Sorry to hear of your misfortune with your bike, but it could have been worse, getting home safely is a good day. I really like your positive attitude and that you guys just picked up the pieces and went on to enjoy your holiday. Awesome. On another note, I love that white Goldwing. I have a white ST1300pa that wants to be a white Goldwing when it grows up. Take care and thanks for sharing.
That is very true and we did have a nice holiday once we got there even if it was in four wheels and not on two! Jonathan wanted a Pan but I had already sat on the Goldwing at that point and there was no going back! 😁👍
Could have been a lot worse. Glad you picked yourselves up dusted yourselves down and got on with it. Looking forward to future adventures on the Goldwing.
Thanks Jeff, we'd been planning those few days away for such a long time there was no way we were going to abandon the trip. We would rather have done it on 2 wheels but 4 wheels aren't so bad - especially on the way home when it belted down with rain!
hello , If you are still winging a good idea is to join the Goldwing Owners club they have a great members list who offer assistance where ever you travel. I go to Europe every year and I use Slime in my tyres and it saves a lot of puncture issues and it would have helped in your situation.keep safe and wingin
Top marks to the van driver who spotted the issue with your tyre.otherwise things could of turned out worse…. these things are sent to test us, ended up ok tho. 👍
Thanks Glenn, we did have a great time thank you. Didn't arrive at our accommodation until 8pm but we were able to grab a late meal at the local eatery, get a good night's sleep and start our planned holiday the following morning.
Good that the tire held up and did not disintegrate under speed. Getting caught up in the traffic jam also was a blessing in disguise. Look for the good news, and don't fret over the inconvenience. You live to ride another day.
Sarah and Jonathan, I watched your first two videos about the 4 day trip… fascinating for an American who hasn’t been to the UK yet. Thanks for letting us know, Sarah! Jon, you did very well 👍( i haven’t seen this one yet though)
If you are planning on a lot of touring, you can have a car tire mounted on the rear and it will last a lot longer. the video was so sad. Glad you were safe.
So sorry that happened to you. You did the right thing by not riding on a degraded tire. Better to be safe than sorry. Not worth it. But it sucks that repair shops are few and far between in that location. Your positivity is contagious though and it was good to see you continue on your journey with the car.
Thank you so much. In fairness there were a few repair shops locally but none of them had a tyre in stock, or could get a tyre quickly. We were determined to find some positivity in it all and once the disappointment had settled in it was the right decision to carry on by car. Not quite as good as on a bike but sometimes you take what you're given :) Still loving your channel by the way!
So glad you are well, safe and now restored. Did you do your TCLOCK inspection before leaving? Tire and Wheels are first on the list. Visual inspection is one thing to help determine tire condition but not pressure. As tires should be checked with a hand pressure gauge. I use a portable and chargeable small unit that has a case and fits on the bike super well. Connect to the valve stem in your garage or hotel parking lot. It will at least give cold tire pressure read outs. At that time you can either to add air or not based on factory pressure ratings for your load scenario. In any event the inspection is a great habit, takes some discipline and commitment but can save you some grief. Many do not do it. The other is a portable, again small carry, in a case and chargeable quick Jump Starter for numerous vehicles, autos, trucks, motorcycles, etc. This little gem has a charger for phone, high lumen LED light for low light needs and it modulates if emergency attention is needed. Ride safe and ride often. ATGATT. What gear are you wearing? Looks great.
You're right about inspection being a great habit. I think it's a habit I've gradually lost over the years and I know I really need to get back into it. We do carry a battery pack with light and USB chargers. Haven't used it yet but it's a comfort knowing it's there if we need it. The suit I'm wearing is a very old (maybe 15 years old) one by Spada. It wasn't cheap when I bought it but neither was it the most expensive one available by a long way. The reason I still wear it is because it has barely worn out at all, it is toasty warm and perfectly waterproof even in the heaviest and most prolonged downpours. I really love that old suit! We plan to make a video about all the gear we use this year.
