Run-Flat Tires??

[Greg Field]

Anyone tried them on a V11?

 

I stopped by a friend's new shop today. He is an independant BMW shop that has the contract for all the county and state BMW cop bikes.

 

Well, when they pick up a nail in their run-flat Dunlop tires, he changes them.

 

He says I can have them for free.

 

Any down-side to this?

[twhitaker]

Never heard of such a thing. At least on a bike.

YMMV, but as they say, "If the shoe fits, wear it."

[Guest Nogbad]

Anyone tried them on a V11?

 

I stopped by a friend's new shop today. He is an independant BMW shop that has the contract for all the county and state BMW cop bikes.

 

Well, when they pick up a nail in their run-flat Dunlop tires, he changes them.

 

He says I can have them for free.

 

Any down-side to this?

90935[/snapback]

 

Why do you want all the bent nails?

[v50man]

Why do you want all the bent nails? 

90988[/snapback]

 

[jtucker]

I've never heard of run-flats on a motorcycle, but I have used them on my MINI. I don't know if the technology is the same or not, but on the car they are heavy and provide a very harsh ride (read: I hate them).

 

I would be skeptical of them on a bike. I can understand cops wanting to use them, as durability and puncture-resistance are probably key factors. My bike is less of a "work horse" and more for pleasure, so any tires I put on it would have to suit my purpose.

 

Of course, if you say you can get them for free... I'd go for it, and let us all know how they perform. Worse case scenario is that you pull them off a week later and put some traditional rubber back on the bike.

 

__Jason

[Martin Barrett]

Of course, if you say you can get them for free... I'd go for it, and let us all know how they perform. Worse case scenario is that you pull them off a week later and put some traditional rubber back on the bike.

 

91155[/snapback]

 

That would be second worse case. Worse case would be the repair catastrophically fails, though I'd imagine that would be very unlikely.

 

I think it's worth a try.

[gargoyle]

Well, when they pick up a nail in their run-flat Dunlop tires, he changes them.

 

He says I can have them for free.

 

90935[/snapback]

 

Let me see if I get this right. Your friend is going to give you damaged tires for free because I'm sure he isn't giving you new tires for free. If he IS giving you new tires for free then go for it! If it is the old tires, WHY? Why would you want to put a previously damaged tire on your bike? I can see no upside to the second case. I know if I had to plug a tire while on a trip that tire would be getting replaced as soon as I got home. We only have two between us and the road and I want to know that they are not damaged.

[Greg Field]

I have run plugged tires for many thousands of miles and do not fear doing so.

 

These are run-flat tires. If they throw a plug, I can run 'em flat, so that makes me even less worried.

 

What I was more interested in knowing is, are they shit tires, or are they good tires. I was hoping someone here had tried them.

[Guest Nogbad]

I have run plugged tires for many thousands of miles and do not fear doing so.

 

These are run-flat tires. If they throw a plug, I can run 'em flat, so that makes me even less worried.

 

What I was more interested in knowing is, are they shit tires, or are they good tires. I was hoping someone here had tried them.

91222[/snapback]

 

I dunno, but I bet you any money they feel quite shit when flat........

[jtucker]

I dunno, but I bet you any money they feel quite shit when flat........

91239[/snapback]

 

And my suspicion is that they will feel quite shit when inflated as well... I'd love to hear some first-hand experience.

[dlaing]

I think run flat tires could be a good idea.

I once pulled away from a redlight and the front tire blew out by the time I got up to about 30MPH.

It was a small miracle that I did not crash. It was nearly impossible to control the bike.

I have also had the rear go, but that was a comparative cakewalk.

I would be very interested, especially for the front tire.

I googled and could find little about the tires.

Perhaps I should talk to next available two wheeled LEO that I see, and find out who takes care of their tires.

[jtucker]

I think run flat tires could be a good idea.

I once pulled away from a redlight and the front tire blew out by the time I got up to about 30MPH.

It was a small miracle that I did not crash. It was nearly impossible to control the bike.

I have also had the rear go, but that was a comparative cakewalk.

I would be very interested, especially for the front tire.

I googled and could find little about the tires.

Perhaps I should talk to next available two wheeled LEO that I see, and find out who takes care of their tires.

91388[/snapback]

 

This topic has me intrigued as well. I also spent some time online looking for info on these tires, and there is virtually none to be found. All I can surmise is that these tires have been around for a while now, but they only seem to be available for LEOs. Which begs the question.... why? If they were the best thing since sliced bread, why wouldn't they make them available to the general public? There must be more to this.

 

Some of the info I found indicates that the main purpose of these tires is to simply stay on the rim in the event of a blowout, allowing you to safely come to a stop ASAP. Other things I've seen indicate that they may be good for 100 miles at 50 MPH after a flat. These seem to contradict one another a bit.

 

I've also seen mention that because of the secure fit, special rims may be needed. I don't know how true that is.

 

My biggest concern is the handling characteristics. Are they really suitable for sport bikes?

 

More info would be nice, but as I mentioned before, I find it odd that these haven't been introduced to the general public, especially considering how popular runflats have become on cars.

[Greg Field]

The tires, apparently, are Dunlop 205s.

 

Feedback I've recieved privately is that they're great tires, used by some very swift Guzzi riders in SoCal. One said he had run them at 90 mph while flat.

[jrt]

Greg, you're talking free tires. Free. The worst you will be out is the time it takes to change them. Give them a try and give us some feedback on them.