Emergency repair of bike

[thailandsgreat]

I am a  novice scooter renter considering to buy a PCX 160. If I start making short intercity trips, what would I need to know about emergency repair. What should you bring. Just the basics. I will probably buy a new bike and follow service program.

 

1. Should I bring the gooey stuff to inflate punctured tires to bring me to next "bayang"-shop? (tubeless tires)

 

2. Should I bring a tire plug kit and  compressed air bottles. (Space for luggage will be limited in a top box.)

 

But this will not work if there is a cut in the tire.

 

I don't think the belt breaks. Too big for me to repair?

 

Is there some organization you can call and they come and fix it? (And if Truemove doesn’t extend its graces to where you broke down, someone will probably give you a ride into town.) Some insurance is probably overkill?

 

And related questions, Thank you.

Edited September 15, 2023 by thailandsgreat

[In the jungle]

I think you are over thinking this.

 

1.  It is very unlikely you will break down

 

2.  If you do break down it is unlikely you will be more than about 10 minutes from a bike shop of some sort.

 

3.  Ask around and you can fix the problem.  If your language skill is not up to it hand gestures plus pen and paper will work.

 

4,  Money helps.

Edited September 15, 2023 by In the jungle

[kickstart]

 I would not bother with any repair kits, problem with tubeless tyers is that your average shop cannot fix them, the ones I have seen done use plugs, our local tubeless bike tyer shop is also a car tyer repair place.

I have had a good few punchers over the years many a time I just ride very slowly, to one of our local shops, never had any tyer damage, they just replace the innertube, or in your case plug the tyer. 

Drive belt you will know when that will need replacing, some just make a horrible noise .

For motor bikes no organization that will fix a broken down bike for you, the times I have broken down I phone the wife up and she comes and tows me home

 

[thailandsgreat]

6 minutes ago, In the jungle said:

I think you are over thinking this.

 

1.  It is very unlikely you will break down

 

2.  If you do break down it is unlikely you will be more than about 10 minutes from a bike shop of some sort.

 

3.  Ask around and you can fix the problem.  If your language skill is not up to it hand gestures plus pen and paper will work.

You are hopefullu right. In the city there is no problem. But a flat or break down along the highway is different. Some Thai will probably stop and give you a ride to a repair shop that send a Hilux to bring in the bike.

 

Edited September 15, 2023 by thailandsgreat

[thailandsgreat]

4 minutes ago, kickstart said:

 I would not bother with any repair kits, problem with tubeless tyers is that your average shop cannot fix them, the ones I have seen done use plugs, our local tubeless bike tyer shop is also a car tyer repair place.

I have had a good few punchers over the years many a time I just ride very slowly, to one of our local shops, never had any tyer damage, they just replace the innertube, or in your case plug the tyer. 

Drive belt you will know when that will need replacing, some just make a horrible noise .

For motor bikes no organization that will fix a broken down bike for you, the times I have broken down I phone the wife up and she comes and tows me home

 

Thanks. But can you ride or tow a flat tire?

[Liverpool Lou]

1 hour ago, thailandsgreat said:

Thanks. But can you ride or tow a flat tire?

Yes.  If you're careful.

[Liverpool Lou]

2 hours ago, thailandsgreat said:

Is there some organization you can call and they come and fix it?

https://thethaiger.com/motoring/motorbike/guides/motorcycle-breakdown-cover/

 

Car World Club may cover bikes also, could be worth a phone call...

https://www.cwc.co.th/en/home-english/

[scubascuba3]

My insurance does recovery, MSIG, but it is a very rare thing, I wouldn't worry about it, a puncture is the likeliest and they are easily plugged at a nearby shop

[thailandsgreat]

2 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

My insurance does recovery, MSIG, but it is a very rare thing, I wouldn't worry about it, a puncture is the likeliest and they are easily plugged at a nearby shop

Yes. A sharp object will do its job on any tire. Some Mityon offer 2 yrs theft insurance @ 3000b. I consider having that.

 

I put some more questions here. Mods will tell me if a new thread is needed.

 

The top boxes make the bike wider and less agile in traffic. Some delivery guys have long narrow boxes. Maybe dangerous if it balances the frontwheel upwards and it loses traction. I don't want to do wheelies. ???? So probably safest to buy a standard, wide box and remove when not in use.

 

The bike I rent now has nice wide angle mirrors attached to the regular mirrors. I couldn't find one bike shop in Pattaya carrying such mirrors. One shop guy even came to examine the  mirrors of my rented bike. He had never seen such before! Thais probably do that on instinct ???? Will try Lazada. (Also saw red warning lights flashing inside the external mirrors of a taxi in Bangkok, when another vehicle was in the blind zone.)

