Hi all
Just back from 11 'interesting' days round Europe.
The intention was to ride the Stelvio both ways, byt of course, the best laid plans turn to s**t very quickly.
Day 2, my riding buddy on his R1250 picked up a puncture in his brand new rear tyre, meaning we missed our meeting point. We both made it eventually to our first stop in Germany. It was late but we tried a puncture repair to allow us to get to a tyre supplier.
Seemed tobe holding so thought it was worth pushing on. Bad move - we ended up in Samnaun Switzerland with nowhere open till the following Monday. 
At this point my oil lamp kept flickering on. Obviously stopped immediately but light stayed off on restart. Did this several times until we sussed it came on when we hit a rough bit of tarmac.... at night I did a search on here and found a few comments about dodgy/corroded connections which reassured me.
We never got to the Stevio - 95% chance of snow was forecast for the day and a slow puncture didn't sound like our idea of fun!
I ended riding down to Chamonix the next day on my own and the oil light never came on once on the smooth motorways.
My mate had to order a tyre with overnight delivery to Pfunds in Austria (nearest place), so he lost two days waiting on this.
Finally met up again in Sarrebourg France for last two days of the trip.
K75 returned over 60mpg every tankful and even managed to do 250 miles on the last tank back in the UK - should be around 62/63mpg when I get round to filling her up again.

Just a run of the mill 11 days and2250 miles!

Roll on next year  

That's a bit unlucky.  

A pic of mine from 2015.  There was still snow around but not crowded.  Hopefully again in the next couple of years.  

Yeah... unlucky sums it up well, but punctures can happen anytime anywhere

Don't think we'll revisit as lots of people reckon the Stelvio can be very processional and there are plenty of other less busy routes.

My personal favourite was the Col d'Iseran which I did on a Griso a few years back.

Think we were pushing our luck weather wise as well - maybe a couple of months earlier in the year would have been better.

That's quite an adventure, though not the kind you were hoping for, @The doctor! Stories like this make me think about my upcoming Portugal trip, where I'll be renting a BMW bike. Your experience really highlights the importance of having backup plans when riding in unfamiliar territory. I'm considering finding a local motorcycle guide, not just for discovering the best routes, but also for having someone who knows where to get repairs if needed. They'd likely know all the reliable mechanics and bike shops in the area. Though I understand hiring a guide isn't for everyone and depends on the situation. I'm actually researching the pros and cons of hiring guides to help me decide: https://gowithguide.com/blog/hiring-a-guide-in-portugal-pros-cons-5604

I travel with a reliable Stop & Go tyre plug kit and a compact air pump. I haven't been "stranded" whilst touring in yonks. In many cases I use the tyre fully through its useful life with one, sometimes two plugs in them. That's over 48 years and near a million miles on the many bikes. It's awful to be at the mercy of a repair shop when far from home, so we do what we can to minimise the delay.

joshu100 wrote:That's quite an adventure, though not the kind you were hoping for, @The doctor! Stories like this make me think about my upcoming Portugal trip, where I'll be renting a BMW bike. Your experience really highlights the importance of having backup plans when riding in unfamiliar territory. I'm considering finding a local motorcycle guide, not just for discovering the best routes, but also for having someone who knows where to get repairs if needed. They'd likely know all the reliable mechanics and bike shops in the area. Though I understand hiring a guide isn't for everyone and depends on the situation. I'm actually researching the pros and cons of hiring guides to help me decide: https://gowithguide.com/blog/hiring-a-guide-in-portugal-pros-cons-5604

Come on...
You'll not be crossing Sahara but one of the safest occidental developped country, 3 times more populated than USA and 10% more than California,  where everybody aged under 60 speaks english.
Learn how to use a tire puncture repair kit and bring one with you. 
Anyway, by choosing to rent a BMW, you'll probably be doomed to ride a recent one, where no repair could be done within 15 to 30 days in a BMW shop. So pay more attention to the replacement conditions in case of a failure. Or rent  a Honda.
And don't be afraid: 99% of people are willingful to help on this planet. The remaining percent will give you their address to preserve their tranquillity.

