R1200RT - Riding on a Plugged Tyre

[stinkypete]

I have a Pirelli Angel GT II (A) on the Beemer, which I hope is no more that 25-30% into it's life. Today I pulled a screw out of the tread after finding the rear tyre flat when I was preparing to go for a ride. I repaired the hole using my "Stop & Go" tyre plugger with the soft rubber mushroom plugs, and she's holding pressure, but I'll check again after 24 hours.

Is it appropriate to continue riding and touring on a repaired tyre, or do I need to throw away at least $200 worth of tread and replace the tyre?

I may have posted this in the wrong section.....

 

[carlisja]

I have successfully finished a tire with a plug in it. But there have also been tires that the plug only proved to be a temporary fix. Losing a plug is no big deal as long as you have a reliable way to monitor tire pressure. The air will escape slowly enough to get you to the side of the road.

If, on the other hand, you rode on a tire with low pressure (0-10 psi) you will have likely destroyed the tire from the inside out. That tire becomes prone to sudden catastrophic failure.

James

 

[natrab]

I have had the Stop n Go plugs fail multiple times. The cords of the tire can cut the mushroom head off and then it loses pressure.

That said, I’ve put thousands of miles on a tires plugged with a good vulcanizing worm-style plug. I always use Safety Seal for that purpose.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Realshelby]

I quit using the mushroom style plugs many years ago. Yes, they can work ok. But they leaked for me on a couple occasions. Rope style are more permanent in my opinion. The problem with those is most need the cement to install them properly. Which is always dried up when you go to use it.

Solve that with the Nealy brand rope repair kits. Have to be ordered online. No cement needed. I have used those many times. Only one time did they not work. On a GS that had a slit about an inch wide. We couldn't get enough of them in there to fix that. But in the case of a typical puncture, more round than a slice, they are a permanent repair.

There will be those here that say a plugged tire is only safe to get you to a dealer to replace the tire. I have no problem with that.
But I don't throw those tires away. I trust the "plugged" tire and continue to run them. I think if the puncture is in the main tread area, there is no compelling reason they cannot be plugged and run the rest of their life. I have probably done that 5 or 6 times now on motorcycle tires. Lost count of car tires.....

 

[strataj]

I quit using the mushroom style plugs many years ago. Yes, they can work ok. But they leaked for me on a couple occasions. Rope style are more permanent in my opinion. The problem with those is most need the cement to install them properly. Which is always dried up when you go to use it.

Solve that with the Nealy brand rope repair kits. Have to be ordered online. No cement needed. I have used those many times. Only one time did they not work. On a GS that had a slit about an inch wide. We couldn't get enough of them in there to fix that. But in the case of a typical puncture, more round than a slice, they are a permanent repair.

There will be those here that say a plugged tire is only safe to get you to a dealer to replace the tire. I have no problem with that.
But I don't throw those tires away. I trust the "plugged" tire and continue to run them. I think if the puncture is in the main tread area, there is no compelling reason they cannot be plugged and run the rest of their life. I have probably done that 5 or 6 times now on motorcycle tires. Lost count of car tires.....

Plus 1 as Real Shelby

 

[lkraus]

I've plugged 10 or 12 tires, on cars, ATVs, tractors and bikes. Sticky ropes have always lasted until the tread wore out. I once mounted a new tire on my RT, rode a quarter mile to a vacant parking lot to scrub in the tire a bit, rode home, and found a roofing nail in the tread. After plugging it, I rode 8900 miles before the plug developed a slow leak of about 3 psi per week, but the tread was below the wear bars.

 

[wichitagreg]

In my opinion, if it holds air, and you are not trying to do any serious high speed riding, keep going. It would be better to remove the tire and repair it with an inside patch though.

Tires are cheap, but I think it's wasteful to replace a tire just because it had a puncture.

 

[lirider]

I agree with the remove and repair method ... a Stop&Go is a temporary fix. I've done a remove and repair using a vulcanizing mushroom plug twice and the repair lasted the life of the tires. I know removing the tire is a PITA but the actual repair process is rather simple. This was my very first repair and even with the puncture over toward the edge of the tread, I had no problems running the tire for several thousand miles. It never lost a drop of air.

 

[dellaster]

I quit using the mushroom style plugs many years ago. Yes, they can work ok. But they leaked for me on a couple occasions. Rope style are more permanent in my opinion. The problem with those is most need the cement to install them properly. Which is always dried up when you go to use it.

Solve that with the Nealy brand rope repair kits. Have to be ordered online. No cement needed. I have used those many times. Only one time did they not work. On a GS that had a slit about an inch wide. We couldn't get enough of them in there to fix that. But in the case of a typical puncture, more round than a slice, they are a permanent repair.

