I just picked up a screw in my back tire. I was wondering if it is safe to plug the tire, or do I have to get a new one. The screw is about a inch and a half left of center, I know that if it was in the sidewall I could not repair it. I'm really hoping that I can just plug it, as the tire has less than 800 miles on it. I appreciate any advice you can give me.
Is it safe to plug a tire ?
- Thread starter jgelack
- Start date
I picked one up last summer and replaced the tire. I would not want to ride any appreciable distance, or speed, with a plug.I just picked up a screw in my back tire. I was wondering if it is safe to plug the tire, or do I have to get a new one. The screw is about a inch and a half left of center, I know that if it was in the sidewall I could not repair it. I'm really hoping that I can just plug it, as the tire has less than 800 miles on it. I appreciate any advice you can give me.
That's one of those things where you have to do what you're comfortable doing. I won't suggest what you should do but I can tell you my personal experience. I plugged a rear tire and rode that way for 500+ miles until my replacement tire was shipped and installed. In that time I rode on dry road, in the rain, on the highway and in temperatures ranging from 30-70. I had no issues at all. I felt confident. My father plugged his rear tire and never replaced it. That was about 5 years and 10,000+ miles ago for him. The plug is still there and he's had no issues. Like I said, do what you are comfortable doing.
photoman002
New Member
I replaced my tire when I picked up a screw. Plugs can fail- why risk life in limb by taking the cheap way out.
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If it were me, motorcycle tires are cheap compared to potential doctor bills, rise in insurance cost due to filing a claim if you wreck the bike. But I'm pretty cheap my self so it would depends. I've plugged a lot of tires and never had one fail on me but they always been on something 4 wheeled that if something happened it wasn't gonna be life threatening. You do plug it make sure it's clean so the plug seals good and I'd make sure to use a longer piece if you use the kind that's looks like a sticky twizzler. That way if it does pull out some it still has some room and not just fall out.
Had only 75 miles on my rear tire when i found the same thing. I plugged the tire and went 700-800 miles while the dealer got me a replacement. Also, you can get road hazard protection, which I did after that. So you can do it, but it should not be looked at as a permanent fix.
Brock Kickass
New Member
http://www.600cc.org/forum/f87/nail-really-should-i-replace-ack-29687/
I would only plug a tire (car OR bike) to get my vehicle to a tire shop where the tire could e properly repaired.
I would only plug a tire (car OR bike) to get my vehicle to a tire shop where the tire could e properly repaired.
You won't find a lot of shops that will plug a tire on a bike, if any. None around here will. It's just not a smart thing to do. Get a new one :thumbup:I just picked up a screw in my back tire. I was wondering if it is safe to plug the tire, or do I have to get a new one. The screw is about a inch and a half left of center, I know that if it was in the sidewall I could not repair it. I'm really hoping that I can just plug it, as the tire has less than 800 miles on it. I appreciate any advice you can give me.
Brock Kickass
New Member
I plugged a tire and rode it for between 600-700 miles. Took it on a few good rides pushing the bike hard and had no issues.
Your choice. It is safe.
Your choice, but it is NOT safe. Lilday, how much experience do you have with tire design, installation, repair, etc? Can you be considered an expert on tires? Just because you got lucky does't mean it's safe. Take all the risk you like, but please don't tell others it's safe. I can tell you with years of experience selling and repairing tires, and years of learning about tire design and construction from major global manufacturers that it is not safe to run a plugged tire on a motorcycle for aggressive riding. The plug is not designed to do that.
Your choice, but it is NOT safe. Lilday, how much experience do you have with tire design, installation, repair, etc? Can you be considered an expert on tires? Just because you got lucky does't mean it's safe. Take all the risk you like, but please don't tell others it's safe. I can tell you with years of experience selling and repairing tires, and years of learning about tire design and construction from major global manufacturers that it is not safe to run a plugged tire on a motorcycle for aggressive riding. The plug is not designed to do that.
I agree with brock!
Y
yellowfz
If you read most tire manufactures sites' it says that is is okay to plug a tire, but it does decrease the tires speed rating, which makes sense.
I would plug one a ride on it with no problem, then again I would not race on one that is plugged.
I would plug one a ride on it with no problem, then again I would not race on one that is plugged.
Brock Kickass
New Member
A plug is designed to be a temporary solution to get a vehicle to a shop in cases where a tow is not practical. It is not designed or intended to be used as a permanent repair to a tire. That is a fact. It is not an opinion I developed. It is a fact that has been repeatedly explained to me by sales people and engineers I met in my time working in a high performance tire shop.
The ONLY way manufacturers consider proper for permanently repairing an on-road tire is to remove it from the wheel and repair it from the inside using a patch. Besides the fact that a plug is not designed to be a permanent repair, the tire must be removed from the rim and inspected to ensure that a) the tire did not sustain any structural damage while flat, and b) that whatever punctured the tire is not still inside the tire. If there is a nail or chunk of glass still in the tire, it will damage the liner and cause a subsequent deflation. This applies to ALL road-going tires.
