When you ride over a nail on a motorcycle, the front tire flips it pointy-end up, perfectly positioned to penetrate the rear tire. I nailed a rear tire about a month ago, and a good friend loaned me a nearly-new tire to replace it. I hadn’t ridden more than 20 miles on the replacement tire when I nailed it again.
I ordered a new set of tires on line, but there appears to be a nationwide shortage of the particular brand and model I want. I plugged the damaged tire and it’s holding air, but you really don’t want to ride on a plugged tire unless it’s a dire emergency. So I’m not riding, and here it is riding season in Arizona. Sunny, cool, dry. Damn it.
At least I figured out where it’s happening. I’ve been riding to work one day a week, weather permitting, but I finally realized there’s a relationship between my flat tires and all the contractor pickup trucks on the road near my job. I work in a zone of constant construction and nails are a constant hazard. So if I take a pass on Ride to Work day this summer, please forgive me.
Update (10/29/06): Friends in need are friends indeed! My riding buddy Ed had a new rear tire in his garage, and we mounted it, along with my new front tire, this morning. When the backordered rear tire finally comes, I’ll give it to Ed to replace the one he gave me. Now I can ride up to Phoenix next Sunday for the Cycle World International Motorcycle Show!