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[ZeroMark]

My 2014 DS has been a dream and a blast for the past 13 months and 6500 miles all problem free.  Then, last week the 12 volt stuff all was out (in another post-fixed by replacing 4A fuse in back of battery box) and today, I ride home from work and find that I'm riding on a flat rear tire.  First of all, it's amazing how you almost cannot tell it's flat-it seems to roll smooth and everything stays tight. But now I hae the dilemma: with my ZERO dealer 300 miles away, what is the best way to fix it?  I have worked on cars and bikes before and "could" remove the spoked rear wheel and it's tube based tire, but should I?  If it rides 4 miles from work to home on a flat (I'm not sure but may have done that far) should I just ride another 2 miles to a local off-road dealer who knows how to change a tire, or drive or ride it 5 miles over to Carter Powersports - who USED TO BE the Las Vegas dealer a few years back but no longer is a zero dealer.  It the tire removal easy (removal from bike is really the question, getting off brakes, belt, and swingarm...  At 6500 miles, should i be replacing brakes or belt as long as it's apart?  Even more importantly - when it comes to replacing the tire and the tube on the read of the 2014 DS, (besides wishing i had alloy rims instead of spokes) can i go tubeless, or do the spoked rims make that not a good idea.  Would you change tire brands - knowing i want the same size/width/ everything as the original tire on the bike.  Or can I just fill the tire with fix-a-flat and with enough goo and time, it will plug the leak for another couple opf weeks until i can take it to my dealer, 300 miles away?

Curious to hear others thoughts on all of this.  I don't want any discussion of switching tire sizes or stuff like that, I want to fix my existing flat the way that makes the most sense (the tire itself seems in good shape minues the area wherre i removed the razor blade shaped device the size of a small fingernail that sliced into it.)  I don't want  change the ture unless i need to if i only need to change the tube... unless it's matched set kinda thing where i should do them both.

The only good i can see coming of this is that I can finally see if i can figure out why the rear axle/tire seems to squeek/squeal like it could use some bearing grease, even though it seems like it's got that and occasionally rolls extra silently...

MARK (ZeroMark)

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

Any motorcycle shop should be able to handle this if they can get the right tube. I think the one issue might be ensuring good belt alignment and tension after remounting the wheel.

It is a good idea to have them look at the bearing.

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

My 2013 DS brakes lasted well past 10k miles. I think it was at 12k.

[grmarks]

I grew up with my dad always removing wheels to fix punctures in tyres, but on a holiday in Thailand I saw a puncture fixed while the wheel was still on the bike!
Think about it, there is a lot of open space around a bike wheel (front or back) and with the Zero you can lay it on it's side (no fuel to run out or engine to flood).
If you have the tools (tyre leavers etc) why not fix it yourself, but if you don't want to, surely any mechanic (car or bike) could fix it for you. Just make sure the belt is tensioned really tight. Point out the tension of the belt to the mechanic before starting.
If you remove the wheel, you should be able to do so without disconnecting the brakes, just remove the axle/bolt all the way out first before removing the wheel.
Oh and also note where the belt tensioners are at before you start.

Could the noise be the disk rubbing on the brake pads?

[ZeroMark]

I think the noise seems to be coming from the axle or bearing around it.  It's not the rear brakes as I once elevated the bike on a stand and made sure i could see tha tthe brakes pads were not doing it.   Tomorrow morning I'm pulling the wheel off and taking the whole assembly down to one of the motorcycletire places I've got some recommendations on and i'll have them check it out and get it fixed.  I'll see if they can check the axle/bearing or whatever is making that noise at that time.... -MARK