Would you run a tire with a plug in it?

[Grey Ghost]

My rear tire (yes, it is a car tire) on my RSTD has had a slow leak in it few several weeks now. This morning I found what looks like a small nail or brad it the center of the tread.

 

I don't know how I missed it. I even had a buddy look for nails while I slowly backed the bike.

 

The question is: have you ever run a tire (c/t or m/t) on a motorcycle with a plug in it?

 

If I am going to the trouble to pull it off to patch it on the inside, then I will probably go ahead an put a new tire on. But I am seriously considering plugging it.

 

I know the thinking that on a car, you still have three more tires should it fail, but I have never had a plug to blow out of a tire before. Leak air yes, but not blow out.

 

Give me some feedback, please.

 

Jeff

[flb_78]

http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=21110

 

I picked up a machine screw just 10 days after mounting mine. I plugged it. Tire is almost completely bald now and still holding air just fine.

 

I've also plugged motorcycle tires and ridden them till the cords were showing.

[Grey Ghost]

Thanks for the input. That's what I was really hoping to hear.

 

Jeff

[GeorgeS]

Put in a dose of Ride-On also, with the plug.

[saddlebum]

I havent changed a tire in years . I always carry a tirre plug kit. check out this link

 

http://www.premaproducts.com/PREMA-Kits.50.0.html

 

I use these on everything right up to transport trucks. the mobile guy who sells us our stock has had 250 plugs in the side wall of his front tire (an area normally not recomended to repair ) and they were there to the day the tires wore out. these are the same plugs shown in the kit you see if click on the above link.I have plugged holes up to 1/4" in diameter with these and never had one fail.

[Grey Ghost]

Thanks guys. I'm plugging it.

 

Jeff

[bj66]

I had my tire dealer tell me just last week, that if you plug a tire (auto) and you have a warranty on it. It will void your warranty.

[FJR Rider]

Another vote for YES...punctured a brand-new rear E3 (500 miles) last June...just over 9,500 miles on the tire since plugging it.

 

Curt

[Squidley]

I will be one of the black sheep here, I wouldn't and here's why I say that. When you install a plug in any tire (Car or bike) you help to destroy the belts inside the casing. On a car with steel belted tires in a northern zone salt will infiltrate in there and corrode the steel around where the plug was inserted. Ever since I managed a tire store I NEVER install plugs in anything, do it right and put a patch on the inside if your trying to milk more miles out of the tire, you only have 2 of them on your bike

[BOO]

I too have ridden on plugged tires and probably will again.

If you worry about it all the time you are riding then I would change it.

Jerry

[FJR Rider]

Squidley,

 

I hear what you're saying and you make a great point...but here's why I stayed with the plugged tire. We ran over something on the freeway on the way to a ride-in...tried to get a new tire and two dealers on the way didn't have the right size. The plugged tire was holding air fine, and the plug was right in the center of the tread.

 

Since we were already 200 miles from home I wasn't going to let the plugged tire ruin our weekend. I checked the pressure several times and then rode the bike like tire was new. We're talking freeways, we're talking twisties, we're talking gravel roads, etc. Put another 350 miles on before making the 200 mile plus ride home.

 

Continued with that tire through the summer, with numerous camping trips throughout the state with the Bunkhouse in tow. A trip from NE WI to Iowa for Davis and back home with camper in tow. And then a ride from NE WI to NW Arkansas and back with the Bushtec in tow. Time on the freeway, time in the twisties.

 

Safety is paramount, but once I had my comfort level that the tire was okay I continued to use the tire. Now did I buy another tire...yep, brand new E3 was in the garage 2 weeks after the initial incident. New E3 is still in the garage.

 

Curt

[saddlebum]

I will be one of the black sheep here, I wouldn't and here's why I say that. When you install a plug in any tire (Car or bike) you help to destroy the belts inside the casing. On a car with steel belted tires in a northern zone salt will infiltrate in there and corrode the steel around where the plug was inserted. Ever since I managed a tire store I NEVER install plugs in anything, do it right and put a patch on the inside if your trying to milk more miles out of the tire, you only have 2 of them on your bike

 

Sorry to disagree with you sguidly but I too have vast tire experience and 1) a patch on the inside only prevents air from leaving the tire, the puncture is still open to the enviroment . on the othe hand a good quality plug such as perma or techcan seals the entire hole . and I have never had a tire fail from using these plugs and in 35 years of fleet maint. I have inserted hundreds of them and using the proper tools does not hurt the belt any more than the original object may have the tool tends to spread the belt which intme close back up on the plug

[Jethroish]

Plugged car tire? Yes

Plugged MC tire? probably not

[TEW47]

YES, and as soon as I could I would put a boot on the inside of the tire. Like other people here I have ridden thousands of miles with a plugged tire. Motorcycle shops will not fix a flat because of liability, law suits. One or two people had a tire go out that was plugged and sued cycle shop, therefore no shop will fix a flat. A local car tire shop will put a boot in M/C tires for $25. NEVER had a problem. Mostly a rip off for M/C shops to make more money by scaring M/C riders that have not been riding long. Been fixing them for 40 years.

 

tew47

[CMIKE]

I am not so sure. I have a tire plug kit plus a compressor mainly to get the bike back on the road instead of waiting all day on road side assistance. If I was on a trip, I may complete that trip with the plug but I think I would be very nervous with it.

