PLUGGING a tire is a Tempory Fix...
When you plug a tire you're making the hole larger and will cut the cords and may cause seperation of the tread by allowing air to seep between the inner liner and the tread...
All motorcycle tires had with a softer compound for traction and run hotter then auto\truck tire...

CHANGE THE TIRE.... Most plug kits will tell you that it is a tempory repair...

A Blow Out @ 70 mph in a Cager isn't to bad... But a Blow Out on a motorcycle @ 70 mph can be deadly

 

I've also gone through this ... nail in tire, replaced tire, nail in NEW tire!! I did all kinds of research and came up with some that said replace it and some that said patch/plug/tube was fine. It was about 50/50 ... so I wondered how I felt about having a 50/50 chance of having a tire fail at high speed or even having the thing go flat in the middle of nowhere. I replaced the tire ... again. The worry factor wasn't worth it.

 

As you suggested, it's all about money. Plus, there's a legal factor in their answers. If they say to plug it, you keep a record of the phone message or email, and you have an freak accident that implicates the plug--they may be legally culpable for advising you to use it. As long as the tire doesn't leak after plugging it, the chances are nil that structural damage will occur from the hole. Some say that steel-belted tires may rust if plugged, but I'm not sure that even that would pose a structural risk, and I don't know of any MC tires that are steel belted.

 

In decades of following MC and car matters, I've never heard of a failure attributed to a properly plugged tire. I'm open-minded, though, and would appreciate any info to the contrary. All that said, I would not recommend plugging a hole that is larger than the hole-finishing rod provided with most patch kits, or one that involves a tear or cut. These probably can't be repaired reliably.

 

Happy I would put a Pingel Wheel Spacer ($ 35.00) in it and put a new MU85 tire on it, like the 2004-and-up FLH models run. You'll forget all about the flat on that 130 series while you're looking at bigger rubber...

 

Really? Are you a state inspector? I was just wondering.........The VSP site has the same info as the inspection chart in garages. I thought that may be you were a licensed inspector and had a manual that said more. This is all that is on the site/chart:

. – INSPECT TIRES, WHEELS & RIMS FOR:
[ul][*]Condition of tires including tread depth.[*]Mixing radials and bias ply tires.[*]Wheels that are cracked or damaged so as to affect safe operation. [/ul]



As to the original poster, plug it if you feel safe with that. If not tube it, which is what I would do. If neither, replace it and mail the old tire to me. I will wear it out for you.

 

Well from here........ http://www.motorcaretim.com/tire3.html

There is also a nice "guide" where you can test some answers as to plug or not plug on that page.

And then you have this article here http://www.soundrider.com/archive/tips/tire_sense.htm

[quote]You pay your money and take your choice.....
A patched or plugged tire is a repaired tire. Things can go wrong with it, that will not occur with a "virgin" tire. Always remember that, while it may be serviceable, it no longer is "perfect".
If you do not detect the failure soon enough, the tire may heat to the point that it delaminates and fragments itself. You are walking and getting a new tire at this point. That is, if you are not injured by the bike spitting you off in disgust. So pay attention to the dreaded signs of "soft tire".
There are many here that will tell you to replace the tire. Those tires are all that is between you and safe passage down the road. They have got to hold air. Of course those making the recommendation, may not have the money you have, nor the confidence to do a proper, safe patch.
A good, properly installed patch/plug can hold.
A poorly installed patch/plug can leak, or delaminate the tire causing you to be pitched down the road testing your leathers or Aerostich. ==8-0
The problem with any repair is that it can leak. Three ways:





[ul][*]The plug can allow water to leak or seep into the cords causing the tread to separate from the cords/fabric with not good consequences. [/ul]
Note, in neither of these has the tire lost air pressure.
Both of them can kill you.


[ul][*]The plug can allow air to leak from the tire interior to the fabric, again causing separation of the tread and not good things. [/ul]


[ul][*]Lastly the plug can allow air leakage from the inside to the outside resulting in a soft tire. If it leaks to the outside, the question is do you, or can you, sense low tire pressure before

 

As much HELL as I put mine through I'd have to replace it ... if for no other reason ... PEACE OF MIND... after all we ask alot from our tires, starting, stoping, all the torque that involves, not to mention shifting gears, a little hard/fast acceleration, blah, blah, blah !!! After all we have spent on our bikes, blood, sweat, tears .....etc., etc., etc., the cost of another tire seems miniscule to all that to me.

 

A proper repair on any tire injury is by plugging and patching.Just one or the other is not good enough. The plug seals the hole so that water cannot enter the tire and the patch reinforces the injured area on the inside. I would have the tirerepaired with a patch/plug combination by someone I trusted. I would also watch the work being done or do it myself.

A string plug that is inserted from the outside is meant to be a temporary repair (I carry some in my saddlebag). They are made of twisted cord coated with butyl rubber. After a short time the butyl in contact with the road can wear off . The cord will then act like a wick and suck water into the belts of the tire.

I've used string plugs on car tires and got many miles out of them, but ultimately they have failed sooner or later. I would trust a proper repair (patch/plug)on my bike but not a string plug for anything other than a temporary fix.

 

I was just going to throw this in too. I have repaired many many tires over the years using this method. It is 100% the correct way to repair a tire.