Got my first flat today

[Gcontroller]

So on the way home from work coming out of downtown LA I got my first flat. I was splitting lanes as traffic was going real slow at the 5/170 transition and I noticed the bike was getting squirrely. From experience riding dirt bikes I knew I had a flat. I pulled over to the fast lane side of the road and sure enough I had a rear flat. At that point since traffic was moving slow I decided to get back on the bike and baby it to the next offramp. Which I did just as I was about to pull over I saw a tire shop on the corner. There I was able to get the hole plugged. I got back on the freeway and made it home making sure to keep the speed around 55 mph my place was only about 15 miles away.

My question is I am running Michelin Pilot Road 2's they have been great. The back tire has 8000 miles on it and looks like it can go another 8000 these things wear great I would buy another on in a second. Since the tire has so much life left on it should I get a proper tire patch from the inside or just get a new tire. I would hate to throw this one out. The hole is just on the edge of the center wear area. Looks like a screw or something punctured it then fell out. I spoke to my local shop and they said they usually repair the tire unless it's almost worn out. What would you do? I did ride it very slowly for about a mile flat before it was fixed.

 

[rsw81]

So on the way home from work coming out of downtown LA I got my first flat. I was splitting lanes as traffic was going real slow at the 5/170 transition and I noticed the bike was getting squirrely. From experience riding dirt bikes I knew I had a flat. I pulled over to the fast lane side of the road and sure enough I had a rear flat. At that point since traffic was moving slow I decided to get back on the bike and baby it to the next offramp. Which I did just as I was about to pull over I saw a tire shop on the corner. There I was able to get the hole plugged. I got back on the freeway and made it home making sure to keep the speed around 55 mph my place was only about 15 miles away.

My question is I am running Michelin Pilot Road 2's they have been great. The back tire has 8000 miles on it and looks like it can go another 8000 these things wear great I would buy another on in a second. Since the tire has so much life left on it should I get a proper tire patch from the inside or just get a new tire. I would hate to throw this one out. The hole is just on the edge of the center wear area. Looks like a screw or something punctured it then fell out. I spoke to my local shop and they said they usually repair the tire unless it's almost worn out. What would you do? I did ride it very slowly for about a mile flat before it was fixed.

I had a similar situation with my rear tire, got it plugged from the inside, and rode it for several thousand miles without a problem. The external plugs are meant to be temporary, internal ones are long term.

 

[OZXJR]

I had a similar situation with my rear tire, got it plugged from the inside, and rode it for several thousand miles without a problem. The external plugs are meant to be temporary, internal ones are long term.

+1 I have done thousands of K's on a plugged tyre..............no probs at all :thumbup:

 

[Stumbles06]

If you plan on a track day soon, then I wold get a new one, but if it's just normal commuting, then the plugged tire should be fine.

Gotta wonder if riding it flat for a mile damaged the wall of the tire though... Be careful.

If you can afford a new one, get it, and keep the plugged tire as a back-up if anything happens to the new one in the near future.

 

[VEGASRIDER]

Hit the search thread, as this topic has been beaten to death. Some say ditch it, it ain't worth the risk. Others have said it's okay as long as you don't ride fast and aggressive. This topic has always been one of the well heated debates.

 

[reiobard]

it is your bike, life, bank account, and tire. Do what you feel safe with. I have run almost a full tires life with a plug and had no issues...but i am a cheap mother F-er...

 

[FZSex]

Nail in tire? Pull over..pull out nail.. continue ride. Great stuff :thumbup:

 

[champion221elite]

I would not hesitate to run that tire if it was repaired with a patch. I've run patched tires for thousands of miles without any problems.

 

[Gcontroller]

Here is a update. I had a plug/patch installed in my Michelin Pilot Road 2 rear tire after getting a puncture.

Well since the repair was made I have ridden 4,100 miles on the repair with no problems at all. At this point the rear tire has about 12,500 miles on it and it's still holding up well. I hope to get another 2,000 miles out of this rear tire. I will get another Michelin Pilot Road 2 again when this one finally wears out. At this point it's done more then it's job. Great tire.

The patch/plug I had done is a quality repair and I am glad I didn't throw the tire out. That is not to say all punctures can be repaired in this manner but this one happend to work out well for me and my riding.

 

[bd43]

That looks like a solid plug. What brand of plugs did you use? I've been looking and would like to keep some kind of a kit under the seat for those long rides miles from home.

 

[rsw81]

That looks like a solid plug. What brand of plugs did you use? I've been looking and would like to keep some kind of a kit under the seat for those long rides miles from home.

This looks like a professional mushroom plug that must be installed with the tire off the rim. Any of the road-side plugs are meant to be temporary fixes to just get you to the shop safely for a proper repair or replacement.

 

[mcteague]

Nail in tire? Pull over..pull out nail.. continue ride. Great stuff :thumbup:

I've been considering getting a couple of bottles of "Ride-On" tire sealant. Sounds much better than "Slime" as it easily washes away and is safe for high speed use. Flats are rare but, especially on a motorcycle, getting one can ruin your day if you have not prepared.

Anyone else on the forum have experience with Ride-On?

Tim

 

[bledubd]

I got a slow puncture and of all things caused by a bit of hard plastic. After work I realised I could not get home about 15miles away so I pulled into a garage to try to put more pressure but then some twat had cut off the front end of the pressure pump.
But as luck would have it, there was one courier chap (God bless him) who offered to fix my puncture with his kit. Anyway he got it sorted and I rode to the nearest garage to fill up the air.

The next day I went straight to my local motorbike accessories shop to buy a puncture repair kit. And it stays under the seat.

 

[bd43]

So for emergency uses, I see there are two kinds of plugs, the mushroom one that does not seem to need rubber cement and then the non-mushroom one that requires some rubber cement and set time.

Anyone have any experience with these two types and the best way to go? I'm kind of leaning towards the mushroom type and the video for it seems to make it look pretty easy.

 

[pkoosa]

This is what I have under the seat. It comes with an assortment of plugs/patch. The best feature is the cartridge tube also doubles up as a manual hand air pump as a back up to the CO2 cartridges just in case.