I had a blow out or disintegration on a Honda 350 back in 1974 on a tire without a plug and I really have not forgot it. (don't think I ever will) It was not pretty. Big chunks of the seat got chewed up by my rear end. I would hate for that to happen again with my wife on the back.

I know... tires are better...plugs are better now.

I would really have to take it on case by case basis...where is the hole...how big is it (how much damage) and how far am I away from home. Now if somebody could install a boot or inside patch in the tire...maybe I would keep the tire.

You only have 2 tires and I feel I need both of them. I may have to take out a loan for a new tire if I get something in it.

[okscott]

Been riding on a plugged rear tire for the past 1500 miles or so. No problems at all. Had the same concerns as you when I did it. Holds air fine. Mine is right on the edge between being on the tread and the side wall so it's only making contact when turning to that side. Sure was cheaper than pulling the rear wheel.

[1BigDog]

I already had a plugged tire lose air after riding it for 3000 miles. Tire still had plenty of tread too. In my opinion a plug is nothing more than a temporary fix. I already used Ride-On to seal a tire that was already punctured by a nail and that lasted 13,000 miles. The nail was pulled and the Ride-On did its job.

[Snarley Bill]

i would run a plug but a patch is much better. a plug may start leaking. if the tire has alot of miles i would replace it. i used to patch alot of tires when tubes were in and had no problem. bill

[saddlebum]

I already had a plugged tire lose air after riding it for 3000 miles. Tire still had plenty of tread too. In my opinion a plug is nothing more than a temporary fix. I already used Ride-On to seal a tire that was already punctured by a nail and that lasted 13,000 miles. The nail was pulled and the Ride-On did its job.

 

Remember not all plugs are equal in qaulity the two brands I mentioned in my earlier post are extremly reliable I have even put 2 in large holes and never had one leak or fail . but there are maney out there I would not give the time of day to. So when it comes to plug or not to plug product quality is a BIG factor

[Squidley]

Curt,

 

I do agree there are exceptions to the rule with everything. If I were stuck on the road and needed to do it, I would. Then get it to someplace for a more detailed fix. I have seen plugs destroy a tire and that is my reasoning for posting up my experiences, it's all good

 

Ben,

 

I understand where your coming from with the open part of the hole. There are many folks in the tire business and they do things a bit different with good results. I always put some vulcanizing glue into the hole from the outside of the tire to help seal up any exposed belting. I just post up advice here to err on the side of solid safe judgement. Will the tire be OK with a plug, probably so, but I hate to see it come down to a tire going out due to a plug....I know all about loosing a tire at highway speeds

Edited March 8, 2009 by Squidley

[Condor]

Interesting subject, but how about taking this in another direction. Does anyone have any personal knowedge of a plugged MC tire causing a wreck, or even causing a plugged tire come apart. Any actual motorcycle specific research done on the subject??

[jbillerzippo]

I would plug it.

[greg_in_london]

In order of preference, assuming that the hole is caused by a spike of some sort, causing a round hole less than 1/4" diameter, not a stanley knife blade or similar causing a cut of 1cm or more - that would compromise the strength of the tyre (in which case, I might use a tube and some sort of barrier to protect the tube from the lip just to get me somewhere to change the tyre).

 

• Harvey-tech style repair - essentially a mushroom shaped insert (maybe more like a cylinder valve) where the stem is pulled from the inside out and the top is vulcanised to the inside of the tyre.
  
• Plug from the outside - quick and dirty, but works. The worst that can happen is that it goes down again (almost invariably slowly, if it does at all). The carcase will not come apart because you've checked that it was a small perforation, not a large gash
  
• Use an inner tube. Some used to say that this was the only repair (except for radial tyres), but experience has shown differently. People started asking why the above repairs were recommended across Europe but not in the UK !!
  

When I worked doing roadside tyre repairs years ago, we reckoned that what we called 'secondary tyre wall damage' was the greatest problem. That's where people have ridden for a distance with flat tyres. When most bikes used inner tubes, the chafing caused a ring of abraded rubber inside the tyre walls that rubbed away at the tube. I suppose it must also weaken the tyre, damage the balance and worsen the handling, but I've never heard of a tyre actually failing as a result.

 

I've never persisted with repairs outside the main tread area, though - the argument is that the way tyres deform in use would work the plug out. Can't say if that's true or not as I haven't done it. I also don't know what you mean by 'a patch'. If you mean something like a tube patch on the inside, it sounds like a second best choice to a plug which is more hassle, but that's me guessing.

 

Having said all that, if you ride your bike for leisure and worrying about this detracts from your enjoyment, replacing the tyre will be money well spent. Safety wise it mostly depends on the amount of damage the puncture did. When a tyre lever (or something similar, whatever it was) went through my sidewall years, that certainly needed replacing straightaway !

[Grey Ghost]

I would plug it.

 

 

I did.

[saddlebum]

understand where your coming from with the open part of the hole. There are many folks in the tire business and they do things a bit different with good results. I always put some vulcanizing glue into the hole from the outside of the tire to help seal up any exposed belting. I just post up advice here to err on the side of solid safe judgement. Will the tire be OK with a plug, probably so, but I hate to see it come down to a tire going out due to a plug....I know all about loosing a tire at highway speeds

Squidly

I can not disagree with you there. There is also much to be said about maney folks doing things differently I would have to admit as much faith as I have in a good quality tire plug I still would only trust the ones I install myself. there is no room on the road for a shoddy repair. You are are also very right in say if one is to make an error in judgement do it in the direction of safty. I also remember your tire incident and am very glad you are still with us.