M.Martin
Well-Known Member
Just got back from my ride to my parents place and back home. About 300 miles. The whole time I was thinking of that plug. I think I'll call my tire guy on Monday and see if he can patch it.
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Just got back from my ride to my parents place and back home. About 300 miles. The whole time I was thinking of that plug. I think I'll call my tire guy on Monday and see if he can patch it.
...so such plug works if you can switch off that buzz in your mind
In my shop we won't plug a car tire, never mind a bike. It's a half-assed way to repair a tire. An inside patch is the only proper way to repair a tire. If I had a dollar for every time a customer came in with a plugged tire leaking at the plug... oh wait, I have twenty dollars for every time. It pays for coffee for the guys and pizza once or twice a week.
Plugs are designed as a temporary solution to make a tire hold air until you can get it repaired properly. They are not a permanent solution to a leak. They are not designed to be. They just get you off the side of the road and to a shop where the tire can be patched or replaced as necessary. A plug in a motorcycle tire is the equivalent to a mini-spare on a car. It will get you home, but it doesn't fix the problem.
I have a couple questions since some jerk left some wood with a nail in it on the road yesterday. My rear was flat this morning and I found a nail hole. The dealer doesn't repair tires so I'm stuck getting a new one. My first question is can I put a different brand on the rear if the front is good? My second is how do I make sure the front is really good. They have a Michelin pilot in stock, but I don't want to change the front if I don't have to, it's got less than 1500 miles on it. They want more for the OEM Dunlop and they have to order it.
It seams that happens too much, my new rear tire picked up a nail after ~200miles, I plugged it with the rope kind of plug & this time I applied the rubber cement on the rope before pushing it in, it is holding very well & not loosing any air, no where on tire repair kits it says to apply the rubber cement to the rope itself so one assumes that it is only applied to the patches provided with the kits WRONG apply it liberally to the rope before pushing it in, wait 10 mins then inflate to proper PSI, from now on I'll plug the tire until the last tread.
Four pages of comments and you have come to the conclusion that a rope type plug is a good solution for a an almost brand new tire? Reread them, a vulcanized repair from the INSIDE can often be a good option depending on where the puncture is, but rope type plugs are temporary to get you to a safe place for a replacement or a PROPER repair. Putting extra rubber cement on the rope plug isn't buying you anything. Counting on a rope plug on a machine that can punch out 125 hp and 70 ft-lb of torque to the back wheel is foolish, imo. Your rear contact patch is about the size of your palm, your life depends on that contact patch being secure.....don't trust it to a rope plug.
I use to believe replacing the tire is the only solution, the second best would be patching from the inside but after looking at my new Michelin 3 from the inside, the surface is not smooth like other tires, it has a raised honey comb pattern which will make it impossible to patch from the inside unless you grind it flat which will further weaken the tire, I used the rope this time hoping to get some life out of that tire, it has been two month now with no air leaks. yeah I know 125 hp and 70 ft-lb of torque & all that, its not going to cause the tire to explode, if it leaks I'll plug it again. I'll post again to let you guys know how long did the rope plugged tire lasted.
I use to believe replacing the tire is the only solution, the second best would be patching from the inside but after looking at my new Michelin 3 from the inside, the surface is not smooth like other tires, it has a raised honey comb pattern which will make it impossible to patch from the inside unless you grind it flat which will further weaken the tire, I used the rope this time hoping to get some life out of that tire, it has been two month now with no air leaks. yeah I know 125 hp and 70 ft-lb of torque & all that, its not going to cause the tire to explode, if it leaks I'll plug it again. I'll post again to let you guys know how long did the rope plugged tire lasted.
I use to believe replacing the tire is the only solution, the second best would be patching from the inside but after looking at my new Michelin 3 from the inside, the surface is not smooth like other tires, it has a raised honey comb pattern which will make it impossible to patch from the inside unless you grind it flat which will further weaken the tire
Why does it seem that America has lost that "CAN DO" attitude? How is it we have gone from a nation of DIY, to a nation of "just take it to the guy"?
Why cant we grow a pair and fix things ourselves? Especially with YOUTUBE to show us the way. Is it really that foreign to us to do the simple task of mounting our own tires? Is it really that hard to get a inside plug/patch from the local tire shop, take your tire off and fix it yourself?
30 yrs and over a million miles on the street. Just about as much time on a dirt bike. Ive found out that this aint ROCKET SURGERY.
2 yrs ago I had a rope plug fail. It got to the point where it would leak. Took it off and put a inside plug/patch on and finished the tire.
1 yr ago I picked up a piece of steel on the job. The boss had a rope plug kit for the trucks. I put it in and it has been perfect for the last 7500 miles.
a vulcanized repair is only $20 with the tire remove