So demoralising when, (i) your planned trip goes wrong, and (ii), when on the face of it the problem is a simple fix, but it becomes an impossible fix! For the future, I've a 2004 and the rear wheel comes out easily after removing the rear fender. I'm guessing later models are the same. However, I've a tow hitch which prevents the wheel from being removed that way. The only way therefore, once you've cracked the wheel nuts, is to lay the bike on its offside, you guys know all about that 😂 (sorry, I couldn't resist), and the wheel can be removed. I lay mine on the lawn. Although you were disappointed with Green Flag, at least they appear to have taken your word for it and sent a recovery truck first time. Years ago I had your experience on a GS1000, I was with the AA. The tyre had a proper hole it. They insisted on sending a technician first and it was comical watching him with this huge footpump trying to reinflate the tyre. Each time he pumped a loud hiss could be heard as the air came out through the hole. Being a qualified techician, eventually he concluded that I did indeed need recovering to a local bike shop. The bike shop was less than a mile away! Over 3 hours of my life I never got back. Glad your trip worked out well.
Thanks Michael. Oh yeah, we have no problem laying it on its side ! :) Well yes, they sent a recovery truck but we had to pressurise them a bit. Trying to tell them that a car tyre centre would be no help was like talking to a brick wall. Holy cow, are the AA that bad too? It's as if they don't trust a 'normal' person to be able to identify a knackered tyre!
Have you thought of going to a Goldwing light parade with your Goldwing? You will see so many different Goldwings there and you might just pick up the bug and put some lights on your bike love watching our adventures stay safe
Oh dear how disappointing, I do work for the German AA in Italy (yes many German tourists in Italy every year to justify the service!) So this is something very familiar to me. You did the right thing by staying flexible and re-organize! Well done
Thanks! We'd both been looking forward to that short holiday for so long there was no way we were going to cancel it completely. Thank goodness for the car....
Hi just a thought ive watched all your videos very entertaining have been thinking of getting a gw so watched loads about them i have noticed theres videoes out there for gw and bmw k1600s using car tyres for there rear wheels they seem to be getting much more mileage and they seem to be better for these big bikes just a thought 😁👍🇬🇧
There's lots to be said in favour of 'darksiding' but one thing that dissuades me is that I don't trust insurance companies to accept a car tyre as being 'unmodified'.
We learned that too late Richard. It seems that Green Flag is fine all the while you don't need to use them. Have you had to use AA or RAC for bike breakdowns and/or recovery? If so, were they any good?
I've always been so scared of dropping bikes because of the damage it can cause but having now seen (twice!) that dropping the Goldwing causes no damage, that fear has gone completely. It's nice to not carry that worry any more!
Wow. What an adventure. Remember you were riding it already flat. So you could of limped it to the next exit. There is more rubber on the side if a motorcycle tire then a car tire. So it's firmer. The question is how long was it flat when you were riding it.
I've wondered that too Mo. We filled up with fuel less than 10 miles previously and I certainly didn't notice anything wrong with the rear end at that filling station. Yes, in hindsight it may have been OK for us to ride another 11 miles to the next service area - at least we could have had a hot drink and a bite to eat while we waited for the recovery truck!
@@fbglife I don't know about 11 miles. The rate that the air was leaving the tire, you might make it to 5 miles at best because the bike will feel wobbly and the traffic was so slow!
Funny you should say that, at the time I thought I was going crazy! I say on the side of the road asking myself the same question. This model does not have tpms. I don't know if it's a model year thing, or a Europe thing but this 2014 UK bike does not have tpms.
Hope you went for a different Tyre make that one looked pretty poor for 3k, and does'nt it have a removeable plate betwen the panniers to aid rear wheel removal ?
It's the same make as the front tyre, and that is absolutely fine. So we decided to stick with it for the rear again. Time will tell if that was a wise decision!
