So I went to fill up on petrol/gas about 30 minutes ago, and the steering starts feeling heavy and flat up front, kind of like there is ice or something. So I filled up, came home and turned into the driveway and the steering gave a jerk, as if something was not right. I lock up and hear a hissing sound coming from the front tyreI then saw a screw right in the middle of the tyrewhat are the ways of fixing this problem? The bike was brand new 2 weeks ago, and is still under warrantyshould I get in touch with the motorcycle dealer or take it to a local garage to fix?Any info is appreciated, thanks!
The warranty won't cover punctures but if the puncture is small it can probably be repaired very cheaply; if not, a new front tyre (or 'tire.are you in the UK or USA?) for a scooter or moped isn't expensive. Don't try to ride the bike into town! Either take the wheel off and take it to a bike repair shop or flick through the phone book and see if there is a call-out repair service in your area; I don't know if they'd repair the tyre but it's a convenient way of getting the tyre replaced and most of them don't charge much to come to your home. Edit* Don't try to change a tyre yourself unless you know what you are doing; the cost of damaging the rims with a screwdriver can be a lot more than the money you'd save doing the job yourself.
It is unlikely that a flat tire will be covered under a motorcycle warranty. It is very easy to plug a motorcycle tire, but this should be considered a temporary fix. A plug has a small chance of completely failing, which would cause a blow-out, which could be very hazardous while riding. Unfortunately the best approach in this situation is to replace the tire. It's your call. A replacement tire should cost less than $100 installed, or you could risk it by putting a plug in the tire (or having it patched - which would be slightly better IMO). As much as it is painful to have to replace a brand new tire, it is a matter of your personal safety. One of the reasons I don't trust plugs is that they don't put plugs in the sidewalls of car tires (or shouldn't anyway), because of the stresses that the sidewall has. On a motorcycle the entire tire is the sidewall, because in cornering, any spot is potentially on the edge of the tire. Also, motorcycle tires get much hotter than car tires.
Warrantee won't cover tire punctures. If you rode on it for any length of time with that screw in it, an pressure low, (you did), you've cut up the cord of the tread and probably damaged the sidewalls as well You've learned an expensive lesson. Next time the steering feels at all squirrely stop at once and find out why. Replace the tire. This is not the place to economize.
