Motorcycle flat tire repair

Motorcycle Tire Repair – emergency valve stem repair in the Philippines.

You have to pay close attention to your tires if you travel in Samar and Leyte by motorbike.

The tread, tire pressure, loose spokes, leaking valves and inner tube leaks are all things to keep an eye on.

I often travel overloaded and in rocky terrain and use the lower quality tires and tubes that are available to me in this area.

My TMX Honda motorkbike that has been converted into a 4 seater, averages a flat tire every 3000 kilometers.

tire repair

Last night around 9pm we were returning to Ormoc Leyte from Catbalogan, Samar and got a flat around 10 k from our new place in Ormoc.

I did not feel comfortable leaving the bike or my two passengers there in the boonies and elected to drive on the flat.

It is quite difficult with 3 people and 2 backpacks but we persevered at a slow pace and got to a tire shop after 5 kilometers.

The valve stem will always rip out when the motorbike is driven on a flat because when torque applied and there is no air in the tube, the tire will spin on the rim

.This was the 9th time that that happened in 14 months. I always carry a spare tube.

Usually I ask the repairman to replace the tube but this fellow did not want to for whatever reason. By now it was 10 pm and we just wanted to get home.

Here is a quick description of how a valve stem is replaced on a ruined inner tube.

Warning – this is going to be very boring to most readers but I found it to be interesting.

1) Take the valve stem and trim away half the rubber from the base.

2) Push it completely back through the original hole that it was attatched to so that it is inside the tube.

3) Cut a piece of rubber into an oval shape.

4) Scuff both the tube and the rubber patch.

5) Cut a patch from repair material.

6) Make a tiny opening in the new rubber oval and the new patch.

7) Apply rubber cement to the tube and the rubber patch.

8) Roll up some tin foil to fill the holes in all three to prevent it from sealing when a hot press is applied.

9) Some thin strips of patch material are built up around the original hole when the whole thing gets melted together.

10) The inner tube now has some patch pieces built up around the opening. The oval patch from repair material is placed on top and then the rubber oval is placed on top of that layer – taking care to keep the holes lined up. An upside piston has been heating up for the past 5 minutes burning a gas mixture that was poured into it. The piston head is placed in a big screw clamp that gets tightened down onto the makeshift repair.

It keeps burning and is allowed to set there for 5 minutes or so, vulcanizing the whole works together.

11) Unclamp and remove the tinfoil plug from the hole

12) Juggle the valvestem to the hole and force it through the opening where the tin foil plug was.

13) Put a metal washer/collar over the stem and turn the nut tight down. It doesn’t leak!

All motorbikes in the Philippines keep the nut on the inside of the rim and rarely use one on the outside. It gives the valve stem more room for play with out riping out. If you notice it shifting during a quick inspection, you can let out the air and then spin the tire back where it belongs so there is no pressure on the stem and then refill the air. Tube replacement can be done in the field if you have a pump. Murphey’s law usually means that it will be raining, muddy, dark and a lot of mosquitoes buzzing around.

In this case we got home ok but that tube had been abused too much and still had a slow leak. I had a new tube put in this morning and one of the tension adjusters broke when snugging up the chain. In town, that is no big deal – just 15 pesos each and 5 more minutes. In the field it would be unlikely to have a spare. You just can’t plan for every mishap!

I did ask the tire repair man what he recommended and he felt that a 60 psi should be maintained in the rear tire in cases where the bike is used for heavy loads. They fix a lot of tires so I am going to try watch for that slow leak more often. We were just happy that we broke down in a reasonably convenient location. I don’t mind sleeping alongside the road till morning but my girlfriend and her pal were with me and that was just not an option.

The Philippines is a reasonably safe place to travel but you don’t want to push the envelope too far.

Happy trails!

Here are a few photos of motorbiking in the Philippines:

D’ Boyz in Negros Island…

Catbalogan Samar – I like to keep the some weight on the front tire for more control. A small backpack and my fins and mask were tied on the back.

We headed up to Donsol in the Bicol region of Luzon to swim with the whalesharks for a few days.

Flat tire in Gandara.

These guys can really drive!

Dalupiri Island

Dalupiri Island is off the north west tip of Samar Island. This laid back flat island has a road going around the perimeter. There are a few small resorts on the beach and it’s a great place to spend a day or two.

Biri Island

Biri Island is off the northern tip of Samar too. The rock formations here are really breathtaking and it is one of the coolest places in the Philippines.

Biri Island

I got this flat in the Quezon province in Luzon. I was on my way to Manila – which was a two day trip from my place in Catbalogan Samar. (around 1650 kilometers round trip) I camped out under the stars in Quezon province but most travelers would prefer not to camp this way.

Here is a sunset picture of Mt Mayon in the Bicol region near Legaspi.

I often take my bike between the islands using the ferry system.

This is the ferry between Allen in Samar and Matnog in Southern Luzon.

10th flat – coming back from 350 k trip to Samar last night. I had to replace the tube again but it was a nail that tore it up when I ran on a flat for about a kilometer.

This was in Tunga, Leyte. When the tire went flat we were doing around 60 kph and an Ultrabus was heading our way at a high rate of speed so I opted to go for the shoulder which was smooth grass. It really was a gentle stop.

This mechanic has an opinion on why I tend to get a lot of flats (in addition to the other theories that we have come up with).  He reckons that travel with a heavy load at relatively high speed on very hot days causes the tire to heat up and expand – therefore loosing its grip on the rim. Makes sense.

I got this flat near Shohoton but the valve stem did not rip out. It went flat with 3 holes as we were on the bend in the road right by the vulcanizing shop.

The heavy loading probably has a lot to do with it. It’s weird but I don’t even think twice about driving with 4 of us on the bike anymore.It just seems “normal” because everyone else is doing it too…at least here in the Philippines!

Flat tire repair