Worst freaking moment on a bike - Ever!

[rideon]

Traveling to Ohakune last Sunday, to stay for 2 nights over new years, the ride ( 5 bikes in all ) was going really well - Hamilton-Mangakino-Benydale-Waimiha-Taumaranui-Ohakune. I had been leading most of the way until we hit SH 4 about 25 kms out of Taumaranui. I waved the everyone through & took on TEC duties.
As I was last out onto SH 4 & the next bike in front had a speed limiting device (detector) I wound it on just a lil bit to catch up and was enjoying quite a brisker pace compared to the ride so far.
I passed a cage towards the end of a small straight , pitched the bike into an unmarked RH bend. And thats when the shit hit the fan. The bike stood up instantly and wanted to go straight & my first thought was, #*ck , that was a big gust of wind. When the bike wouldn't lay over again I figured something else was wrong. Getting off the gas made it worse , and pushing on the Bars harder made the bike wobble.
Tyres was my next thought and I vivedly remember teIling myself - DON'T TOUCH THE BRAKES and look where I want to go !! I had to roll on a bit of gas to try and unload the front a bit , hang off the seat (which i don't normally do ) and managed to man-handle her round the corner and coast to a very wobbly shaky stop on the side of the road. All of the above happened VERY quickly , but also in slow motion - very weird ???
I hopped off & sure enough my front tyre was as flat as a pancake. I then realised I had just experianced an instant blow out , mid corner , at a briskiish pace & somehow was still upright and in one piece. I do carry a dog turd kit & thought it would be any easy fix but after checking the tyre twice, could not find the offending sharp bit or any wound. I wiggled the valve stem & heard a very liittle "ssssss" . mmmmm I thought, this won't be an easy fix !!
By this stage someone had come back looking for me. He had a tyre panda and as the 2 after hours numbers from the 2 bike shops in Taumaranui were diverting straight to answer phone , we decided it was worth a shot. We got some air into the tyre but most of the goo came straight out of the base of the valve stem, which is where it had failed. In this case - tyre panda, FAIL - too big a gash
I had some cable ties in my box of tricks & then figured I could pull the valve over onto its wound and hopefully it would hold enough air to at least get 19 Kms into town. I pulled the valve over onto its wound & secured the ties to a spoke , chucked in two canisters of CO2 & bingo I was mobile. Managed to cruise along at 60 - 70 Kms/hr and got into town.
Still no luck with 2 bike shops or 2 tyre shops so after 2 hours of trying to get it sorted we decided to jiggle to ties around a bit. I managed to get 30 psi in the tyre & holding air, gassed up & we headed off for Ohakune. The temporary fix worked a treat , cruised in the middle of the pack at about 90 - 100 clicks & got safely all the way to Ohakune, another 80 odd Kms , although the whole way it felt like I was riding a timebomb !!
Next morning - tyre off and into town where the tyre shop was able to install a new valve - $10 all sorted.
Thinking about the fail & I think it may be the cheap 90 deg screw on attachment, that under the centrifugal forces , may have stressed the valve over time, to the point where it failed big time. They are now off the bike & I will stick with the straight ones for the time being. For the record , thats the first flat tyre I had in about 150,000 Kms & hopefully the next is not as instant as this one was !! Me thinks a lotto ticket may be on the shopping list this week.........

[Geeen]

Wow! So not a very laxed out ride then? Glad to hear all ended the best it could

Not sent from an iDevice

[bosslady]

freaky! but good save

[Madness]

I have one of those right-angle tyre valve adapters, I can't inflate my tyres without it. It lives in the pocket of my bike pants.

[onearmedbandit]

I guess you were lucky it didn't let go on the way to Ohakune.

I'd agree with what you're saying about the damage and how it occurred. If you're going to replace them do it with something like this.

[Gremlin]

You wouldn't be the first person I've heard of to have issues with those right angle thingies...

Good save though!

[Kickaha]

Thinking about the fail & I think it may be the cheap 90 deg screw on attachment, that under the centrifugal forces , may have stressed the valve over time, to the point where it failed big time.

They shouldn't be left permanently attached and the valve stem should be changed with every tyre change

[insomnia01]

the luck of the Irish ??!! best get that lotto ticket cause we dont want to have another mishap at the end of the month

[Corse1]

WOW now thats a save! Lucky you. Thanks for posting the pics so the rest of us can avoid a similar occurance!

[Highlander]

Forget the LOTTO ticket. You have used your portion of luck.

[DEATH_INC.]

Glad you survived it....BUT....that has got to be the worst f*cken idea I have ever seen. Who sells those things??? Do they say to ride it with it attached? How the Hell does anyone think a cheap chinese piece of rubber is gonna hold that weight against the centrifugal force of the wheel rotating at speed???
Imagine if some idiot puts some on a busa and has it let go at 300k....

[Crasherfromwayback]

, cruised in the middle of the pack at about 90 - 100 clicks & got safely all the way to Ohakune, .

Buy another lotto ticket.

[Laava]

Surely you don,t need to win lotto to buy a new pair of undies?
Actually, buy two and keep a spare pair under the seat.
Best make em heavy duty!

[sinfull]

Bloody Hondas

[Flip]

Join the AA

Ran over bit of tin that cut a 2" slice through the front tyre, Easter weekend central Otago. Called the AA, 20 min later they called back and said...... The garage in Ranfurly won't help, the Palmerston bike shop will collect the bike and fit a new tyre, the Naseby garage can't collect the bike but said he can patch the tyre and fit a tube if you can get the wheel to him.

As Naseby was by far the closest we took the wheel to Naseby, he stuck a big reinforced patch inside the tyre, fitted a tube and the bike made it back to Wellington no trouble.

The AA were simply brillant IMHO.