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Tire Repair (w/plug)

R

RockyMt

Rocky
Joined
Feb 28, 2008
Location
East Bay Area
Moto(s)
RC51/Husaberg FS650C/Kawi ZRX1200R XR100 Rukus
Anyone here ever used a plug type tire repair? I've got a fresh Power One (rear) with a fat nail in the center :(........Never used one, the kit comes with glue, a sort of reaming/tap looking tool, and a T-bar knitting needle tool to thread the sort of pipe cleaner looking "plugs" that are like 5 inches long. My question;

Worth trying?
Safe?
How the fuck do you use 'em. (no instructions, and the usual helpfull shoulder shrug from the well trained "product specialist/Black Shirts" at Cycle Gear....)
Help please. :twofinger

Patchin' Guy.....
 
i've done it, and put a few thousand miles on the plug after doing so. planning to do it again soon as the current rear tire has some metal in it that doesn't belong... may or may not leak but i digress

-ream out the hole a little to make room for the plug
-put plug on the t-handle, in the middle, such that when inserted you get a double cross section of plug
-put adhesive on the plug and the tire
-insert plug
-twist 90 degrees and pull out
-leave it alone for a while
-trim excess, but don't worry about the last bit it'll wear off
 
I use them all the time. :thumbup
If you need help, I'm travelling up towards Martinez tonight and can make a pit-stop to give you a hand if you need. Or you can search youtube videos for some visuals :)

Basics:
- Remove nail (remember angle it came out).
- Insert reamer tool in the same angle (makes space for the plug).
- Put plug into insertion tool, coat with rubber cement.
- Stick it in the hole at the same angle. Remember to pull out before it goes all the way in. (slight innuendo not intended :p)
- Cut off excess, leave a small nub (1-2mm is usually fine - don't cut flush).
- Let it sit to cure. Pump up the tire and ride around a bit to heat up the tire and vulcanize the rubber.
- Come back and do the bubble test to check if the plug is holding.


With a power one... are you riding trackdays with it? If so, I wouldn't recommend it. :angel
 
THANK YOU everyone! 3 replies in 5 minutes, gotta love teh BARF! :twofinger

Pluggin' Guy!
 
I've used the plugs alot and on one occasion when I did not have the kit w/ me I walked over to K mart, picked up the plugs and glue then inserted it w/ a screw driver from the tool kit. Then pushed the bike over to a gas station to fill the tire.

Even though I have run them for the life of the tire I now take the tire off and patch it from the inside when I have time. For some reason my touring tires hold the plug fine but I have thrown them free from the sport tires on occasion. It may be due to the thinner / lighter cases. I don't know.

Like others have said......clean and scuff up the hole good. Be generous w/ the glue and let it set a bit. Make sure and cut off any left outside the tire.

oops......covered better by others. excuse the repost.
 
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Plugs should only be used as a TEMPORARY fix. A permanent fix is to remove the tire and get it patched from the inside, usually done by a tire shop.
 
Outside-In type repairs are considered a temporary repair.

Inside-Out type repairs are the recommended permanent fix, but this requires removing the tire from the wheel for installation. I would suggest using the UniSeal type plug.
 

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TurboTiger said:
Plugs should only be used as a TEMPORARY fix. A permanent fix is to remove the tire and get it patched from the inside, usually done by a tire shop.
Click to expand...

YMMV, some people say you shouldn't trust your life to that kind of patch. others claim to have patched a tire and done one (or more) track days on the same tire. you'll hafta make your own decision.

personally, i have no problems running a patched tire. hell, i've gone thousands of mile on a tire with multiple patches. :ride
 
mototireguy said:
Outside-In type repairs are considered a temporary repair.

Inside-Out type repairs are the recommended permanent fix, but this requires removing the tire from the wheel for installation. I would suggest using the UniSeal type plug.
Click to expand...

+1 I have excellent experience with these. The last one I had done wore down until end of tread life and survived ludicrous speeds.



The "corded" repairs haven't been so good to me. The one time I had one, it survived ok until I decided to test it at "higher" speeds....and it started leaking (badly). I'd only use it again to "get home"

I WOULD like to get the "mushroom" plugs, I hear they do better :dunno
 
I've never seen a rope plug fail, like the one you describe Rocky, and I've installed hundreds in cars, dozens in motorcycles.

I have, however, seen plenty of gimmick plugs fail, especially umbrella style.
 
