Sunday, 10 Jan 2016
A foggy ride on Skyline to Alice’s followed breakfast at Bill’s.
Bills
After Breakfast
Headlight talk
Foggy on Skyline
Later Sunday afternoon
Alberto writes
TIRE REPAIR
You have seen the video, I am sure…. Not the same thing as doing it yourself!
Sunday, January 10
Larry, Curly and Moe got together at Markus’ General Hospital.
The patient, Markus’ front 1200 GS tire.
Injury: nail in the gut, two nails
Chief Surgeon Dr. Larry WWWobble Burns
Chief Nurse Dr. Moe Baur
High school drop-out Curly Alberto
Hospital time : 1-1/2 hours
Technique I - folding plug.
Technique II - mushroom plug.
You’d think this guys know all about it. And they do! Well, sorta. The plan was, they tell me what to do and I, well, try to do it.
It all worked well until it did not. “just take that rasp, and make the hole bigger”. My hand was bleeding, swelling and distorting using the stupid rasp. “It must be the steel in the tires”, I commented at my lack of progress. Chief Surgeon Larry WWWobble Burns - “Just do it!” This, while I noticed that he does not moved a finger, but insists on my going at it with more energy.
We used the tire of plug that folds in half, which once inserted, you retrieve the needle-looking-plug-tool and the plug stays in place. We were successful on the first try. Hmmm…
EVALUATION - This method is kind of sloppy. It works, but is a lot of work … The problem is the stupid rasp. Then, pushing the plug folded in half into the sewing-needle-tool is not so simple (easier for the camel get through the eye of a needle). The patient survived. The tire-gut was plugged, and Alberto’s hand now needed surgery from the pain of using the rasp. You think I am kidding? I am typing this report with my toes!!
“No, no, no. Not done! Now we must try the other technique… The mushroom”. That was Dr. Larry WWWobble Burns
We are set to … Excuse me, the Surgeon General, gave me a few instructions, and said: “go at it”. The repair kit comes with three handles. A rasp (oh no!!) , a sharp point and a strange handle along an Allen wrench.
The rasp was obvious… More pain on the already injured hand. Then came the sharp point - make the hole bigger, this is encouraging. And then… ? What da heck is this tool?!
None of the doctors could continue with the surgery. You see, none had read the manual. So in the middle of the operating table, out comes the How-To Use-This-Tool manual. Thank you Dr. Moe Baur. And you guessed it, we had to start all over again.
We were, scratch that. I was doing it all the wrong way. Dr. Larry and Dr. Moe recovered and gave me a new set of instructions. Almost perfect! Almost… The patient ain’t complaining, but he ain’t fixed.
Back to square one. As the saying goes - third time is a charm.
The patient and gut are doing well. Likely, it will make it to the next gas station, once there get it properly done.
EVALUATION - The mushroom plug is superior by far to the folding plug. The installation requires familiarity with the tools and leaves you with a greater sense of plugging that gut-hole thoroughly.
SUMMARY - read this if you read anything.
- Plugging a tire is simple.
- Item 1 above is true IF you have done it at least once before.
- You DO NOT want to plug a hole for the fist time on the road.
- You can plug a hole in ten minutes.