Can a motorcycle tire be repaired?
- Thread starter michaelluscher
- Start date
michael luscher,
yes a bike tire can be repaired... but the rationale behind replacement in lieu of repair is there are only 2 wheels between your butt and the pavement and that pavement hurts.
I have to agree here. I used to ride a Hayabusa I had setup as a sport touring bike with a group of guys that rode lots and rode hard. We were always plugging tires, if we replaced a tire every time we got a hole we would be constantly buying tires. Not one of us had ever had a issue with our plugged tires, collectively we had hundreds of thousands of KMs on plugged tires that have seen speeds up to 180mph.
No way no how would i plug one for someone else.
Mine, on the back, if i couldn't do an inside repair, worth a shot.
Mine, on the back, if i couldn't do an inside repair, worth a shot.
For some riders tire plugs are unsafe... they would spend too much
attention on the plug and not enough on where they're going and what
they're are doing... it short it's a barrier for which only a new
tire can solve... so even thought some may not find the right words
to express their fear... I think we should still respect their choice...
Ive used rope plugs, mushrooms ect on motorcycles, they can and will fail (sometimes they do last) , so only temporary. Ive done enough to know their limitations.
But replacing a tire every time, tire gets a hole can get very costly , cause it can happen weekly or monthly.
repair from the inside, with a WitchHat plug, is 100% reliable, and will last the life of the tire. Because it seals the tire liner plus the Tread.
But replacing a tire every time, tire gets a hole can get very costly , cause it can happen weekly or monthly.
repair from the inside, with a WitchHat plug, is 100% reliable, and will last the life of the tire. Because it seals the tire liner plus the Tread.
I don't recommend the inside "WitchHat" plugs because they are
not 100% reliable... the inside patch is solely dependent on a bond
between a plug company's material and the tire manufacture's rubber
compound... that's a crap shoot the two chemical compounds are
compatible enough to hold a bond when the rubber is stationary and at
room temperature... but tires are elastic bodies designed to flex from
completely round to completely flat at every rotation... every
rotation builds heat that works against that bond... every rotation
flexes that "WitchHat" patch from round to flat that works against that
bond.... so we have heat coupled with flex working against the two
competing chemical bonds from being as consistence as a self
vulcanizing rope plug installed from the outside..
I love these threads. Time for all the armchair quarterbacks to offer opinions they have probably never done themselves.
Here’s my personal opinion which i have actually proved over the 45 years i’ve been riding.
I have always plugged my tires and have never had one fail and kill me. I will admit that sometimes they dont initially hold if the hole isnt round. A V type cut wont accept a plug.
If the plug initially holds it will last the entire time until it needs to be replaced.
Here’s my personal opinion which i have actually proved over the 45 years i’ve been riding.
I have always plugged my tires and have never had one fail and kill me. I will admit that sometimes they dont initially hold if the hole isnt round. A V type cut wont accept a plug.
If the plug initially holds it will last the entire time until it needs to be replaced.
Armchair quarterbacks? I’ve been a professional mechanic for 45 years. Remember when DC10s were falling out of the sky? It was because some guys wanted to save some money and weren’t doing maintenance by the book. Guess what? Most if the time it worked. Hell, it almost always worked. Almost. Lots of armchair experts with anecdotal evidence could say I do this and I’m fine. And hoo boy I fly that sumbitch flat out!
You want to risk your life on a patch that any expert will tell you to replace when you can, go right ahead. You’ll probably get away with it. Heck, odds are with you that you’ll be fine even if you’re a little buzzed and haven’t bled your brakes in ten years. Have at it.
Grouping riders who run a plug for the life of the tire in with riders that don’t do preventive maintenance and/or drink while riding (both equally bad lol) might be a bit much?
I’m just saying there’s an upside and downside to decisions. The upside of running a plugged tire is obvious: you save a few dollars. You tell me the potential downside.
You can back your decision with anecdotal evidence. I agree that statistically the odds are on your side. I further point out that they are also on your side if you ride drunk or don’t bleed your brakes. It’s your choice to link the three or not. From my perspective replacing a plugged tire does exactly fall under preventative maintenance. That’s exactly what it is. And anecdotally I know LOTS of riders ride buzzed and don’t routinely replace brake fluid and bleed the lines. They will largely get away with it. You can choose to do what you please. I honestly don’t even judge you. But if you ask me, and the OP did, yes you CAN plug a tire. Should you? That’s your decision, but for me it’s an easy one. I would ask, can you genuinely not afford a new tire? If not I’d suggest a more economical bike. But that’s me. I don’t judge.
My armchair quarteback statement was directed at those who have never plugged or patched a tire but say you’re going to die if you do it.
Thank you for your 45 years of service and your opinion is noted.
I will continue doing what im doing and hope i live another day.
Just curious how many here have plugged a tire and crashed due to it failing?
Im guessing 0.
I just asked the question in my response to him.
How many of you have patched or plugged a tire and crashed due to it failing?
I’m guessing 0.
Someone better invent a motorcycle tire that's impervious to punctures and resulting leaks. On the remote chance that a tire plug or patch leaks, it's not going to be any worse than getting a good puncture in a new tire. A failed/leaking plug or patch isn't going to cause a tire "blow-out". It's going to be like getting a flat tire from a leaking puncture.
I use fire and special Blue glue and rubber cleaning compound, solid repair.I don't recommend the inside "WitchHat" plugs because they are
not 100% reliable... the inside patch is solely dependent on a bond
between a plug company's material and the tire manufacture's rubber
compound... that's a crap shoot the two chemical compounds are
compatible enough to hold a bond when the rubber is stationary and at
room temperature... but tires are elastic bodies designed to flex from
completely round to completely flat at every rotation... every
rotation builds heat that works against that bond... every rotation
flexes that "WitchHat" patch from round to flat that works against that
bond.... so we have heat coupled with flex working against the two
competing chemical bonds from being as consistence as a self
vulcanizing rope plug installed from the outside..
not sure what everyone else is doing
This is a specious argument. I’m guessing none of you has caused a fire by putting a penny in a burned out fuse, but that doesn’t make it a good idea.
Did you know that you aren’t allowed to start a bicycle race if your handlebar isn’t plugged? Next time you pass a row of bikes at a school or swimming pool you’ll notice, if you look, a lot of them are missing handlebar plugs. I’m guessing nobody in that row of bikes is going to die because of it. But it happens. I’ve seen it. It gets no publicity. Few are aware it. And it’s easy to prevent.
Anyway, I’m finished on this topic. You do what you like and I’m not judging. I’m just pointing out that a patched or plugged tire is not and cannot be as sound as a new tire without a plug. I consider tires to be critical for safety and performance. It isn’t, for example, a paint scratch. But that’s me. I have earthquake insurance and I live in Pennsylvania. And I’ve needed it!
I guess some people see the same things as different levels of risk. I’m over the top on preventive maintenance for example but wouldn’t think twice leaving a plugged tire. It’s not even about the cost of the tire, I go through a lot of tires so I wouldn’t even notice it but I just don’t personally see it as a risk, what’s going to happen? You seem to keep comparing it to these very high risk things so I’m guessing you see this as a very high risk thing and that’s fine, we are all different and can do what we what with our plugged tires.
Who would have thought a thread about tire plugs would be so controversial lol!
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