Plug vs. Patch

[etravis2]

Does anyone know if it is OK to plug a rear tire or do you have to patch them? It is a tubeless tire.

[rphillips]

Wouldn't recommend a plug, except to get you home. They will work & would probably would be ok, but why chance it. Best fix is a patch plug.

[chiphead]

IMHO if you need a plug or a patch, replace the tire. You only have two that's keeping you from eating asphalt.

[Roadrash]

I have to agree don't chance it. The cost of a new tire is not worth putting your health at risk.

[TheCafeKid]

Replace. Or..BECOME a patch...


"Nah o'er yander is whay-er yer cousin's tah-er on his motorcickle blowed up and that patch is whats left of heem..."

[lurch12_2000]

Does anyone know if it is OK to plug a rear tire or do you have to patch them? It is a tubeless tire.

REPLACE the tire! Plugs may work to carefully get you home a short distance.
Plugs are only safely allowed on car tires between the tread lines and not anywhere near the sidewalls. On a bike, when you are cornering the center part of the tread essentially becomes the sidewall and would you trust your plug to hold pressure during flexing of the tire?
Same idea with a patch.
Why risk it especially when you can get a good Cheng Shin HiMaxx rear tire for $45.

[82Shafty]

Bite the bullet and get yourself a new skin.

[Karl]

Eeeek! Replace.

[rphillips]

A little common sense anyone. Don't pay a bike shop $25 to fix a $15 worn out tire. But a $100 tire is another thing. A patch plug is both a plug & a patch made together. The plug fills the hole from the inside, & the patch seals it from the inside. Each of us should do whatever we feel comfortable with. I'm comfortable with a patch plug. Never seen a problem from one, but I'm suer someone has. If anyone is scared of the patch plug, replace the tire, & everyone should be happy. But please, a little common sense.

[Skyboy8950]

What ever happened to chewing gum?

[Karl]

Sure. Everyone needs to do what they can live with. In most cases advice is just opinion. There are millions of motorcyclists around the world who do things I'd never dream of (look at the helmet vs. no helmet controversy, or the way they haul freight on little bikes in Asia).

Personally, I never scrimp on tires.

It also depends on what kind of riding you do. I had a rear tire go on a local byway at around 45 mph and it wasn't bad, but I wouldn't jet around on the interstate without knowing I had as good a set of tires on as I could practically afford.

Just 2 cents!!

[bwringer]

I've used string plugs a few times to get home and beyond, and they've always worked fine.

I've also used a Stop-n-Go tire plugger a few times, and learned that despite it's impressive weight and bulk, the Stop-n-Go plugs don't work worth squat. Every last one of these I tried in motorcycle tires worked its way out. I patched one tire six times in two days before I could get a replacement.

I also installed an interior patch once, more out of curiosity than thrift, and it worked perfectly well for a couple thousand more miles.

The point is, your tire isn't going to blow up and strike you dead with poisonous rubber shrapnel if you plug a simple puncture and the patch fails for some reason. The tire will simply slowly go flat again. Stay tuned for any low tire wiggles, carry an air pump and more plugs and glue, and get where you're going. Don't let it ruin your trip.

There's no need to treat a plugged or patched tire like a loaded gun, fer Pete's sake.

Of course, if the puncture is ragged, large, in the sidewall, or is causing the layers to delaminate, your trip definitely is over.

[Planecrazy]

A little common sense anyone. Don't pay a bike shop $25 to fix a $15 worn out tire. But a $100 tire is another thing. A patch plug is both a plug & a patch made together. The plug fills the hole from the inside, & the patch seals it from the inside. Each of us should do whatever we feel comfortable with. I'm comfortable with a patch plug. Never seen a problem from one, but I'm suer someone has. If anyone is scared of the patch plug, replace the tire, & everyone should be happy. But please, a little common sense.

With all due respect, anyone with a modicum of common sense must see the logic in the fact that even spending $200 on a tire is CHEAP INSURANCE on your life. In a car you have four tires to keep you right side up, and even if one blows up the wheel will still help prevent a rollover. On a bike you have only two very small patches of rubber that must perform several tasks at once, and if either one fails at any speed it could be potentially disasterous. Is your life REALLY worth less than an expensive $200 tire (not to mention the many less expensive alternatives)?

Now I'm not suggesting that you shouldn't or can't use a plug or patch to safely (and cautiously) get your bike home after a blowout - I certainly WOULD use one for this purpose. However, to continue riding on a tire that has been compromised is like putting a ticking time bomb under your seat and hoping it goes off while you're not sitting on it. It's just not worth your life or the pain that goes with even a minor accident...

My .02

Regards,

[p_s]

With all due respect, anyone with a modicum of common sense must see the logic in the fact that even spending $200 on a tire is CHEAP INSURANCE on your life.

With all due respect, that seems like paranoia to me. The patch vulcanizes to the rubber tire. They become one. Do you have a $1k helmet or is your life worth less than $1k?

[Skyboy8950]

I think this thread is getting a little heated. Lets cool it down.

Like I always say, you can only change yourself, not others (edit: unless you beat them).