Tire plug opinions
Cruiser
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 109
Likes: 7
From: Naperville, IL
I tend to play on the safe side, I would replace the tire. I used to do a lot of longer distance riding in my younger days on my jap bikes, I carried a plug kit in my tool kit with a couple of those little Co2 air cartridge filler made for bicycles just in case I picked up a nail in the middle of nowhere so I could safely get the bike to a dealer for a tire replacement. The plug kit came in handy once on a trip from Chicago to Myrtle Beach SC, plugged the tire somewhere in Kentucky and rode with the plug all the way to SC with no issues. Once I arrived in Myrtle Beach I bought a new tire.
At the end of the day it is your hide and your wallet but a couple hundred bucks for a piece of mind is a no brainer to me.
At the end of the day it is your hide and your wallet but a couple hundred bucks for a piece of mind is a no brainer to me.
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Tourer
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 340
Likes: 21
From: NashVegas
Yeah, I just went back with the standard Dunlop. Haven't really had any issues with them slipping on either bike and I have about 10k miles on the Dyna with them.
Cruiser
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 196
Likes: 0
From: Show Me State
I have used plugs on so many types of tires, and I have never had one fail. I have about 5k on a plug repair similar to yours, but on the front tire of my Ultra, no issues what so ever. I agree with a previous post, if the plug is done correctly, they work well. And I have never heard of a plug just flying out, allowing the tire to deflate immediately, they leak slowly and deflate over time. But the choice is yours, you need to have peace of mind, so if you are very uneasy about using a plug, then an internal patch or new tire is probably a better choice for you.
I know this is a different topic, but years ago, I had a front tractor tire puncture that was about 1/4 diameter. I used 3 or 4 plugs in the same hole, it looked like Hell, but the thing held for years. I know something that runs on 4 wheels and never exceeds 10 mph is a completely different animal, but at the same time I probably exceeded 4000 lbs in the front end loader and the tire never lost pressure.
I am a fan of plugs when installed correctly, and in the proper hole size and placement.
I know this is a different topic, but years ago, I had a front tractor tire puncture that was about 1/4 diameter. I used 3 or 4 plugs in the same hole, it looked like Hell, but the thing held for years. I know something that runs on 4 wheels and never exceeds 10 mph is a completely different animal, but at the same time I probably exceeded 4000 lbs in the front end loader and the tire never lost pressure.
I am a fan of plugs when installed correctly, and in the proper hole size and placement.
Last edited by HDU; Jun 25, 2015 at 03:21 PM. Reason: because I don't know how to spell
Road Warrior
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,441
Likes: 791
From: Heart of Dixie
I once put a set of new tires on my bike and picked up a nail in the rear one the FIRST time I rode it. I had it plugged and rode it 'till the tire wore out with no problems. All you're risking is a leak if it doesn't work...a nail in the tread of a tire doesn't destroy a tire.
2nd Gear
Joined: Jun 2015
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
From: Huntington Beach
I once put a set of new tires on my bike and picked up a nail in the rear one the FIRST time I rode it. I had it plugged and rode it 'till the tire wore out with no problems. All you're risking is a leak if it doesn't work...a nail in the tread of a tire doesn't destroy a tire.
I've also put about 5k on the previous set that I plugged the same way. No problems then either!
Road Warrior
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 1,755
Likes: 253
From: Northern Los Angeles area.
Here's my recent experience:
Last December I picked up a nail on a trip and had to plug the rear tire by the roadside. the plug held up well until recently, it started leaking and every morning I'd just top up the air before riding to work. I got tired of doing that so last Tuesday I went to a motorcycle tire shop and they put a mushroom patch on. I watched as they installed it and realized it was not an internal patch. I felt uncomfortable about it but after reading this thread I was reassured. The shop charged me $15 and told me they don't guarantee it. They even made me sign a waiver.
For the rest of the week I commuted to work and all was fine (17 miles one way). I didn't ride on Saturday. This morning I woke up and the tire is completely flat! I inflated it and inspected it, only to find out that if I wiggle the stem of the mushroom patch, then air starts hissing out. :-( No wonder those monkeys don't guarantee their work!
I went online and ordered a new tire from the Motorcycle Superstore... $89 for a Shinko 777 will have to do until I find a better tire repairer or until I find the time to learn patching my own tires. What was that saying again... something to the effect that if you want something done well, you gotta do it yourself...
Last December I picked up a nail on a trip and had to plug the rear tire by the roadside. the plug held up well until recently, it started leaking and every morning I'd just top up the air before riding to work. I got tired of doing that so last Tuesday I went to a motorcycle tire shop and they put a mushroom patch on. I watched as they installed it and realized it was not an internal patch. I felt uncomfortable about it but after reading this thread I was reassured. The shop charged me $15 and told me they don't guarantee it. They even made me sign a waiver.
For the rest of the week I commuted to work and all was fine (17 miles one way). I didn't ride on Saturday. This morning I woke up and the tire is completely flat! I inflated it and inspected it, only to find out that if I wiggle the stem of the mushroom patch, then air starts hissing out. :-( No wonder those monkeys don't guarantee their work!
I went online and ordered a new tire from the Motorcycle Superstore... $89 for a Shinko 777 will have to do until I find a better tire repairer or until I find the time to learn patching my own tires. What was that saying again... something to the effect that if you want something done well, you gotta do it yourself...
Road Master
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 994
Likes: 43
From: Essex, England
Repairing a tyre with a mushroom patch is easy if you can get the tyre off. Get a drill bit that is slightly thinner than the mushroom patch stem. Drill the tyre from the inside and drill straight out from the hole. Don't try and follow the path the puncturing thing came in at.
Scuff the inside of the tyre as best you can. I use a wire brush on the drill. then wipe it clean with a spirit cleaner ( I use my wifes nail polish remover). Then apply your vulcanising cement/tyre repair glue to an area bigger than the patch base. I add a little bit of glue to the mushroom stem. Remove the patch covers and insert the plug into the hole and pull it though from the outside.
I then roll the patch with a patch wheel (about $5 from ebay/china). Pull the stem slightly and cut off plug stem. You pull it slightly so when cut it sits in the tread and not proud or level with it.
Refit the tyre and rebalance the wheel if you can. Drink a cold one and tell everyone how clever you are.
Scuff the inside of the tyre as best you can. I use a wire brush on the drill. then wipe it clean with a spirit cleaner ( I use my wifes nail polish remover). Then apply your vulcanising cement/tyre repair glue to an area bigger than the patch base. I add a little bit of glue to the mushroom stem. Remove the patch covers and insert the plug into the hole and pull it though from the outside.
I then roll the patch with a patch wheel (about $5 from ebay/china). Pull the stem slightly and cut off plug stem. You pull it slightly so when cut it sits in the tread and not proud or level with it.
Refit the tyre and rebalance the wheel if you can. Drink a cold one and tell everyone how clever you are.
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Road Warrior
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 1,755
Likes: 253
From: Northern Los Angeles area.
What tools/equipment would I need to get the tire off? I'm willing to learn and so, buying the tools is a first step that I need to get right.
Cruiser
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 198
Likes: 17
From: Central Coast California
If you can grasp the stem of the mushroom patch and wiggle it, it definitely was not installed properly. The stem is supposed to be trimmed flush with the outside of the tire.