Got me good!

[Watcher]

First time I've ever had a tire puncture.  8 years of build-up, I suppose, culminated in not a nail, but a BOLT!




Ragged hole, put 3 plugs in it and still leaks.  Was hoping to at least make it to pay-day, got about $90 to my name right now so I can't afford new rubber.  I needed new tires anyway, just hit the wear bars on these, but was figuring on the end of the month getting them all swapped out.  Still, it may have happened at a bad time but at least it didn't happen on a brand new tire!

Didn't get as long out of these tires as I was expecting to, 7.5K-ish miles and at the wear bars, was expecting closer to 10k on the Road 4s.  That being said, I'm not the most diligent when it comes to checking tire pressure, and I ride this bike hard!  Going to go with the Michelin Road 5, they're supposedly better than the Road 4 in every way, I'll put it to the test.

Mean time I was able to snag a DRZ400SM as a loaner until this weekend.  Should be a fun change of pace.

[twocool]

Life sucks...then you die

Cookie

First time I've ever had a tire puncture.  8 years of build-up, I suppose, culminated in not a nail, but a BOLT!




Ragged hole, put 3 plugs in it and still leaks.  Was hoping to at least make it to pay-day, got about $90 to my name right now so I can't afford new rubber.  I needed new tires anyway, just hit the wear bars on these, but was figuring on the end of the month getting them all swapped out.  Still, it may have happened at a bad time but at least it didn't happen on a brand new tire!

Didn't get as long out of these tires as I was expecting to, 7.5K-ish miles and at the wear bars, was expecting closer to 10k on the Road 4s.  That being said, I'm not the most diligent when it comes to checking tire pressure, and I ride this bike hard!  Going to go with the Michelin Road 5, they're supposedly better than the Road 4 in every way, I'll put it to the test.

Mean time I was able to snag a DRZ400SM as a loaner until this weekend.  Should be a fun change of pace.

[prmas]

I have given up on the PR4s due to the odd wear pattern and two rear punctures. They are very light-weight tyres compared to others (good in one way) but seem to be prone to punctures. They are very thin and flexible in the carcass which reduces their puncture resistance.

Macka

[Kookas]

I have given up on the PR4s due to the odd wear pattern and two rear punctures. They are very light-weight tyres compared to others (good in one way) but seem to be prone to punctures. They are very thin and flexible in the carcass which reduces their puncture resistance.

Macka

Hmm, I've never had a puncture that wasn't due to a screw or nail, which would take out pretty much any tyre without some sort of special hole-patching chemistry. What caused the punctures you got?

[The Buddha]

Inner tube should fix that. My friend used to put these inner and outer mushroom patches, but I never managed to get one of those in very well.
Cool.
Buddha.

[J_Walker]

know a guy with 3 semi-rig plugs in his GSXR 750 rear tire. he swears they hold. dunno if there's some truth behind that [they are meant for heavy loads, and 100+psi]

[gregjet]

From the look of that tyre it is pretty much chuck time antway so not so bad. Big flat worn on the middle.
There are mushroom patches that you have to put in from the INSIDE that will last as long as the tyre. They have a big sealing area ( well over a square inch (600sqmm) and are more flexible than the tyre. This tyre is pretty well shot but good to know if you have a similar puncture in a newer tyre.

[The Buddha]

The patch my friend would use was installed inside and he used to patch it outside too.
Cool.
Buddha.

[prmas]

I have given up on the PR4s due to the odd wear pattern and two rear punctures. They are very light-weight tyres compared to others (good in one way) but seem to be prone to punctures. They are very thin and flexible in the carcass which reduces their puncture resistance.

Macka

Hmm, I've never had a puncture that wasn't due to a screw or nail, which would take out pretty much any tyre without some sort of special hole-patching chemistry. What caused the punctures you got?

