Thanks Beemerphile!

[docwells7]

Well, I decided to go and check on Lee after his outpatient surgery. He had the surgery Thursday morning and I called him Friday morning and he said he was up to having a brief visit. Well, I headed on over there and checked out his air head projects and marveled at his further farkelation of his NC. It looks like something from Robocop...
As I was getting ready to head off, Lee and I noticed that the rear tire looked really low...bad times...so he went into his Taj Mahal workshop and got some soapy water and we found a slow leak coming from around the bead. So one day post surgery, he helped me remove the wheel, break the bead, clean off the bead, reseat the tire, replace the rear wheel and set the chain alignment and tension. It may not seem like a lot, but one of his airheads was on his lift, so he had to keep sitting on a low stool. He looked pretty sore when we got done, but was still in good spirits. I told him to eat some Ibuprofen and get some rest and headed home to meet my kids at the bus.
Just wanted to give a public thanks to Lee for helping me out.
Erik

 

[PPWW]

Why that story doesn't surprise me at all?

I think we all know the answer. Get better Lee!

 

[FlaNC700X]

Lee get well soon!

 

[NCer]

I am impressed, Lee! All the best!!!! We miss you!

 

[miss demeaner]

heal well, hurry back.

 

[Old Can Ride]

Everyone missed you at the Horizon's rally. You were right when you told me about the wealth of knowledge that can be had from these guys. We missed your wealth of knowledge, also.

 

[netizen]

I really hate we didn't get to met you at the rally Lee... You were greatly missed!

 

[Beemerphile]

You guys are too kind.

I hate I missed the rally as well. I first went to the event with Mike in 2004. We had a great time. I got the chance to accidentally insult a "world traveler" on a KLR. He was scratching his head because it would not start. I said "you guys go all over the world on these things and you don't know how to work on them?" It was just a frank but honest observation with no intention to insult, but so it goes. To make things better, I fixed it for him (by rapping the starter relay with the back end of a screwdriver).

 

[netizen]

You guys are too kind.

I hate I missed the rally as well. I first went to the event with Mike in 2004. We had a great time. I got the chance to accidentally insult a "world traveler" on a KLR. He was scratching his head because it would not start. I said "you guys go all over the world on these things and you don't know how to work on them?" It was just a frank but honest observation with no intention to insult, but so it goes. To make things better, I fixed it for him (by rapping the starter relay with the back end of a screwdriver).

Mike told me that exact story at the rally..... he couldn't stop smiling for a long time afterward too. You guys have a great history together

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4

 

[danrev]

You are a trooper Beemerphile, but get some rest so you can heal and be back to riding soon.

 

[bonnielover]

...Lee and I noticed that the rear tire looked really low...bad times...so he went into his Taj Mahal workshop and got some soapy water and we found a slow leak coming from around the bead. So one day post surgery, he helped me remove the wheel, break the bead, clean off the bead, reseat the tire, replace the rear wheel and set the chain alignment and tension. Erik

Eric and Lee, amazingly, your story clued me into checking to see if my flat tire was a bead problem. Indeed it was! Thank you both. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
I found it by pumping up the tire with my finally-arrived Stop and Go pump and sprayed some lens cleaner. Here's a video of the leak. First 15 seconds is a bit blurry, but a good shot at the end. The leak was almost immediately above the valve stem. Where was yours? Maybe a Honda/Metzler QC problem? At any rate, I rode it to the Honda dealer and they fixed it for me for 21 bucks. It's good to be back on two wheels.
[video=youtube_share;XsA3C_3vd6E]http://youtu.be/XsA3C_3vd6E[/video]

 

[BttrThnWrk]

...Maybe a Honda/Metzler QC problem? At any rate, I rode it to the Honda dealer and they fixed it for me...

Not all shops really LIKE folks peering at them while they're working, and discourage it. But I have to ask anyway if you know exactly what they did to fix the problem? Shave excess rubber from the tire bead area? Smooth out the rim? Apply some kind "bead locker"?

Thanks.

 

[Beemerphile]

I have never had to shave a tire, though I have heard that to be necessary for some specific tires (like a Heidenau K60 front tire). With most cases, as it was with Erik's, the culprit is just a wee bit of contamination on the wheel. We cleaned around the offending bead of the rim with a green ScotchBrite pad wetted with a detergent solution, lubed the tire bead and rim, and re-inflated it. It seldom takes more than that.

Cleanliness during tire installation is under-appreciated. I always clean the entire inside of the rim and run a hand over both beads of the tire before mounting it. You would be surprised how litttle contamination it takes. The other thing that may surprise you is that the thing that caused the leak can be quite a distance from where the air actually escapes. Much like a roof leak.

 

[bonnielover]

Not all shops really LIKE folks peering at them while they're working, and discourage it. But I have to ask anyway if you know exactly what they did to fix the problem? Shave excess rubber from the tire bead area? Smooth out the rim? Apply some kind "bead locker"?

Thanks.

They confirmed the bead leak and applied "bead sealer."