My best guess is that I ran over something. When the tyre was replaced I looked inside to see what the damage was like but there was no obvious hole, just the split on the outside. Of course with the tyre on the rim, and inflated under pressure, there was some kind of hole or passage for the air to escape from but it simply wasn't evident with the tyre off the rim.
Its not if you will have a flat, its when. Sorry for the trouble. Beautiful bike, I really love traveling on my 2012 Wing. Good luck. Be safe, have fun. Lay that bike on it's left side, there is a video. Take the wheel to the shop and have tire mounted. czcams.com/video/TShysJyHb-0/video.html
They are beautiful bikes, aren't they! It felt like trouble at the time but now we look back on that day with good humour. Thanks for the tyre change tip!
That's the 2nd video that ran green flag down for the service the other fella is actually a commentator on euro sport,, not good pr ,,I'm in the AA but in 6 years never used it yet
Hi Cecil. Their attitude was poor. They insisted on having a precise postcode of our location. I told them we were on the A1 Northbound 11 miles short of whatever services it was (I forget now!) but that wasn't good enough - she insisted on a postcode for that bit of embankment. Then when I'd given them a very approximate postcode the first thing they wanted to do was have us taken to an F1 Auto Centre to get a new tyre! When I told them that a car tyre centre wouldn't be able to help , they had no answer, no alternative - and they literally told us to sit on the embankment of a busy & noisy trunk road (with very bad phone signal) and Google somewhere else to be taken. When the woman rang us back on the WRONG PHONE NUMBER and got no answer, she took it upon herself to suspend the recovery. We sat on the side of the road in excess of 2 hours and when the recovery guys turned up they told us they'd only received the call to come and get within the last 30 minutes. We were fortunate the weather was good that day, I'd hate to be sat out there for 2+ hours when it's raining. But they do have very convincing TV adverts though.... You just don't know how bad a service is until you have to use it.
u need to go to the dark side run a car Tyre on the back......... Goldwing's being very heavy to start of with very hard on rear Tyres ...stuff the uk laws ...and riding two up with a big ugly woman on the back and luggage....u going to always have trouble with tyres...i know i own a 2010 Goldwing have gone double dark sided i have a fat ugly missus waying 110kgs and my self 120kgs
Some times life throws you a curve ball. Happens to all of us. Check out rabaconda. It happens to me. Going on a ride on a Sunday. Dropped the bike off the center stand and boom it was flat. Checked the tire and had a 1/4 lag bolt stuck in the center. Killed our plans. Pulled the wheel and luckily cycle gear in Chattanooga had one and by 5pm the wheel was on bike. However our day was a bust. At least both of you was safe and no goldwings was harmed in making this 🎥. Tim
Thank God you’re safe and sound and envying you on your trip
You needed a fanfare when you got the new tire! To counteract the funeral march... Hairy lying down on the hard shoulder. Nice ride to Newstead.
Sorry to hear of your misfortune with your bike, but it could have been worse, getting home safely is a good day. I really like your positive attitude and that you guys just picked up the pieces and went on to enjoy your holiday. Awesome. On another note, I love that white Goldwing. I have a white ST1300pa that wants to be a white Goldwing when it grows up. Take care and thanks for sharing.
That is very true and we did have a nice holiday once we got there even if it was in four wheels and not on two! Jonathan wanted a Pan but I had already sat on the Goldwing at that point and there was no going back! 😁👍
Could have been a lot worse. Glad you picked yourselves up dusted yourselves down and got on with it. Looking forward to future adventures on the Goldwing.
