Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Specter]

So I pay 300 dollars for a new back tire on my bike and it's not even 300 miles and the M fucker already has a screw in it.
Im not throwing away a new god damned tire.  The screw is small so unlike the last tire, it's not a broken glass gash that is going to spread.

With that, I am going to plug it, and put some of that Ride-On tire sealant into the tire.  Ive been looking on the net and on you tube and the company has pretty high reviews.  The slime stuff, many don't like but say this works much better.  Im going to try it before I have to shit can a 300 dollar fkn tire after less than 2 weeks.  The company guarantees it and says it's good for high speed as well, so don't see that I have a lot to lose, just keep an eye on the tire pressure more often than a non road molested tire.

Does anyone have any experience with this product, and how did it work for you?

Thank you
Aaron

[jotjotde]

That stuff is most probably the same as you can buy in spraycans to temporarily mend and reinflate a damaged tire. I used this once when I had a flat with my car and it got me rolling again (reduced speed), but I went to buy new tires immediately after that.

For bicycles with tubeless tires it is recommended to change the sealant twice a year (!). IMO these fluids do not repair anything they just plug the hole temporarily. Besides that it is a bioody mess for anyone who has to change the tire later. The rim has to be cleaned thoroughly before a new tire can be put on.

Summarizing, I would not recommend this.

Alternative 1: My tire dealer repairs punctured tires if some preconditions are met (e.g. regarding location and size of the hole). As far as I understood him, a conical rubber plug is pressed into the hole from the tire's inside with vulcanisation fluid. Cost are (car tyre) in the region of 40 Euros. It is an accepted safe practice here.

Alternative 2: To keep the economic impact of a damaged tire as small as possible, consider getting a tyre insurance. IDK if something like that is available in the US. Cost are around 30 Euro, depending what exactly is included and the insurance's duration.

[Specter]

In the US, you are very hard pressed to find anyone who will patch / plug a bike tire because of liability issues.  I called around to 7 places, all 7 said essentially, 'Corporate Policy Says NO'.  Tire insurance, i know they offer that for cars but for bikes, that i am not sure about, but I know what calls I'll be making later today that's for sure!

I understand the general feelings of don't plug, replace the tire, however if you go on the net, the split on that is about even, many saying it's good, others saying you'll DIE!! with every step in between.  Given the simplicity of the puncture and the fact it's pretty much smack in the center of the tire I am going to give it a try.  I'll plug it first to seal it up, then put the goop in and see how it works.  i spent most of yesterday researching on it and for the most part, this stuff has really good reviews, (and not just by people whoring their amazon links either).   Also yes, im probably slightly biased as well since I just spent 300 on the damned tire and do NOT want to hunk it after a few hundred miles!  If it was gashed, yah that'd be one thing but this right here, I think is entirely fixable.

One thing I heard many times over is,  Ride-On is NOT slime, it actually works!  If one or two people said it, I'd be like ok, you had a bad experience with slime, but when so many are saying that, there must be something to that.   They also claim it's super easy to wash out as well and water soluable and safe for the environment.

I ordered some and it should be here in a few days.  I'll give it a shot and report back here how it works.

Here is the webaite for the site if anyone is interested in what they got:

https://www.ride-onshop.com/Products-Motorcycles.html

Aaron

[Richard230]

I would agree that Slime and plugged tires do not mix. I had a flat on my Zero's rear tubeless tire then plugged it and added Slime as a backup. After a few miles the slime started to leak past the plug and then the plug blew out of the tire, causing a flat again. The slime had lubricated the plugged hole. After that I cleaned out the Slime with water, wiped it up with a rag, cleaned the hole with alcohol, and reinstalled another plug. That plug worked for another 5K miles, until I replaced the tire, without loosing a bit of air.

Having said that, I have no experience with Ride-On Tire Sealant.

[Specter]

Richard, I have heard people say that a lot about the slime, the overall sentiment tends to be, it's not that good.  The ride on supposedly would find those leaks and plug them almost immediately.

I got mine plugged right now, the screw was so thin I had a hell of a time getting the reamer into the hole to clean it out for the plug.  Everything is plugged now, holding air tight and working fine.  I'll check my air pressure every time now that I ride just to be sure, which I do first thing when I get on the bike for the day anyways, but now it's every time period I get on.

