Okay i went to leave for work yesterday and the front tire was low. I tip toed it to the gas station and filled it up. No worries. Drove to work, 20 miles. No worries. Came out at 3:30 to go home, flat......dammit. Tip toed it to the service garage and filled it up. Listened for leaks and didnt hear any. Noticed on the ride home the front end was getting squirrelly again. Stopped at auto parts store and tire was very low again. Bought fix a flat ( dont say it, i know) again listened for leaks and heard none. Within 15 minutes tire was FLAT. Had to push the bike a mile or so home ( lucky i was close) So I told you that to ask you this.....i assume i need to remove the front wheel and take it to a tire store, not HD,(dont wanna get raped) and see whats up with it. FYI 2008 HD sportster XL1200c. My question is, how do i remove the front tire? I havent really looked at it, i'm sure i can figure it out though. Just wanted to ask on here. If i do need a new tire, where should i get it from? I have checked around on line and cheapest i have found the original Dunlop for is on DennisKirk for 76 and change. Any HELPFUL suggestions would be nice.
Sorry to hear about the flat tire on your Sportster, but glad you didn't have a blow out at highway speeds. That REALLY Sucks!
When buying a tire on-line or through the mail, just remember if you don't mount and balance it yourself odds are the shop you take it to will charge a premium for mounting a tire you supplied them.
Good luck.
__________________ Buzz Kanter
Editor-in-Chief, American Iron Magazine
Lets see here, xl1200c. That bike has a wire spokes on it, correct?? Could be you only need a new tube and a rim strip. Do you see any holes,cuts, or damage to the actual tire itself??
Lets see here, xl1200c. That bike has a wire spokes on it, correct?? Could be you only need a new tube and a rim strip. Do you see any holes,cuts, or damage to the actual tire itself??
yes, spoked wheel. I didnt notice any holes, screws, nails or anything. I was unaware that they tire had a tube in it....that would be SWEET, and cheap to fix !!!
I hope that's all it is, I've got an 05 1200c and its got spokes front and rear, they look great but the next bike will have cast iron so I can just plug and play Welcome to the zoo!!
I bet you really meant----how do you remove the front Wheel,, yes..?
Removing the front wheel will be easy after you figure out how to lift the front end off the ground safe & securely..
I'm sure you can do it so I'm Not going to go into it, I will if you want but I'm sure you can do it..
If you can at least take the Wheel off and bring it & the new tire to a shop you might save some money.. If you actually dis-mount the flat tire and re-mount the new tire & new tube yourself and then take it to a shop JUST to be balanced you'll save more..
Like Buzz said-- just bringing a tire to a shop will usually get you NO good will..
If there is a puncture,, just replacing the tube is often Not enough..
Most times you want to patch the puncture site on the inside of the tire also..
This hassle is why I run mostly tubeless tire wheels,, I have plugged several tires now, right on the sickle, with no probs and I run em till they're finished & need replacing.. You got the right idea Hammer..
Have a ball
__________________ "Fill your hands you son of a bitch"
Rooster Cogburn
Could be a faulty Valve stem or a spoke that came loose and worn through the strip and tube.
Once you get the bikes front end up.....Not sure how you will do that. I have a lift. Pulling the wheel off is a piece of cake. If you have the Service manual it will give you the step by step. Torque specs when intalling and so forth.
Fill her up again and look that tire over real good. You may not need a new tire.
I get my tires from Dennis Kirk also. I bring my tires once off to the dealer. They put the new skins on while I wait. Price aint too bad.
The valve stem was what I thought you might wanna double check... JCP beat me to it.
Buying on line takes time... days....a week or more.... do you want to be off the road that long? in the middle of summer??? just a thought, thats why I just buy them at the dealer and then go home to do the mount etc....
__________________ Scott aka Unclepsycho
Redneck without a clue
Use the Inexpensive Tire Bead Breaker to get at the tube. Go around and mark the tube and the tire with numbers for later inspection (maybe like a clock using the stem as 12). Pull out the tube, check for leaks. You can submerge the tube or spray it with soapy water. Of coarse make sure its pumped up real good.
You should by now find a leak. Use the numbers to then examine the same location on the tire. Look for a nail hole, debris, or loose spoke on the rim.
Replace the tube, and fix the spoke if one is bad.
Either way, you don't have to pay for balancing... you can simply use Dyna Beads and How To install them for a great deal cheaper and much better balance.
Flats Suck 
Welcome to the zoo!! 
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