I got screwed

[Chrisj CMA]

Well, actually I didnt.....my rear tire did.  I rolled the bike out today to go for a ride and little voice said to check the tire pressure.  Dang and I had just removed them little indicator thinggys, didnt care for them and didnt trust them.  Anyways the front was down a couple pounds but the rear was down to 20lb.  Holy air pressure Batman.......never been that low.......spun the wheel, sure enough found the screw.

Well it was a rather small screw and it made a very neat little hole so I thought it was perfect to try my experiment.

I have the stop-n-go plugger.  The directions say you dont need glue, and I have had good results not using glue, but I have also had some that still leaked a tiny bit after plugging.  

So I have this small tube of tire patch glue, and before I inserted the plugger tool I squirted some in the hole and also put some on the plug behind the ears of the mushroom.

After the plug was inserted there was a nice bead of glue all around the plug and it dried nicely.  I put soap and water on the plug after airing up the tire and  no leak whatsoever.  I think Ill leave that thing there and see how it does, the tire is near half used....(about 9K miles on it) and I just did the rear end......dont want to bust it open, so we shall see  

[Brian]

Chris,
I assume you do not run "Ride On" in your tires. It may have helped you here. good thing you checked your tire pressure before heading out. I learnt to check my tires once a week. We live near a land fill and the main roads the garbage trucks and the construction contractors use we also use. In the 15 years of living here I have had nails and screws in 4 MC tires and two truck tires. The one truck tire had two plugs it when I sold it.

Currently ride on is working great on my rear tire with a small nail still in it. So far no problems as the nail wears down with the tread.

Good luck. Keep us posted.

[Sourdough]

Chris,
I had a flat rear tire at the VOA rally in Keystone last summer. Used the StopNGo plug
(small screw like yours) and it worked perfectly. Checked it every day and no leaks.
Put on another 300 or so in Keystone. Decided to take a chance and drive home with the plugged tire. I drove almost 1000 mi home and never had an issue. Feeling confident I
decided to push it and drove another 450 to Olympia Wa to see my BIL.   
Got to his driveway and found my rear tire flat. Pushed it in the garage and it was leaking from the same hole I had plugged; but could find no evidence of a plug. I have no clue where it went. Tried to replug it and it wouldn't hold. Of course, had to buy a new tire to get home.
After reading your post I will carry some patch glue with me.. however I won't push my luck quite that far again. 

[Valk55]

Chris,
That is so weird. I found a drywall screw in my rear tire a couple weeks ago in almost the exact same spot. Just got a new tire on it last week.

[John U.]

I use a plug gun and plugs from Patchboy. They recommend using glue which acts as a lubricant to help get the plug through the gun's tube and into the tire. I have had a plug in a rear tire that I picked up a nail in when the tire was fairly new, seems to be my luck.

The plug has now been in there for close to 8,000 miles.
It's holding just fine and doesn't leak, no Ride-on.
I guess it depends on where the nail or screw is and how big it is.

The Patchboy plug gun has a larger nozzle and plugs but I can't comment on how well they work, I've only needed the small plugs. The only down side to it is it's kind of big and by the time you carry the gun, plugs, reamer and cement it takes up some room. Oh, and of course you need an air pump to be truly self sufficient.

[sandy]

Two years ago I put a Stop n Go in the rear of my Wing. Then pulled a tent trailer 2500 miles and finished wearing it out. No leaks.

[Chrisj CMA]

Thanks......hearing they can last that long confirms my hope that I will wear this tire out before I have to take it off 

[BF]

Jeff...and the rest of you guys:  Which Stop n go kit do ya'll recommend.  I'm thinking this one.....

http://www.stopngo.com/products/TUBELESS-PUNCTURE-PILOT.html

Or is the rope kind better than the little mushroom plugs?

[GOOSE]

bf....you don't have to buy that kit with the compressor, you can get either of the two smaller ones, and get you a Co2 inflater with cartridges.  i carry one in each of my bikes.  these plugs are alot better than the rope ones.

[Chrisj CMA]

Jeff...and the rest of you guys:  Which Stop n go kit do ya'll recommend.  I'm thinking this one.....

http://www.stopngo.com/products/TUBELESS-PUNCTURE-PILOT.html

Or is the rope kind better than the little mushroom plugs?

Bruce, that is the same stop-n-go I have and its great......but as Goose said, thats an expensive compressor.  You can get the plugger without the compressor and then find the compressor at a local store for much less......

That is a similar set up that I have.  I prefer the compressor over the co2 because unless the compressor breaks, you wont run out of air.  It might take more c02 than you are packing (worst case scenario)

[Jess from VA]

I have always heard the stringy plugs are better than the mushroom plugs, because you can tailor the plug to the size of the hole better.  A small nail hole may take one string.... with the mushroom plugs, you may have to auger out the hole much larger to get it in.

Just what I have read, I have no experience with bike flats (in 30 years)......... that was probably a mistake. 

[Chrisj CMA]

I have always heard the stringy plugs are better than the mushroom plugs, because you can tailor the plug to the size of the hole better.  A small nail hole may take one string.... with the mushroom plugs, you may have to auger out the hole much larger to get it in.