Im debating whether I should put the stuff in anyways, like they recommend, or just wait until I get another flat, which, at my rate, should be next tuesday at 4:24 pm

Aaron

[ESokoloff]

I’ve plugged countless tires over two decades & pushing 1/4 million miles of riding.

I’ve mostly used this https://www.nealeytirerepairkit.com/product-page/copy-of-mini-repair-kit
Install dry without any additional sealant added.
I
Run the tires down to the cords with or without patches. 

[Specter]

I’ve plugged countless tires over two decades & pushing 1/4 million miles of riding.

I’ve mostly used this https://www.nealeytirerepairkit.com/product-page/copy-of-mini-repair-kit
Install dry without any additional sealant added.
I
Run the tires down to the cords with or without patches.

and THIS is exactly why I am plugging the tire and giving it a whirl.  I have heard many people who say if the plug is done right and the tear is not past the point that it is NOT fixable, then you should easily be able to run the tire down to where you need to replace it anyways.  Then there is the crowd who say, nope, always replace no matter what, which I can see the mindset on that as well,  especially if you are a track runner!

I have had people tell me that the reason why plugs don't work on motorcycle tires is because they don't have belts in them like normal radial tires do, yet SEE the belts / chords when I am trying to force a plug in a small hole.

Many people see something said, and go, oh, he has a YT motorcycle channel so it MUST be true!  umm, ok, if you say so 

This time I hit my tire with a small screw, very symmetrical fault, very easy to fix and so far it's holding very well.  The last time I flattened the tire it was a tear in it or gash, so not a symmetrical fault, probably on the edge of 'max size pluggable' so with that, if it is not cleaned out perfectly or honed out, yah I can see where the plug can eventually cause trouble, leak and blow out.

The pirelli's that came with the bike seemed awful thin too, not a lot of beef at all on those tires.  These Michelin 6's I got, VERY beefy rugged tire, a lot more mass for a plug to adhere and grab onto.

I am going to put some TPMS plugs on  it and monitor my tires that way from now on as well.  Then if I see something getting wonky, I can get pulled over and fixed before I find out I have a flat by the bike getting fishy at the top of a bridge doing 80 MPH.

This Ride-On sounds almost too good to be true, but it's not stupid expensive so I am willing to give it a shot and give an honest review of it.  Back in the day this newfangled  .what did they call it?  oh yah,  Electricity... that sounds to good to be true! No more lamp oil and wax to light the barn? Hmm, I dunno.  You just never know.

Aaron

[Richard230]

Years ago I bought a box of Chinese motorcycle pluggers that looked just like plastic sheet metal screws. That seemed like a quick and easy solution to plugging a tubeless tire. Just pull out the metal nail and screw in a plastic screw. No need to ream out the hole and try to push in a thick rope or other typical plugging system. An interesting concept, but I never had the guts to give it a try and eventually I lost the box somewhere, probably somewhere in the frame of a bike that I sold. 

[Specter]

they still sell those plugs today, it's got a little whip or tail on it that pulls it against the inside of the tire and then clips / sets the thing and the glue is supposedly holding it there, the concept being you are plugging from the INSIDE of the tire too which should help.

Overall, the critiques on these have been less than favorable.  They are cumbersome, and don't work very well, the biggest complaint, they don't seal very well and if you dink with them any, they fall right off and now that little plug is rattling around inside your tire.  I think they call them mushroom plugs or mushroom head plugs.

I may be wrong, time will tell but I find it hard to believe that a small puncture made by a nail or screw that is clean, can NOT be plugged safely. 

I think a lot of that hubris is lawyers.  They don't want ANY chance some clown runs over a spark plug, crams 5 plugs into the tire, gets it to seal somehow, tries to ride it, it pukes them up, they wreck and now its YOUR FAULT, because you said it could plug small holes and it didn't.  The crux being,  define 'small'.   so they say never and they are blanked covered.

Aaron

[ESokoloff]

When I picked up my lovingly used 2016 DSR back in 2017 I purchased a Fobo TPMS https://my-fobo.com/product-family/FOBO_Bike_2
I’ve put over 80k miles on it since.
I use rechargeable 2032 batteries & found that the most frustrating aspect to these was coming up with a way of adding air without removing the sensor. 
Ended up fabricating my own “Tees” as I couldn’t find anything on the market I liked. 
You probably already know but it’s worth repeating, you can’t add any sealer to a tire with a TBMS.

