Nine tips to reduce motorbike punctures︱Cross Training Adventure

[@Dowent]

Slowing down usually reduces my puncture rate by about 80%. Which is kind of perfect, if you are on a short fun ride, getting the bike back to base is not a problem and riding fast is fun. When I'm on a long trip in the middle of nowhere, slowing down lets me take in the scenery, reduces fatigue (even your eyes get tired by riding fast, just try going down the motorway doing 160 and 120, it's amazing how much farther you can go) and reduces the chance of injury for you and the bike. Ofc, this is not for everybody, I genuinely enjoy the slow, doing 400km days doing 40km/h is doable for me.

[@crosstrainingadventure]

For me, it's one of the advantages of getting older... smelling those roses instead of always being on the throttle! On our recent six day ride in the outback, three of us just sat at 80kmh on the fastest sections while some of the other guys were doing double that speed at times.

[@zxcvbnmnz]

Some tire sealants are corrosive found out using some on tubliss wheels years ago. Now I just use the tire lube from work mixed extra thick. Also don't have rim tapes on my tubed bikes and they don't have any problems.

[@mototrailz]

This video is a plug for tire accessories 😊

[@crosstrainingadventure]

I was a bit deflated until I saw what you did there, Oli lol.

[@davidnobular9220]

I've got $10 that says CTA has never had a front puncture on his DR....the front wheel spends about 99.9% of its time in pointing at the sky.

[@DirtRider22a]

Ahh the ole Toby Price zip tie trick 🤙🏼

[@MrFPSWisconsin]

On my dirtbikes I run ultra HD tubes with like 19-20 psi. I really really do not want to get a flat and I’m not sponsored so mousses aren’t in the budget. I ride gnarly mountains single track and it works for me.

[@robsonenduro3316]

I avoid punctures by using mousses :) BTW from my experience if using tubes at all use the standard thin ones. Heavy duty tubes are very heavy and almost impossible to patch and they puncture not less frequent then standard one..

[@jimmcbride6297]

On my smaller bike, which I use for 'hard' (I should call it 'turgid') enduro, I have had two rear tire flats with ultra heavy and heavy duty tubes. I am going to try mousse now.

[@sambarr7826]

What are your thoughts on pairing mousse with motoz tractionators for occasional road riding?

[@robsonenduro3316]

@@sambarr7826 never used motoz tyres but mousses are fine for occasional road use, doing this everyday to get to the trails.

[@crosstrainingadventure]

From what I hear mousses are generally longer lived nowadays. And it helps if they are well lubed and also sized correctly to the knobby... if it's not a good fit the extra movement will kill them off pretty quickly. This is just what I hear though, not sure how accurate it is as our whole crowd is on TUbliss nowadays.

[@robsonenduro3316]

@@crosstrainingadventure you can use mousses even on bigger adv bike on front wheel and no issues. I use Nitro mousses and they have website which tyre fits their mousses and which, if you follow that mousses live long time. Tubeliss? naah, too complicated, can get puncture and expensive almost as mousses.

[@bryanreeme8584]

Riding off-trail recently I was banging stumps & rocks under the brush, silly but fun place... was pretty sure I flatted the front (a spent Rallz), but was fine.. never checked the rear (better shape) but had pinched it🤪.. thinking of sealing the spokes with 3M tape & trying tubeless Rallz 🤞

[@crosstrainingadventure]

I was debating the tape option too, Bryan. But I came across a lot of guys saying the tape just doesn't seem to seal well on DR650 rims, compared to other bikes. Not sure how well founded that is...

[@human1513]

Slime makes a product specifically for tubes I recenty learned.

[@ArizonaAdv]

When I switched to Ultra Heavy duty I have not gotten a flat in years with paying attention to pressure and 606s .

[@nickhellen6303]

I punctures! Had 2 in my car inside the last 10 months. One on the sidewall and t’other too close to the sidewall to be safely plugged/repaired. $409 per tyre with 9,400 klms on one and 11,600 on the second. Talk about being cut down years and miles before their prime - - Bikes are even more expensive: but the trick to prevent bike punctures is to leave ‘em in the garage! ‘Course, I got a puncture on the front end of my XL500 SB: because, of course, it was almost never on the ground. Stop riding like Pansies- aren’t you guys good that you can almost dispense with a front wheel? Please don’t disabuse me of the notion that youse guys are super-hot experts.