Thanks Jeff, we'd been planning those few days away for such a long time there was no way we were going to abandon the trip. We would rather have done it on 2 wheels but 4 wheels aren't so bad - especially on the way home when it belted down with rain!
hello , If you are still winging a good idea is to join the Goldwing Owners club they have a great members list who offer assistance where ever you travel. I go to Europe every year and I use Slime in my tyres and it saves a lot of puncture issues and it would have helped in your situation.keep safe and wingin
Top marks to the van driver who spotted the issue with your tyre.otherwise things could of turned out worse…. these things are sent to test us, ended up ok tho. 👍
Yes, it was a test. I can smile about it now but Sarah still harbours bad feelings :)
That sucks. But I love your guy's spirits!! The plan must go on! I hope you had a GREAT time.
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Glenn, we did have a great time thank you. Didn't arrive at our accommodation until 8pm but we were able to grab a late meal at the local eatery, get a good night's sleep and start our planned holiday the following morning.
positive thinking both of you well done and thanks
Good that the tire held up and did not disintegrate under speed. Getting caught up in the traffic jam also was a blessing in disguise. Look for the good news, and don't fret over the inconvenience. You live to ride another day.
"Look for the good news" - that's an excellent philosophy!
Fair play to the van driver 👍🏻
Hope the bike wasn’t damaged after toppling over
All good thanks, those crash bars do a really great job of protecting the Goldwing.
Sarah and Jonathan, I watched your first two videos about the 4 day trip… fascinating for an American who hasn’t been to the UK yet. Thanks for letting us know, Sarah!
Jon, you did very well 👍( i haven’t seen this one yet though)
Thanks Karen, good to have you along for the rides!
Hi guys. Glad your OK. These things happen,they are all part of motorcycling and the journey.
Thanks Philip. You're right, I guess all you can do is take it on the chin and make the best of it.
If you are planning on a lot of touring, you can have a car tire mounted on the rear and it will last a lot longer. the video was so sad. Glad you were safe.
Do you find the ride compromised in any way with a car tyre fitted?
So sorry that happened to you. You did the right thing by not riding on a degraded tire. Better to be safe than sorry. Not worth it. But it sucks that repair shops are few and far between in that location. Your positivity is contagious though and it was good to see you continue on your journey with the car.
Thank you so much. In fairness there were a few repair shops locally but none of them had a tyre in stock, or could get a tyre quickly.
We were determined to find some positivity in it all and once the disappointment had settled in it was the right decision to carry on by car. Not quite as good as on a bike but sometimes you take what you're given :)
Still loving your channel by the way!
So glad you are well, safe and now restored.
Did you do your TCLOCK inspection before leaving? Tire and Wheels are first on the list. Visual inspection is one thing to help determine tire condition but not pressure. As tires should be checked with a hand pressure gauge. I use a portable and chargeable small unit that has a case and fits on the bike super well. Connect to the valve stem in your garage or hotel parking lot. It will at least give cold tire pressure read outs. At that time you can either to add air or not based on factory pressure ratings for your load scenario. In any event the inspection is a great habit, takes some discipline and commitment but can save you some grief. Many do not do it. The other is a portable, again small carry, in a case and chargeable quick Jump Starter for numerous vehicles, autos, trucks, motorcycles, etc. This little gem has a charger for phone, high lumen LED light for low light needs and it modulates if emergency attention is needed. Ride safe and ride often. ATGATT. What gear are you wearing? Looks great.
You're right about inspection being a great habit. I think it's a habit I've gradually lost over the years and I know I really need to get back into it.
We do carry a battery pack with light and USB chargers. Haven't used it yet but it's a comfort knowing it's there if we need it.
The suit I'm wearing is a very old (maybe 15 years old) one by Spada. It wasn't cheap when I bought it but neither was it the most expensive one available by a long way. The reason I still wear it is because it has barely worn out at all, it is toasty warm and perfectly waterproof even in the heaviest and most prolonged downpours. I really love that old suit!
We plan to make a video about all the gear we use this year.
Glad you enjoyed your holiday anyway. Could have been worse, at least you were both ok
Thanks Andrew, our thoughts entirely.
Hello great movie very nice filmed ;)
Thank you very much!
