Swapping out rear, goodbye Full Bore, hello Michelin

Well, I gotta say, I am very impressed with the Full Bore tire I stuck on Tweeks before leaving Sacramento a while back.. It performed its duties very well, handled the mountain twisties of Glacier just fine, made it thru temps well above 100 degrees, put up with some pretty rocky two tracking and came thru a major pothole collision at speed in flying colors.. Personally, I would have NO problem going Full Bore again!! Kudo's to Full Bore!

While I dont have an actual mileage for it - speedo went boing way back in Dennison TX, I will say that the west coast has always been a two tire trip for me no matter what I run and, IMHO, the Full Bore fit right into the normal zone.. While the new Metz 880 that I stuck on the back just before we left for Texas did seem to last a little better in the desert heat, the Full Bore didnt chunk out at the end of its life like the Metz did,, I am with Squid - Metz wont get another chance unless absolutely necessary (gotta leave room for those OH NO times).. Amazing to me cause the Full Bore was almost 1/2 price of the Metz..

For my next new tire here I grabbed a Michelin Commander. Mounting of it today went fine except for the examination of the valve stem seal showed a crack in the outer edge.. When replacing the stem I got thinking about a recent thread I had read about someone having a flat and accident due to valve stem failure..

Over the years of swapping out tires I have noticed at times, an over tightening of the stem nut resulting in damaging the seal of the valve stem.. While I am NOT suggesting that this is what happened in the recent accident associated with a failed valve stem, I have seen it numerous times thru the years. I am including a vid here that I made addressing this bad habit.. Hope it helps someone..

The little 15 dollar bead breaker I picked up from Harbor Freight a couple years ago is still working outstanding!! Gotta figure out a way to carry it on the bike - it sure beats the sledge hammer and wedge I used in California!!

The Conti Tour I stuck on the front before we headed west this spring is doing GREAT!! Wearing like iron and it has really been thru the paces!! Kudo's to Conti too!

Hope ya'll are having as much fun as Tippy and I are wearing out tires!

Puc

Scott.........can that HF bead breaker work on tire/wheel still mounted on bike? Or, does it need to be on flat ground? Inquiring minds want to know.........

-Pete, in Tacoma WA USA

Pete, this one would definitely require the wheel to be off the bike and laying on a flat surface..

Scott

I really think you could have stacked the bead breaker on top of the pile on the back of your bike and would have never noticed it lol.

I really think you could have stacked the bead breaker on top of the pile on the back of your bike and would have never noticed it lol.

:rotf:

Actually, that "pile" is my "camping department" - it wouldnt be right to put "maintenance supplies" there.. Left bag is "health n beauty aids" - no way Tip would allow it there.. Trunk is "mens and womens clothing" - NO WAY would that pass.. Right bag is the "maintenance Department" - filled to the brim with waterpump, fuel pump, hoses, tie wraps, tools, tape, old wires, fuel line, rags and hand cleaner.....

Maybe I could duct tape the dog gone thing on the windshield:rotf:

Regarding the torque on the valve stem: the Yamaha service manual specifies just 1.1 ft/lb on that valve stem nut. So yeah, I'll bet many a tire technician has over torqued it. Most of us are pretty ham fisted.

On my trip out west, I had a new Metzler 880 on the rear and made it to Sturgis then a wide sweep thru the west and back around to Tucumcary New Mexico before it was thread bear all the way around. There were no motorcycle tire dealers in Tucumcary and the local car tire guy said he could order one off the internet which UPS could deliver like next Thursday. Not wanting to spend a week in Tucumcary I final found a used Harley Davidson marked Dunlop Elite 3 that I bought off the local NAPA owner. I think I paid $5.00 for a used tire showing 1/2 thread life. I hated to put the HD on my Yamaha but I figured I had no other options and I doubted no one would really notice.

To make a long story longer, That used $5.00 tire got me all the way back to Atlanta and another 10k miles on top of that. In fact it it still had thread showing when I finally swapped it out for another Non HD marked Dunlop E3.

Regarding the torque on the valve stem: the Yamaha service manual specifies just 1.1 ft/lb on that valve stem nut. So yeah, I'll bet many a tire technician has over torqued it. Most of us are pretty ham fisted.

I cant help but wonder if they meant to state it in inch pounds,,, for some reason that sounds heavy to me Prairie.. It sure dont take much to over squish that seal...

Ya know Puc, that MKII that you have sitting in the garage has bigger bags, you might squeeze that bead braker in there.......Or strap it on to the crash bar next to the gallon milk jug.

Ya know Puc, that MKII that you have sitting in the garage has bigger bags, you might squeeze that bead braker in there.......Or strap it on to the crash bar next to the gallon milk jug.

Ya got that right Jeff,, those MK2 bags and trunk are HUGE!! Why I bet I could get the bead breaker and another 200 pounds of Tippy Treasures in there! I even bet those fancy clothes she bought us at Goodwill out in California so we could look nice at my daughters graduation would now be in my closet if we had had that baggage..

Strappin on the crashbar,,,, now that sounds more like my kinda thinkin..

:rotf:

Actually, that "pile" is my "camping department" - it wouldnt be right to put "maintenance supplies" there.. Left bag is "health n beauty aids" - no way Tip would allow it there.. Trunk is "mens and womens clothing" - NO WAY would that pass.. Right bag is the "maintenance Department" - filled to the brim with waterpump, fuel pump, hoses, tie wraps, tools, tape, old wires, fuel line, rags and hand cleaner.....

Maybe I could duct tape the dog gone thing on the windshield:rotf:

Just get yourself a better (bigger) pair of deer horns. If mounted correctly you could lay the bead breaker across them like one of them rear window gunracks you used to see in pickup trucks.......It would be a practical fashion statement!!!!

Just get yourself a better (bigger) pair of deer horns. If mounted correctly you could lay the bead breaker across them like one of them rear window gunracks you used to see in pickup trucks.......It would be a practical fashion statement!!!!

An 8 point Easy Rider Bead Breaker Rack:cool10::cool10:

Tip and I been talking about an Alaskan Tour,, if I could find a set of moose antlers up there I could also hang a spare tire inside of em BJ,, THANKS for the idea!

An 8 point Easy Rider Bead Breaker Rack:cool10::cool10:

 

Tip and I been talking about an Alaskan Tour,, if I could find a set of moose antlers up there I could also hang a spare tire inside of em BJ,, THANKS for the idea!

That would actually help in compensating for all that stuff that hangs in back of the trunk:confused24: