Motherfutzing flat tires! (anybody know about plugs?)

Post by **sckego** » Tue May 27, 2008 8:27 am

Got a flat in my Metz Z6 rear tire about 3 weeks ago. Took it to Cyclegear and asked if they would plug it, but they said they said they would not due to liability issues. No biggie, it had 10K miles on it anyway, just mount a new tire. I decided on a fancy Michelin 2-compound rear, hoping it would give me both longevity and grip, and figured the extra price over a new Z6 was worth it to find out.

Well, so much for longevity.

I was on my way out to Rowlett yesterday to look at a bike when I felt it get all squishy. Pull over and sure enough, less then 20psi in it, along with a small metal bit buried in the tread. Limped back home to swap to my well-worn M3 and finally made it out there to look at the bike (I actually bought it, too, but that's another thread).

So... who knows anything about plugging tires? Do I need to have it off the wheel, or can you do it from just the outside? Anybody have a plug kit that they can show me how to use in exchange for some frosty beverages at the next bike night?

Thanks, all!

Post by **DarcShadow** » Tue May 27, 2008 8:32 am

You might be able to go to a tire place like Discount Tires and they would plug it for you.

As long is it's in the center area of the tire I don't see a real problem with it, but I wouldn't take it to the track with a plug, or push it real hard. Basic commuting shouldn't be a problem though.

D03Cobra · Post by **D03Cobra** » Tue May 27, 2008 8:04 pm

Patching works better. Take the tire off and have a patch placed on the inside of the tire. This is the perferred method to fix car tires, not sure why it wouldn't be for a bike as well.

Plugs work really well for everyday driving on cars, but most places won't plug a tire for a performance car. This is what was told to me at discount tire when I had a small leak on my Cobra. Told them I wanted to drag race and they said plugs weren't safe for those speeds. Discount tire patches for free so they didn't have any reason to BS me.

Firewa11 · Post by **Firewa11** » Tue May 27, 2008 8:42 pm

Yeah, I've always been told you don't plug Z-rated tires (motorcycle tires are typically Z-rated). Same in my Z28 when I had it. I had the tire coupons in case I got a puncture, and every single time they gave me a free tire instead of repair...

Bird · Post by **Bird** » Tue May 27, 2008 9:09 pm

I agree with Fireballs with avoiding the plug. It's really meant to hold a tire long enough to get you to a town and replace/repair the tire. I'd do it to get home, but that's IT. I haven't tried patching from the inside, but to be honest with you, I wouldn't go there. At the speeds we ride, I don't want 'I saved $200' to be the last thought I have.

Pull your F'd up tires off, replace them with high speed rated and give them to a Stunter... they'll ride on ANYTHING.

That's what *I* do and he's my SON.

digi · Post by **digi** » Tue May 27, 2008 10:32 pm

I've seen people ride with plugs with no incident. I do concur with Bird: we ride at high speeds, and certain cautions should be taken. This is why I replaced my swing arm, even though I probably could have rode with it the way it was. Do I really want to trust something thats broken at 160MPH?

Also, ask firewa11 about high speed flats. It's not fun. I've had one on a crusier at 65... and I can tell you its not fun. HE can tell you about a flat on a sportbike.

Post by **sckego** » Wed May 28, 2008 7:24 am

Without a doubt, if I had any worries about my tire failing at speed, I'd be replacing it immediately. However, this is practially just a pinhole with a VERY slow leak. When I realized I had a flat, I stopped a gas station and filled it to 42psi, then rode it 5 miles home and left it overnight, and it still had 30psi in it the next day. I'm confident that if the patch does fail, I'll notice it losing pressure slowly, and it won't just blow out on me.

I've done a bit of reading online on repairing MC tires, and it seems a patch from the inside plus a plug in the tread is the way to go. The problem is finding a place to do it. I'll call around a bit more today, but if I can't find anyplace, I might end up just asking Cyclewerkz to pull it off the wheel, do the patch myself, and then taking it back to get remounted.

I'll try calling Discount Tire too and see if they'll patch an MC tire.

Oh, and I ordered a set of Diablos so I'll have a pristine sticky tire for trackdays and group rides, and just use the patched PR2 for commuting duty...

Thanks for the answers, all!

V10KLZZ71S · Post by **V10KLZZ71S** » Thu Jan 15, 2009 7:28 pm

The first day I bought my Fz1 I went and was showing my buds my bike at an auto repair my friend owns and I look down and a big ass sheetmetal screw right in the middle of my front tire! We put a nice sticky plug in it and it lasted a long time. Went 150+ a few times with no problem. But I would stop short of telling anyone to plug and expect the same results, maybe I was lucky. Patching from the inside is the best way.

dshag · Post by **dshag** » Thu Jan 15, 2009 9:19 pm

why not plug it and patch it. I have a buddy that does tires and had him do that to a metzeler M1 and havent had any problems with it

Bird · Post by **Bird** » Thu Jan 15, 2009 10:29 pm

It's kind of like saving a few hundred dollars on a cheap helmet ... is it worth the risk? If a bike tire goes, you're in a hell of a mess. Unlike a car tire where you have 3 more to work with. For me, I'll kick in the money and be SURE that my tires will be 100 percent.

GRex · Post by **GRex** » Thu Jan 15, 2009 11:57 pm

For a pin hole leak, the best fix is the internal patch. Plugging disrupts the belts in the tires, and causes local damage that you do not want.

nathans03 · Post by **nathans03** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 2:59 pm

i work at discount tire and we will not work on mc tires but fixing it will not do any thang bad to the tires it is safe as ever

angryscientist · Post by **angryscientist** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 8:41 am

I worked for discount tire for 2 years, and you ought to know that's not true. Drilling out the hole and grinding down the inside of the tire to properly plug/patch compromises the tire belts (like grex said). Discount Tire uses a combination plug and patch, its one unit. This is not an issue for around town commuting, but is an issue when you start putting extreme stress on the tire.

There is a reason they make you seat the beads in a cage now, tires DO unpredictably and catastrophically fail.

He is right in saying discount wont work on an MC, they don't have the equipment to dismount the tire. I do suspect however that if you bring the tire in they will probably patch it if you ask nicely.

nathans03 wrote:i work at discount tire and we will not work on mc tires but fixing it will not do any thang bad to the tires it is safe as ever

Post by **sckego** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 9:22 am

angryscientist wrote: He is right in saying discount wont work on an MC, they don't have the equipment to dismount the tire. I do suspect however that if you bring the tire in they will probably patch it if you ask nicely.

nathans03 wrote:i work at discount tire and we will not work on mc tires but fixing it will not do any thang bad to the tires it is safe as ever

Bzzt. I took the dismounted tire to them and asked very nicely, and they still wouldn't do it. Even if they did, none of the MC shops around here will even mount a patched tire on the rim for you, so unless you own your own tire changer, you're still SOL.

I ended up giving the tire that started this post to a fellow VFR rider for the cost of shipping and the promise of free drinks if I'm ever in his area (NE Georgia, figure I'll end up out there sometime).

rubber · Post by **rubber** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 1:05 pm

shoulda gone somewhere in southside fort worth. i'm pretty sure you coulda found a foreigner or mexican tire shop that woulda done it for you. on the other hand i agree with everyone else about just replacing it. your life is worth more than a $5-10 patch job.

lincolnboy · Post by **lincolnboy** » Tue Sep 22, 2009 3:13 pm

plugs (has i had plug in my big dog ridgeback, one in the front and one in the back never had a problem for miles and miles), that why you get tire replacement when you buy a tire, just run a nail thru the sidewall and get a new replacement.