October 10th, 2014, 07:48 PM | #1 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Mateo
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Small puncture in tire
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. |
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October 10th, 2014, 08:31 PM | #2 |
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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.
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October 10th, 2014, 09:04 PM | #3 |
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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
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October 10th, 2014, 11:54 PM | #4 |
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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.
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October 11th, 2014, 01:40 AM | #5 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Mateo
Location: Mendocino County
Join Date: Mar 2014 Motorcycle(s): 2005 Kawasaki Ninja 250 Posts: 82
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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! |
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October 11th, 2014, 07:52 AM | #6 |
ninjette.org guru
Name: Lee
Location: Monroe, LA
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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 |
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October 11th, 2014, 02:11 PM | #7 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Mateo
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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. |
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October 11th, 2014, 02:12 PM | #8 | |
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Quote:
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October 11th, 2014, 02:15 PM | #9 |
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October 11th, 2014, 02:32 PM | #10 | |
ninjette.org member
Name: Mateo
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Quote:
http://www.stopngo.com/atv-tire-repair-kit/ |
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October 11th, 2014, 04:46 PM | #11 |
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October 11th, 2014, 05:03 PM | #12 |
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October 11th, 2014, 05:10 PM | #13 |
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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.
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October 11th, 2014, 05:22 PM | #14 | |
ninjette.org member
Name: Mateo
Location: Mendocino County
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Quote:
And sadly I don't have the necessary stuff to take a wheel off. |
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October 11th, 2014, 05:33 PM | #15 | |
ninjette.org guru
Name: Lee
Location: Monroe, LA
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Quote:
There may have been other objects that got in the tires, but I didn't notice them. |
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October 12th, 2014, 06:22 AM | #16 | |
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Quote:
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.
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October 12th, 2014, 09:52 AM | #17 | |
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Quote:
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.
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October 12th, 2014, 01:34 PM | #18 |
ninjette.org guru
Name: Lee
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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.
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October 12th, 2014, 01:39 PM | #19 | |
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Quote:
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). |
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October 12th, 2014, 01:59 PM | #20 | |
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LIFE IS NOT FOR REGRETS OR EXCUSES. Breath deep, seek peace. Embrace the Madness. Life is good, let it be |
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October 12th, 2014, 05:21 PM | #21 |
ninjette.org guru
Name: Lee
Location: Monroe, LA
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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 |
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October 12th, 2014, 05:44 PM | #22 | ||
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Quote:
Quote:
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.
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Motofool .................................Never ride faster than your guardian angel can fly "Mankind is composed of two sorts of men — those who love and create, and those who hate and destroy. Love is the bond between men, the way to teach and the center of the world." - José Martí |
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October 13th, 2014, 02:25 AM | #23 |
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Name: harry
Location: Central Florida
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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.
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October 13th, 2014, 02:20 PM | #24 | |
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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... Last futzed with by dcj13; October 13th, 2014 at 04:40 PM. |
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October 13th, 2014, 03:10 PM | #25 |
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Name: Frugal
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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.
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October 13th, 2014, 08:59 PM | #26 | ||
ninjette.org guru
Name: Lee
Location: Monroe, LA
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Quote:
Quote:
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October 13th, 2014, 09:26 PM | #27 |
Intrepid Adventurer
Name: Josh
Location: Rochester/Buffalo NY
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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
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