Front tyre losing pressure.

[scottp_15]

Hi,

First of all I apologise for the essay.

I rode about 100 miles on Saturday with a pillion on the back, some motorway some country lanes etc. I parked the bike up at 16:00 on the Saturday, then on the Sunday at about 16:00 I come to get on the bike. The first thing I noticed was that the front end was really heavy when wheeling it out, so I had a look and lo and behold it is VERY flat.

I was obviously worried about riding it but as the nearest petrol station is only a couple of hundred meters away and the roads were quiet I got it down there sharpish. Upon arrival I checked both tire pressures, the rear was 36 and the front was 6! I topped the front up to 33 and wheeled the bike forwards to get a good look at the tire. As far as I could see there was no damage to the tire and there was nothing stuck in it. I rode it back home, parked it up and left it for a couple of hours.

When I returned the tire was fine. I did a further 20 mile journey and when I was done the tire was holding 33. It was fine for the Monday and Tuesday, which made me wonder if anyone had actually deflated the tire on purpose (paranoid?). However, today I noticed the front end feeling off again and went and checked the pressures again. This time the front was down to 15 while the rear held 36. Now I am wondering if I have a slow puncture, which leads me to my question (once again sorry for the essay), how much will it cost for me to get this looked at, will repairing it be worth it or if it is damaged will I be looking at getting a whole new tire (as this one is only 4 months old).

Any advice/responses are much appreciated.

[Dave20046]

Have you tried dousing the wheel in water yet to try and see if there are any bubbles/locate a puncture? (Not sure how you could avoid that with this weather!)
Also try wet round the rim and get an assistant to sit on the bike just incase it's not sealed properly maybe??

If it's a slow puncture and in a repairable area, it'll be pretty cheap. I once took another member to get it done on a rideout and I think they charged him about a tenner. if it's a malformed rim or something (are there any dents?) it could be more.
It could be the valve too, have you tried moving it side to side and listened/wet it? A revalve wouldn't be expensive.

[Sid Squid]

Use some water on the tyre and see if you can identify a puncture, if you can't then get it to a tyre fitter and ask their advice, a small, slow puncture can be difficult to see from outside the tyre, but often easier from the inside.

Also is there a valve cap fitted? If no then fit one, they are a very effective second seal and if fitting one solves the problem then the valve is very probably the fault. If you have a suitable tool check the valve core is correctly tightened.

If it were my bike I'd remove the tires and fit tyres instead - they suit British roads much better.

[NTECUK]

Some soapy water in an old cleaning pump spray needed.
Don't forget to squirt the valve ,valve core as well as the bead seat.
Alloys will corridord and seep out air some times .

[scottp_15]

Thanks a lot for the replies.

I haven't seen any bubbles and as you say its hard not to get the tyres wet, especially in the rain today! But I will double check that. I'll try wetting the rim and get someone to sit on it as well.

The rim looks fine to me, no dents or any abnormalities and I have no idea what I'm listening for on the valve front. It's my first bike, have only had it 4 months so I'm still new to all this :D.

Thanks again for the reply. I'll test out all the above and if nothing seems to be wrong I guess I'll just take it down a garage.

EDIT - Sorry what is a bead seat (i'm dense -_-)

[Dave20046]

It's a motorcycle saddle for homosexuals





....but the more common type is the rim of the tyre itself

[scottp_15]

It's a motorcycle saddle for homosexuals





....but the more common type is the rim of the tyre itself

Very good :rolleyes:

Thanks guys, I'll get all that stuff checked out tomorrow.

[NTECUK]

It'sthe part of the road wheel were the sealing edge of the tyre mounts to the rim to form an air tight seal,Coeosion can form hear and you cant see it without removing wheel.
http://www.alldatadiy.com/alldatadiy/DIY~G~C45827~R0~OB0~P3R0H~N/0/138181779/138629620/138629625/138629629/34853741/34850750/42063452/167438605/169991904/169991905

[scottp_15]

Great. Thanks for all the replies guys. Hopefully it will be a cheap fix then!

[pie_master]

If it's come on suddenly it may be that you ahve picked up a chunk of something, rather than some sort of weathering-related slow puncture - this seems especially likely if it's a new tyre.

Good luck - hope it's a quick-fix and until then ride safe!!