first flat!

mlee10018 · Post by **mlee10018** » Thu May 31, 2007 12:36 am

I had a rear flat this morning and the roadside service worked great. Took a bit longer than quoted, but great service. Of course they only pay up to $150 per tow, but that was enough for New York City. Make sure you carry the number and your account number with you.

Has anyone tested any tools that help you get back on the road? I was thinking of carrying a bottle of the fix a flat that plugs your tire and pumps it at the same time. Has anyone use that before, the tow truck guy said that it works great, the only thing is that it makes the air pressure in your tire flammable. May be a small pump would be helpful also.

pesqueeb · Post by **pesqueeb** » Thu May 31, 2007 1:49 am

try your local bike shop. Bicycle shops have a variety of very small portable pumps that might work. In fact I have seen various pumps on scooter websites that I'm pretty sure I've owned for bicycles in the past. You can also by pumps that use small CO2 cartridges. You might have to use a couple of cartridges due to the volume a buddy tire requires but its a hell of a lot easier than pumping one of those little bike pumps for an hour.

Kris Pistofferson · Post by **Kris Pistofferson** » Thu May 31, 2007 3:39 am

Could somebody post the 800 number for roadside assistance? I can't seem to locate it anywhere and I want to plug it into my cellphone. Thanks.

Eireann · Post by **Eireann** » Thu May 31, 2007 6:37 am

Same thing happened to me recently, and I used Roadside Assistance as well. They were only able to send a giant flat-bed truck because their smaller trucks could not accommodate two wheeled vehicles! My little Clementine looked pretty hilarious lashed down with chains on the back of a giant truck. I had them tow her to my house because it was late, but in order to drive to my dealer I did buy one of those fix-a-flat cans--I used less than half on my tire. My dealer/mechanic said that those work well if the tire is punctured--which mine was. I now carry the remainder of the can under my seat. It's too bad that it is not easy to change the tire yourself, but from what I was told, it's quite a process.
Oh, yes, and the Roadside Assistance number is 866-311-8982

Post by **ericalm** » Thu May 31, 2007 8:19 am

The products pesqueeb mentioned up above can be purchased in a tubeless tire repair kit. It'll come with a plugs, a piercing tool, and sometimes the CO2 cartridges to inflate the tire. From what I've heard, you can ride quite a ways at speed with a plug in if it's done right. There are a lot of onlne tutorials on how to do this.

The tubeless tires will usually leak fairly slowly when punctured (they don't blow out). I had a 6" screw puncture a tire twice diagonally and it still leaked pretty slowly as I moved my scoot to safety. The Fix-a-Flat was useless.

SI owners aren't so lucky in this regard—they have tubed tires.

Next time I have a tire in need of replacement, I'm going to puncture it on purpose so I can practice with the kit.

BlueMark · Post by **BlueMark** » Thu May 31, 2007 12:14 pm

ericalm wrote:Next time I have a tire in need of replacement, I'm going to puncture it on purpose so I can practice with the kit.

Or you can practice anytime you like on an old basketball.

-Mark

Corsair · Post by **Corsair** » Thu May 31, 2007 2:07 pm

Living in Detroit (with all the crappy roads) I've repair countless numbers of tires on my car and can testify to the quality of the tire plug kits!

Here's a tutorial I came across: HOW TO USE A TIRE PLUG KIT (for tubeless tires)

Also you can get a Micro Compressor from your local auto supply/department store. They fit perfectly in your under seat storage or top case. It can be operated by plugging it into the accessory outlet or connecting it straight to the battery if you don't have an outlet.

captaintg · Post by **captaintg** » Thu May 31, 2007 2:14 pm

I've had good luck with the cans of inflate-a-tire. But be careful storing it under the seat. It can get hot under there.

The microcompressor is cool. I didn't know they made them that small!

xtetra · Post by **xtetra** » Thu May 31, 2007 2:51 pm

My dealer sent in my warranty card and all that but I haven't recieved an account number or anything for road side assistance. I've had my scoot for a month now, should I have recieved something in the mail?

Post by **ericalm** » Thu May 31, 2007 5:05 pm

xtetra wrote:My dealer sent in my warranty card and all that but I haven't recieved an account number or anything for road side assistance. I've had my scoot for a month now, should I have recieved something in the mail?

Roadside Assistance is handled by a contractor (it's basically like an insurance policy that provides one service for a set time) and they've been slow to send out the info. You're covered the second you buy your Buddy, so can call the number if you need it.

kilted texan · Post by **kilted texan** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 7:58 pm

Here is TX DOT toll free #: 1-800-525-5555
Fort Worth Non-Emergency #: 817-335-4222