100mph rear wheel blow out

[lmg]

Went for a ride to Devils Bridge today (near the lake district in cumbria).  Was nice weather for a change in the UK:






Leaving Devils Bridge, we headed round the backroads to the M6 and aimed south towards Crosby and the beach.  We decided to pull in at the services for some lunch at Burger King:




After lunch we got back on to the M6 South and I wound the Valk up to a nice and steady 100mph.  15-20 mins in to the ride I felt a wobble.  Thought nothing more of it when it went away - perhaps I was riding in a groove on the tarmac, then all of a sudden a major wobble.  Grasping the seat with both cheeks I throttled off (didnt dare touch the brakes) and made my way left in to a coned off area.  Tyre had blown out!




Gave the RAC a call to come and save us and basically calmed down.  Why do they always send a Sinclair C5 with a mini lift on the back?  Anyways after I told them I rode a slighty bigger bike than a Fischer Price 3 wheeler, they sent a flat bed truck:





Being up on the flat bed gave a better view of the f&cked rear wheel:



Anyways - on the lorry home I checked the digital camera to see the photos taken that day.  I looked at the bikes in Devils Bridge car park again and pow, I noticed this after I zoomed in:




Dunno know how long it was like it.

Anybody any ideas why it would wear like that?

Does anyone have an electronic copy of the Valk service/workshop manual they could email me please?  I need to get the rear wheel off and havent done it before.

[NITRO]

Wow. Glad you're okay.

Better than the shop manual: Dag's website has a picture-by-picture explanation here: http://www.valkyrienorway.com/RWRemoval.html .

Nitro

[lmg]

nice one - thanks!  I will summon the guys to give me a hand.  I need to work out how best to jack the Valk up!!

[NITRO]

Just FYI: Dag also has a downloadable manual in pdf format as well. Lots of good stuff on that site!

Nitro

[timk519]

I've had mine off a few times, using Valker's "pull the shocks and jack the rear wheel up" method, and it works very well. This way you don't have to pull the mufflers.

There's also  a set of maint links here: http://www.valkyrieriders.com/shoptalk/ which I've found very helpful.

[Cartman]

Yes indeed Mate your lucky your walking around after 100 mph blow out!  Good thing it wasn't the front or it might have been worse.  I bet your seat has some big ole pucker marks on it after that     Something alot of us probably don't do enough of and should like a good pilot always does is do a walk around and look for loose items or weird looking things with the tyres.  One of my buds acouple years back noticed a big bulge in his fairly new tyre while we were down in Sweatwater for our VOAI Family Reunion.  It was on the sidewall of the tyre and ran down into the threads abit.  Knowing we were going to be doing Deals Gap in the next day or so he luckily got it over to a place to replace it.  That would have blown at any time from the looks of it and for no reason he had just happen to be looking at his tyre and saw it, good thing I say.
Lesson learned, check that bike out before jumping on it every day and give it a look over and once in awhile grab hold of different parts and see if they are tight or not.

[lmg]

someone sent me a link to a design for a valk "jig" which allows the valk to be jacked up with a cruiser jack.  the "jig" was made of wood.

can someone send me the link again please?

[Legender]

Try this site for a simple wooden one... should be easy to make from scrap wood.

http://www.herberts.org/wayne/valk/lowtechlift.htm

[charliebrown]

wow lmg...



might want to chack the bearing the ware pattern shows the tire is leaning to one side......bet you will find the right side is wore....