TurboTiger said:
Plugs should only be used as a TEMPORARY fix. A permanent fix is to remove the tire and get it patched from the inside, usually done by a tire shop.
Click to expand...

Tires aren't permanent, so nothing is a permanent fix. I've never done an inside-out patch and have done plenty of outside-in, without problem.
 
I've used 'em - the outside-in type of plugs. Never had a problem.

I consider them temporary - when the tire is worn out, I throw them out with the tire and don't try to reuse them!:p
 
in 3 1/2 yrs as a tire-monkey from 2003-2007, i repaired 100s of failed rope plug attempts, cleaned Slime out of 100s of tires, and successfully installed 1000s of combi repairs (plug/patch combo). honestly, if u dont know all the proper steps for installing any repair in a tire, u shouldnt waste your time.

Motech said:
I've never seen a rope plug fail, like the one you describe Rocky, and I've installed hundreds in cars, dozens in motorcycles.

I have, however, seen plenty of gimmick plugs fail, especially umbrella style.
Click to expand...

thats cuz when it fails, that person goes elsewhere for a diff fix :p

worst thing that happens if a rope plug fails is that the tire deflates completely in about 5 seconds. same thing could happen if u ran something nasty over :dunno
 
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Thanks again everyone for the help! (if anyone see's an old turd pushing an RC51 with a flat back tire, wave, it's me!) :twofinger

Patchin' Try! :thumbup
 
stangmx13 said:
in 3 1/2 yrs as a tire-monkey from 2003-2007, i repaired 100s of failed attempts w/ rope plugs, cleaned Slime out of 100s of tires, and successfully installed 1000s of combi repairs (plug/patch combo). honestly, if u dont know all the proper steps for installing any repair in a tire, u shouldnt waste your time.



thats cuz when it fails, that person goes elsewhere for a diff fix :p

worst thing that happens if a rope plug fails is that the tire deflates completely in about 5 seconds. same thing could happen if u ran something nasty over :dunno
Click to expand...


:laughing

good points


I've probably done hundreds of rope repairs on car tires, I just got new tires for my jetta and one of the old ones had 8 rope plugs in it !!

I attribute my lack of success with the motorcycle tire to two things;
1) tire carcass for mc tire is DAMN thin, not much for rope to hang on to
2) hole was more than just a plain hole, object entered at a pretty severe angle.
 
mototireguy said:
Outside-In type repairs are considered a temporary repair.

Inside-Out type repairs are the recommended permanent fix, but this requires removing the tire from the wheel for installation. I would suggest using the UniSeal type plug.
Click to expand...

All should heed mototireguy! Repairs from the outside are only temporary and should only be used when there are no other options. At the VERY FIRST OPPORTUNITY, the tire should be unmounted, the temp fix removed, and a proper fix done from the inside. Otherwise you're flirting with disaster, regardless of how many stories you hear of letting the temp plug stay there.
 
ST Guy said:
All should heed mototireguy! Repairs from the outside are only temporary and should only be used when there are no other options. At the VERY FIRST OPPORTUNITY, the tire should be unmounted, the temp fix removed, and a proper fix done from the inside. Otherwise you're flirting with disaster, regardless of how many stories you hear of letting the temp plug stay there.
Click to expand...

I do agree. I would not hesitate to run a plugged tire on a cage for the life of the tire. But on a bike where you have only 2 tires holding ya up it's too big of risk. That said I have heard a lot of tire shops will not patch motorcycle tires due to liability reasons so the question is who does patch motorcycle tires. I live in Antioch.
 
Odd I plugged my tire today. and started a search here to seek info

Walked out of work and found it flat in the bottom......

Sheet Rock Screw :mad

So I pull it out, ream it out and in goes the Plug.
Pull out my Co2 and F%^%*k I forgot I ordered a 4 pack and its still at Gilroy Cycle and I have 1 45 gram left.

5 minutes later, I am on 101 heading south for a very brisk 32 mile ride to MH. The plug held with a slightly under inflated tire. 45 grams of Co2 is around 28 lbs I believe.

I did not think I did a good job plugging it, so I pulled it out, reamed it again and got a good plug in it that I am comfortable with. No leak, pressure is 40lbs for the night and will check and adjust in the AM.

So the Question is
How much do you trust plugged tires?

I am commuting 60 miles round trip. My first thought, time to get new shoes.
 
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