I gave the rim locks some thought, even bought one when I picked up my tube. I've about talked myself out of it. I truly believe that a stiffer sidewall tire and the uhd tube is the way to go. The tube is not so much about resisting punctures as it is about having more "stuff" in the tire. To clarify, I'm not talking about a heavy duty tube, it is an ultra heavy duty tube. To my knowledge, only moose and Bridgestone offer this tube. I've used them on my dirt bikes for years, they're so thick they barely need air at the 12 lb dirt bike pressures. On the dirt bikes, I feel that they resist pinch flats, not something a rider with 30 lbs of tire pressure needs to worry about. The little nail that punctured my tube is gonna puncture this tube as well, my hope is that the additional mass of tube inside the tire will buy me just a second or two more to get the bike stopped. I gave some thought to the tubeless vs tubed discussion as well. Other than a BMW gs aren't all bikes with spokes tubed? I know my friends Road King is. Can you imagine what would happen to a 700lb bike in a similar instance?
DOM, there are some tubeless spoked rims out there besides the GS. I don't think there are tubeless knobbies at 21 inches. There is a company (excel?) that makes a normal spoked rim that is sealed. I've seen it on a retro Ducati. Pretty expensive. Was beautiful though. Had o rings at each spoke. Not sure why more companies have not adopted BMWs "external" spokes. Too heavy? Patent issues? I had a total valve stem failure on the back of my GSA while leaned over at 85mph on a sweeper transition road. Back end got a bit squiggly, but tire bead never broke and I pulled over safely. The heavy bead/sidewall saved my bacon. I like your ideas about the ultra heavy duty tubes. I assume that might limit high speed as I'm thinking that you might build up heat with those, but on a thumper I don't think we are likely to be droning around at 120mph anyway. I would call Bridgestone and ask if they have an upper speed limit recommendation.
First, glad you're ok and your gear worked!! I came out yesterday to a flat rear, two staples in the rear tire: replaced the thin stock tube with a heavy duty tube, but may be going to the UHD tubes. Question: what about Slime - been using that in my DRZ - maybe that would slow/stop the leak?
Thank you very much for your informative post, it will help others. It was fortunate that Dewey stopped by. Please heal quick!
Got the bike back today. Still a few parts on backorder mainly the speedo cluster. It functions except for the tach but the case is cracked on top and has a hole in the bottom where the mounting lug was snatched out. Ignition switch is backordered as well but I may not replace it. After straightening the key and washing it out it works fine and I'm not sure if the new one would match the tank and seat locks. I'll find out before I decide. The rim is scratched but I'm not gonna fix it also a tiny scratch in the fork tube that I can't even feel with a fingernail. I wont fix that either. There is allegedly a scratch in the front rotor but I'll live with it if indeed I ever find it. American Family paid off like a slot machine, inspected the bike and had a check to the dealer within 2 days. Donnells Motorcycles has been awesome as well. Jamey has called me to update the progress no less than a half dozen times over the 2 weeks. He even suggested a "cafeteria" style approach to the repair which prompted me to just keep the cash for the cosmetic stuff. As it stands right now, I have the bike and the ins. check. I'll make my decisions about what to fix tonight and settle up with them tomorrow. It's good to have a close relationship with a dealer, lots of them get bashed and I absolutely wont do business with the jerks out there but Donnells is truly a stand up operation. Can't say enough good about them sales, parts and service all excellent. Also, folks on this site have been most helpful, FabOneUp even offered to help me with battling my ins. co if needed. And, to demonstrate the return of my sense of humor, I'll post a sneak photo of the 2014 HusqaHusa Terra 650. Behold. I don't know, kinda works for me. Whataya think?
Great news that you're getting it all back in order now. OT, but that last photo has me thinking though. I know many an ADV'er that love that twin headlight KTM setup, and will put it on pretty much anything. I've never ridden with one myself, but apparently it is a great combo of additional light and wind protection for longer rides into the unknown. The Husky is pretty naked up front, with easy access to everything. It wouldn't take much ingenuity to fab up one of these KTM fairings to fit the Husky. And it would probably be dirt cheap, especially when compared to the companies that do it as a professional aftermarket item.