There will be those here that say a plugged tire is only safe to get you to a dealer to replace the tire. I have no problem with that.
But I don't throw those tires away. I trust the "plugged" tire and continue to run them. I think if the puncture is in the main tread area, there is no compelling reason they cannot be plugged and run the rest of their life. I have probably done that 5 or 6 times now on motorcycle tires. Lost count of car tires.....

Thanks for the tip! I just ordered a mini kit.

 

[AjaxTheDog]

I agree with the remove and repair method ... a Stop&Go is a temporary fix. I've done a remove and repair using a vulcanizing mushroom plug twice and the repair lasted the life of the tires. I know removing the tire is a PITA but the actual repair process is rather simple. This was my very first repair and even with the puncture over toward the edge of the tread, I had no problems running the tire for several thousand miles. It never lost a drop of air.

Ditto on this kind of repair from the inside, just be super fastidious about preparing the inside surface of the tire for the repair to adhere properly. I once saw an animation video of the inside of a cycle tire running and it flexs a lot on each revolution. That patch has to be bonded very well to the tire to be able to stand up to this flexing. Also, if you are using ceramic beads like Dyna Beads to balance your tire they scour the inside and could cause this type of repair to fail. I had this happen on one inside patch that eventually detached from the tire inside.

 

[hewness]

I quit using the mushroom style plugs many years ago. Yes, they can work ok. But they leaked for me on a couple occasions. Rope style are more permanent in my opinion. The problem with those is most need the cement to install them properly. Which is always dried up when you go to use it.

Solve that with the Nealy brand rope repair kits. Have to be ordered online. No cement needed. I have used those many times. Only one time did they not work. On a GS that had a slit about an inch wide. We couldn't get enough of them in there to fix that. But in the case of a typical puncture, more round than a slice, they are a permanent repair.

There will be those here that say a plugged tire is only safe to get you to a dealer to replace the tire. I have no problem with that.
But I don't throw those tires away. I trust the "plugged" tire and continue to run them. I think if the puncture is in the main tread area, there is no compelling reason they cannot be plugged and run the rest of their life. I have probably done that 5 or 6 times now on motorcycle tires. Lost count of car tires.....

Thanks for this! Just ordered a kit - adding to my Stop n' Go.

 

[dlong]

Another vote for the Nealey repair kit (sticky rope method). It got me back on the road in minutes with a repair that lasted thousands of miles and through the useful life of the tire.

 

[PoorUB]

I will plug a tire with the cheap sticky rope plugs, then ride it until the wear bars show.

I find it interesting, the lack of the riders screaming about not running a plugged tire or you will die.

 

[pglaves]

I find it interesting, the lack of the riders screaming about not running a plugged tire or you will die.

They are all over on Facebook and Instagram.

Seriously, the answer is it depends: on where on the tire the puncture is located; how thick the carcass is where the puncture is located; what type of plug or other repair is used; the speed rating of the tire; and other factors like where is the bike ridden and how fast. If a person answers all of these questions I could then render an opinion as to whether I would keep or replace the tire.

 

[Rainman48]

Thanks for the referral to Nealey. Just ordered their Mini kit. I have also relied on Stop n Go plug kits and they have worked well for me, except for my misfortune a couple of times where "tears" couldn't be fixed with a simple mushroom plug in an emergency. I've removed both bike and auto tires and patched them successfully on the inside for my own comfort rather than relying on plug or rope fixes. My first test of the Nealy will be on my RAV4 spare which has a slow leak from a staple and needs air every 2 weeks or its TPMS goes off.

 

[strataj]

The Nealey kit comes with a screwdriver type handle, I'd recommend a T-Shape handle. A T-Shape handle allows force to be applied easier. I also noticed the kit doesn't include a reamer?

 

[dlong]

The Nealey kit comes with a screwdriver type handle, I'd recommend a T-Shape handle. A T-Shape handle allows force to be applied easier. I also noticed the kit doesn't include a reamer?

A 1" PVC T joint placed over the handle of the reamer or insert tool works great.

 

[Realshelby]

The Nealey kit comes with a screwdriver type handle, I'd recommend a T-Shape handle. A T-Shape handle allows force to be applied easier. I also noticed the kit doesn't include a reamer?

No reamer. Nealy suggests simply inserting the regular tool with no rope on it into the hole and cleaning it with that. I do carry a reamer. I found that the small holes can be so tight it is hard to get the rope in. Reamer fixes that. Never needed the T-handle so far.

 

[gsinnc]

A 1" PVC T joint placed over the handle of the reamer or insert tool works great.

+1 on Nealy and the PCV "T" !! I also carry a small round file to enlarge the hole if necessary and one of those snap off razor knives to cut the rope plug off. That all fits neatly into the Nealy tube!

 

[stinkypete]

Thanks for the comments everyone. I have carefully monitored the tyre pressure for a week or so, and it hasn't altered at all, so at this stage I will continue to ride on the plugged tyre. If it stops holding pressure I'll get a new tyre fitted.