What happens if you get a flat at highway speed?

[NOWOOL]

since I'm just starting out I'm curious since odds are its going to happen to me sooner or later; Does it make a difference which tyre goes? Is the bike still controllable?, What happens if you break too hard?, etc.

TIA

[onearmedbandit]

Very rare to get a blow out on a motorcycle tyre, unless of course you let your tyres deteriorate to the extent that it's inevitable. In the event of a slow leak you will notice the bikes handling change, maybe a weave or a vagueness from either the front or rear. If you pick up on it quick enough it will still be very controllable, however if you ignore whats happening it could turn to custard very quickly.

[avgas]

if its the front and its a slow leak, the front gets heavy.
front and a blowout - you fall off
back and slow leak - bike gets slow and needs more omph to move
back blowout - you hold steady and the back swings around for a bit and slow to a stop to inspect.

[Usarka]

dont ignore the vagueness or heaviness and try to take the next corner fast. that's when it can get scary.

Re braking - if it's the back then brake using the front brakes and vice versa. If you need to use the brakes on the end thats going flat then be gentle and smooth....

[LilSel]

Q: What happens if you get a flat at highway speed?

A: You need to replace ya tyre

[gijoe1313]

I was at first thinking .. "now why would you be getting a rented living space on the moronway...." Ignore me chaps and chapesses, just ol'gi doing that random mental thang

All good advice by those before, I do recall when I had a flat on the rear it was a slow weave and curious handling aspect going around a corner! Fortunately pulled over to a servo, and one of the bikers in our riding group does the bizzo with a puncture repair kit!

[MIXONE]

Had a back tyre blowout on me at 160+ while racing a mate in his car.It probable took 300 metres or more to finally stop all the time with me trying to pick the softest place to land.Probable the longest minute or so of my life.

[Ixion]

You fall off and die.

[MVnut]

In 1978 I had a front blow at 120mph on a '73 H2A Kwaka, not nice (stayed on tho)mind you some people have the opinion that H2s don't handle at the best of times, Later that day I holed both pistons on my TR3 engined RD350 and was late to the Bowie concert, all in all not a great day.

[toebug]

You fall off and die.

You pesimist! I've fallen off heaps and live to make this post!

[MaxB]

Had a blow out when I ran over a gang nail. Front picked it up and dropped it under the back tyre. Hit the front brakes as hard as I dared. I had a few seconds to lose a fair bit of speed and pull out of the way of the traffic. Tyre was gone in three places. Not nice. Still don't know how I made it.

[Henk]

It's not that likely to happen. In the last 20 years every time I've had a flat it's been when I've got on to ride off. Tubeless tyres are great like that. Unless you hit something very hard (like a curb) I doubt you'll ever experience it, and if you do it will be the cherry on top of a much bigger problem.

[sweetp]

I had my rear tyre go on me - puncture that wasn't a slow leak and deflated really quick. I just experienced extremely bad handling and so I just pulled over as quick as possible. Was controlable but felt like wrestling the bike rather than riding it.

[Squiggles]

Dushy (Drider87) survived the bead on the front breaking, we're not sure how he didnt fall off since he seems to whenever there's nothing wrong

[Macstar]

'Ride it off' mate. If you keep the wheel spinning fast enough the air can't escape.

Seriously though - just button off and apply light brakes. I had a rear blow out once on a corner with a passenger on the back. The bike got a little loose as if I was drifting, but I just carefully slowed and pulled over. Front tyre... that's a different story!