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I know many of you here are very knowledgeable, more so than me. I rolled my bike out this morning and noticed it was hard to roll so I looked at my tires and the rear tire was low so I inspected it and found a nail in it. tires are still pretty new (stock) only about 1400 miles on it. So my question is can I just plug it and be safe or do I need to get a new tire? If new tire is in order can I just change the back tire or do I need both front and back? The nail is in the tread part of the tire not sidewall more on the outside of the part of tire that I use, looks like I must have gotten it while cornering. Any advise is appreciated.
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Its been discussed before and you will find the answer is either
1. It is totally unsafe and should never be done for any reason
or
2. Done it with no problem
You have to make the call. And it would depend on where the nail is.
I picked up a nail at 300 miles. At the time you couldn't hardly get tires so I plugged mine and it is still going strong. But having said that, if I was going on the road for a trip, I'd change the tire out (I have a set stored away now).
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oh boy..can of worms. it's going to be about 60/40 with the 60 going in the buy a new tire camp. Only you can make the decision on whether you trust it or not. I have ridden thousands of miles on plugged tires. I got a flat on one bike at 40 miles, plugged it, and replaced the tire at 8000 miles. I carry a tire plug kit and compressor on every trip. I would plug a tire in the thick part of the tread and run it in a heartbeat, but would not plug and run except for an emergency a tire with a puncture in the bottom of the sipe or sidewall where it is thin; If it were me, I would plug it, air it up and keep an eye on it and run it for awhile. Check the air in it everyday, put a dab of spit on the plug and watch for bubbles, and make my decision on replacement based on that. For your own peace of mind you may just want to go ahead and replace it. You only need to replace the punctured one...not the pair.
then again sometimes I wear jeans, a tshirt and an open face helmet.
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Thanks, funds are kinda short right now and the weather is looking nice this weekend in my neck of the woods, so I just wanted to know if I could plug it and be safe or just wait till I can get a new tire.
Thanks for the help!
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(01-16-2015, 05:25 AM)mgoodie_imp Wrote: Thanks, funds are kinda short right now and the weather is looking nice this weekend in my neck of the woods, so I just wanted to know if I could plug it and be safe or just wait till I can get a new tire.
Thanks for the help!
I would never run a plugged tire any further than I have too!!! I think about those plugs running back and forth from NY to NC in my car, there is no way I'm running them on a bike. I would be thinking every-time out if the tire was going to hold up. So, i guess you know what my answer is going to be.
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me and ferret #2
Cip, #1
told ya
I'd like to hear what CA200 has to say, but he probably said it in the discussion last time
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Then there is the fact that these are radial tires.....more worms. For a short close trip I could see it, but I would replace it as soon as funds allow.
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"can of WORMS"!!..." can of GUMMY WORMS"!! you guys' replies,... did you do the pun(s) on purpose... or are you just naturally gifted that way?...(either way, I enjoyed the chuckle!)... if using a gummy worm method... use fresh glue, too... and perhaps also use the Ride-On product inside tire to "gum up the puncture" from the inside... kind of a back-up slurry inside the tire to further seal around the gummy worm...I, too, have used the "worms" both for emergency & also for more sedate longer term riding for a few more thousand miles out of tire... but getting a replacement tire as soon as $ cash flow is available & perhaps, if quite a few thousand miles are left in tire & puncture is small nail diameter size... get an inside patch done on tire & keep it as a backup...
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I use the kind that doesnt require glue.
CIP once I've done 200 miles, I never give them a second thought.
Heck there are so many things to worry about all the time it's a wonder we can even enjoy riding motorcycles
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I have plugged them and ran the tire until the tread was almost gone. Think about what kind of riding you are doing and where it is leaking at. Are you going 100+ mph on a very hot day? Are you doing burn outs? I would say take the tire off and patch it from the inside if you can. I know a lot of shops will not patch, or plug a tire. I would have no problem plugging a hole in a tire on this bike. That being said, just pay attention to the bike once it is done. If you feel the tire is doing strange things under you, then replace it.
