• Welcome, Guest! We hope you enjoy the excellent technical knowledge, event information and discussions that the BMW MOA forum provides. Some forum content will be hidden from you if you remain logged out. If you want to view all content, please click the 'Log in' button above and enter your BMW MOA username and password.

    If you are not an MOA member, why not take the time to join the club, so you can enjoy posting on the forum, the BMW Owners News magazine, and all of the discounts and benefits the BMW MOA offers?

  • Beginning April 1st, and running through April 30th, there is a new 2024 BMW MOA Election discussion area within The Club section of the forum. Within this forum area is also a sticky post that provides the ground rules for participating in the Election forum area. Also, the candidates statements are provided. Please read before joining the conversation, because the rules are very specific to maintain civility.

    The Election forum is here: Election Forum

Tire Repair or Replace it...

K

k1200crazy

New member
Team BMW, I experienced my first flat on my K1200 last week. Luckily, I had a tire repair kit and was able to fix it before the 1.5-hour ride home. Question is now that I have taken the small shard of glass out of my Michelin Road 4 tire, patched it - what is the consensus of riding on it further? My tire has about 50% left on it, would be a shame to toss it but does this warrant replacing it? I have not ridden on a 'patched tire' for any length of time and a week-long trip is very close on the horizon. Replace it or Live with it?
 
As long as you are talking tread and not sidewall and you patched it then no worries as I have never had an issue with a good patch. If I have to plug a tire and it has many miles left then I patch it after it gets me home to be sure. If not more than 2-3 thousand miles left then plugs have lasted fine too. If it keeps bothering you then $200 for peace of mind is worth it. :)
 
60aviator said:
$200 for peace of mind is worth it. :)
Click to expand...

I wouldn’t consider taking a trip on a repaired tire because the worry would remain in the back of my mind and keep me from fully enjoying the trip. Also on trips I am riding 2 up and wouldn’t risk the harm it could bring to the love of my life.
 
I've plugged about twenty punctures on cars, trucks, motorcycles, and a tractor with sticky strings - never had any failures.

Well, there was that one time when I mounted a new PR3 on my RT, took it to the church parking lot a quarter mile away to scrub it in and picked up a screw. It held air just fine for about 8500 miles and then developed a slow leak of about 3 psi a week, but at that point the tread was below the wear indicators and too thin to seal. All the other puncture repairs held firm until the tire was replaced due to wear. The largest punctures were from 1/4" bolts.

I watch the pressure especially closely immediately after a repair, but if no air is lost after a few weeks, I consider the string a permanent repair.

Sidewall punctures and cuts require tire replacement for a on-road vehicle.

YRMV
 
Tire Repair Basics
Today’s tires are engineered to last, so a puncture doesn’t have to mean replacement. But how do you know when is repair an option? What steps are involved?

We recommend consulting with a trained technician and considering repairs only if the damage is limited to the tread area only and the puncture injury is no greater than 1/4 inch (6mm) in diameter.

When repairing a tire, keep in mind the following criteria:

Tires must be removed from the rim/wheel assembly and inspected for all possible damage—including damage to the inner liner.
Tire repairs cannot overlap with other repairs.
A rubber stem, or plug, must be applied to fill the puncture injury and a patch must be applied to seal the inner liner. (A plug alone is an unacceptable repair.)

https://www.ustires.org/tire-repair-basics
 
lkraus said:
I've plugged about twenty punctures on cars, trucks, motorcycles, and a tractor with sticky strings - never had any failures.

Well, there was that one time when I mounted a new PR3 on my RT, took it to the church parking lot a quarter mile away to scrub it in and picked up a screw. It held air just fine for about 8500 miles and then developed a slow leak of about 3 psi a week, but at that point the tread was below the wear indicators and too thin to seal. All the other puncture repairs held firm until the tire was replaced due to wear. The largest punctures were from 1/4" bolts.

I watch the pressure especially closely immediately after a repair, but if no air is lost after a few weeks, I consider the string a permanent repair.

Sidewall punctures and cuts require tire replacement for a on-road vehicle.

YRMV
Click to expand...
I’m in this camp on repairs.

Adding, if one has experience in plugging tires, it’s usually pretty clear if the repair turned out well.
OM
 
My question would be, really patched? Or, sticky-string plugged? Or, Mushroom plug?

I've ridden up to 1,000 miles home on a sticky-string plug over a weekend. And worried about it every second. Once an actual patch is done, inside the tire, you're pretty much good to go for the natural life of the tire.

I don't trust mushroom plugs past the first available place to stop and look for a better solution. Actually, I don't use them at all, after having used one once.
 
Stebe said:
My question would be, really patched? Or, sticky-string plugged? Or, Mushroom plug?

I've ridden up to 1,000 miles home on a sticky-string plug over a weekend. And worried about it every second. Once an actual patch is done, inside the tire, you're pretty much good to go for the natural life of the tire.

I don't trust mushroom plugs past the first available place to stop and look for a better solution. Actually, I don't use them at all, after having used one once.
Click to expand...

