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Patch motorcycle tire?


Connie14

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When leaving the neighborhood this morning, my warning light came in for low tire pressure. I have a nail in my rear tire. I am planning on plugging the tire to get to IP for a new tire. Due to a busy schedule, I don't have time to order from Jake Wilson and have someone mount it.

I only have 1400 miles on a PR4, and I wish I could trust an inside the tire patch. Has anyone successfully patched a motorcycle tire? (Or is that just an accident waiting to happen?)

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Wow, the new bikes have tire pressure sensors, didn't know that..

 

Just to get to a shop, I might try that if its not too far. But only after making darned sure there was no leak and the patch was holding all around the edges.  I keep going back to the fact that you only have 2 tires and if one goes out you're in serious trouble.

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A properly installed plug will last the life of the tire.

 

Edit:  I've plugged a handful of M/C tires without any loss of pressure over the remaining life of the tire.  I already check pressure before almost every ride, so I am used to watching it closely.  I ran over 4k on a plugged PR2 without any problem.  When I swapped tires I checked the plug on the inside and it was still securely in place. 

 

A plug will work if the hole is directly in the center, but I would change the tire sooner than usual because there is less material to hold the plug in place.  My $.02

Edited by Tpoppa
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Been a while now but I've plugged a few tires and then used them up.  Just make sure it's not within an inch of the edge and ride it like it's a Ninja 500 and not a C14.  Keep it down to legal speeds with the plugged tire.

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My biggest concern is that I am traveling to the mountains in PA & MD next weekend. The SD trip is the following weekend. Then a few weeks later, I am going to NC mountains. I know myself too well. I don't think I can ride conservatively in the mountains.

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If a (properly installed) plug were to fail, it would be a slow leak, not a blowout.  I never slowed my pace on a plugged tire. 

 

But, riding is all about confidence.  If it would always be in the back of your mind and limit your ride, then swap the tire. 

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My biggest concern is that I am traveling to the mountains in PA & MD next weekend. The SD trip is the following weekend. Then a few weeks later, I am going to NC mountains. I know myself too well. I don't think I can ride conservatively in the mountains.

 

Ok, you clearly are not going to be comfortable with a plugged tire. It will mess with your head and ruin your trips. I change my vote to buying a new tire.

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When leaving the neighborhood this morning, my warning light came in for low tire pressure. I have a nail in my rear tire. I am planning on plugging the tire to get to IP for a new tire. Due to a busy schedule, I don't have time to order from Jake Wilson and have someone mount it.

I only have 1400 miles on a PR4, and I wish I could trust an inside the tire patch. Has anyone successfully patched a motorcycle tire? (Or is that just an accident waiting to happen?)

I'd plug/patch combo it and run it till the cords show with no fear

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If there are this many people that are confident in the plug & patch combo, I will look into it. If there is a consensus that this is safe, I won't have a confidence problem. Especially since I have a TPMS to let me know if the pressure gets low.

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Get new tires. Last thing you want is have to get a new tire while on a long trip. Even with TPMS and it being a slow leak. You'll waste half a day trying to find a dealer over the weekend.

I don't go cheap on helmets and tires. I never plug. This isn't a car tire. Most of the surface of the m/c tire is going to continually flex and expand as you lean and accelerate and decelerate. Not worth $200 IMO. Peace of kind is priceless.

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This comes up every season. Plug it and forget it. I have plugged every flat that wasn't in a sidewall. Never had an issue running the life out of them just like an unplugged tire. No change in pace on them either. I know everyone's pace is different but I see top end on a 1K bike regularly on plugged tires without issue. I also flex them on curvy roads without issue. You can speculate and follow peoples advice that don't know any better and err on the side of madness or you can take into advisement actual real world experience.

As IP stated I would have no problem whatsoever getting a tire from someone that couldn't stand the thought of it being plugged and run the life out of it. I have ran plugged tires too many times to count without issue. I can guarantee that someone at the place you have tires changed will be taking plugged tires with life left on them and using them up.

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Way back on my CBR, I bought brand new pilot road 2's and within 50mi I got a nail in the rear tire. I plugged it myself with one of those kits you get in the auto store and put 5k miles on it before I sold the bike. I will say that the nail was dead center of the tire. If it was near the edges or if I had a very soft compound tire, I probably would replace the tire, You should be good with the PR4.

Edited by ScubaCinci
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I plug mine until I get home, then pull the tire and install a patch/plug combo. Two years ago, I had 6 flats in the 20k miles I rode that year. At that rate I would have gone broke buying tires. Instead, I purchased all the stuff needed to do a proper patch/plug install and ride them all the way to the cords with no trouble.

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This comes up every season. Plug it and forget it. I have plugged every flat that wasn't in a sidewall. Never had an issue running the life out of them just like an unplugged tire. No change in pace on them either. I know everyone's pace is different but I see top end on a 1K bike regularly on plugged tires without issue. I also flex them on curvy roads without issue. You can speculate and follow peoples advice that don't know any better and err on the side of madness or you can take into advisement actual real world experience.As IP stated I would have no problem whatsoever getting a tire from someone that couldn't stand the thought of it being plugged and run the life out of it. I have ran plugged tires too many times to count without issue. I can guarantee that someone at the place you have tires changed will be taking plugged tires with life left on them and using them up.

The truth. I have no qualms with riding the life out of tires that I have mushroom plugged myself. What's the worst that could happen? Your chance of picking up another hole in your tire due to road hazards is a lot higher than the chance of a properly installed plug coming out.

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His should be a 190/50

It is a 190/50. I couldn't get the nearest mc dealers to patch it, so I ordered another tire from Jake Wilson.

I know someone that can mount it for me. That won't be until Sunday. I am going to plug it tonight and ride it tomorrow. I can always add the patch to the holy tire, and I can install the new PR4 in the winter.

Edited by Connie14
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I like a good tire up front. Don't like sudden blow outs in the front tire. In back I'll patch and stuff. Then again I'm the guy that is riding a second year with the same chunk of metal in the back tire (it didn't leak). Maybe you shouldn't listen to me. (Yeah, it's starting to move around and cut the tire. Time to replace it.)

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To me it's not just not worth the risk. That's me. If you guys are ok with it and have positive experience, kudos to you. For me, replacing a $200 part early that needs replaced frequently anyways is worth the extra safety and peace of mind.

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