Edited September 16, 2023 by thailandsgreat

[Skipalongcassidy]

   

 

and some... 

[scubascuba3]

9 minutes ago, thailandsgreat said:

Mityon offer 2 yrs theft insurance @ 3000b. I consider having that.

No no and no. Don't take their insurance that's for the gullible, for around 5k you can get 1st class insurance, AA Insurance side of Big C Sukhumvit. Will probably be MSIG and so include recovery 

[thailandsgreat]

11 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

No no and no. Don't take their insurance that's for the gullible, for around 5k you can get 1st class insurance, AA Insurance side of Big C Sukhumvit. Will probably be MSIG and so include recovery 

Will try that. What else do I get for 5 k/2 yrs? Anything connected to accidents?

Edited September 16, 2023 by thailandsgreat

[scubascuba3]

9 minutes ago, thailandsgreat said:

Will try that. What else do I get for 5 k/2 yrs? Anything connected to accidents?

1st class - 1 year accident and theft insurance + some medical + 3rd party cover to a limit.

 

I usually do 1st class first year only then switch to only compulsory insurance 

[thailandsgreat]

10 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

1st class - 1 year accident and theft insurance + some medical + 3rd party cover to a limit.

 

I usually do 1st class first year only then switch to only compulsory insurance 

OK. I sometimes practice narrow turns at low speed on empty parking lots. With my own bike the lean angle will increase and one day I will meet a spot of sand. So I thought of maybe buying a crash cage from Lazada.

[FolkGuitar]

Motorbike on-road pickup/repair services. Two different places, but these number are from two years ago. Give it a try!

082-388-2406

053-251-186

[scubascuba3]

30 minutes ago, thailandsgreat said:

OK. I sometimes practice narrow turns at low speed on empty parking lots. With my own bike the lean angle will increase and one day I will meet a spot of sand. So I thought of maybe buying a crash cage from Lazada.

I've seen a few crash cages and they look ok. A nice white vespa has a white one. Wherever you buy from, hopefully not Mityon, should fit one for you.

 

Sand isn't really a problem around Pattaya but wet roads and drains can be

Edited September 16, 2023 by scubascuba3

[thailandsgreat]

41 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

I've seen a few crash cages and they look ok. A nice white vespa has a white one. Wherever you buy from, hopefully not Mityon, should fit one for you.

 

Sand isn't really a problem around Pattaya but wet roads and drains can be

I haven't found any Mityon selling crash cages. They have few accessories, but Honda seems good quality. I believe the cage will also make the bike slightly wider in traffic.

 

If you practice narrow turns at low speed in an empty parking lot, you must check the surface carefully, imho.

 

I literally got burnt not doing that in Cambodia many years ago when practicing narrow turns on a sandy spot on a 250 dirt bike.

 

PCX is 130 kg but has a low COG so you can probably hold it from falling at low speed.

Edited September 16, 2023 by thailandsgreat

[kickstart]

12 hours ago, Skipalongcassidy said:

   

 

and some... 

That is all right, you get a puncture in a tubeless tyer, you are beside a road, unless they is a 1/2/3, inch nail sticking out of the tyer that you can see, the odds of you finding the hole are remote even with your mini compressor, and where is the tool for inserting the plug in to the tyer. 

[Skipalongcassidy]

9 hours ago, kickstart said:

That is all right, you get a puncture in a tubeless tyer, you are beside a road, unless they is a 1/2/3, inch nail sticking out of the tyer that you can see, the odds of you finding the hole are remote even with your mini compressor, and where is the tool for inserting the plug in to the tyer. 

Sorry I assumed that one would be smart enough to know how to insert a plug into a tire without any special tool... obviously I was wrong in your case... so you best buy a kit to carry with you.

[thailandsgreat]

12 hours ago, kickstart said:

That is all right, you get a puncture in a tubeless tyer, you are beside a road, unless they is a 1/2/3, inch nail sticking out of the tyer that you can see, the odds of you finding the hole are remote even with your mini compressor, and where is the tool for inserting the plug in to the tyer. 

I have never done this job. If I get a flat outside the city in Thailand I will turn on hazard lights and hope some Thai will stop and bring me to a bayang shop that knows how to deal with the situation, go pick up the bike or whatever. A cut can not be repaired.

 

But the sets I have seen consist of a round "file" and  a needle to insert a strip of lubricated rubber. (I saw pros doing similar in Cambodia, they also added heat with charcoal as I remember.)

 

Then you fill air with either small bottles or compressor. But the problem is to find the hole.

 

Probably only worth considering if you drive nighttime on sparesly trafficated roads, which I will not do.

