[skywurz]

Hi All

I picked up part of a pop rivet the other day. It was the hollow part and deflated my tire very quickly. The hole is a nice round puncture but its on the outside edge of the tire. I have about 3.5mm of tread left. Im wondering if its going to worth it to go through the hassle of buying a lug socket now and trying to get the wheel off so i can have it patched. Or if plugging it would be safe for the last 1.5mm of good tread then replacing it.

Thanks Guys

 

[Neama]

They don't patch tires where I live (Los Angeles). I called around and everyone said that they no longer do it for motorcycle tires. I also tried to fix it with Ride-On tire sealant but it didn't work. Probably because the hole was too far away from the center line -- similar to yours.

In the end, I had to bite the bullet and replace the tire (even though it had over 50% of its tread left).

 

[DucColin]

I had a puncture about the same place yours is, mine was a nail. I had a local bike shop repair it for me, they used some sort of plug (I didn't see them do it). I hadn't had the bike long when it happened and I've put several thousand miles on it since. I was nervous about having it repaired but they done a great job. I carry a repair kit with me that will plug a hole but would only use it to get me home, then I would have it repaired professionally. It's well worth owning a socket to remove the wheels, some folks carry it with them in case of a puncture miles from home because some repair stations might not carry the size needed, especially if it's not a bike shop.

 

[Rhino]

Yeah you can plug that, I recon its just within the range. Make sure you use the glue/cement as well as the Plug

 

[se7en]

That tire is defiantly good for a few more miles...I'd have it plugged at the local moto repair place.

 

[Gcati937sss]

100% it will fix it good.. if your not sure how to plug your local tyre shop will patch the inside up as good as new.

 

[Miweber929]

I’ll go against the grain here and say motorcycle tires flex a lot more than car tires and the carcasses are much softer which can cause a patch to not last terribly long. That’s why most shops will not patch a tire. It’s in a good spot and is a clean puncture, however, so it would be a candidate for a good, internal patch if that’s the route you choose.

But personally, I’d replace the tire, the risks of it going flat again while I ride are not worth the $150 more a new tire will cost vs. an internal patch. That’s me; I’ve ridden bikes that have gotten a flat tire and it’s not fun. If I can avoid it, I will.

 

[willow]

+1 for changing the tire.
A friend of mine had an accident caused by a flat rear tire - now he's paraplegic, and he's gonna be that for the rest of his life.

 

[DucColin]

+1 for changing the tire.
A friend of mine had an accident caused by a flat rear tire - now he's paraplegic, and he's gonna be that for the rest of his life.

I can understand exactly where you are coming from, thats exactly why I was nervous about having mine repaired. My local bike shop that done my repair removed the tyre and put a large rubber plug in the hole, that was also glued in. They said they would only repair the centre third of the tread for safety reasons. Personally I would never patch a bike tyre but wouldn't hesitate having the same repair done again. Having said that its up to the individual to make that call.

 

[Derek]

In the UK there is no British Standard for repairs to Z rated tyres and only Michelin say that these can be repaired with certain criteria about the postion and size of the hole. Consequently most tyre shops will not repair a motorcycle tyre althoug a friendly bike shop might do it for you.

 

[NothingClever]

+1 for changing the tire.
A friend of mine had an accident caused by a flat rear tire - now he's paraplegic, and he's gonna be that for the rest of his life.

Dang....pretty hard to argue my way out of buying a new tire if (when) I get another flat.

My condolences for your friend, willow.

 

[skywurz]

Hey look its as inspired of a thread as i hoped it would be. Thanks all for your input so far.
I do understand the risk of just plugging it.
Plugs can fall out and this will cause rapid deflation. I will note this particular puncture was already there as as far as rapid deflation so its kinda one of those things that can happen in life. I do worry that this is just outside if the proper belt zone. For those of you unfamiliar with plugs if you plug a tire that is low on tread or plug a hole outside of the belt zone it increases the likelihood the plug will fall out due to the flexing of the tire/how much material is holding it in place.

I can say if i had the tire patched (at this point in northern CA its looking like nobody is doing that anymore) i could do it myself and use the nice plug patch design but im not.

So really i have 2 options plug it or replace it.

 

[skywurz]

So i made up my mind and im going to plug it, but im going to use a different type of pug instead of the old string plugs im use to. I found this style with a mushroom. I guess they have been around for awhile and i feel better about this not flying loose on me.

 

[se7en]

Interested in the outcome. Post up some before/after pics...or a video, or something showing the process and its effectiveness, if you can.

 

[Miweber929]

So i made up my mind and im going to plug it, but im going to use a different type of pug instead of the old string plugs im use to. I found this style with a mushroom. I guess they have been around for awhile and i feel better about this not flying loose on me.

