First flat in 42 years

[erniee]

Was on a short trip in WV well I picked up a self tapping sheet metal screw. Hole was a little rough. Used a stop&go plug kit to repair. Not real comfortable riding on a plugged tire, so I headed home. Traveled over 400 miles with not trouble. What is the opinion about running a plug?

[RIDEMYST]

I wish I had your luck of 42 years!
Either me or my wife picks up a screw, nail, screwdriver shank.... every couple of years.
Yes, I plug the tire but then go to the closest bike shop for a tire replacement. It's the cost of riding on two wheels.
When I was a novice rider an experienced rider explained to me that the money I saved on a replacement tire would save me about 15 minutes of cost in the emergency room!
That hit home, so I replace the tire. -JEP-

[Patmo]

Your going to get A LOT of different opinions and reasoning on plugging v replacing a tire, and you will probably hear A LOT of people tell you stories about how they plugged a tire and rode/drove it for thousands of miles with no problem.

But, I'll give you my opinion and it's worth every penny you paid for it.....

I worked in the aftermarket tire industry for 30+ years and received factory training from virtually all of the leading manufacturers of tires.  ALL of them advise against plugging tires and using it as anything other than a temporary repair.  Some people are going to say that this is just so they can sell more tires or to protect themselves against frivolous lawsuits.  But if you look at the numbers of new tires sold every year v the number of tires that get punctured, it's such a small small percent of total tires, that claim goes out the window.  NO shop could make it just selling replacement tires for those that get punctures, and no manufacturer could survive either.

What WAS shown to me, and reinforced by actual observation in shops I managed, was the INSIDE damage that occurred to countless tires that were punctured, but was NOT evident from just inspecting the OUTSIDE of the tire.  In virtually everyone of these examples the tire would have been a serious safety problem if merely plugged and let go down the road.  Even in the case of a small screw that goes into the middle of the tread there is the distinct possibility of the air loss causing overheating and damaging the inner liner of the tire....the inner liner being what really holds the air in the tire.  Longer items have been known to actually reach the inner sidewall of the tire and cause the liner and body cords to be damaged.  Items that go into the tire and are not removed can also cause this type of damage.

The ONLY acceptable type of tire repair as a PERMINENT solution is to remove the tire from the wheel, give it a though inspection and then PATCH/PLUG the tire from the inside, if no damage to the structure of the tire has been done.  If ANY damage is found, the tire must be replaced.

[Brick]

Knock on my wooden head... None for me THIS year but one of my riding buds, Chris, has had three this year. Two while he and I were out riding away from home. I have all the tools and plugs were used ok and replacements gotten not too long after. The third recently I wasn't along so so know details. He had just joined BMWMOA and gets two free tire replacements if needed a year with that. Good deal for him.


Let's Ride!
Brick

[stevegrab]

I've had more than my share of flats and have used the stop n go (mushroom type no glue) and rope with rubber cement types. Had one at a rally once and asked the No Mar folks to patch it, was told the mushroom plug would hold just as well. It did for the rest of the event and the trip home. Also had a rope plugged tire last with no problems.

Safest is to replace the tire, so that is what most will recommend, and I'm not saying otherwise.

[DirtFlier]

[...He had just joined BMWMOA and gets two free tire replacements if needed a year with that. Good deal for him...Brick]

MOA must have one heck of an annual membership fee if you get two free tires! 

[boatanchor]

This thread came up at just the right time. I had a flat due to a small nail this past weekend and had a shop plug the tire and they used a Stop and Go kit to do it. I rode home on it and got within about 20 miles of home and the plug let go over a rather short time. Thankfully I did not crash as the tire went down rather quickly. After this episode, I will never trust a plugged tire again and will replace the tire as soon as I can get it to a place to where a new one can be installed. A new tire is cheap compared to repairing your motorcycle and yourself if you go down because the tire repair fails. Along that same line, in the future if I have to repair a flat to get to a place for a new tire, I will carry both plugs and string repair kits along with looking into some type of towing insurance in case I cannot repair the tire. Thankfully, I had two good friends who live close by who offered to come get me home last night.

[DirtFlier]

I picked up a framing nail (3-1/2") in the rear tire of my NT at STAR.  After it was pulled out, I cleaned the wound as best I could then plugged it with one of those black, sticky worms.  I blew it up to 50 PSI then let it sit overnight.  The next morning it was still at 50 psi so I lowered it to 42 psi and we continued our day rides.  It did get me home and only after sitting for more than a week did the pressure start to drop. 

I've used "Ride-On" in my tires as insurance for eons and perhaps this time it helped the sticky worm seal a little better?   

ps.  I order a new rear tire once I got home!

[STLTHMSTA]

The age old explanation applies here.......it depends!  Patmo & RIDEMYST explained the situations clearly, it can be done but the conditions have to be right. If you're stranded you gotta give it a shot but best to replace it when you can. My personal experience has been both good and bad so it's a tough call.
BTW, that is some kinda luck holding out for 42 years to enjoy the pleasures of roadside repair.

[NinjaBob]

In about half a milion miles I've had about 15 flats, most of them I fixed with rope plugs and got almost normal life out of the tires. I find that when the tire has about 500-1000 miles left the plug begins a slow leak. Guess the tread gets too thin for a good seal.

[DallasBMWRider]

My advice:  Replace the tire, there's a life riding on it. Simple as that.

With regards to the MOA tire replacement program. The annual MOA dues are $40. If you want in on the tire replacement deal, it jumps to $79. I did get one new tire last year on that program, but it was like dealing with the government to get reimbursed, but they finally did. And they do have a spec the tread depth must meet to qualify for a new tire.

[Downs]

It never fails.  Every new rear tire I put on my bike gets a puncture at some point in it's life. Usually earlier rather than later.  I can't even begin to count how many miles I've put on plugged tires in my riding and driving career. 

I simply can't afford to replace a tire over something like a puncture every time it gets one.   

However I do suggest staying away from teh mushroom type plugs.  Nearly every leaky tire repair story I've read has involved those POSes.  Stick to the tried and tested sticky ropes.  They work and work well.  Throw some rubber cemet on there before you put it in if it makes ya feel better about it.


In Summary-Plug it with a sticky rope and ride on.

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