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HAVE OU EVER HAD A BLOWOUT ON YOUR WING, NOT A FLAT BUT AN ACTUAL BLOWOUT

POLL- How many people have ever had a blowout on a Goldwing?

13K views 105 replies 31 participants last post by  Max McAllister 
#1 ·
I have riden bikes for 35 years with numerous flats but no actual blowout.

Not a nail not a valve stem coming out but a" KABOOOOOM BLOWOUT"

This poll will run for 14 days
 
#3 ·
Re: POLL- How many people have ever had a blowout on a Goldw

laen said:
I have riden bikes for 35 years with numerous flats but no actual blowout.
This poll will run for 14 days
25+ years on bikes
25 years in MC biz
15 years as a line technician (Honda Trained Tech)
10 years specializing in MC suspension.
Personally mounted, balanced, and installed more than 3,000 tires.

Never seen a blown out tire.

(Dunlop had tire failures with 220hp superbikes going almost 200mph about two years ago... I saw photos).
 
#5 ·
Been there, done that in 1998 on a GL1500. I95 north-bound outside of Savannah. We had just visited the 8th Air Force Museum, and got back on 95. We were north bound when the backend wiggled, I asked my wife if she had moved, she said "no" and eveything got very squirlly as the back end tried to pass the front end. I was in the third lane moving at about 65 mph, managed to get over to the shoulder without getting hit. Took a short trip through the weeds but managed to end up on the paved shoulder in the upright position. Not sure how I did it but I stayed off the rear brake and got is stopped with only the front. Took both of us to get it up one the center stand with the back tire flat (that thing was heavy!) and I found a large hole in the center of the tread. Honda Riders Club came to the rescue and we got picked up by a local Honda dealer with a low trailer. New tire, back out the door. Scared me good afterward - too busy at the time to be afraid - and I'm pretty much fearless... :wink:
 
#7 ·
Blowout on my '86 Wing

I have had a blow out on an '86 GL1200. Was going down Raton Pass when the rear blew, in a right hand curve. Just about put me into the center concrete divider and scared the K&%@ out of me. Luckily there were others with me and we got the tire replaced and back on the road quickly.
 
#8 ·
:lol:

Southbound, I-25 near Soccoro, NM ... Big chunk of Avon leaves tire. Almost lost it. Two years ago. Same bike, ME880 split and lost all the air fast...

Near Ignacio, Co, 1984 Yamaha Venture Royale, Tire tore into two pieces and came off wheel... Was sorta racing a guy on a BMW... Happened about 4 years ago.

Many others over the years !!


JMHO 8)
 
#9 ·
Does anyone object to limiting the survey to GL1800s?

So far, the three known blowouts have been on 2 1500s and 1 1200.

:)

The thrust of this poll as you can well tell, is to verify if there is a need to run a car tire on a GL1800 because when equipped with a GL-specific motorcycle tire, the proponents of the car tire claim the GL1800 is unsafe and prone to crashing due to the motorycle tire not being able to carry it's load.
 
#10 ·
This is good. I look forward to reading the replys.

Not trying to change the scope of your research here but, as a sugestion it would be interesting to know if those with a blow out could contribute the reason like, for example..over weight or long time since checking air pressure.

Just a suggestion
 
#11 ·
I have had two blowouts of GL-1800.... Avon, Me880...

I also have had many flats and do use the tire plug kit.

NOTE: I also had a flat on a car tire last year on the wing. Rode it home and fixed it.
 
#12 ·
KA7W said:
I have had two blowouts of GL-1800.... Avon, Me880...

I also have had many flats and do use the tire plug kit.

NOTE: I also had a flat on a car tire last year on the wing. Rode it home and fixed it.
For the same person to have experienced a blow out on the same bike with two different brands of tires...

Methinks there is some mitigating circumstances here... :twisted: :wink:
 
#13 ·
I have not had a blowout on a bike or a car in 27 years of driving but I think limiting it to only GL1800's is not a fair test of moto tires vs. car tires. If you were to limit it to touring bikes with radials, then I would say you would have an apples to apples comparison as the "darksiders" are saying that car tires are safer than moto tires on numerous applications such as the Valk, the Boss Hoss and the VTX to name a few.

BTW, I still use moto tires. :)

My 2 cents.
 
