Patch or plug a tire?
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Joined: Apr 2010
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Patch or plug a tire?
Okay lemme tell you my story about my rear tire
Getting off the highway one day heading to class I was in mid-turn and all of a sudden I felt a gradual roughness of the steering of the bike. As the curve ended and nearing the school, I swayed sideways a slight to check overall feel of where it is coming from. At first impression I thought it was the suspension then crossed that out. I looked at the rear and it seemed to look normal as I was riding. It was not until after class an hour later that I noticed that the rear tire had a flat.
I then took it to a local bike shop to see if its fixable. The guy just looks at it from a distance lookin at the small hole and says" You need a new tire" I mean this is from a stealership who said I needed new handgrips and charged me twice for an inspection sticker when i first got my license and bike.
I mean by lookin at the tire where the hole was located, it was very very small. The parts clerk showed me that he has a tire kit in which I was interested in. I was thinkin it was going to be a patch repair kit but instead I was shown the plug kit. I have to say after working for Honda for years I dislike using the plug type kit to fix a flat tire since the material can pop out of the hole anytime resulting a flat tire again.
Since the shop wanted to charge me $70 to plug a tire, I declined it and decided to do it on my own. I bought a tire bead breaker from harber freight and two tire irons to fix my flat rear. And so far it's been running well and it has saved me some $$$ If there are companies out there making patch kits for flat motorcycle tires then how come people are skeptic about patching a tire then?
Sorry for this story telling but this leads me to the question after reading many sites and opinions from both sides that if you members here have ever encountered this situation b4.. patch or plug or new tire?
Sam
Getting off the highway one day heading to class I was in mid-turn and all of a sudden I felt a gradual roughness of the steering of the bike. As the curve ended and nearing the school, I swayed sideways a slight to check overall feel of where it is coming from. At first impression I thought it was the suspension then crossed that out. I looked at the rear and it seemed to look normal as I was riding. It was not until after class an hour later that I noticed that the rear tire had a flat.
I then took it to a local bike shop to see if its fixable. The guy just looks at it from a distance lookin at the small hole and says" You need a new tire" I mean this is from a stealership who said I needed new handgrips and charged me twice for an inspection sticker when i first got my license and bike.
I mean by lookin at the tire where the hole was located, it was very very small. The parts clerk showed me that he has a tire kit in which I was interested in. I was thinkin it was going to be a patch repair kit but instead I was shown the plug kit. I have to say after working for Honda for years I dislike using the plug type kit to fix a flat tire since the material can pop out of the hole anytime resulting a flat tire again.
Since the shop wanted to charge me $70 to plug a tire, I declined it and decided to do it on my own. I bought a tire bead breaker from harber freight and two tire irons to fix my flat rear. And so far it's been running well and it has saved me some $$$ If there are companies out there making patch kits for flat motorcycle tires then how come people are skeptic about patching a tire then?
Sorry for this story telling but this leads me to the question after reading many sites and opinions from both sides that if you members here have ever encountered this situation b4.. patch or plug or new tire?
Sam
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Oh no lol maybe once in a great while Ill go over a 100 but rarely do I ever want to.
I use my bike for daily commuting and it's mostly thru the city and towns
On the highway I cruise 80-90 but ever break 100. I don't need to prove how fast the bike is
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Joined: Apr 2008
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From: Northern Michigan
Personally, I would never run a plugged or patched tire. I have friends who do, and have never had any issues, but to me, Im already against the odds just by hopping on a motorcycle in the first place, do I really need anything else to worry about?
my problem with either method is if either one begins to leak. You could be doing a long trip, not even notice it, then take a corner, hit a pothole, or even a large bump and break the bead from the air pressure being too low, which would result in a crash. I don't think the tire itself is at anymore risk of blowout, but the slow leak that could result is a real concern. Im sure you've noticed there really isnt a high volume of air in one these tires, and it really wouldn't take that long to loose 10-15 psi and be at risk for bead breakage.
Also, the reason most places won't patch a motorcycle tire is liability. If you have a tire failure on a motorcycle, it could easily result in death. I wouldn't plug or patch a motorcycle tire.
As for the plug kits. Most are advertised as roadside emergency kits. If you look close, there will usually be some sort of release of liability on the package in fine print.
I guess the end point is this. Once the tire has been punchured, the tire is no longer as strong as it was.
Can you run a plug or patch?...yep
Will the plug or patch hold?.... more than likely.
Is it worth the risk?...nope.
my problem with either method is if either one begins to leak. You could be doing a long trip, not even notice it, then take a corner, hit a pothole, or even a large bump and break the bead from the air pressure being too low, which would result in a crash. I don't think the tire itself is at anymore risk of blowout, but the slow leak that could result is a real concern. Im sure you've noticed there really isnt a high volume of air in one these tires, and it really wouldn't take that long to loose 10-15 psi and be at risk for bead breakage.
Also, the reason most places won't patch a motorcycle tire is liability. If you have a tire failure on a motorcycle, it could easily result in death. I wouldn't plug or patch a motorcycle tire.
As for the plug kits. Most are advertised as roadside emergency kits. If you look close, there will usually be some sort of release of liability on the package in fine print.
I guess the end point is this. Once the tire has been punchured, the tire is no longer as strong as it was.
Can you run a plug or patch?...yep
Will the plug or patch hold?.... more than likely.
Is it worth the risk?...nope.
Last edited by justasquid; Oct 5, 2010 at 04:47 AM.
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 6,494
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Yep, I patch & plug. I show pics of a proper repair in one of the threads below. I ran that tire for 8k + miles w/o further issue.
Here's some of the more recent threads on the topic...
https://cbrforum.com/forum/showthrea...hlight=plugged
https://cbrforum.com/forum/showthrea...hlight=plugged
https://cbrforum.com/forum/showthrea...hlight=plugged
https://cbrforum.com/forum/showthrea...hlight=plugged
Here's some of the more recent threads on the topic...
https://cbrforum.com/forum/showthrea...hlight=plugged
https://cbrforum.com/forum/showthrea...hlight=plugged
https://cbrforum.com/forum/showthrea...hlight=plugged
https://cbrforum.com/forum/showthrea...hlight=plugged
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 445
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From:
Everyone's different. I personally take enough risks on my bike, I don't need a plugged tire as well.
Even though you will most likely be fine, it's the small chance of a blowout on the highway doing triple digits that causes me to not run them.
Even though you will most likely be fine, it's the small chance of a blowout on the highway doing triple digits that causes me to not run them.
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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 568
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From: Omaha,Ne.
Yeah and you can run a front tire til it developes cupping too, but thats not safe either!! I bet every Honda mechanic or dealership would suggest patching tires all day long, NOT!!! I will listen to the professionals.