Emergency tire plug kits

Tony,

I am also loosing faith in Stop and Go plugs. About a month ago I tested the system on a tire I was going to change (A Metzler M1 on a K1200s). I got it to work on my second try, and it held fine.

I then took the tire off using a Nomar changer to see how well the plug sealed on the inside. During tire removal the plug sheared off. I did not think that there was an excessive amount of force used to remove the tire and became a little concerned about integrity of the plugs during use.

I'm still going to pack the Stop and Go because I don't have any ride time with one of the plugs in place, but I am also going to carry the "Slimey String" type just in case.

Right-- 3 of the Co2 cartridges will only fill the newer bike (larger) tires to 10 psi or so. Just tossed mine out of my "E" kit, and wired my Wal-Mart comp to plug in where my GPS power plug ends. Cheaper than buying another BMW male plug.
Also took the comp apart and threw away the plastic shell--still works fine and packs much smaller.
I have also found that pulling off to the side of the road where debris winds up is usually when I pick up a nail, and bad stuff happens in 3's. I have already had my 3 for this 6 months.

I just had my very first puncture to a motorcycle tire recently and while I was lucky that it leaked slowly enough not to be noticed until I tried to get the bike out of the garage yesterday, I found that TWO plugging kits failed to deliver results when I tried to plug the tire in the safety of my own garage.
The nail was 3mm in diameter. First I tried the BMW kit that's been floating around in the tool-tray for 11 years. This is one of the ones with the grey rubber pointed-oval-ring-shaped plugs. I found that even after a good thorough reaming of the hole and plenty of fresh cement to lubricate the insertion, the plugs sheared off the tool before penetrating much at all. Might be due to age though.
So then I tried the Progressive Suspension kit I bought a few years ago. It uses pointy plugs that go over the tip of the pointy insertion tool and have a band of some sort of sealing-material. This plug went in OK, and all seemed cool until I tried to inflate the tire- at that point if became apparent that the plug failed to seal. I tried to seal it by pushing in more with the instertion tool, and I think in doing this I stabbed through the plug as now the leak is worse.

The one part that makes all this not so bad is that the tire is due to be discarded anyway due to tread-wear.

Bob's BMW sells a Sparrow Mini-Compressor for $29.95 (2005 catalog), 5 1/2" tall, 4 1/2" wide, little over a pound with built in gauge, 11 1/2' power cord with on/off switch. Seems like a good price. Anybody tried it? As to plugs, I'm assuming Michelin Pilots are steel-belted, which means I should use the strings? Does Stop n Go have a kit with just strings or should I just go to an auto parts store and buy a kit? (Preparing for a cross-country in May.)

On the way back from Daytona a couple of weeks ago, I had a flat on the rear. Tried the Stop-n-Go plugger for the first time. Tire was a Metzler 880. The first plug held for about 50 miles, and was almost out of the tire when I stopped to check the air pressure. Second plug stayed in, but leaked, so I had to stop about every 75 miles and add air.

When I got home, I dismounted the tire and the mushroom heads of the plugs were rolling around inside the tire. Evidently cut by the steel belts in the tire.

I will now carry the conventional rope plugs.

Ken,

"I dismounted the tire and the mushroom heads of the plugs were rolling around inside the tire"

That is what happened to me. Because I did not ride with them I didn't know how normal road use would effect them. I'm not sure if I'm happy or not knowing someone else had the same scenario. I guess its best to know and start carrying the string plugs.

Paul

tire plug kits

bmw_ken said:

On the way back from Daytona a couple of weeks ago, I had a flat on the rear. Tried the Stop-n-Go plugger for the first time. Tire was a Metzler 880. The first plug held for about 50 miles, and was almost out of the tire when I stopped to check the air pressure. Second plug stayed in, but leaked, so I had to stop about every 75 miles and add air.

When I got home, I dismounted the tire and the mushroom heads of the plugs were rolling around inside the tire. Evidently cut by the steel belts in the tire.

I will now carry the conventional rope plugs.

Click to expand...

Try riding a REAL BMW, one with the cam over the crank, and you'll never have to worry about the steel belts in your tires cutting the mushroom head off the tire plug!

Friedle

what about tire pumps? any good for backup?

emergency tire plug kits

Ive always used the string plugs. The few times I've had a puncture they've worked really well (no leaks and worked on first try) and held out longer than I should have continued riding on them.

I had a front tire leakdown last year after putting a new one on, and I used the C02 cannisters (about 3) to get it pumped up to where I felt comfortable to ride on it to a gas station air pump. I'll be investing in a small pump of some kind this year before riding season really gets going though I wouldn't want to rely on the cannisters in a desolate place.

TNK

Alcan5k said:

what about tire pumps? any good for backup?

Click to expand...

I used the CyclePump to help me get home from Daytona.

It worked well. Took about 5 minutes to go from zero psi to 42psi. It will also fit in the tail section of my RT.

tire pumps

Alcan5k said:

what about tire pumps? any good for backup?

Click to expand...

I hope you are not asking about those miserable manual bicycle type things that used to come on the frame rails of earlier / machines. They would eventually work after about 700 strokes (of the pump and maybe one or two of the pumpee)! There are many other options available from small electrical pumps that are powered off your bike battery to pumps that can screw into a cyclinder, use no electricity, and can quickly reinflate a tire. The piston acts as the compressor pump, but a valve permits only fresh outside air to enter the tire, not a combustible mixture from the cyclinder.

Some people have mentioned high volume, dual action mountain bicycle pumps in the past as a completely mechanical alternative.

Friedle

Stop n Go

I have seen the stop n go used 4 times. All 4 failed within 50 miles. Each plug was cut by the cords and leaked (one completely). The one that completely failed was mine. On the dirt road to Labrador.

I had a cheap gooey strip kit from a truck stop with rubber cement as a back up. It worked for the next 6000 miles. I have used this method on nail holes on 4 different tires between mine and riding buddies. No failures.

I will never use Stop N Go again.

My CL came with one in the toolkit, complete with 4 cartridges.

Hey guys and gals,
I was in the new CABELA store yesterday and bought an air compressor for my RT. That wasn't the reason that I went there but I stumbled onto it. I have been wanting to buy the cycle pump which is advertised in the ON but just didn't get around to doing so. This pump cost 35 bucks and fits under my rear seat just like it was made for it. It doesn't have a BMW plug but that would be easy to fix if needed. My last bike(04RT) would need the BMW plug but the 07 RT has the battery under the front seat. So I can use the supplied battery clips with the compressor.

It was a good buy if it works. I hope I never have to find out.

LennyB said:

Bob's BMW sells a Sparrow Mini-Compressor for $29.95 (2005 catalog), 5 1/2" tall, 4 1/2" wide, little over a pound with built in gauge, 11 1/2' power cord with on/off switch. Seems like a good price.

Click to expand...

YUP. Got that pump. At Bob's. Have used it several times (to tweak up tire pressure while on a road trip). I modified the case and cut off the plastic that holds the cord. Had to disassemble the case and dremel off the extra. But it takes up less room and I wrap the cord around the outside. I also shortened the power cord to about 10 feet from what seemed like 20 feet on the original.

P