#14 ·
Max McAllister said:
The thrust of this poll as you can well tell, is to verify if there is a need to run a car tire on a GL1800 because when equipped with a GL-specific motorcycle tire, the proponents of the car tire claim the GL1800 is unsafe and prone to crashing due to the motorycle tire not being able to carry it's load.
None on any Motorcycle, and I have worn my motorcycle tires to their cords. I use tire repair kits on the rear only, and used my last E3 for 15K with a mushroom plug repair.

Now, I have had three blowouts with car tires in 30 years, them radial sidewalls just can not take the NJ shrapnel. The last one was on an '83 XJ6, that 5000lb vehicle barely noticed and just 'pulled to the right' a bit.

In rememberance to all those people that had their F-150 truck tires blow out...
 
#15 ·
A little off topic. I just put 4 new Bridgestone Radials on my daughters Malibu. She had a blowout 6 days later. I had to bitch with the Firestone dealer for full replacement. My daughter later told me she hit a curb.
 
#16 ·
leaddog11 said:
This is good. I look forward to reading the replys.

Not trying to change the scope of your research here but, as a sugestion it would be interesting to know if those with a blow out could contribute the reason like, for example..over weight or long time since checking air pressure.

Just a suggestion
To answer your questions - we were not overweight in cargo and two up, air pressure was normal that morning - blow-out was in early afternoon. Tires and bike had about 8 K on them - orginal tires. BTW, wife thinks I'm the greatest bike rider out there!!! 8)
 
#17 ·
Max

Mitigating Factors on my Blow outs. I was leaving on a trip, I had a trailer on behind the bike and it was loaded. I was going to be gone for about 3 weeks.

I had a Avon on the rear, it was wore down almost to the wear bars, maybe a half thirty second to the wear bar but I was only going 400 miles and have it replaced in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

Leaving out of town, running about 80 MPH I see a bunch of bikes gaining on me. Turns out to be a bunch of the local boys heading to Santa Fe for a race. Of course I had to play with them and was hitting 100+ several times. I generally don't let many in front.

We all stopped for coffee in Cuba, NM, laughed and joked, they were commenting on how good the wing will run with a trailer in tow. We split near Albuquerque, they went North, I went South.

I hate interstates, Got to an area that had a paved road parallel to the interstate and got on it. Was buzzing along about 80, just before dark, when BAM !!!!! ALL OVER THE ROAD !

In racing and playing with those guys, I finally wore ALL the rubber off the tire, down into the cords and split it and lost all the air... In less than 400 miles of some very hard riding, I ruined that tire...

I did break chunks of rubber off of a Dunlop early on this Wing, didn't loss any air but couldn't ride the tire.

Had a ME 880 installed on this bike... Rode it about 3000 miles, Could not keep it balanced and finally it split between the tread and lost all the air very fast.. Poof, all over the road !! I had just ridden a very terrible rocky road called Lime Creek in Colorado a day or two before. May have split it then. That road is not fit to even walk on..

Mitigating factors, Or tires not strong enough for a heavy bike ??


JMHO 8)
 
#18 ·
Have ridden for 40 years now. Never had a flat tire of any kind.
 
#20 ·
KA7W said:
Max

Mitigating Factors on my Blow outs. I was leaving on a trip, I had a trailer on behind the bike and it was loaded. I was going to be gone for about 3 weeks.

I had a Avon on the rear, it was wore down almost to the wear bars, maybe a half thirty second to the wear bar but I was only going 400 miles and have it replaced in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

Leaving out of town, running about 80 MPH I see a bunch of bikes gaining on me. Turns out to be a bunch of the local boys heading to Santa Fe for a race. Of course I had to play with them and was hitting 100+ several times. I generally don't let many in front.

We all stopped for coffee in Cuba, NM, laughed and joked, they were commenting on how good the wing will run with a trailer in tow. We split near Albuquerque, they went North, I went South.

I hate interstates, Got to an area that had a paved road parallel to the interstate and got on it. Was buzzing along about 80, just before dark, when BAM !!!!! ALL OVER THE ROAD !

In racing and playing with those guys, I finally wore ALL the rubber off the tire, down into the cords and split it and lost all the air... In less than 400 miles of some very hard riding, I ruined that tire...

I did break chunks of rubber off of a Dunlop early on this Wing, didn't loss any air but couldn't ride the tire.

