reparing tyres

[Crooz]

IF you done most of your riding at a speed say greater than.... 95mph, then I agree with replacing the tire. A tire generally has less than 40lb of air, so the thing is never going to explode should it fail.

Bottom line, the correct answer about replacement is relative to: how soon you were going to replace it due to wear; your riding speed tendencies; the depth of you wallet; and how big the hole is.

It's your call... but with a small hole and normal riding it will not fail if properly plugged.

[Guest ratchethack]

Replacing the tire = sleeping better at night.

 

I don't know about you, but at 100+mph, I just don't want to worry that maybe, that plug isn't quite right.

 

I've used plug kits to get home and to the shop to have it replaced, but never driven any real distance on a plugged tire. IMO it's just cheap insurance to get rid of it.

Small challenge, nothin' personal WCB. I'm sincerely interested in some feedback on this.

 

Seems to me that since the advent of steel radial tires for motorcycles, many of the old rules o' thumb that worked fine for bias-ply/bias-belted tires are as obsolete as the older technologies are starting to be considered by many today (at least on most Guzzi's, I believe?)

 

Per my post above, I sleep fine knowing that I've properly plugged my tires and never give it a second thought, other than keeping speed below ~90 mph. I'm riding on a Metz Z6 rear now that I've put about 4K miles on, 2K miles of which were plugged. It'll probably get another ~2K on it, much as I have many others.

 

Has anyone ever heard of any kind of a failure of a steel belted radial tire that was properly plugged? How about guys who've probably seen many hundreds of 'em, like Greg at MI?

 

Leave us anticipate and consider, Gents, that there have likely been plugs made by the side of the road in the rain at night under extreme duress, in blind or near-blind darkness and questionable conditions of cleanliness , by guys, some of whom may have been, uh, less than experienced at doing a proper job to begin with, which would tend to contribute to higher failure rates than under ideal conditions.

 

I haven't heard of a single one, but o' course that's just me.

[Dan M]

At the moment I have a small nail in my rear tyre and am looking into reparing the tyre. What's your opinion on this?

 

 

A radial insert type plug is best. I've been using them for decades. That's the sticky brown rope type. We've repaired hundreds of car tires with this product and at least a couple dozen motorcycle tires. We rarely have a problem, when there is a leak it is generally because the injury was too big to begin with. I've never, ever seen one come out. Ratchet is correct on the reason of why it is usually the rear, the front tire flips up the object. True on any vehicle.

[Admin Jaap]

Took the nail out expecting the worst... but it was only 7 mm deep in the tyre. No puncture!

 

Tomorrow...

 

Thanks for the input though. Btw, I found a shop that repairs tyres by vulcanising the hole. This guy doesn't use plugs of any kind. But before he starts repairing he looks if there is any damage to the tyres' radial steel belts. If so... new tyre.

[Crooz]

Several years ago while driving our full size van from NC to Las Vegas, I found a 3/8" x 2 inch bolt sticking in the center of my rear tire. As I was in the middle of nowhere in the Nevada desert when I discovered this, luckily there was a small old tire shop licated behind the filling station where I discovered the bolt. The man there used the ole stickey rope plug and plugged my tire. I continued on to Las Vegas for my stay, then 3800 miles back home thru Utah and the rest. The tire never lost any air!!! And I mean never... as in for the next 2 years until I sold the vehicle. If it works on a bolt hole that large, a small nail is certainly less troublesome.

[Guest Nogbad]

I'm with Crooz.

 

I've plugged rears with those kits that are supposed to be temporary and ridden the tyre out to the TWI afterwards no problem, and have also had tyre shops repair them. Never had either repair fail.

 

So I'm poking fun at the grim reaper. Hey ho! Hmmm... I should give myself a Bodge Point!

[Tracey]

I can't help but comment on this one...

My new Avon had 500 miles on it when I plugged it. I have a plug kit that I bough from JC Whitney. Mushroom shapped plugs, positioned with a plug gun. The tire has over 6000 miles on it now. I admit that I don't ride at warp speed but I do ride alot, the tire getts plenty warm on a regular basis.

I'm not a road racer but I've plugged several tires and they usually don't leak.

The tire will be replaced early this season, that my personal suggestion, finish the season and replace if the plug doesn't leak.

95 mph is not legal in Ohio anyway, thats what the officer told me!

[Greg Field]

I've plugged the same rear tire as many as five times in the same day. Each one held just fine 'til I forgot it was in and whicked it to warp drive. Then, I had to plug again. Plugs'll get you home, if you take it easy. After that, replace the tire if the puncture extends in side the carcass.