Those are pretty good as long as the hole isn’t too big but there are other, internal patches where the inside rubber is more like a 2” circle that will definitely hold better. You have to remove the wheel and at least break the bead to install, however.

I imagine that would work just fine in this case.

 

[macraige]

I am in the “fix it to get home, then replace it” camp. Tires are a lot cheaper than the cost of a tire failure. There are good arguments both ways, so to each their own.

As to the plugging device, I prefer the old school string plugs to the mushroom style because there is a definite limit to the size of the hole a mushroom plug will fill, whereas with the string plug, you at least have a chance to plug a larger hole and ride home slowly rather than having to acquire a way to haul it.

This has happened at least once on a group ride. Several riders had the new fangled plugging guns, but the hole in the tire was too big. Then an old guy on an old BMW stopped to help and plugged the hole with 2 sting plugs.

Now being in the old guy class, I suppose it’s appropriate to use sting plugs.

 

[skywurz]

Interested in the outcome. Post up some before/after pics...or a video, or something showing the process and its effectiveness, if you can.

Yeah once i get it all done and tested out a bit i will make a new post here in wheels and tires as a how to / how its gone for me.

I am in the “fix it to get home, then replace it” camp. Tires are a lot cheaper than the cost of a tire failure. There are good arguments both ways, so to each their own.

As to the plugging device, I prefer the old school string plugs to the mushroom style because there is a definite limit to the size of the hole a mushroom plug will fill, whereas with the string plug, you at least have a chance to plug a larger hole and ride home slowly rather than having to acquire a way to haul it.

This has happened at least once on a group ride. Several riders had the new fangled plugging guns, but the hole in the tire was too big. Then an old guy on an old BMW stopped to help and plugged the hole with 2 sting plugs.

Now being in the old guy class, I suppose it’s appropriate to use sting plugs.

While i can see and agree to the argument about the limitation of the mushroom plugs, i will say if my tire has a hole or rip that is bigger than 1/4" (6.35mm) im really not gonna feel good about the integrity of the tire. Plugs dont ever really reseal the tire and i have heard horror stories of water rusting the belts through a plug and causing catastrophic failure. For my ATVs ill use string plugs all day i have always felt those are ok and keep enough air in to get me out of dodge. I have found that the string plugs dry up and start leaking or fall out all together on the ATVs. This is not a huge issue because im on 4 wheels on dirt doing only about 45mph but averaging 10mph or less depending on what im crawling over and more or less nobody around. However at 80mph averaging 40mph on asphalt and in between cars in traffic does not leave me feeling warm and fuzzy.
Back to the heart of the whole thread im looking for a solution that will get me through the next 1k miles or so to my next tire. i know this sounds silly but im commuting my SS not racing it. It is really close to touring really, the day i picked up the rivet i had traveled 200 miles. So in traditional touring style im going to try to get the most out of the bits i have before they need swapping out or they get outside of my comfort zone.

 

[DucatiJocki]

I picked up a nail with less than 1k miles on my rear tire. When I took it in, I was thinking that I should just get it repaired, but my dealer explained why it should be replaced. I didn't want to spend the extra, and it was hard throwing away a tire that really didn't have much wear on it all. However, their reasoning for replacing the tire made a lot of sense. I replaced the tire, and although it was more expensive to do it, I am happy I did. No worries about the integrity of a repair, and no risk of failure. It would really ruin the day to have a rear let go at speed.

 

[NothingClever]

I picked up a nail with less than 1k miles on my rear tire. When I took it in, I was thinking that I should just get it repaired, but my dealer explained why it should be replaced. I didn't want to spend the extra, and it was hard throwing away a tire that really didn't have much wear on it all. However, their reasoning for replacing the tire made a lot of sense. I replaced the tire, and although it was more expensive to do it, I am happy I did. No worries about the integrity of a repair, and no risk of failure. It would really ruin the day to have a rear let go at speed.

You kept the tire, right?

Depending on where the nail hole is, YOU can patch it and use it later.

 

[se7en]

I picked up a nail with less than 1k miles on my rear tire. When I took it in, I was thinking that I should just get it repaired, but my dealer explained why it should be replaced. I didn't want to spend the extra, and it was hard throwing away a tire that really didn't have much wear on it all. However, their reasoning for replacing the tire made a lot of sense. I replaced the tire, and although it was more expensive to do it, I am happy I did. No worries about the integrity of a repair, and no risk of failure. It would really ruin the day to have a rear let go at speed.

What reasoning did they use? Maybe it was just sales speak to get you to buy a tire...? Maybe not, just curious.