I really don't know a lot if stuff about a lot of stuff, but I sure know tires. Working in the industry I constantly heard misconceptions. Our shop specialized in high performance and custom applications, so mistakes were a lot more serious in our shop than at the Wal Mart tire centre. We made it our business to know a lot about tires. If you want evidence of how little a lot of people really know about tires, take a scan of the cars in a large parking lot. I guarantee it won't take long to find a set of directional tires mounted backward. I usually see at least one car a week like that, and that is just the simple crap.
Your tires are all you have in your bike. No airbag, no crumple zone, no seatbelt, no nothing. Sometimes you have bad luck and have to replace an almost new tire because of a puncture. If you can't afford to do that when you need to, you can't afford to ride. It's like safety gear. Riding on a plugged tire is like riding in a tshirt. It's perfectly safe until something goes wrong. If a jacket is too expensive, you can't afford to ride. If replacing a damaged tire is too expensive, you can't afford to ride.
The ONLY way manufacturers consider proper for permanently repairing an on-road tire is to remove it from the wheel and repair it from the inside using a patch. Besides the fact that a plug is not designed to be a permanent repair, the tire must be removed from the rim and inspected to ensure that a) the tire did not sustain any structural damage while flat, and b) that whatever punctured the tire is not still inside the tire. If there is a nail or chunk of glass still in the tire, it will damage the liner and cause a subsequent deflation. This applies to ALL road-going tires.
I really don't know a lot if stuff about a lot of stuff, but I sure know tires. Working in the industry I constantly heard misconceptions. Our shop specialized in high performance and custom applications, so mistakes were a lot more serious in our shop than at the Wal Mart tire centre. We made it our business to know a lot about tires. If you want evidence of how little a lot of people really know about tires, take a scan of the cars in a large parking lot. I guarantee it won't take long to find a set of directional tires mounted backward. I usually see at least one car a week like that, and that is just the simple crap.
Your tires are all you have in your bike. No airbag, no crumple zone, no seatbelt, no nothing. Sometimes you have bad luck and have to replace an almost new tire because of a puncture. If you can't afford to do that when you need to, you can't afford to ride. It's like safety gear. Riding on a plugged tire is like riding in a tshirt. It's perfectly safe until something goes wrong. If a jacket is too expensive, you can't afford to ride. If replacing a damaged tire is too expensive, you can't afford to ride.
It is definitely safe otherwise it would not be legal.Your choice, but it is NOT safe. Lilday, how much experience do you have with tire design, installation, repair, etc? Can you be considered an expert on tires? Just because you got lucky does't mean it's safe. Take all the risk you like, but please don't tell others it's safe. I can tell you with years of experience selling and repairing tires, and years of learning about tire design and construction from major global manufacturers that it is not safe to run a plugged tire on a motorcycle for aggressive riding. The plug is not designed to do that.
Mine was ridden up to 100mph and ridden hard through the local twisties. Not a problem.
Around 30PSI on a 200kg bike is not going to cause this 'blowout' people worry about.
If you don't want to do it, then don't do it. But I have done, and would do it again if I needed.
I think plugs are usually recommended to 60mph max speed.
Brock Kickass
New Member
Risk your own *** all you want, but don't encourage others to do it. When the company that manufactures the plugs tells me they aren't designed to handle the heat of a motorcycle tire, and that they are not intended to be a permanent fix, I tend to take their word for it. You got LUCKY. A plug isn't guaranteed to fail; it just has a much higher risk of failure. Risk it all you want, but until you have fact based knowledge that says a plug is supposed to be used like that, stop recommending others take stupid risks.
I picked up a screw in the rear tire of a touring bike and took it to my local shop for repair. I got a lecture about how you should always take the tire off and plug it from the inside using a plug with a head on it so it can't blow out. That sounded right to me and I rode for several thousand miles more on it without worrying.
Dave
Dave
Brock Kickass
New Member
I picked up a screw in the rear tire of a touring bike and took it to my local shop for repair. I got a lecture about how you should always take the tire off and plug it from the inside using a plug with a head on it so it can't blow out. That sounded right to me and I rode for several thousand miles more on it without worrying.
Dave
That is what I refer to as a plug/patch. Definitely a safe way to repair a tire because the head, or patch, portion seals to the inside of the tire lining in the exact same way a regular patch would. A plug patch is a great repair if the injury had left a void in the tread, because the plug portion fills the gap. Also, in order to apply a plug/patch you must remove the tire from the wheel, giving the opportunity to inspect the tire for structural damage and make sure the liner is in tact.
I just picked up a screw in my back tire. I was wondering if it is safe to plug the tire, or do I have to get a new one. The screw is about a inch and a half left of center, I know that if it was in the sidewall I could not repair it. I'm really hoping that I can just plug it, as the tire has less than 800 miles on it. I appreciate any advice you can give me.
Very personal decision but I would replace the whole tire. If this is a temporary slash few days solution, that's ok. But a motorcycle is a two wheels only vehicle. Tires are key for the safety and grip of the bike. So I would not trust my safety to a tire that has been damaged already.
Replacing tires is one of the things you should consider when buying a bike. In other words, if you can't afford replacing one it may be a sign that you can't really afford a bike after all and provide proper maintenance to it.
Just my 2 cents. Ride safe!