I noticed that I've picked up a screw/nail in the nearly new rear tire of my 2009 Road Glide.

I'm not going to pull it out until I'm parked in front of the service department of my dealership.

My question is this. Is it possible to repair a motorcycle tire?
Years ago when I worked at a truck stop, we could put a tube in a tubeless tire that we were unable to patch.

Don't laced wheels run with a tube, and would it be possible to place a tube in my tubeless tire?

 

If the screw/nail is not more than 1/8" you can put a plug in the tire. If air is not leaking out now you may be able to pull it out and if it did not go through the tire should be as good as new. I'm with you on not pulling it out until you are at the shop.

I had a simular experience years back and saw the screw but the tire was holding air so I rode it very slowly with my wife following me to the dealer and they said they did not repair tires so I would have to buy a new one. Shortly thereafter they told me that the screw did not go all the way through the tread and the tire was not losing any air so just keep on riding. I never had a problem with that tire.

Good luck.

 

Depends on the person. Some guys will replace a new tire if it picks up a nail. Some like me will fix it. My indie uses a plug patch or some call it a rat tail patch. Which puts a plug in the hole and has a patch attached that patches the hole from the inside. Kinda like double bagging when. Well, you know. He has never had one to fail. I had to do it. Wore tire out. No problem with plug/patch. Back in the day. Before tubeless. We would patch our tubes until they looked like a quilt. Oh, yeah. Those were the days.

 

I've been very fortunate and have had only one flat. I have always carried a plug kit and a small Green Slime compressor. My flat also was on an almost new tire and I wasn't about to put on a new tire without at least trying a plug. It turned out I got 11,000 miles on the plugged tire.

It depends on how much of the pucker factor you're willing to deal with or the piece of mind with replacing a tire with a hole in it.

 

50 people will tell you you shouldn't plug it. 50 people will tell you it's not a problem running a plugged tire.
Plug kits are cheap. pick one up at the hardware store and do it yourself. I doupt the dealer will do it for you.

 

I think what it boils down to is where the hole is and how good of a job you do cleaning and plugging the hole and the quality of the plug kit.

 

But is it possible to put an innertube in a tubeless tire and avoid the whole "to plug or not to plug" debate?

 

Yes you can, all the laced wheels already have a tube in them and they are tubles tires.

 

Even if you elect to put a tube in you'll have the tire off the rim anyway so you should patch the hole in the tire. A patch & a tube will give you a better chance of avoiding problems later. That being said, I doubt you'll find a motorcycle dealer that will do it. Too much liability involved & they loose the sale of a tire. Good luck.

 

Replace it. Its not worth the risk.