Small puncture in tire

[mrudich]

I noticed my psi was low the other day, so I aired it up. But then at the end of the day I checked it and the psi was back down again. I found this little sucker embedded in my (back) tire.
My tire is relatively new. Still seems to have a decent amount of tread life on it so it would be very preferable to not have to replace it... Also I'm very low on money and a new tire will have me eating rice and beans for a month. But then again a crash would be significantly more hurtful on my already strained budget (and also my body..)
I've heard a lot of debate on the effectiveness and safety of patches/plugs. There seems to be no clear answer..
I can't decide what to do.

[Alex]

You'll get differing opinions, and very few tire shops will tell you anything other than replace it. That looks like a small puncture, looks like it is near the center of the tire, and down into the tread. As far as ones that I'd consider plugging/patching myself, it's near the top of the list.

[JohnnyBravo]

I don't care for the this or that argument... I can plug a tire; I can't take it off to internally patch it, I go with what I know... As of yet it hasn't let me down

[baxtc1]

A plug is a good repair to get you out of trouble, but a patch would be a more secure repair, I wouldn't waste the tyre for that small a puncture. Get it patched from inside, wear the tyre out and replace it.

[mrudich]

Seems like repair it is.
I'm gonna call up all of my local motorcycle shops (there're only like 2.5) tomorrow and see what an internal patch might cost. Hopefully not too much!

[flitecontrol]

Buy some Ride On tire sealant, install it, ride a few miles, pull the nail and you're golden. Plus the next time you get something in that tire, just pull it and you won't lose any air pressure. And it will fine tune the balance of the tire too. Much cheaper than having a shop install a one time patch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqkBfEHYzxw

[mrudich]

Crud. None of my local motorcycle shops repair tires..
I'm not quite sure if I trust an external plug done by myself with no previous experience. But I have no means of doing an internal patch.

[mrudich]

Originally Posted by flitecontrol

Buy some Ride On tire sealant, install it, ride a few miles, pull the nail and you're golden. Plus the next time you get something in that tire, just pull it and you won't lose any air pressure. And it will fine tune the balance of the tire too. Much cheaper than having a shop install a one time patch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqkBfEHYzxw

Does anyone else have experience with this stuff? If it works then this seems like maayybe the stuff to go with.

[Alex]

I've always had good luck with these:

http://www.stopngo.com/pocket-tire-p...ubeless-tires/

[mrudich]

Originally Posted by Alex

I've always had good luck with these:

http://www.stopngo.com/pocket-tire-p...ubeless-tires/

I'm assuming the mushroom style plugs work better than the standard plugs like these:
http://www.stopngo.com/atv-tire-repair-kit/

[flitecontrol]

Originally Posted by mrudich

Does anyone else have experience with this stuff? If it works then this seems like maayybe the stuff to go with.

Did you watch the video? Pretty good demonstration of how well it works there. I have it in all my tubeless bike tires.

[mrudich]

Originally Posted by flitecontrol

Did you watch the video? Pretty good demonstration of how well it works there. I have it in all my tubeless bike tires.

Have you ever personally gotten something in your tire that would have caused a flat but was prevented by the ride-on stuff? Just curious.

[Klondike1020]

I have used a ton of plugs. On motorcycles or cars. they have never failed me.
ok maybe one or two leaked after I was done and had to be redone. Patches are even better and easy to install. take an afternoon pull the tire . patch it. reinstall and balance it.

They work great . I had nine plugs on one truck tire after I ran over a pile of roofing working one day. The tires lasted another year before they ran out of tread and I replaced them.

[mrudich]

Originally Posted by Klondike1020

I have used a ton of plugs. On motorcycles or cars. they have never failed me.
ok maybe one or two leaked after I was done and had to be redone. Patches are even better and easy to install. take an afternoon pull the tire . patch it. reinstall and balance it.

They work great . I had nine plugs on one truck tire after I ran over a pile of roofing working one day. The tires lasted another year before they ran out of tread and I replaced them.

Did you use the mushroom style or the other kind? (String?)
And sadly I don't have the necessary stuff to take a wheel off.

[flitecontrol]

Originally Posted by mrudich

Have you ever personally gotten something in your tire that would have caused a flat but was prevented by the ride-on stuff? Just curious.

Yes, I have. Picked up a sheet metal screw in the back tire of the VN750. Pulled it out, the hole sealed right up, and no loss of air pressure. Good stuff.

There may have been other objects that got in the tires, but I didn't notice them.

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by mrudich

.........And sadly I don't have the necessary stuff to take a wheel off.

Sooner or later you will have to do it, Mateo.
If you plan on keeping riding, knowing how will become very good.

Needed tools are not more than $20.
Using the services of a shop will be much more expensive.

Plugs work; when they don't any longer, you can use a good tire for many more miles by installing an inner tube.

[Klondike1020]

Originally Posted by mrudich

Did you use the mushroom style or the other kind? (String?)
And sadly I don't have the necessary stuff to take a wheel off.

I use the generic string types found at walmart and other places.

I bought a special kit to keep in my bike, made for motorcycles. I use the cheapo ones on other peoples bikes lol

The tools needed to take the wheel off are cheap. and a balance from harbor freight would work well.

Some bike shops would patch it for cheap. Being that it is a tiny hole. I would suggest patching it from inside. In order to make a plug work you will have to ream the hole out and that will make it larger and take more meat out of the radial belting. I prefer not to incur more damage on the structure of the tire if I can avoid it, especially if the cost is only a little more effort. Pull the wheel, air it out, tire spoon the tire so one side is off the rim. Patch the hole from inside. Spoon the tire back on .