 

Or bring the gooey stuff and spray into the tire as an emergency and change tires later. The plugs last long even if it is not recommended to keep the tire.

 

Even in the city could be a problem. If you have 3-400 meters to a tire shop. Maybe best to run the bike and walk on the side? Don't you ruin the rim if you ride it?

Edited September 17, 2023 by thailandsgreat

[Moonlover]

5 hours ago, Skipalongcassidy said:

Sorry I assumed that one would be smart enough to know how to insert a plug into a tire without any special tool... obviously I was wrong in your case... so you best buy a kit to carry with you.

So come on. Just for us 'thickies', how do you use them. (This is not just idol curiosity as I do have tubeless tyres on my bike and I did have a puncture recently)

 

Edited September 17, 2023 by Moonlover

[kickstart]

5 hours ago, Skipalongcassidy said:

Sorry I assumed that one would be smart enough to know how to insert a plug into a tire without any special tool... obviously I was wrong in your case... so you best buy a kit to carry with you.

Do what, a plug is a piece of flexible rubber, the last time I looked at a tyer it is hard rubber, they is no way you can insert a plug without a special tool.

Go down to your local tyer place and watch them repair a tyer, they will be doing on a lose wheel, not on a bike with the wheel still in situ, next to a road .

[scubascuba3]

38 minutes ago, kickstart said:

Go down to your local tyer place and watch them repair a tyer, they will be doing on a lose wheel, not on a bike with the wheel still in situ, next to a road

I've had one puncture repaired by a shop, tyre still on bike, they put a rubber plug through the hole with glue using the skewer tool, then cut off extra rubber, seemed simple. Could do at the road also but need CO² cannisters. I rode about 500 metres with the flat to the shop

Edited September 17, 2023 by scubascuba3

[brianthainess]

Most Thais will stop and help if your in an out of the way place, if they stop and you don't speak Thai, then for some reason all Thais I've met know the word Kaput say that and point at the bike, if no one stops just wave with a 100b note.  I had a belt that was sounding awful, I stopped at a coffee shop, she rang a repair shop nearby, they came and took it to their shop and returned it, while I sat and drank coffee.

Having said all that you'd be surprised at these 'out of the way' places eventually a songtow taxi will come by. 

[Moonlover]

7 hours ago, Skipalongcassidy said:

Sorry I assumed that one would be smart enough to know how to insert a plug into a tire without any special tool... obviously I was wrong in your case... so you best buy a kit to carry with you.

 

3 hours ago, Moonlover said:

So come on. Just for us 'thickies', how do you use them. (This is not just idol curiosity as I do have tubeless tyres on my bike and I did have a puncture recently)

 

As you deemed not to answer my earlier post I looked up the answer for myself. I am now 'smart enough' to know that you cannot fit a mushroom plug without a special tool.

 

So please desist from posting false information. Thank you.

 

How to repair a puncture using plugs

 

Edited September 17, 2023 by Moonlover

[bluejets]

On 9/15/2023 at 11:07 PM, thailandsgreat said:

If I start making short intercity trips, what would I need to know about emergency repair.

More likely you'll get cleaned up by a truck and need both an ambulance and a tow truck......... I'd say forget the "spares" ..........crap idea.

[Skipalongcassidy]

16 hours ago, Moonlover said:

 

As you deemed not to answer my earlier post I looked up the answer for myself. I am now 'smart enough' to know that you cannot fit a mushroom plug without a special tool.

 

So please desist from posting false information. Thank you.

 

How to repair a puncture using plugs

 

If I show you how to insert a mushroom plug without a special tool what will you do in return?  It can and has been done before...

[AustinRacing]

That bike for small trips is ok. There are more serious issues to consider other than a flat tire when it comes to riding in Thailand and at high speed. Safety gear, hospital and death insurance to name a few. 

[Stevemercer]

You shouldn't get flats if you buy new. If you do, and you are in an urban area, there is always a repair shop within 500 m. You can ride with a flat (if you have to) as long as you keep it slow and careful.

 

Most often, you will have a slow leak, and you will only notice it in the morning when you go to ride and the tyre is flat. Have a pump handy at home so you can pump it and ride to the nearest bike repair place you trust close to where you live. They will normally fix it on the spot at minimal cost (maybe 200 Baht).

 

I wouldn't worry about carrying any tools. Repair costs and transport for the bike (if needed) are ridiculously cheap).

 

As I said above, find a bike shop close to where you live. They can probably organise just about anything you need (including picking up a dead bike). Most repairs that could strand you give plenty of warning if you listen to your bike (unfortunately us older and lazier riders do not listen and wait for the worse).