jbt wrote:

joshu100 wrote:That's quite an adventure, though not the kind you were hoping for, @The doctor! Stories like this make me think about my upcoming Portugal trip, where I'll be renting a BMW bike. Your experience really highlights the importance of having backup plans when riding in unfamiliar territory. I'm considering finding a local motorcycle guide, not just for discovering the best routes, but also for having someone who knows where to get repairs if needed. They'd likely know all the reliable mechanics and bike shops in the area. Though I understand hiring a guide isn't for everyone and depends on the situation. I'm actually researching the pros and cons of hiring guides to help me decide: https://gowithguide.com/blog/hiring-a-guide-in-portugal-pros-cons-5604

Come on...
You'll not be crossing Sahara but one of the safest occidental developped country, 3 times more populated than USA and 10% more than California,  where everybody aged under 60 speaks english.
Learn how to use a tire puncture repair kit and bring one with you. 
Anyway, by choosing to rent a BMW, you'll probably be doomed to ride a recent one, where no repair could be done within 15 to 30 days in a BMW shop. So pay more attention to the replacement conditions in case of a failure. Or rent  a Honda.
And don't be afraid: 99% of people are willingful to help on this planet. The remaining percent will give you their address to preserve their tranquillity.

You're absolutely right, @jbt. I may have been overthinking this a bit. Portugal is indeed a developed country with good infrastructure, and I shouldn't be approaching it like an expedition into uncharted territory. Your reminder about the prevalence of English speakers is reassuring too.

Thanks for your tip about the tire puncture repair kit, that's definitely going on my packing list. I'll look into the option of renting a Honda as well. Your last point really resonates with me, the vast majority of people are helpful and kind. That's a good reminder to relax and enjoy the journey.

I think we were unlucky this time. We have both successfully used tyre repair plugs in the past, but maybe a combination of a brand new tyre and old repair plugs was the reason it didn't work thls time. 
I'm not sure what the shelf life is for repair plugs but  I will be ordering new ones before the next trip.

I fully agree with the comments about peoples willingness to help though - people let us use their garages and tools to attempt the repair.

I once repaired a puncture in the tyre of a friend's bike. 
On a public holiday, lost in the mountains, no hope for any assistance to rescue before long hours. 
He only had an old tyre repair can almost dry and a swiss army knife.
A 8mm drill was stuck into the tyre!
Nearby was parked a big trailer used to transport dumpers. It had old car tyres on it to prevent damage to the ramps from the bulldozer tracks.
I cut a piece of rubber from one of these old tyres and shaped into a hook profile.
Then coated it with the remains of the can and inserted it into the tyre, and used the last molecules of gas to inflate the tyre. 
He managed to ride the 100km from home.

jbt wrote:I once repaired a puncture in the tyre of a friend's bike. 
On a public holiday, lost in the mountains, no hope for any assistance to rescue before long hours. 
He only had an old tyre repair can almost dry and a swiss army knife.
A 8mm drill was stuck into the tyre!
Nearby was parked a big trailer used to transport dumpers. It had old car tyres on it to prevent damage to the ramps from the bulldozer tracks.
I cut a piece of rubber from one of these old tyres and shaped into a hook profile.
Then coated it with the remains of the can and inserted it into the tyre, and used the last molecules of gas to inflate the tyre. 
He managed to ride the 100km from home.

Brilliant! I'll make sure I have your number next time we're in the Alps - just in case

You're welcome!
Furthermore, all spares for K2V and 16v are in stock.

The doctor wrote:I think we were unlucky this time. We have both successfully used tyre repair plugs in the past, but maybe a combination of a brand new tyre and old repair plugs was the reason it didn't work thls time. 
I'm not sure what the shelf life is for repair plugs but  I will be ordering new ones before the next trip.

I fully agree with the comments about peoples willingness to help though - people let us use their garages and tools to attempt the repair.

Shelf life no more than 2 years in my book. I bin the plugs after 2 years. You can buy them separately from the rest of a repair kit.