[Specter]

Actually, there are several brands of TPMS that are hermetically sealed so you can add sealant without causing harm to them.  The cheap ones you find on E bay id not do it but some of the better ones you can.  I'll have to look at a brand name and see if i can find something about this, maybe a list somewhere of which are good, which are not.

Aaron

[ESokoloff]

I wouldn’t trust a plugged tire that also has sealant inside due to concerns that they would not play nice with each other. But that’s just me. 

[Specter]

They claim that it works fine with plugs, in fact, tell you if you removed something and plug it, ride the bike immediately so the stuff can get in, do it's job and re disperse.  They say if a plug starts leaking, it will slide in as the air is escaping and seal it up and that will plug the hole.

THAT is what I am wondering about,  is the velocity of the air traveling through the hole critical to it doing it's job, otherwise why wouldn't it just set up on it's own inside the tire due to inertia of just rotational movement?

I have heard others say that with slime, it kind of lubricates the plug, which makes it work it's way and blow out, this stuff specifically states NO it will NOT do that.

I know, I know, sounds too good to be true, but well, Im willing to give it a try.  The screw hole was very small, even though i reamed it out to manage to squeeze the plug in, it kind of 'puckered' back shut around it, so I am fairly confident that if it did come out it'd be a slower leak and Id have warning, and it'd not be a 10 second from 35 psi to 0 and you are wibbling and wobbling all over.

Im going to probably treat the tire next week after I get back from my cycling / racing school and keep a real close eye on it for a good month or so until I feel it's not going to let loose or slow leak out.

Hopefully I remember this thread and can keep people updated.  HOPEFULLY ----  I don't have any more events, or prevented events to further test it's claims but  well, we will see.  Id LOVE to say, yep it lasted until the treads were showing and I got a new tire, and not, yep I ran over 5 more screws and nails, and it plugged them!.

That is one other thing they tell you, if you Do run over a nail or something, even though it WILL seal up around it, you really need to remove it because riding on it is just going to wiggle it around, make the hole bigger, and possibly damage the tire more.  They also say to immediately after removal, ride the bike so the sealant moves around and seals the tire completely and properly, and it re disperses itself to balance out the tire.

Aaron

[Demoni]

Hope the plug lets you get your money's worth out of the new rubber.

Plugs are considered temporary repairs by most motorcycle tire manufactures. They can last a long time but do have some downsides:
Failure over time - The quality of the plug matters! Tires flex and go through heat cycles, if the plug gets hard over time it will be unable to match these changes causing the plug to fail or the tire to leak.
Delamination - Plugs do not create a air tight seal between the various layers of rubber the tire is made of. If air gets trapped between the layers it can cause separation or bulges to form.
Internal tire damage - Without removing the tire from the rim there is no way to know if there is damage to the tires interior.

A tire patch is the "correct" way to permanently repair a punctured tire. However if you do not have the ability to remove the wheel from your bike, dismount and mount the tire yourself the labor involved in the process can make it expensive.
Also as you have seen a lot of moto shops do not want to perform this service due to the liability.

Here is a good article showing the steps https://www.motorcyclistonline.com/how-to-permanently-repair-flat-tubeless-motorcycle-tire/ There are also a number of online tutorials showing "easy" ways to remove a moto tire.

I have not tried tire sealant in a moto tire before. It does work great in my mountain bike tires though my brand of choice is Stan's, it's latex based and lasts about 8 months before drying up. Seems there are a lot of offroad motorcycle riders that swear by it. What ever you do make sure you tell the shop you have change you tires about anything you put inside your tires.

[Specter]

that is always first priority tell the shop you put something in the tire so they know what to expect.  it's not as dangerous today but in the past, some of the inflation stuff used butane or other flammable mixtures and when working on the tire, if there was a flame around, it could be a bad for everyone involved.

i don't have the ability to mount / unmount tires.  Eventually i may, but what i am thinking of here is, since i am going to be running my ribelle on track days is just buying the entire wheel assembly (yes i know a bit expensive) but a replacement that has my racing tires on it, so that when i need to change the tires out, i just swap out the entire wheel.  no need to worry about rebalancing every time you mount / unmount not to mention the stretching wear on it by doing that.  Eventually though i may get a machine that lets me do my own tires, but waiting on my headstand first, IF  ... a certain company ever ships it along with my brake lever!!

Aaron