Heard a loud POP!! noise while riding my F2 and didn't think much other than "well that was loud!". I ride over small rocks and things all the time that break and pop out from underneath the rear tire. It turned out to be a nearly 3 inch long wood screw with nasty threads and a huge head that went directly into the middle of the rear tire. Didn't lose any pressure that day, but next day was flat. I decided to have it plugged. I've spent enough money on other things and couldn't pass up $15.00 to get it plugged by a reputable shop. Here's MY reasoning for getting the tire plugged and not replaced: It's a pilot power with %80+ tread left and maybe 2500 miles. 2. I've read an encouraging number of success stories. Some have put 6000+ miles on a plug, maybe 2 plugs. I haven't heard any bad stories as a result of a plug. 3. I ride fairly tame. I don't do burnouts, don't abuse my machine. I'm not constantly thrashing the throttle and rarely go over 85mph. Some people may advise against plugging and/or patching %100 because of safety issues, but i'm willing to take the risk, plus i'm curious as to how long this will last (not that i'll necessarily run it that long). This is my 3rd season of riding and I feel I have enough experience to minimize my risk if the tire blows. I'm not on a motorcycle because it's safe. I figure i'm not in much more danger now than before. So many accidents happen because of rider error. I think a lack of fear or experience puts a person at more risk for injury or worse than a properly plugged tire. What are your thoughts?

 

Did it end up with a plug or a patch?

A patch from the inside will last the life of the tire.
A plug is different. I have used plugs to get off the side of the road and back home where I can patch it from the inside or replace the tire. Our tires are so thin that there is not much rubber to hold it in. Normal plugs are not recommended for high speed rated tires (there are rubber plugs that are). For me, its not worth the risk.

However, there have been others that have gone many miles on standard plugs without incident. Maybe the ones that have failed at speed resulted in death, so you don't hear that it didn't work..... Just sayin'

 

Ooops, sorry 74demon, it was a plug. $15 for a patch would have been great though!

 

That would have been a great deal for sure!

I carry a plug kit with me for emergencies. So far I've used it twice...