Ok, so I get off work to and rush home to enjoy a nice ride. Its not warm here, but who cares, I'm out of the office! I come to the end of my street and turn right. Whoa, that it a nasty oil spot, never had the backend swing out like that. Well, it will wear off shortly. Nope. Not oil on the tire, instead its a low tire. Future note to self, feel tires during pre ride check. After refilling tire and limping home I find the offender. I have an industrial size staple stuck in the valley of the tread about 1 inch from dead center. Question is, is this a repairable situation or a new tire. sorry if this is a newb question but I haven't run into this in my short time on 2 wheels.
edit: I know this is repairable, more looking to see if that is a good idea.
I was always told never to repair a bike tire. Its not worth it. The one flat that I've had, the tire had an arrow head stuck in it. Cut was about 1 1/2 inches long. So no way to fix. You will probably get mixed thoughts on your situation. Personally, I would get fixed, and buy a new one. Use the fixed one as backup.
i plugged my tire with a patch that had a pigtail works great. but it was just 1 hole.
how many holes did the staple make? if it was just 1 and not 2, id say patch it and forget about it. you can patch it yourelf from the outside for cheap with a kit, or you can patch it from the inside, but youll pay more for someone to take the tire off. if your rims are already scratched up, then just bring it to a car place and tip them a little bit more, and tell them to be careful. itll cost you $20 bucks.
No way, if i was gonna patch a bike tire def do the internal, I wouldn't trust the outside patches for a motorcycle.
Quote from: wildbill on November 20, 2009, 04:30:45 PM
No way, if i was gonna patch a bike tire def do the internal, I wouldn't trust the outside patches for a motorcycle.
They work for a car.
I also had no less than 6 of those in a rear that was then driven from Massachusetts to California.
YMMV.
I just went out to check it again to see the air situation. I t has lost a bit over a couple of hour but it is definitely slow. From what I can see it looks like 1 hole from the staple. The othe end of it seems free. When I try to move the staple I can hear it leak so I think it is either the only or primary hole. The local duc dealer is about 15 mile with some of it as highway. If I have the tire at 30 psi before I leave, thoughts on riding to the dealer or is that stupid?
Quote from: Revax30 on November 20, 2009, 05:11:36 PM
I just went out to check it again to see the air situation. I t has lost a bit over a couple of hour but it is definitely slow. From what I can see it looks like 1 hole from the staple. The othe end of it seems free. When I try to move the staple I can hear it leak so I think it is either the only or primary hole. The local duc dealer is about 15 mile with some of it as highway. If I have the tire at 30 psi before I leave, thoughts on riding to the dealer or is that stupid?
I had a flat early this season, I had my gf follow me in the cage with an air bubble. Filled it twice in the 25 min ride to the stealership.
outside plugs are fine. the only reason i did inside plug was that i have a tire changer and i just took the the tire off.
its the proper way to do it. But theres going to be countless people who tell you that an outside plug works just as fine. And i know plenty of people who have done the outside plug and are fine. Usually with 2 plugs on the same tire.
A friend of mine runs his own shop. When a customer comes in with a hole and wants it replaced he patches the tire and puts it on one of his own bikes. He never has to buy tires.
^
that's awesome
Quote from: scduc on November 20, 2009, 04:01:27 PM
I was always told never to repair a bike tire. Its not worth it. The one flat that I've had, the tire had an arrow head stuck in it.
Am i the only one that saw this?!?!?!? Where do you ride that you are getting an arrow head stuck in your tire??????
[cheeky]
Quote from: Monsterlover on November 22, 2009, 05:25:34 AM
^
that's awesome
I haven't bought street tires for years.
I run trackday takoffs my buddy gives me. ;)
They're street tires, not race.
Quote from: rockaduc on November 22, 2009, 05:59:26 AM
Am i the only one that saw this?!?!?!? Where do you ride that you are getting an arrow head stuck in your tire??????
[cheeky]
Well
duh-Indian country!
get a plug kit and stick it in there. it'll be fine, just trim the end of the plug to be flush on the outside, and youre good.
Try Slime, not Fix a Flat. If it is a small hole it is the cheapest repair possible. Slime will work well on a tiny staple hole.
Put Slime in, remove staple, pump it up to pressure, ride around the neighborhood for awhile, check pressure again. Good luck!
I always prefer to patch a tire from the inside. Having my own tire changer makes it easy, and many dealerships will absolutely refuse to patch a tire and will nto mount one if they know it's been patched. The largest reason I dislike plugging a tire is that, in a situation such as yours, you wind up taking a little, tiny hole and reaming it out to several times its size and rasping the heck out of the tire's cords.....every time I can feel and hear that rasp grinding away at the cords sends cringes up my spine.
I was about 500 km into a long 2 week tour and got a nail in the rear. Didn't deflate - I accidentally noticed it while cleaning the back of the bike.
Took it to a local car tire shop - they removed the nail -it had penetrated and was leaking air.
They plugged the tire - cost was about 15 bucks - took 5 minutes.
No air leak on the spot, and I continued along for about another 2,500 km with the same tire until it started to leak air.
I say plug and monitor - but if the tire is shagged anyway, start looking for a replacement as well.
When possible, I too often pick up slightly used tires from the dealer here for a fraction of the new price. I make sure the rubber is relatively new and in good condition.
I put an external plug in My S4 metzler Z6 rear 2600 miles ago still perfect .I always carry arepair kit in each of my Dukes.
Get a small tube of super glue with a tiny pointed applicator. Push it into the hole and dispense some glue as you retract the applicator. If it holds air, it's as good as new.
FWIW, I once put 3k miles on a Pilot Sport with a plug in it. Never lost a bit of air.
Stop 'N Go Pocket Plugger w/ the mushroom plugs & CO2 cartridges. Fits in the seat compartment. Everything you need to plug a tire as long as the hole is near the center. If too much off center you need a new tire. Aerostich has what you need.