First flat on F800GS

These obviously can be repaired on the side of the road or in the boonies. Its no fun and you'll likely curse the bike, but if you're gonna ride a bike with spokes wheels you better learn how to work on tires or just stay close to home and never utilize the bike to its potential.

i just rode 2000miles on a 2 flats - i didnt even know they were flat until i went to air down before going off road- those r stiff ass tyres because i was going at least 85 on highway- the original k60s are impressive. they had almost 10k on them

I don't know if this is a solution, but I normally run with Hidenau's front and rear. I say "normally" because some punk turned in front of me and totaled my beloved '11 F800GS.

I'm now on a '14 F800GSA with Anakee tires. The Anakee's are fine, but I've already gotten a flat with only 1500 (s)miles. I'm eager to mount the Hidenau's because they're made out of Hockey Pucks, last 10,000 (s)miles, and can run flat if needed (though that never happened during the 40,000 (s)miles that I had them on my '11.

The other benefit of Hidenau's is that you're going to need a 12 foot tire iron and a pet gorilla to change them. In other words, you aren't going to change them in the field. So you can leave all that gear at home and save some space in the panniers.

The Hidenau's hit a harmonic at about 20 mph, but it's brief and doesn't affect the bike at all. The confidence they provide is well worth it.

Hidenau's all the way. And back.

Anyone experience "Ride-On" tire sealer/balancer?

Had that experience too. The glue in these cheapy patch kits goes bad and dries up pretty quickly even if the tube has not been opened. Really need to check and refresh them every few months...

I am not a big fan of patching.
I do carry patches for situations that may arise but much prefer to carry to light weight tubes and 3 - 16" motion pro tire irons, breaker bar and sockets and CO2 cartridges in my tool tube at all times.
17" long x 4" diameter custom tool tube with hinged cover.

I sealed the spoke wheels on my KLR 650 a few thous miles ago. Now
I carry a plug kit and a little compressor. It takes about 15 minutes
get going now after picking up a nail....much of the time being spent looking for the nail....
It cost $8.00 to seal both wheels. $6.00 for a tube of Goop, and $4.00 for
two valve stems. A friend sealed his Triumph Tiger wheels the same way over 30K miles ago.

The only reason that I know of not to seal, is very hard riding (motocross)
resulting in loose spokes that often need tightening or replacing...

For hard off road rocky trails tubes are way better.
Buddies sealed spoke wheels from Woody's tend to deflate on hard hits as the bead breaks momentarily and the air escapes.
We have since gone back to tubes on those wheels.
Other issue is if you dent the rim in the rocks it may not seal on the bead and then you will need a tube to get out.

I use it in all my tires. Its fantastic and WAY better than my experience with slime. Slime is ok for really small punctures but mine are usually nails out here and all the slime does is make a huge f'n mess. Ride-On balances beautifully, and will seal a nail hole no problem. Even better, it doesn't get everywhere (forms a strip on the deepest part of the tire only and cleans up easily with soap and water.

In regards to going tubeless. The front wheel will accommodate a Tubeliss system. I use them on my KTM and its a fantastic product. Unfortunately the 17" rear is too wide for their system so you have to go another route. Both are on my list of things to do. A 10 minute plug job is sooooo nice compared to tube repair/replacement.

Great thread I just had my first flat and chickened out and got the bike shop to change it for me as I don't have the tools. I will get some tyre irons and give it a go next time.

I have the Motion Pro Bead Pro levers and I really like them, breaking the bead on the rear 17" tire was often pretty difficult before getting them.

Yes, they do work quite well. Just be careful not to get your fingers between the levers, it's painful when they slip!

I carry this: http://youtu.be/RLf5WcXOh-w

I will let you know next spring how my experiment went. I sealed the spokes myself, and wanted to run a few thousand miles to test the job. I still run tubes, but figure if I pick up a nail, I could do a plug, as if it was tubeless, I also have a couple sealing washers to put under the nut on the valve stem and CO2 to inflate.

So my tire will still go flat, but if my homemade seal job works, I seal up the valve stem, plug tire, re-inflate, and get to someplace convenient to get a proper repair.

I don't think that will work. the tube needs to be inflated to seal at the valve stem. so if you get a nail you can plug it but the tube will need to be replaced or patched as well. I have ridden with nails for many miles to get back to camp or home and repair then.

It will work; he plans to seal the metal valve stem at the rim in case
of a tube flat, then he can run as tubeless... He's not
the first to seal spokes, then still run a tube...

Cool learned a new trick.
How to you seal the tube's valve stem at the rim?
Thanks.

Must use a tube w/a metal stem, which is held in place w/two
nuts. (reason being so stem won't pull out of the rim when/if
it goes flat..) Anyway, use flat washers over rubber washer(s)
under the nut to seal the metal stem to the rim.....

What he said. If my seal job is 100%, I may go tubeless in the rear, the front does not have a safety bead so reluctant to do so on the front.

I felt the same about the 21" on my KLR, no safety bead. But later,
I considered that a flat tube wouldn't hold the bead in place anyway,
so I sealed it too a couple years ago... Now, I don't much run
off road, so no tubes, but if I did, I'd run the same sealed rims with a tube, with
the stem sealed in place, carry a few worm plugs, and that $10 Slime
compressor.

Here's the drill, if you want to go to this sort of "darkside". Start with
a nice clean rim, rusty/crusty won't work. Wipe it down with alcohol,
then put dabs of Goop over each spoke end, 1/4 way around. Let it
sit 2-3 hrs, then do another 1/4, repeat. Let it sit 12 hrs+, then do
the same thing again, as Goop shrinks. After another overnight,
check your work, touch up.... Then let it sit and cure for a couple days.
Pull in a tubeless stem, install the tire, inflate and check for leaks
with soapy water.

Goop has very high adhesion and is protected inside the tire, so once
done, and no leaks, it's done. No need for tape or such... Goop
tubes have many labels (marine/homeowner/etc), but it's all the same
stuff. http://www.eclecticproducts.com/ag_adhesives.htm