The first time I never found the cause of the puncture and it took ages to find the actual leak as the hole was nearly invisible. It was the tiniest pin-prick that you could imagine. It did not look like a puncture at all, more like natural scuffing wear on a tyre.
That was plugged by me to get me 150km to home and then plugged/patched from the inside.
The second time was a large stick, part of a fallen tree branch, that went straight through the tread of a nearly new tyre.
That one took two external rope plugs to stop the leak and get me 800+km to home and was then also plugged/patched from the inside.   
After the first one, which caught me out completely with a nearly flat tyre after a lunch stop, I had installed a TPMS on boith bikes.
The TPMS saved my bacon with the second puncture because it happened out in the bush, more than 50km from the nearest petrol station. I happened to glance down at the tyre pressure readings (which I have developed a fortunate habit of doing) and noticed that the rear tyre pressure had dropped 6psi since I last looked at it about 10 minutes before. I realised that I had to get to the next town as quickly as possible to get air so I picked up speed (quite a bit over the limit) to get me there before the low pressure became critical. On that road you will only see another vehicle perhaps once every half-hour and there is no mobile phone signal to call for help. As the pressure dropped I slowed down for safety reasons. By the time I arrived at the air supply the rear tyre pressure was down to 18psi and the bike was starting to feel "squishy" in the rear under the weight of all the camping gear, clothes etc.
By using the GPS and planning a stop at every petrol station I would pass I knew that I could get to my Son's place 200km away where I could repair it comfortably to get me the remaining 650km to home.
I will never ride or drive without a TPMS on any of my vehicles. I have fitted them to every car/bike in my family. It is a critical safety aid in my opinion.

Macka

[Watcher]

Inner tube should fix that. My friend used to put these inner and outer mushroom patches, but I never managed to get one of those in very well.
Cool.
Buddha.

I wouldn't be opposed if it was a newer tire, but if I'm doing all the work to get the wheel off and dismount the tire I might as well just change it entirely, so that's the plan.

I never liked how the previous owner balanced these either.  Took over 2.5oz, I would have broke the beads again and spun the tire to try and get it closer to balanced.



@prmas

Sorry to hear about your experience.  I've had generally good luck with my Michelins, both these PR4s and the Power 2CTs I had on my Buell.  My experience with Bridgestones wasn't super impressive, neither was my experience with Dunlops, but I've had generally good life and good grip with Mich so I'm happy to stick with them.

[prmas]

I haven't given up on Michelin, just the PR4s. I have Pilot Street on the GS and a Pilot Activ on the front of my Honda with a Commander2 on the rear.
At this time, I still believe that Michelin make the best bike tyres but in my opinion the PR4s are not perfect, especially for my main type of riding which is long distance touring on mainly dry roads.
On the Honda, the Bias Ply tyres feel much more solid and stable, are much quieter and last longer. They are also about 30% cheaper. For me that adds up to a simple choice. If I was doing a lot of wet road city riding I would stay with the PR series as they DO have the best wet-grip!

Macka

[gregjet]

Did a 7000km trip on my PR4's and they are still on the bike. They were wonderful. better than any tyre I have ever used on the road . Batter in ALL conditions ( 1degc to 44degC on the big trip). Had them on my BMWF800R as well. I have had better tyres for the track but that is a very different environment.
I will try the new Road 5's as soon as I get a chance. The 07 still has the aweful Bridgestone s23's.

[user11235813]

Maybe try some Safety Seal brand plugs? I put one in a new tyre with a decent sized screw in it and it lasted the whole time. They're self vulcanising so when using 3 they might meld together better.

[Watcher]

Maybe try some Safety Seal brand plugs? I put one in a new tyre with a decent sized screw in it and it lasted the whole time. They're self vulcanising so when using 3 they might meld together better.

The Dynaplugs I used are also self vulcanizing, didn't hold.  I also filled the tire up then immediately ripped the bike up and down the block to get some heat in the tires.  No go.

The plug was really only meant to get me to payday, and now that I have a loaner bike the point is moot anyway.
New tires should be on as early as Thursday, as late as this weekend.