This!
 
k1200crazy said:
Team BMW, I experienced my first flat on my K1200 last week. Luckily, I had a tire repair kit and was able to fix it before the 1.5-hour ride home. Question is now that I have taken the small shard of glass out of my Michelin Road 4 tire, patched it - what is the consensus of riding on it further? My tire has about 50% left on it, would be a shame to toss it but does this warrant replacing it? I have not ridden on a 'patched tire' for any length of time and a week-long trip is very close on the horizon. Replace it or Live with it?
Click to expand...

Where was the hole in the tire?

How confident are you in your patch?



E.
 
I signed up for the deluxe roadside assistance and they cover two tires per year. Besides that, I would buy a new tire. If I am on a trip, I would plug it an get a new one ASAP at my local shop. Never trusted a plug, but many have with sucess. Thats just me, it's a small tread patch to begin with on a motorcycle.
 
kbasa said:
I just replace them. It's one less thing to worry about failing at 80+ mph.
Click to expand...

After my first 50 years in adjacent Sonoma County with numerous forays south, I cannot think of a single place where 80+ would not attract the ire of oaf-fishals.

Since the statue of limitations has long run out and I am protected by distance, I will confess to crossing that line A BUNCH of times in air-cooled Porsche 4-cylinders and a BSA 650 Thunderbolt cafe'.

I wholeheartedly agree with your main point. With 4-wheelers not nearly as much is riding on each tire's integrity. Nevertheless, I did not gamble on them either. On 2-wheelers, bargains are not clever, and false economy compared to the price of losing control only once.
 
A couple of years ago I discovered that I'd picked up a nail in a Dunlop RoadSmart III rear tire on my RT. The discovery came while my bike was sitting in my garage. I had purchased the BMW MOA Platinum Roadside assistance membership option which allows for two replacements of tires damaged by road hazards each year. It also allows for 100 miles of towing and overnight accommodations while the repairs are made.

In my case, I didn't have the need for the towing or the accommodations which can complicate the tire issue a lot it seems. In my case, the replacement of the tire went very smoothly. I wrote an article about my experience which appeared in the May 2021 issue of the ON.

Here are the present rates for the various types of membership in the MOA:

Screen Shot 2022-09-13 at 9.53.13 AM.png
 
teddunlap said:
After my first 50 years in adjacent Sonoma County with numerous forays south, I cannot think of a single place where 80+ would not attract the ire of oaf-fishals.

Since the statue of limitations has long run out and I am protected by distance, I will confess to crossing that line A BUNCH of times in air-cooled Porsche 4-cylinders and a BSA 650 Thunderbolt cafe'.

I wholeheartedly agree with your main point. With 4-wheelers not nearly as much is riding on each tire's integrity. Nevertheless, I did not gamble on them either. On 2-wheelers, bargains are not clever, and false economy compared to the price of losing control only once.
Click to expand...

It ain't a day on two or four wheels in a sporting way unless I hit the ton, eh? Chileno Valley, Hicks Valley; all those dairy roads are where you can play. :D
 
I am in the ride it camp, as long as the patch plug job looks good and went well. If you are unsure, then swap it out.

I have ridden thousands of miles on tires plugged with the cheap tire plugs, never had one fail.

I was visiting a buddy and he walked around mt motorcycle. He reached down with a pliers for the back tire. I stopped him and asked what he was ding? He was just about to pull a nail out of the back tire. I told him to leave in it as once it was pulled out I was stuck. I rode three mile to town and had a buddy at a tire shop plug it and rode it until it was bald.

Another time I was rolling my Harley out of the shop to go on a ride with some friends. I noticed it rolled hard and checked the air pressures and the rear was flat. I found a screw in it, rammed a rope plug in it and went for the ride. For the record, the tire was all but bald, maybe 1/32nd left. I had a new tire, but didn't have time to swap it out. I did after we got back.
 
A properly plugged and patched tire is fine. I worry not at all. If you have tire sensors even better. If really worried put a little Slime or some of the white stuff for tubeless bicycle tires in the tire as well.

A proper patch becomes part of the tire. Look up vulcanization.
 
I had the generous folks at the EAA in Oshkosh fix a front tire on my R100 GS many years ago and it lasted till the tire was worn out. It never lost air any faster that a tire generally would.

Not an issue at the posted speed limits. Now if I were tracking the bike, absolutely NO.

Some clown on the Porsche forum wanted to know if he can patch his tire and if it was OK for track use. One really has to wonder about the human race. :scratch
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

glenfiddich
Collision repairs
3 4 5
Replies
99
Views
6K
Omega Man
Omega Man
T
Nealey Tire Repair Kit
Replies
12
Views
3K
Omega Man
Omega Man
henzilla
One of those days
Replies
9
Views
1K
henzilla
henzilla
senseamidmadness
1997 BMW R850R Sudden No Start - Not Just the Hall Sensor!
2
Replies
35
Views
11K
pauls1150
pauls1150
stinkypete
R1200RT - Riding on a Plugged Tyre
2 3
Replies
42
Views
15K
jamesptz
J
Back
Top