Feeling utterly screwed!
A rogue bit of metal forces a change in rubber for the mighty V-Strom XT
Ever since this whole coronavirus thing happened I’ve been relying on the trusty Suzuki for everything that involves going somewhere or carrying something further than I would prefer to walk. You see, I don’t have a car – because I live in London, and public transport is miserable at the best of times, once again because I live in London. So imagine my displeasure, having loaded up my bike with myself, my other half and a week’s worth of shopping, in finding my rear tyre as flat as a pancake. Rats. I’ve not had a puncture in yonks. Bloody typical. Luckily I’m a terrible bore who watched far too many Ray Mears programmes as a child, so I like to be prepared for everything. Out comes the Gear Gremlin puncture kit and “we’ll be on our way in no time, love.” If you’ve not used one of these kits it’s dead simple and they don’t take up much room, so stuff one under your seat and thank me later.
To fix the puncture, simply remove the offending item,
‘I watched far too many Ray Mears shows’
make the hole bigger with the reamer, splodge some of the glue stuff in the hole, poke the rubber cigar in, twist then remove. At this point it’s best to have a coffee and let the solution cure, then empty two CO2 canisters of gas through the valve and bob’s your uncle.
I hasten to add that the first time I did this nearly a decade ago, the same process ended in me calling the AA for recovery but I was young and foolish. This time I read the instructions properly and all was well. With the tyre living on borrowed time it was time to sort some replacements for the OE Bridgestones. To be honest, I hadn’t gelled with them from the beginning and the front always felt vague, although it never let me down.
Step in the Dunlop Trailmax Meridian – a 90/10 road/offroad tyre that seems spot on for road focused adventure bikes for around £290 a set. Early impressions are positive: turn in is quicker (although that might just be because they’re still round…) but the frontend vagueness has gone even in miserable weather. My only regret is that I didn’t fit them 4000 miles ago.
LIKES
● OE Bridgestones last well…
DISLIKES
● …but never felt sure-footed