Wojo72 Posted April 16, 2015 Report Share Posted April 16, 2015 I have a pretty good leak in my front tire. Plugging it sounds like a bad idea other than to get it to the shop. The bike has Bridgestone Battlax tires on it now.Should I stick to the same tire or is there something better out there for the street? I only have 700 miles on the set which really passes me off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmh_sprint Posted April 16, 2015 Report Share Posted April 16, 2015 (edited) My personal experience is that the Battlleax tires suck. My bike came with them and they had no feel or grip. I switched to Conti Road Attacks and have never looked back. The Conti's gave me more confidence in the front end. But in the end tires are like oil, it's all personal preference. Edited April 16, 2015 by cmh_sprint Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
claine650 Posted April 16, 2015 Report Share Posted April 16, 2015 I got a nice big screw In my rear a few days after it was put on, super pissed, put a plug in it and have no problems with it at all. Nothing bad to say about battleax though, came on my bike when I got it and they were half way through were still pretty grippy. but there are longer lasting/better compound tires for street only use, just go with name brand and decide what you like.Nothing wrong with plugging a like new tire though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubba Posted April 16, 2015 Report Share Posted April 16, 2015 If the Battlax is a steel-belt radial construction, plugs can be difficult to get a perfect seal, and I've heard anecdotally that the belts MAY end up cutting the plug as the steel belts flex during riding. A plug works just fine in a poly belt tire, whether radial or bias. If it's steel belt construction, I'd recommend de-mounting the tire and having a vulcanizing patch installed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
claine650 Posted April 16, 2015 Report Share Posted April 16, 2015 If the Battlax is a steel-belt radial construction, plugs can be difficult to get a perfect seal, and I've heard anecdotally that the belts MAY end up cutting the plug as the steel belts flex during riding. A plug works just fine in a poly belt tire, whether radial or bias. If it's steel belt construction, I'd recommend de-mounting the tire and having a vulcanizing patch installed.Yeah mine that is plugged is a steel belted radial, and it was indeed the most difficult plug I've ever put in because of that. But it has worked with zero issues. I do agree that a vulcanized patch is the best of the best in terms of tire repair though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swingset Posted April 16, 2015 Report Share Posted April 16, 2015 Plug it. As long as you monitor your pressures (you should anyway), even in case of plug failure what's going to happen? It's going to slowly leak. They don't explode when they fail...you should have ample warning, and you can re-plug the failure. I've plugged probably 5 or 6 tires and ran them to the end of the tire without any issue. I don't even hesitate now, as long as you use a good plug quality. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfman1 Posted April 16, 2015 Report Share Posted April 16, 2015 Had Battlax BT023's on my last FZ1 and they were great tires. Bridgestone is phasing them out to the new Battlax T30's. I know the Pony had a great deal on all the remaining BT023's to make room for the T30's. That is probably what I will be going to on my next set. As far as plugging a tire, I am always weary about it due to the amount of flexing a motorcycle tire does especially when cornering. I found a piece of metal in my rear last year and the tire was half way gone, so I just replaced it for piece of mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2talltim Posted April 16, 2015 Report Share Posted April 16, 2015 I'd put a hybrid plug patch in it and wear it out but if your dead set on a new tire i would have to know more about your riding style, ability and what you want out of a tire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magley64 Posted April 16, 2015 Report Share Posted April 16, 2015 Pirelli angel is my favorite tire. Great tread life, sticky enough to hold my heavy ass bike to the road as far as I'm willing to push her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsvRidr Posted April 16, 2015 Report Share Posted April 16, 2015 (edited) Had Battlax BT023's on my last FZ1 and they were great tires. Bridgestone is phasing them out to the new Battlax T30's. I know the Pony had a great deal on all the remaining BT023's to make room for the T30's.I agree. I have had the 023gt's on the ST that seem to be a great comprise between wear and handling. So I just put a std 023 on the rear /t30 on the front on the Tuono, can't beat Iron Pony's prices right now. But as far as plugging, I would not hesitate to plug a newer tire. I am a nail magnet and have plugged several tires thru the years and never had an issue. That being said, I recommend going the patch/plug route over the push in fiber plugs when possible Sent from [emoji631] on my iPhone using Tapatalk Edited April 16, 2015 by rsvRidr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magley64 Posted April 17, 2015 Report Share Posted April 17, 2015 (edited) Delayed double post... srry Edited April 17, 2015 by magley64 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfman1 Posted April 22, 2015 Report Share Posted April 22, 2015 All the talk about tire plugging made me think of a story about a friend of mine who was out riding and picked up a nail in the middle of nowhere. Tire went flat. Fortunately his BMW came with a tire plug kit and co2 cartridges to fill the tire back up. It got him home. After hearing his story I picked up a kit from the Pony and keep it under the seat of my bike. The next riding season I was out riding with Derek and Whaler when I noticed Derek's tire going down. We were in the middle of nowhere and pulled off. We used the kit and was able to get to a fire station to get the pressure up to normal. Made it all the way home without a leak! If you are reading this you may want to consider picking one up. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jschaf Posted April 22, 2015 Report Share Posted April 22, 2015 I've been carrying a plug kit for years. Used it 3 times. It is real nice to continue the ride after you have a flat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2talltim Posted April 22, 2015 Report Share Posted April 22, 2015 Plug kit and mini compressor are always in my side box. Prob time to replace them though. Those plugs will dry out over a couple of years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerekClouser Posted April 23, 2015 Report Share Posted April 23, 2015 All the talk about tire plugging made me think of a story about a friend of mine who was out riding and picked up a nail in the middle of nowhere. Tire went flat. Fortunately his BMW came with a tire plug kit and co2 cartridges to fill the tire back up. It got him home. After hearing his story I picked up a kit from the Pony and keep it under the seat of my bike. The next riding season I was out riding with Derek and Whaler when I noticed Derek's tire going down. We were in the middle of nowhere and pulled off. We used the kit and was able to get to a fire station to get the pressure up to normal. Made it all the way home without a leak! If you are reading this you may want to consider picking one up. Another thing we noticed on this, if you are using mini CO2 charges for filling the tire, we used 3 full charges and only got to about 15PSI --- I'd recommend keeping several or the pump (which I've heard mixed reviews on) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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