15K trouble-free miles on my last set of tires...

ilikefood

ilikefood

Well-known member
...and then I find a nail in the rear tire less than 300 miles after getting new tires installed!

At least it was a small clean hole that was easy to fix with a gummy worm plug, but still, the timing! I feel like I should either go out and buy a lottery ticket, or not leave the house for the next couple weeks.
 
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fubar929

Well-known member
ilikefood said:
At least it was a small clean hole that was easy to fix with a gummy worm plug, but still, the timing! I feel like I should either go out and buy a lottery ticket, or not leave the house for the next couple weeks.
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Better yet, take the tire to your favorite tire vendor and have them install a vulcanizing mushroom-shaped plug from the inside of the tire. Those gummy worms are a temporary repair only, in my experience...
 
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LectricBill

Kicks Gas
I'm convinced there's a pickup truck that uses a conveyor belt to lay down screws and nails.
The truck's owner contracts with tire salespeople to show up immediately after each customer buys new tires.

Mushroom plugs from the inside FTW.
 
OaklandF4i

OaklandF4i

Darwin's exception
ilikefood said:
...and then I find a nail in the rear tire less than 300 miles after getting new tires installed!

At least it was a small clean hole that was easy to fix with a gummy worm plug, but still, the timing! I feel like I should either go out and buy a lottery ticket, or not leave the house for the next couple weeks.
Click to expand...

I'm more interesting in knowing what tires you got 15k miles. Share your wisdom! :laughing

Nails suck. They are sneaky. I still have them showing up in my driveway 2 years after I rebuilt my shops roof. Sweep, vacuum, repeat. Looks all clear and a few weeks later another one shows up in the middle of my floor. Little buggers are tougher to rid myself of then bed bugs....... wait.... never mind... :rofl
 
ScottRNelson

ScottRNelson

Mr. Dual Sport Rider
ilikefood said:
...and then I find a nail in the rear tire less than 300 miles after getting new tires installed!

At least it was a small clean hole that was easy to fix with a gummy worm plug, but still, the timing! I feel like I should either go out and buy a lottery ticket, or not leave the house for the next couple weeks.
Click to expand...
Be happy you could patch it. The last time I had a new tire go flat it was from some sort of razor blade going through it. Even though it was a tube-type tire, I couldn't risk a 3/4" slice through the carcass for any sort of high speed riding. That razor blade cost me $200. :(
 
fraz

fraz

Well-known member
I got a nail once in a brand new tire... Couldn't pull it out, rode the tire all the way down to a slick. I def don't recommend as that was my dumb youth stunts. Not to mention I barely had money for the tire let alone somebody to dismount, fix, and remount it. Was always in the back of my mind and surprisingly, peacefully, wore down with the tire.
 
ilikefood

ilikefood

Well-known member
H.D.30-06 said:
Yes please share the info on the 15k tires.
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These are Michelin PR4 on my Multi 1100S that I use pretty much exclusively for commuting (about 30 miles each way, mostly on 101). I'd guess that on the highway, in high gears, the tire experiences a lot less thrust (or tearing force) than in other situations - accelerating from stop signs/lights, accelerating out of turns on a fun ride, and so on. Commuting on 101 you just spend a lot more miles going at a constant speed. I also keep my tire pressures pretty high, around 40-42 psi in the rear, and on top of that there is a good chance that my tire pressure gauge reads a bit low (I set the rear at 42 psi according to my gauge, but MotoTireGuy saw 45 psi on his gauge before he changed my tires).
 
ilikefood

ilikefood

Well-known member
fubar929 said:
Better yet, take the tire to your favorite tire vendor and have them install a vulcanizing mushroom-shaped plug from the inside of the tire. Those gummy worms are a temporary repair only, in my experience...
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I've had good experience with the gummy worm plugs (they are also self-vulcanizing, apparently). Over my almost 20 years of riding I plugged probably 5 or 6 tires that way, and rode them for many miles with no problems. YMMV (quite literally!).
 
FreeRyde

FreeRyde

The Curmudgeon
I patch/plug (with internal mushroom patches) tires all the time.
Between fixing friends tires, tires for work, family car tires, easily 25+ tires a year. My current tire on the back of my work bike has 3 internal mushroom plugs in it...
Most shops locally won't, or don't know how to do this correctly.

It took awhile to get a full proof system down, and a lot of research into what type of buffing tools, vulcanizing cement AND inner tire sealant (over the top of the patch and buffed area) is right to use. Since getting the system down I won't lose any pressure throughout the life of the tire, and will never ever worry about them little pesky ropes skeet'n out ruining my day.

The above video is a poor, half-assed job of using an internal mushroom plug IMO.
If anyone is interested, I'd be more than happy to show properly internally patch and plug a moto tire.
 
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two wheel tramp

two wheel tramp

exploring!
I have an internal plug in the Conti Trail Attack 2 that I am running on my big bike right now. Works great. Has several thousand miles on it and is running well.

Had some, uh... experiences with the ropey kind of plugs. Fine for in a pinch but I'll take an internal plug as a longer lasting repair.
 
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fubar929

Well-known member
Gary856 said:
According to most in this thread, mushroom plugs are junk, and ropes (= gummy worm) are good.

https://www.southbayriders.com/forums/threads/78236/
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Mushroom-shaped plugs inserted from the outside of the tire are junk.

Gummy worms/ropes/caterpillars are the best temporary road-side repair.

Vulcanizing mushroom-shaped plugs inserted from the inside of the tire are the only reliable, permanent repair for a puncture. I've run a plugged DOT race tire for four 100+-degree Central Valley track days without issues.
 
NorCal_SV650S

NorCal_SV650S

Well-known member
I just let my tires sit outside for like 5 years before installing/using them, that way they are so hard nothing sticks to them...
 
thedub

thedub

Octane Socks
FreeRyde said:
...The above video is a poor, half-assed job of using an internal mushroom plug IMO.
If anyone is interested, I'd be more than happy to show properly internally patch and plug a moto tire.
Click to expand...

You should make a better video.
 
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