Triumphrat

mikeinva · 05-10-2007

a small hole in a tube tire wont hurt a thing.If it bothers you get tire man to put a patch on the inside of tire.hell most drag cars have the wheel screwed to the tire to keep it from spining. tire companys want your money so you know they will tell you to buy a tire.

badrufus · 05-10-2007

THIS is what I reacted to:
Quote [ I put 5500 miles on a tire with 4 holes in it.]
No, I wouldn't ride on a plugged tire, new tube or not, but FOUR? At that point the integrity of the tire is compromised, and not even a tube made out of titanum will compensate. I objected to the idea that four plugs is no bid deal, and I still do. Folks get on here wondering about to spend their money on all kinds of things to get more horsepower, more torque, more top end, more low end, more of everything, but sometimes the ideas about how to save money go too far and THAT I object to. The last time I got huffy about something was when someone posted about a very cheap set of carb sticks he'd made, with the idea that he would really never need them again. That was bad information going out to lots of new Bonnie owners who are going to need to get proficient at carb balancing if they want the bike to run right. The idea that you can run on multiple plugs IMO falls in the same area. As I said, I wouldn't run on one plug longer than necessary to get the tire replaced, but that's my preference.

RedBird · 05-10-2007

I think we're doing a lot of talking comparing apples to oranges. I think you have a good, valid point, badrufus; however, your supporting material is talking about tubless tires and the repair of tubless tires using plugs (the internal plugs are MUCH better than the external plugs--a given). I believe a tube tire is much safer after repair or replacement of the tube than any tubless tire with any plug repair.

Can one ride for thousands of miles on a tube tire that has had a nail or two in it--with a patched tube or a new tube???...yes, certainly one can. Should the speed at which one rides be reduced???...YES, IMHO! These tires behave much differently than car tires--there are a lot of forces working on the tires and they usually wear out in a few miles compared to auto tires.

I hate the thought of a $125 dollar flat; however, I don't think I could hold the speed to a safe level, so I would replace the tire and tube and look at the tach go to 8100 rpm as usual. :-D

Larry

bmetz99 · 05-11-2007

Atthe risk of stirring things up a bit...

With the exception of the original tire, I've plugged EVERY rear tubeless tire on my '99 SV650 (six or seven of them). New tires seem to have a magnetic attraction for nails, screws, and even huge packing crate staples. The vast majority of the time I've had to plug the tire within 200 miles of purchase. And they've worked perfecly well, up to the point where the tread reaches the wear bars. Never problem one with even the tiniest bit of air leakage, to say nothing of any sort of sudden loss of pressure.

You do have to be careful- sidewall damage effectively turns the tire to garbage. But in-the-tread punctures seem to respond perfectly well to plugging. Do the tire manufacturers recommend it? Certainly not- given the potential for an ugly lawsuit in the event of a plug failure (even if it was improperly performed) their army of lawyers won't let them breathe word one about plugging. And one doesn't have to be completely cynical to see they've got a vested interest in selling replacement tires.

Put it this way- I defy you to fine ONE documented case of catastrophic carcass failure in a motorcycle tire that has been properly plugged. It just doesn't happen. My personal experience with my (way too aggressively ridden) SV650 bears this out. A simple, straight-through puncture doesn't seem to create enough damage to a tire's carcass to lead to failure. If you have doubts, I recommend you take a very sharp knife to your worn-out tire the next time you have one changed. Those buggers are TOUGH, and by design. Tubed or tubeless.

(Legal disclaimer, just like the big tire companies): I'm not a tire expert, and I may not know what I'm talking about. If you follow what you perceive to be my advice, you do so at your own risk and your own discretion. If you die from a tire failure, you automatically declare me to be not in any way responsible.

[ This message was edited by: bmetz99 on 2007-05-10 22:50 ]

tccox · 05-11-2007

Yea !!!!!!!! All is well. BMW of Charlotte were wonderful (even though I did'nt buy the bike from them.) Recommanded an excellent towing service (Guy spent at least 30 minutes loading the bike and tieing her down so no damage) The Charlotte dealer worked me in their very busy schedule and had bike repaired at the time they promised. And the charge was VERY reasonable. Only thing is while waiting I spent $280+ on farkles. Yep, had to get a centerstand. Plus a few other tidbits. So all is well and the ride back home just made me fall more in love with the bike. Just can'nt figure out though how a vertical twin is smoother than the ST1300 I just sold. But it is.......

Oh, had my first "older gentleman walk up and tell me about the Triumphs he used to own" experience today. Guess thats gonna happen alot.

stu · 05-11-2007

Has anyone tried regular spray can tire sealer on an inner tube to get you home?Its easy to put a new tube in then. In the UK in the 50s when bikes were a lot easier to work on I carried a spare tube, and changed it roadside on two occasions by laying the bike on its side on a grass verge. I also patched tubes roadside several times, pretty easy if you knew where the puncture was. THe thought of spending money on a new tyre because it had a small hole in it- you have to be kidding! But HP and speeds were much lower then (and it was a hell of a lot safer driving too).