Don't forget, your onboard navigation system has Honda dealer locations, in addition to many other services, within the loaded information.
Good point, I had forgotten that!
So demoralising when, (i) your planned trip goes wrong, and (ii), when on the face of it the problem is a simple fix, but it becomes an impossible fix! For the future, I've a 2004 and the rear wheel comes out easily after removing the rear fender. I'm guessing later models are the same. However, I've a tow hitch which prevents the wheel from being removed that way. The only way therefore, once you've cracked the wheel nuts, is to lay the bike on its offside, you guys know all about that 😂 (sorry, I couldn't resist), and the wheel can be removed. I lay mine on the lawn. Although you were disappointed with Green Flag, at least they appear to have taken your word for it and sent a recovery truck first time. Years ago I had your experience on a GS1000, I was with the AA. The tyre had a proper hole it. They insisted on sending a technician first and it was comical watching him with this huge footpump trying to reinflate the tyre. Each time he pumped a loud hiss could be heard as the air came out through the hole. Being a qualified techician, eventually he concluded that I did indeed need recovering to a local bike shop. The bike shop was less than a mile away! Over 3 hours of my life I never got back. Glad your trip worked out well.
Thanks Michael. Oh yeah, we have no problem laying it on its side ! :)
Well yes, they sent a recovery truck but we had to pressurise them a bit. Trying to tell them that a car tyre centre would be no help was like talking to a brick wall.
Holy cow, are the AA that bad too? It's as if they don't trust a 'normal' person to be able to identify a knackered tyre!
Have you thought of going to a Goldwing light parade with your Goldwing? You will see so many different Goldwings there and you might just pick up the bug and put some lights on your bike love watching our adventures stay safe
Hi Reggy, we went to Scarborough last year, just in time for the cancelled light parade :( We'll try again somewhere, sometime...
Oh dear how disappointing, I do work for the German AA in Italy (yes many German tourists in Italy every year to justify the service!) So this is something very familiar to me. You did the right thing by staying flexible and re-organize! Well done
Thanks! We'd both been looking forward to that short holiday for so long there was no way we were going to cancel it completely. Thank goodness for the car....
17 years on a Runflat car tire I’ll never go back to the stock motorcycle tire on the rear plus I have a tire monitor system
Hi just a thought ive watched all your videos very entertaining have been thinking of getting a gw so watched loads about them i have noticed theres videoes out there for gw and bmw k1600s using car tyres for there rear wheels they seem to be getting much more mileage and they seem to be better for these big bikes just a thought 😁👍🇬🇧
There's lots to be said in favour of 'darksiding' but one thing that dissuades me is that I don't trust insurance companies to accept a car tyre as being 'unmodified'.
Glad your both safe and tip of the day is. DON'T, whatever you do, use Greenflag and stick with the AA or RAC as you get what you pay for 🤔
We learned that too late Richard. It seems that Green Flag is fine all the while you don't need to use them.
Have you had to use AA or RAC for bike breakdowns and/or recovery? If so, were they any good?
The crash bars on these bikes protect everything. Mine dropped a few times, just scratched crash bars.
Same here. Dropped mine a few times too.
I've always been so scared of dropping bikes because of the damage it can cause but having now seen (twice!) that dropping the Goldwing causes no damage, that fear has gone completely. It's nice to not carry that worry any more!
After that I would have went to a car tire 195/60/16 because it can take a lot more weight, and can be plugged. Not as fragile, but you're safe.
I'm hearing this more and more....
Something to give serious consideration to.
Wow. What an adventure. Remember you were riding it already flat. So you could of limped it to the next exit. There is more rubber on the side if a motorcycle tire then a car tire. So it's firmer. The question is how long was it flat when you were riding it.
I've wondered that too Mo. We filled up with fuel less than 10 miles previously and I certainly didn't notice anything wrong with the rear end at that filling station. Yes, in hindsight it may have been OK for us to ride another 11 miles to the next service area - at least we could have had a hot drink and a bite to eat while we waited for the recovery truck!
