So I bought a pair of Pirelli Diablos for my CBR a few months ago. I absolutely love em! I went out riding today, and halfway I stopped at a gas station to chill for a sec'. I look at my front tire and there's a really nice little nail sitting in it. Might I add, I have about 250 miles on these tires.... so I'm ticked off bigtime. I nursed it home, and the tire's yet to go flat. I've always been under the assumption that you can't fix a motorcycle tire. But because it's soo new and I really don't want to spend the extra cash of buying another brand new tire, can I take it to a bike shop and have 'em repair it? I don't want to endanger myself or my passenger by not handling the situation properly. I was told they can patch it from the inside and make the tire perfect again... any advice?? thanks!

 

no bike shop or any tire shop will repair a motorcycle tire. Its a liability. That being said if it were a rear tire I would take it off and patch it. I've done it before same situation as you and ran that tire till it popped(showing threads till boom). That being said, I will not suggest it with a front tire. Ive lost all air in the back tire at over 100mph and didnt even notice it till i started slowing down. The front tire on the other hand is alot less forgiving. If you do however decide to do it. You will want to patch it, not plug it.

 

They also make patch plug combos. It is a plug that you pull through from the inside of the tire (Take tire off rim) and then the patch is connected and it sits against the inside.

There are also liquids that you put into your tires that seal punctures and help balance the vibrations also (Ride-on TPS)

 

Must be a Pirelli thing, 'cause my new rear Diablo picked up a nail, too. Barely 1k miles. "Bwoo hoo...we can't fix ur tire...boo hoo...if it blows you could crash...whaa whaa". ********. Just plug it. Christ. Only the racetrack or full lean at full speed is going to make a patched hole become uncomfortable. Why should I even ride or spend money at your motorcycle dealership if I have to keep buying a goddamn new tire everytime a limp dick finish nail barely pokes through the carcass? And WTF is "steel-belted" good for, then?! NOthiing!! aaarrtghh! lol

 

I would also suggest not plugging it. Its not really a matter of the tire all of sudden blowing out or the plug falling out. Its a matter of that tire now has a hole in it, that if it begins to leak again, and you dont know it, your tire is going to come off of the rim once the pressure becomes low enough and your going to crash. Not to mention if the belts were damaged at all from the nail, it now has a weak spot.

People do it all the time and are fine. I just wouldnt trust one. We have so many things stacked against us just getting on a bike, I dont want to take any more chances than I have to.

It is odd though. I've only picked up one nail. It was my rear tire. and wouldnt ya know it, Pirelli Diablo corsa's...

 

This topic has been debated at length in other threads.

They make and sell plug kits specificly for bikes.(Though plain ones work just fine)

Plugs don't instantanously fail and the tire does not lose all air at once as a result (if a plug even fails)

I have over 3000 miles on two plugs with zero issues. Plugs are made to become part of the tire. Plug it, check it, ride it!

If you aren't going to plug it, I'll give you $20 for the tire.

People always sight that shops won't plug a tire on a bike, they make more on putting a new one on. I have had shops refuse to plug my car tire....Thats why I spent $6 and plug all my own. I have done well over 20 plugs, zero failures on my acorrd, suburban, full size dodge, and F4i.


Tires aremade far better than in the past and can handle a nail and the plugging.

I am also not nicky haden and concerned with the tenths of seconds that may be lost onn lap times.