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Tire Damage?

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fiveoh455

Active Member
I picked up my new bike last Wednesday, rode it home and due to weather didn't ride again until Saturday. Took it out to do the "3rd Gear 30/60/30 break-in." During my ride I noticed a little bit of a "mushy" feel in the rear, and figured right away I had low PSI in the rear tire.
Got the bike home, parked in the garage and immediately noticed the smell of burning rubber. Checked the PSI in the rear tire, and it was less than 10 lbs.
I called the dealer. The rep told me he thought the back tire bead didn't seat/seal on the rim. They are going to take care of it (tomorrow) but I'm concerned about damage to the rear tire. Should I request that tire be replaced? What is the dealer's obligaton? I don't/won't have full confidence in the tire that's on right now.....
P.S. I take full responsibility for not doing a pre-ride check, but I figured..new bike, no issues.
 
Running a tire with that low air pressure for even a short period can cause the tire to delaminate. Heat will cause the plies to seperate and can cause the tire to deflate rapidly. Before you get worked up, see what the dealer suggest and go from there. There are many articles on the web that you can print out to show what can happen. My guess is the dealer will want to replace the tire.
 
You should not accept anything less than a new tire. The fact that there was only 10 psi means that something made tire go flat. If the bead was the culprit it should have went flat on test ride for pre delivery. Now unless they find a hole in tire from a road hazard, or a bad rim, something caused the loss of air. In any event, hopefully the dealer will still step up and take care of issue for you...
The fact that you smelt burnt rubber, means the tires integrity has been compromised...
 
+1 on the above. And I would ask the dealer to do the complete Pre delivery inspection again. It may have been done by the kid from the wash rack the first time.
 
Nothing short of a new tire and re do PDI will do, Once a tire is run low or flat it can become rim cut on the inside, This means the tire may have spun on the wheel compromising the bead and side wall, we see this every day @ work, stand your ground and let us know how this goes, there is a thread on Good Dealer Experiences where you can post your trip to get this sorted out:s
 
Thanks to all for the good info. I should say that when I made initial contact with the dealer (rep) he was very apologetic and promised right away to make things right. Also, I didn't mention that another thing I found was NO air in the rear shocks. I'll be sure to get a re-do on the PDI. Thanks again for the responses....
 
I think perhaps you have paid for a pdi that did not happen and you should express that you are not too happy that they let you leave their premises on a bike that was dangerous to ride

Brian
 
When I picked-up my 09 FLHX we did a walk-around & checked everything on the bike (including air pressure). Did you have a similar deal, or some documentation indicating everything was QC checked?

My 1st thought was your belt was smok'n from the 30/60/30 motor break-in..;)
 
I would take a close look at the drive belt too. If the tire got that low it may have rubbed the belt.
 
I took my bike back to the dealer today (Hoosier HD in Elkhart, IN.) They were waiting for me when I arrived. They replaced the rear tire, because they were concerned that it might be damaged and they didn't want me on an unsafe ride. They also noticed I had a defective bulb in one of my auxiliary lights, and they replaced that as well.
Two thumbs up to Hoosier HD...they cared about me and my new bike.
 
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