follow up on plugging tire

[trickydc]

A while back I asked about plugging a tire that had about 4 or 5 K miles left on it. I got many opinions about plugging the tire. The plug I installed held air the entire time I used the tire.
The tire was a Mitas E07 Dakar. I was going on a ride with some friends for about 3 days so I checked the tire closely and as I said it was still holding
air fine, but it was splitting out from where the screw went into the tire so it has been replaced with a EO7 + . We'll see how this tire holds up. As far as plugging
a tire I would do this again if need be but for a trip I would replace the tire.

 

[rbernie]

I've run a plugged rear tire (Tourance Next) for at least 5K now, including a 2K mile road trip. In my case, I both plugged the hole with a snot string and used an inner patch to provide a redundant air seal.

 

[jeckyll]

I've run many a plugged tire, from ones plugged by the shop, to ones I did myself (same for patched tubes). Had one I did myself leak about 1 lb per day after, but have never had any catastrophic failures. Even did a track day on a plugged tire once.

YMMV, but if it's done right, i really wouldn't sweat it.

edit: to clarify, it leaked because it was one of those kits where you jab in the sticky "thread' stuff after putting glue on it. The glue tube had gotten cracked and dried out, so I used it without glue.

For sidewall damage, or damage from a cut (like from a box-cutter) I'd never patch, always replace.

 

[MIKE R]

A sharp self tapping screw punctured my rear tyre (Bridgestone A41) about 2 weeks ago. The tyre had only been on the bike a month and had covered 1034 miles! Did a successful repair with a Stop N Go plug and rode it to my preferred tyre man for permanent repair.

Unfortunately the hole was too near the side wall and he recommended a new tyre.

I'm going on a 3k tour of Europe in early June and wouldn't have felt confident with a 'temporary repair' so I bit the bullet and paid the £110.

It might be psychological but in my book it's not worth the risk.

Mike

 

[EricV]

Some of comfort level comes down to riders that have never had a tire go flat at speed, and those that have. Those that have, know what to expect and how the bike handles, and the early warning signs that you sometimes get. Getting a flat just isn't that big a deal to me, but I've plugged a lot of tires in the miles I've ridden, and more for other riders I've encountered on the side of the road.

Because of that experience, I'm not bothered by riding on a plugged tire if it's done correctly. Sometimes that does mean plugging it and getting somewhere where you can do a better repair. Other times it's a quick and easy sticky string and done until the tire wears out.

 

[RCinNC]

The only time I'd take a pass on patching a tire (assuming the hole was in a place that could be patched) would be if the tire only had a few hundred miles of life left. I'd never get rid of a new tire without at least trying to fix it first. If the tire string leaked, then I'd take a shot and patch it from the inside, before I gave up and bought another tire. If a tire couldn't be safely repaired, I doubt that any of these companies that make tire repair kits (like Nealy) would risk the product liability of selling a repair kit that created an unsafe condition.

 

[SuckSqueezeBangBlow]

I was going to try a plug, along with some Duct Tape and JB Weld but in the end decided a new tire might be best.

 

[jeckyll]

I was going to try a plug, along with some Duct Tape and JB Weld but in the end decided a new tire might be best.

Waste of a perfectly good tire

 

[Tenman]

I had a rusty nail stuck in my rear tire at an angle. I put a stop n go plug in it and it still leaked. Tried again and it still leaked. I put a walmart plug in it and have been riding it for several thousand miles.

 

[EricV]

I was going to try a plug, along with some Duct Tape and JB Weld but in the end decided a new tire might be best.

That will totally buff out.

 

[EricV]

I had a rusty nail stuck in my rear tire at an angle. I put a stop n go plug in it and it still leaked. Tried again and it still leaked. I put a walmart plug in it and have been riding it for several thousand miles.

Stop an go plugs don't bond to the tire. Good option to get home or to a shop, but not long term. The sticky strings do bond and vulcanize to the tire and are a permanent repair. (and a real bitch to clean out if you want to do a patch/plug repair later).

 

[Gigitt]

Here are a few pics of my tire plug repair using Nearly Tire Repair http://www.tirerepairkit.com/

Instant and permanent seal.
Road another 4-5000km till tread was on the wear bars.
Tyre is Anakee 3 front
Puncture was from a metal TEK screw
I use balancing beads and they did not stick to the plug repair.

This was my first puncture and I was impressed.

 

[ballisticexchris]

I was going to try a plug, along with some Duct Tape and JB Weld but in the end decided a new tire might be best.

And yet another reason to not like belt driven motorcycles.

 

[Checkswrecks]

I was going to try a plug, along with some Duct Tape and JB Weld but in the end decided a new tire might be best.

Hope the duct tape and JB Weld were jokes.
I end up doing at least a couple sticky string plugs a year and generally don't have problems. With a couple, when the tread was totally gone it started a slow leak. The tire is usually ready to be replaced anyway by that point.

 

[SuckSqueezeBangBlow]

Hope the duct tape and JB Weld were jokes.
I end up doing at least a couple sticky string plugs a year and generally don't have problems. With a couple, when the tread was totally gone it started a slow leak. The tire is usually ready to be replaced anyway by that point.

Yeah it was a joke, the tire was a total blow out. I was going about 110kph and was in the process of passing an 18 wheeler, had to slow down and then move to the right across 4 lanes to get to the off ramp and shoulder. It was pucker time. I have to say that the big Vic was awesome though, had a bit of a wobble and a drag but other than that pretty uneventful.

 

[SuckSqueezeBangBlow]

And yet another reason to not like belt driven motorcycles.

Why is that? No problem with the belt drive it was the tire that blew up.

 

[ballisticexchris]

Why is that? No problem with the belt drive it was the tire that blew up.

Looks like the belt dragged on the sidewall. And belts are horrible. I was stuck picking out rocks from my buddies Indian. And it still split the belt. We were lucky to make it home. Not durable at all.

 

[RCinNC]

Well, if a single personal experience proves the assertion, does an opposite single personal experience disprove it? I had a drive belt on my Road King, and the original belt was still on it when I sold it at 50,000 miles. Not worn, not split, still within spec.

 

[ballisticexchris]

Well, if a single personal experience proves the assertion, does an opposite single personal experience disprove it? I had a drive belt on my Road King, and the original belt was still on it when I sold it at 50,000 miles. Not worn, not split, still within spec.

Nope not at all. OTOH I've seeing 2 bikes, one with a slit belt from pebbles and another snapped from a bolt picked up on the road. This happened within the same year. That proves to me that belts are not much of a reliable drive system. And changing a tire or belt on a Harley or Indian is not going to happen on the side of the road. Not to mention all the Harley's you see during Laughlin River Run being put up on flatbeds for failed drives or flat tires.

 

[RCinNC]

LOL, Chris, I guess we'll both have to continue to bask in the warm embrace of confirmation bias. I have no idea what the actual failure rate of a belt is, and I doubt that those figures are available anywhere to the general public. I had a Harley for a decade, and rode with and knew lots of other guys who had them, and none of them ever experienced a belt breaking. I'm sure some do fail, that's inevitable, but my experiences with them don't lead me to the conclusion that they aren't a reliable drive system. I have, however, seen at least three V-Stroms with broken chains, but I'm going to steadfastly fight the urge to draw any conclusions about the reliability of a chain drive system from that data