something beneath your tyres, and it will be easier to take out the axle rod. Hang the chains on the swing arms.
Remove the sprocket from the tyre, and place them on the sheet. It’s also a good time to check for any free play on them. Now place the tyre with disc side up. Remember to keep the disc side always up otherwise you may end up damaging them.
Use the valve remover tool to take out the valve, and also remove the locking nut. Check the Valve for any damage, and keep it somewhere clean and safe. Now, I missed one step here, and it created a little bit of trouble for me later on. After removing the lock nut, push the nozzle inside, otherwise after breaking the bead, it will be difficult to get it done.
The first major step. Breaking the bead. Use your knees to break it. I didn’t face any problem doing it. It’s a fairly easy process, just be sure to use good pressure. Alternatively, I have seen people using side stand of other heavy bikes to break the bead, so you can try that also.
Use the levers to remove one side of the tyre from the rim. Start from the opposite side of the nozzle. Make sure not to put levers way too inside the rims as they can damage the tube lining in the middle of rim. During this process 3 levers really comes in handy. You can jam the levers in your disc pad keep on moving forward.
Take out the tube. First visually inspect for puncture, and also check around the nozzle. Retighten the valve and fill up air. Check for puncture(s), and mark them. Deflate the tube, use sand paper to rub around the puncture to make the surface a little coarse, easier for glue to work. Apply a generous coat of glue, let it dry for a minute, and then put the puncture patch over the hole. Use the lever/spanner to put a little pressure over the patch by gently pressing over it. Keep it aside for few minutes.
Now check the tyre for nail or any sharp object. It’s time to put the tube back in tyre. You can recheck the tube again by inflating it. Better safe than sorry. Insert the nozzle first and use the locking nut to keep it from sliding inside. Insert the tube in the tyre carefully. One trick I have seen somewhere is to sprinkle some baby powder over the tube. It helps with prevention of folds on the tube while inserting.
The toughest part for me starts now. Putting the tyre back into the rim. I think there is no trick to it. It’s just that you have to do it somehow. Remember not to insert levers way too inside in the rims, as it can damage the tube and lining. Again 3 levers could have made it a little easier.
Inflate the tyre, and refit it onto the bike. Keep something beneath the tyre as it will be easier to insert the axle rod. You can also check for chain slack right now, and adjust accordingly.
Now that I have done it myself with the basic tools, my fear has absolutely gone. It’s a liberating feeling hard to explain. It’s a little time taking and physically exhaustive process, but punctures don’t happen every other day. Hardly twice or thrice during a tyre’s life, and that too can be avoided by keeping the optimum pressure.
I hope this guide proves to be helpful, and a little motivational for every TBHPian to finally embrace the tube tyres, and travel in peace.
Keyword: RE Himalayan: How I fixed a rear tyre puncture myself