I have always picked up nails in tires, hell my first car had at least one patch on every tire. I recently was riding and noticed a nail in my new rear tire on my GS. I though Damn, well I guess I will have to take that in tomorrow. Turns out most places wont patch a motorcycle tire and that it is considered unsafe. One place said they could put a tube in it and I was going to do that but I decided to get a different tire. I had some Kenda on it that I had JUST got put on but luckily it was only $72, I would have been more angry if I had got one of the $150 tires the shop was trying to sell me.
Since my front tire is old and probably the original, I decided to find some matching used tires. I got a good set of IRC Roadwinners off eBay and I ordered a new gold RK chain since mine was pretty stretched out (also I wanted a gold chain O0 bling bling). Hopefully it all comes in by Friday so I can get it all put on and go riding. Also I hope I can avoid picking up any nails for a little longer than last time.
Patching of motorcycle tires is a debatable issue. Dunlop actually approves the use of patch/plugs (not to be confused with a plug) up to 75 mph for punctures smaller than 1/4" but advises against installing an inner tube. Most shops won't repair a tire because they don't want to be liable for damages if the repair fails. A plug is a repair done externally and is considered a temporary fix. I would use a plug to get me home but I wouldn't trust a plugged tire. A patch is a repair done from the inside of the tire and is pretty much a piece of rubber that is glued over the hole. A patch plug is a hybrid of the two. It is done from the inside of a tire like a patch but it has a rubber shaft that goes through the puncture like a plug. I would have no problem riding on a tire with a patch plug, just check the air often. My 2 cents...
-Jessie
Plug
(http://www.alpharubicon.com/bovstuff/images/tirepluguzi009.jpg)
Patch
(http://images.oreillyauto.com/parts/img/large/xts/11-321%28s%29.jpg)
Patch/Plug
(http://www.ccountrysupply.com/images/products/PatchPlugCombo.jpg)
ive used the ones like you use in cars, in 3 out of 4 gs' ive owned. w/o problems. also most tire shops wont touch a tire iffixaflat has been used in it.
Had my tire repaired recently. Puncture was smack bang on the middle of the tire. Slow leak. So they patched it from the inside. I fail to see how I can puncture the rear without spiking on the front first. I'm suspect on that puncture. But so far put a couple/few thou on it and it performs like it did previously.
Michael
I puncture my rear tyres on my postie bike more than I care to remember without doing the front.
Probably at a rate of 50 rear tyres to 1 front tyre. explain that one?
You hit the nail/metal bit with your front tire while it is laying flat on the ground which kicks it up to puncture the rear.
-Jessie
You did the right thing. Even with my POS Mazda, I don't think twice about tires and brakes. I get the best that I can for safety.
Quote from: mister on June 05, 2012, 01:46:53 AM
Had my tire repaired recently. Puncture was smack bang on the middle of the tire. Slow leak. So they patched it from the inside. I fail to see how I can puncture the rear without spiking on the front first. I'm suspect on that puncture. But so far put a couple/few thou on it and it performs like it did previously.
Michael
Could've also been backing the bike up and run over something. Less likely I know, but still possible.
Front tire is also a little skinnier, so it's possible it just missed the front and caught your rear. Either way, I got a nail in the rear tire of a brand new bike once, it was awful. It wasn't leaking though and I was still on the break in period and taking it super slow so I just kept riding with it in haha. I got a flat on my YZ sumo too, but those tires have tubes, so I patched the hole in the tire, put a new tube in it and was good to go. I wouldn't patch a tire on a 600cc+ sportbike, but I wouldn't think much about doing it on a GS or anything smaller where you aren't gonna be going 120 and pulling 100+ hp at the rear wheel haha.
Quote from: tt_four on June 05, 2012, 07:47:44 PM
Front tire is also a little skinnier, so it's possible it just missed the front and caught your rear. Either way, I got a nail in the rear tire of a brand new bike once, it was awful. It wasn't leaking though and I was still on the break in period and taking it super slow so I just kept riding with it in haha. I got a flat on my YZ sumo too, but those tires have tubes, so I patched the hole in the tire, put a new tube in it and was good to go. I wouldn't patch a tire on a 600cc+ sportbike, but I wouldn't think much about doing it on a GS or anything smaller where you aren't gonna be going 120 and pulling 100+ hp at the rear wheel haha.
I plugged the front tire on my SV after I found a piece of wire (WTF?) stuck in the center of the tread. Granted, it's down in the groove not on the top of the tread where it's taking a beating but still.
I guess in one respect the front tire is under a lot less stress than the rear (as evident from the difference in tread life), but it's also far more likely to cause an off if it blows.
You'd be surprised how tough tires are - the one I plugged was over 7 years old, had ozone cracking, was about worn down to nothing, etc.. The tire was still so tough I could not, try as I might, force the reamer into the tire, and I'm not a very small guy. I had to use a drillbit to make the hole bigger before I could get the reamer in.
Just go dark side and then you can get shops to patch it ;)