[@crosstrainingadventure]

Ouch. What kind of car tyre was that, Nick?

[@OsadabwaMoto]

I don't buy the HD tube malarkey. Hit hard enough and it still splits. Acacia thorns? Nails? Still goes through. It tends to work poorly with the OKO tyre sealing we use (Slime IMO is rubbish... OKO will get me the life of the tire with dozens of small punctures sealed) and is next to impossible to repair as patches don't want to vulcanize well. And they're expensive, harder to fit and heavy too. So boooo on HD tubes! I run 25psi in the front with cheap and cheerful VeeRubber tubes plus plenty of OKO Extreme and am happier. In the rear, I have been using TuBliss for a long time now (also with OKO) and have loved fixing nail-type flats in 3 minutes trailside. I've even managed to fix sizeable cuts in the tyre using multiple bacon strips (and zip ties around it like you showed). In all, I think it's saved me time and hassle on the trail. BUT, fitting it is a pain (fiddly, possible to cock it up, and you need a proper compressor), and if you break a spoke at the nipple you'll have to remove the whole setup and reinstall, which on a trip is probably not going to happen. So all in all, it may cost me time in the workshop. So, nothing's perfect! Not even mousses for what I like to do (they burn up in no time... might as well stuff the tire with cash). And, I still get plenty of punctures anyway because I ride like a d*ckhead.

[@crosstrainingadventure]

We've loved the TUbliss on our dirt bikes, zero issues over the past seven years so far. If they made a 17 inch rear I'd love to try it on the DR650...

[@pilotdane1]

Barry - I run SLIME in my tubes (THE MIGHTY SUZUKI DR 650) the only irritating thing is when checking the pressure - It looks like my valve stem just blew its nose :-)

[@crosstrainingadventure]

😂 I haven't had that happen yet, thanks for the warning.

[@jimmcbride6297]

Never have had a flat on the DR, but I may try the slime trick. Hopefully can get to AZ this winter.

[@banjopluker8254]

So I was always taught to have 2 uses for everything when away from home. What would be the second use for the baby powder 🤔

[@andrewn8788]

Some baby powder is made from corn starch, make sure you get the stuff made from fresh ground babies or it won't last.

[@crosstrainingadventure]

😂

[@banjopluker8254]

@@andrewn8788 😂😂

[@keithclarke5137]

A minute of silence for all the brand new tubes that have been punched before they even got a chance to shine.

[@crosstrainingadventure]

And defective ones split before you even take them out of the box... grrrr. A puncture in the middle of nowhere, pull out the new tube and it's got a long split in it from shit manufacturing. 😒

[@danmanthe9335]

For their's is a time taken too soon, to fall before the uninitiated tire changer. A sacrifice most noble, likened to the sacrifice before the psycho volcano gods of the Aztec. Amen

[@crosstrainingadventure]

😂

[@Boonus18]

Not a problem for me. I ride too slow to puncture anything.

[@normblais5120]

Ive heard of folks stuffing the tire with grass. I would guess it gives the tire a few psi equivalent. Never tried it. Maybe someone can explain it

[@samuelsingulano]

Heard this and stick pool floaters 🤣

[@crosstrainingadventure]

I've heard the same thing when your really stuck, Norm

[@bryanreeme8584]

Old smugglers trick.. Haven't heard anyone call it "grass" since Kojac though 🤔

[@crosstrainingadventure]

😂

[@johnshropshire3399]

👍👍

[@sambarr7826]

You forgot your own personal method of reducing front tyre punctures as seen in all your videos. That is, by spending 50% less time actually using the front tyre. 🤣😉

[@crosstrainingadventure]

It's some kind of design flaw with the DR650, Sam. I should probably buy something like a T7 which will keep both wheels on the ground.

[@jameswalstrom2433]

Why do you talk so weird... Ha ha 🤣😂 just kidding... Well done... Great show.

[@kingkire1556]

First

[@robertnagy4866]

The most efective solution for not having a puncture is do not ride your bike 🤣