@@fbglife I don't know about 11 miles. The rate that the air was leaving the tire, you might make it to 5 miles at best because the bike will feel wobbly and the traffic was so slow!
Does that Goldwing not have a tpms or did it malfunction?
Funny you should say that, at the time I thought I was going crazy! I say on the side of the road asking myself the same question. This model does not have tpms. I don't know if it's a model year thing, or a Europe thing but this 2014 UK bike does not have tpms.
Hope you went for a different Tyre make that one looked pretty poor for 3k, and does'nt it have a removeable plate betwen the panniers to aid rear wheel removal ?
06 and later Goldwings have a radio AMP in the wheel well that must be removed before the tire will roll out the back
It's the same make as the front tyre, and that is absolutely fine. So we decided to stick with it for the rear again. Time will tell if that was a wise decision!
Was there a defect in the tire never seen anything like that cause damage to the tire and what year is your white Goldwing
No obvious defect, I assumed I'd ridden over something in the road.
The bike is a 2014 model.
Did your tire pick up a nail, or did the tire blow apart?.,,
My best guess is that I ran over something. When the tyre was replaced I looked inside to see what the damage was like but there was no obvious hole, just the split on the outside. Of course with the tyre on the rim, and inflated under pressure, there was some kind of hole or passage for the air to escape from but it simply wasn't evident with the tyre off the rim.
Its not if you will have a flat, its when. Sorry for the trouble. Beautiful bike, I really love traveling on my 2012 Wing. Good luck. Be safe, have fun. Lay that bike on it's left side, there is a video. Take the wheel to the shop and have tire mounted. czcams.com/video/TShysJyHb-0/video.html
They are beautiful bikes, aren't they! It felt like trouble at the time but now we look back on that day with good humour. Thanks for the tyre change tip!
That's the 2nd video that ran green flag down for the service the other fella is actually a commentator on euro sport,, not good pr ,,I'm in the AA but in 6 years never used it yet
Hi Cecil. Their attitude was poor. They insisted on having a precise postcode of our location. I told them we were on the A1 Northbound 11 miles short of whatever services it was (I forget now!) but that wasn't good enough - she insisted on a postcode for that bit of embankment. Then when I'd given them a very approximate postcode the first thing they wanted to do was have us taken to an F1 Auto Centre to get a new tyre! When I told them that a car tyre centre wouldn't be able to help , they had no answer, no alternative - and they literally told us to sit on the embankment of a busy & noisy trunk road (with very bad phone signal) and Google somewhere else to be taken.
When the woman rang us back on the WRONG PHONE NUMBER and got no answer, she took it upon herself to suspend the recovery.
We sat on the side of the road in excess of 2 hours and when the recovery guys turned up they told us they'd only received the call to come and get within the last 30 minutes.
We were fortunate the weather was good that day, I'd hate to be sat out there for 2+ hours when it's raining.
But they do have very convincing TV adverts though....
You just don't know how bad a service is until you have to use it.
u need to go to the dark side run a car Tyre on the back......... Goldwing's being very heavy to start of with very hard on rear Tyres ...stuff the uk laws ...and riding two up with a big ugly woman on the back and luggage....u going to always have trouble with tyres...i know i own a 2010 Goldwing have gone double dark sided i have a fat ugly missus waying 110kgs and my self 120kgs
Some times life throws you a curve ball. Happens to all of us. Check out rabaconda. It happens to me. Going on a ride on a Sunday. Dropped the bike off the center stand and boom it was flat. Checked the tire and had a 1/4 lag bolt stuck in the center. Killed our plans. Pulled the wheel and luckily cycle gear in Chattanooga had one and by 5pm the wheel was on bike. However our day was a bust. At least both of you was safe and no goldwings was harmed in making this 🎥. Tim
No Goldwings harmed in making this film. That's funny Tim! :)