Advances in technology mean we can all enjoy standards of performance that wouldn’t have been out of place on world-championship road-race bikes not too long ago. But no matter how flash the performance of your newest, most exotic bike may be, a good, old-fashioned flat tyre is the same shitty, pain-in-the-bum problem it’s always been.
A lot of big-capacity bikes run tubeless tyres these days, and in the case of a straightforward puncture, the repair can be fast and fuss-free. BMW Off Road Training instructor Craig Bernard received a warning from the tyre-pressure alert on his R1200GS. He pulled over to check and, sure enough, found a nail driven through the carcass of his rear tyre.