Had a ME 880 installed on this bike... Rode it about 3000 miles, Could not keep it balanced and finally it split between the tread and lost all the air very fast.. Poof, all over the road !! I had just ridden a very terrible rocky road called Lime Creek in Colorado a day or two before. May have split it then. That road is not fit to even walk on..

Mitigating factors, Or tires not strong enough for a heavy bike ??


JMHO 8)
If those aren't mitigating factors, I will never know what is!!!
:shock: :shock:

I am going to make a new poll....
 
#22 ·
KA7W said:
Max

Mitigating Factors on my Blow outs. I was leaving on a trip, I had a trailer on behind the bike and it was loaded. I was going to be gone for about 3 weeks.

I had a Avon on the rear, it was wore down almost to the wear bars, maybe a half thirty second to the wear bar but I was only going 400 miles and have it replaced in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

Leaving out of town, running about 80 MPH I see a bunch of bikes gaining on me. Turns out to be a bunch of the local boys heading to Santa Fe for a race. Of course I had to play with them and was hitting 100+ several times. I generally don't let many in front.

We all stopped for coffee in Cuba, NM, laughed and joked, they were commenting on how good the wing will run with a trailer in tow. We split near Albuquerque, they went North, I went South.

I hate interstates, Got to an area that had a paved road parallel to the interstate and got on it. Was buzzing along about 80, just before dark, when BAM !!!!! ALL OVER THE ROAD !

In racing and playing with those guys, I finally wore ALL the rubber off the tire, down into the cords and split it and lost all the air... In less than 400 miles of some very hard riding, I ruined that tire...

I did break chunks of rubber off of a Dunlop early on this Wing, didn't loss any air but couldn't ride the tire.

Had a ME 880 installed on this bike... Rode it about 3000 miles, Could not keep it balanced and finally it split between the tread and lost all the air very fast.. Poof, all over the road !! I had just ridden a very terrible rocky road called Lime Creek in Colorado a day or two before. May have split it then. That road is not fit to even walk on..

Mitigating factors, Or tires not strong enough for a heavy bike ??


JMHO 8)
Why do I sense that you are proud of your actions? :shock: I do not mean to be unkind, ignorant, or judgemental, but stupid hurts. IMHO you are just damn lucky, and maybe so are some others that could have been hurt or worse by your poor sense of judgement.

I don't care how skilled a person "thinks" he is, if you ain't on a race track or test course, it it very selfish and flat out wrong to endanger others. Flame if you must. It would fit. :roll:

However, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. :)

Todd
 
#24 ·
wvnnva

Yeah, I am proud of the fact that I have ridden since 1951 and used a motorcycle as primary transportation. I am proud of the fact that a lot of young guys come to me for advise on how to ride and be safe. I am proud of the fact that I have over one million miles logged on Goldwings since 1975.

You say I have a poor sense of judgment. Could you please explain to me where I have a poor sense of judgment.

I also flew airplanes under power lines, under over hanging trees, in and around poles, posts, barns, and other obstacles for 37 years, I suppose you will say that was a poor sense of judgment also.

And if you believe that stupid hurts, I sure hope it never catches up with you !

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours !! 8)
 
#25 ·
I've never known anyone to have a, "Blow-out". Had a few uneventful tires go flat up in the mountains, but as KA7W has also reported, I simply ride it home and fix it.
 
#26 ·
Tire blowout

About halfway home from playing in mountains of NC. on hwy 129 south I was running at about 60mph & out of nowhere I hear a loud bang. Didn't see anything in the road that I may have run over. The bike gave me no indication of anything being wrong untill I had traveled approx. 5mi. or so when the front end began feeling heavy at which point I pulled into a small truckstop to investigate the problem. Put her on centerstand & went to rotate rear tire & found the tire blistering hot with about a half a dime size hole in the center. Air pressure is checked every morning, riding 1 up, & traveling light. Tire had approx. 7 to 8 thousand mi. on it. What I found interesting is that the bike never shook or shimmied when the bang occured. Lady luck must have been with me for this took place on Easter Sunday. Needless to say, nothing open. Being at the truckstop for the night, I had every creature comfort that I needed to get me through to the morning. I take care of the bikes every need & when I needed her to take care of me, she came through. I LOVE MY STABLE STEED. BTW... The tire was an Elite 3.
 
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