To plug ot not to plug.

[amvince]

I had this question myself after just 1200 miles on my new bike. 2 nails in the rear tire. I searched, called my extremely cautious brother, and checked websites. After speaking with my dealer he said bring it in and we can see if it can be patched. The service rep said the patches/plugs were rated up to 150 miles per hour and because of liability they wouldn't use them if it wasn't safe. Since the bike was almost new I couldn't spare the money for the new tire I went that way. I also found this on the Dunlop website. I was surprised being a tire manufacuter is extemely cautious on liabilty hence the warnigns about the speed after repair. I didn't put the whole section here because the post is too long already.

Dunlop recommends only permanent repairs performed from the inside of the tire, using a combination patch/plug method. Never attempt a repair from the outside, or inject a sealant, or simply use an innertube, a patch or a plug as a substitute for a proper repair.
NOTE:
There should be no more than one repair in any quarter of the tire and no more than two repairs per tire.
The wheel itself must be in good condition. Any cracked or bent wheel, however slightly, may allow the loss of air and cause subsequent deflation of the tire.
Following repair, the valve assembly should be replaced and the tire/wheel rebalanced.
Speed should not exceed 50 mph for the first 24 hours after tire repair and the repaired tire should never be used at speeds over 80 mph. The repairer is solely responsible for instructing the motorcyclist as to the restrictions to be placed on tire use following repair

Tire Tips

To make a long story short I didn't running out of tread 4800 miles later.

[B-Rex]

This is an interesting topic.

Plugged tires (even done to manufacturer's spec) have always creeped me out. I have no doubt that many people have experienced excellent results with internal plug/patch systems. Furthermore, as you have experienced, it's probably not an unreasonable thing to do when money is an issue and you don't intend to overstress the tire.

That being said, I have experienced several blowouts over the years. All of them have been in unplugged tires that were, visually, in good shape. One of these blowouts ( a front tire during shutdown) cost me a motorcycle. However, all of these were in bias ply tires with tubes. I haven't ridden on tubeless radials long enough to draw a comparison.

Personally, if I have to get a tire plugged/patched, despite all the good reasons to keep using it, I'm going to change it out ASAP. I'm not always easy on tires and don't have the courage to ride around on a patched tire that I may stress rather briskly at times. I admit that this may not be reasonable but $200-$300 is not enough of a reason to put myself at blowout risk (real or imagined).

Of course this is not a totally rational reason...it is probably because of my one blowout that totalled my drag bike and banged me up pretty unpleasantly.

B-Rex

[Clint]

I use mushroom type plugs for emergency repairs, and I think I trust my skills enough that if one popped out, I'd be able to handle the bike in a slow leak situation. I don't believe a plug would cause a blowout.

I'm trying to say that I'd be too cheap and lazy to replace the tire (assuming it's a clean puncture and not near the sidewall).

[amvince]

In case this comes up again my bike has Bias Ply tires. Shouldn't make a difference Bias or Radial though.

[falcon]

As far as car tyres goes I have plugged approx 10. I havent had a problem with any of them. One I did 3.000Km in two weeks after the repair (Brisbane to Melbourne), and after checking it had lost 1 psi. All these holes were nail and screw holes. (pencil wouldn't push in.) No balance or other problems. I have not done a bike tyre, however I have the plug kit and a Co2 inflater just in case of emergency. In general bias have canvas belts and radial steel belts and are generally only recommended for patching from inside due to steel cutting the plug, I've plugged both.

But lets face it who wants to travel at high speed (legal) with tyres you aren't happy with. My life is certainly worth a new tyre

[B-Rex]

Originally Posted by falcon

But lets face it who wants to travel at high speed (legal) with tyres you aren't happy with. My life is certainly worth a new tyre

I guess that's the gist of it. We each have our respective concerns and idiosyncratic fears. Mine is another blowout. I don't even begin to claim my fear of plug/patched tires is particularly rational. It's just that we were never allowed to run them on the strip (that was lonnnng ago, I admit) and even so, I still had blowouts.

A rear blowout is not so bad if you stay off the brake. But a front blowout, on the highway and on my B-King, really concerns me. My one on the track happened so fast that the tire was off the rim before I could let go of the brake. You'd be amazed at how poorly a front rim turns when buried in the tarmac. Instant high-side!

B-Rex

[themeatmanlandry]

FWIW, I usually just put a cheapo automotive plug in there and ride. No problems yet.

[B-Rex]

I think it would be interesting to have some statistics regarding plugged/patched motorcycle tires. I don't even know if they maintain databases on them. If all they ever do is is slow leak, maybe I could quit being such a wuss and get over my fear of them.

Until then, I'm sending my holy tires to Landry

B-Rex

[Clint]

I've actually known more riders on internet forums who died riding than the number of true blowouts I've heard of. That's how rare they seem to be.

[wookie]

On the bike, the only "plug" experience I have is with a rear tire on an SV650S. The specific tire was a Dunlop D220 tire in the 160/60ZR-17 size.

It had about 800 miles when the puncture occurred. The hole was located approximately 1/2 to 3/4 in from the centerline of the tire. A local shop plugged it from the inside and the tire lasted another 6,000 highway and twisty miles (about 60/40 splits) with no ill effects. Max speed with the plug on would be about 80+ mph on straight and about 30 to 40 mph with a 35-degree lean angle.

My 2 cents.