That coating that goes on the inside of the tires is amazing. I am certainly going to invest in that when I get an adventure touring bike. So far it has not been an issue with my sport bike.

[flitecontrol]

Originally Posted by Klondike1020

That coating that goes on the inside of the tires is amazing. I am certainly going to invest in that when I get an adventure touring bike. So far it has not been an issue with my sport bike.

Kinda surprised Ride On tire sealant isn't better known on this forum. When you consider the hassle of dealing with a flat on the road, it's not just a matter of patching the tire, you have to air it up too! One flat will make you a True Believer/convert to Ride On! What's it worth to never have to patch a tire or get a flat? Priceless.

[dcj13]

Originally Posted by flitecontrol

Kinda surprised Ride On tire sealant isn't better known on this forum.

The main problem with the sealant goops is that it makes a mess on the inside of the wheel.

I, too, am a fan of the string (sticky pipe cleaner gummybear) plugs: easy to install with the $7 kits; pump the tire with a 12 volt portable Walmart-type pump. Good for fixing your car tires, as well. And doesn't require removing the tire (I save that for when I replace tires).

[Klondike1020]

Originally Posted by dcj13

The main problem with the sealant goops is that it makes a mess on the inside of the wheel.

I, too, am a fan of the string (sticky pipe cleaner gummybear) plugs: easy to install with the $7 kits; pump the tire with a 12 volt portable Walmart-type pump. Good for fixing your car tires, as well. And doesn't require removing the tire (I save that for when I replace tires).

The coating that Flitecontrol is referring to is not gooey, or messy. You put a coating inside the tire and it stays adhered to the tire for life of tire. It never moves or gets on the wheel. Thats the best part.

[flitecontrol]

Exactly right. Some of those gooey tire sealants can get on the rim and corrode the metal, in addition to the mess mentioned earlier. Ride on stays on the tire and never contacts the rim. I used to have a pic of a tire cut in half with Ride On installed, but can't find it. Here's a good diagram showing where the Ride On goes (and stays).

https://www.google.com/search?q=pict...ts%3B250%3B266

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by flitecontrol

Kinda surprised Ride On tire sealant isn't better known on this forum. When you consider the hassle of dealing with a flat on the road, it's not just a matter of patching the tire, you have to air it up too! One flat will make you a True Believer/convert to Ride On! What's it worth to never have to patch a tire or get a flat? Priceless.

Auto-balancing tires is a bonus.

Originally Posted by mrudich

... Also I'm very low on money and a new tire will have me eating rice and beans for a month......

Riders rolling on a budget should consider the cost of tire sealants.
Flat-proofing (for small punctures on vertical rolling surfaces) our tires using Ride-On takes (2) 8-oz. bottles of Ride-On TPS tire sealant for motorcycles, which costs $30+SH.

[fast1075]

A few years ago, I bought a Stop-n-go kit. Seemed like the perfect idea.

The plugs are coated with slippery stuff, maybe silicone? to help them squeeze thru the insertion needle.

I tried it twice. Both times the plug came loose and popped back inside the tire. After the second time, (and nearly crashing) I repurposed the kit as a rifle target. It work beautifully. They may work fine on a tire that has a thick carcass (like a car tire), but failed miserably on my motorcycle.

Now I carry a "string" plugger. Last time I used it, the tire worked fine until it wore out.

[dcj13]

Originally Posted by Motofool

Auto-balancing tires is a bonus.

Riders rolling on a budget should consider the cost of tire sealants.
Flat-proofing (for small punctures on vertical rolling surfaces) our tires using Ride-On takes (2) 8-oz. bottles of Ride-On TPS tire sealant for motorcycles, which costs $30+SH.

True about the auto-balancing qualities of liquids in tires. But two 8 oz bottles of sealant? That's adding a significant amount to the rolling mass-moment of inertia of each tire! And adds to un-sprung weight.

A few years ago on one of the BMW forum/lists, there was a discussion about the virtues/pitfalls of Dyna-beads in lieu of static or dynamic balancing. And one only uses a couple of ounces of the Dyna-beads...

[FrugalNinja250]

I've used the cheap string plugs kits many times in the last 73K miles. Even had to plug two holes at once in a front tire due to a staple. Every tire I've plugged I've run down to the bare minimum tread, never had an issue. I'm currently running a plug in my rear tire from a nail I picked up at less than 5K miles, that tire should go to 25K miles like the previous ones did.

[flitecontrol]

Originally Posted by Motofool

Auto-balancing tires is a bonus.



Riders rolling on a budget should consider the cost of tire sealants.
Flat-proofing (for small punctures on vertical rolling surfaces) our tires using Ride-On takes (2) 8-oz. bottles of Ride-On TPS tire sealant for motorcycles, which costs $30+SH.

Ebay ha it for a little less than $14/bottle with free shipping. I believe it takes one bottle per tire or therabout.

Originally Posted by dcj13

True about the auto-balancing qualities of liquids in tires. But two 8 oz bottles of sealant? That's adding a significant amount to the rolling mass-moment of inertia of each tire! And adds to un-sprung weight.

A few years ago on one of the BMW forum/lists, there was a discussion about the virtues/pitfalls of Dyna-beads in lieu of static or dynamic balancing. And one only uses a couple of ounces of the Dyna-beads...

Eight ounces per tire is significant? Wouldn't tire wear tend to compensate for the weight of the Ride On?

[Klondike1020]

lol people are crazy. If ya dont get flats. Dont get the sealant. IF you are going to be ridding where it may be an issue. Write off the cons and do it.

lol redic