An unfortunate end to the trip

So, there we were, arrived in Lille from Arras and very happy that the tyre on the Road King had been fixed. We found a nice little restaurant off the Market square and enjoyed Coquille St Jaques, Pates and Tarte , all accompanied by a pert little Chab. Unfortunately, when we returned to the hotel, the tyre was flat again. M. Barbier the tyre fixer, who had risen so high in my estimation, now plummeted down to zero. Sunday night, 10:30pm..France. Aidez-moi? No chance.
The tyre, although 'flat' seemed to have some run flat capability and so we managed to get to a service station to inflate it. Two further stops allowed me to make it to Calais and the train.
Once on the other side, I realised that I needed more air but now another problem. In France, the air hose is a pipe with a lock similar to a foot-pump so reasonably easy to squeeze onto the valve. In the UK, the bit that goes on the valve is rigid metal. Fine for a car but useless for the
Harley. I only had 100 or so miles to go so I decided to press on at 50mph using the run flat capability. However, after 20 miles, the smell of hot rubber was too much and I gave up. Four hours later, I arrived home on the back of another breakdown truck and Blackbear turned up the next day to haul the bike away for a new tyre.
So, the lesson?
1.Pack a right-angle valve attachment so you can get air into the tyre. Squeezing past the brake disk is a tough job otherwise and UK systems just won't fit.
2. Think about an instant repair kit- the type that fills the tyre with foam. It's a last resort but even with all the breakdown cover available, on Sunday and Monday in France, you're stuck if you need a motorcycle dealer.