Just what I have read, I have no experience with bike flats (in 30 years)......... that was probably a mistake. 

you dont have to auger out the hole......just insert the toothy thing once to get the belts to play nice and leave teh hole as small as you can........tight fit......ya,ya,ya   I know........but it works

[Jess from VA]

OK....... like I said, no practical experience.  Just luck.

But how come all the tire kits come with a plugger and an auger/reemer?

[Chrisj CMA]

OK....... like I said, no practical experience.  Just luck.

But how come all the tire kits come with a plugger and an auger/reemer?

I tried to not use that reamer thing and I found the tool would get hung up in the steel belts and buggar them up so the plug had a hard time finding a seat.  So now I carefully twist that auger in give it a spin once in and gently pull it out.....no sawing action.  Just an attempt to smooth the injury to the belts enough to allow a clean entry of the plug.  Hope that makes some sense

[Rosie]

I dont think the use of the glue will do much for sealing, but wont hurt, good lubricant  for pulling it thru. Would have to be raw rubber on plug to actually bond with the glue.
Which tool are we using the gun or the allen wrench one. Also do you like that rim turning thing under the wheel, thinking of getting one Harber Freight ?

[Chrisj CMA]

I dont think the use of the glue will do much for sealing, but wont hurt, good lubricant  for pulling it thru. Would have to be raw rubber on plug to actually bond with the glue.
Which tool are we using the gun or the allen wrench one. Also do you like that rim turning thing under the wheel, thinking of getting one Harber Freight ?

I like the allen wrench one simply because its smaller......also seems harder to break.  I love that wheel thing....a friend gave it to me when he sold his GW.  makes cleaning that rear wheel a lot easier if I dont feel like getting the lift out

[Sigrún]

Dang and I had just removed them little indicator thinggys, didnt care for them and didnt trust them.

A total sideline I know but my curiosity got the better of me. Why and...... why not?

[Chrisj CMA]

Dang and I had just removed them little indicator thinggys, didnt care for them and didnt trust them.

A total sideline I know but my curiosity got the better of me. Why and...... why not?

took too much pressure change for them to indicate a change......might as well not have em

[Sigrún]

took too much pressure change for them to indicate a change......might as well not have em

OK thanks for clearing that out Chrisj. Was just wondering since I got Orange TPMS on mine not too long ago and have been deliriously happy with them. But I agree, if the sensors are non-responsive, they're really no good

[shortleg]

 I think Patch Boy plugs are vulcanized.
  The ones that come with Stop and go are not.
        Shortleg[Dave]

[BF]

I think Patch Boy plugs are vulcanized.
  The ones that come with Stop and go are not.
        Shortleg[Dave]

Will the Patch Boy plugs work with the Stop-N-Go plugger?

Here's the P/B plugs....

http://patchboy.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=P&Product_Code=12-213&Category_Code=PL

[Chrisj CMA]

Bruce, I cannot guarantee they will work, but they are the same diameter, and as long as they arent more than 3/4" in length I cannot see any reason they wouldnt work in the stop-n-go machines

[cookiedough]

9K on a rear tire and only 1/2 used up is excellent mileage on any bike tire.  Tire still looks to be in pretty good shape, just don't take any hard left hand turns and you should be fine for a few 1,000 miles more.  Just going to have to check tire pressure at least once per week if not more.  First sign of psi loss of more than 2-3 psi,  I'd consider changing the tire.  180 bucks or so is not much to spend to keep you living longer in case of a blowout. 

I've had very good luck with screws being plugged and patched on car tires lasting forever, but my opinion ONLY,  on a cycle tire, I would be replacing that tire at the first good deal I see on a new tire.  My .02 cents.  Not worth a blowout and the headache in case in the middle of nowhere.

[Ricky-D]

You do not get a "blowout" from a screw or nail puncture in a tubeless tire.

That is why cast wheels and tubeless tires are one of the latest and greatest safety improvements made on motorcycles.

Of course there are those that will relate their own personal experience, contradicting what I say, and still yet, not deny the truth of what I say.

Go figure.

***

[Chrisj CMA]

You do not get a "blowout" from a screw or nail puncture in a tubeless tire.

That is why cast wheels and tubeless tires are one of the latest and greatest safety improvements made on motorcycles.

Of course there are those that will relate their own personal experience, contradicting what I say, and still yet, not deny the truth of what I say.

Go figure.

***

I had the closest thing to a blowout........blown valve stem.....got a little squirrly back there so I pulled off the road....No flaming death.  42 to 0 psi in 3 seconds and it was no problem.

[Chrisj CMA]

9K on a rear tire and only 1/2 used up is excellent mileage on any bike tire.  Tire still looks to be in pretty good shape, just don't take any hard left hand turns and you should be fine for a few 1,000 miles more.  Just going to have to check tire pressure at least once per week if not more.  First sign of psi loss of more than 2-3 psi,  I'd consider changing the tire.  180 bucks or so is not much to spend to keep you living longer in case of a blowout. 

I've had very good luck with screws being plugged and patched on car tires lasting forever, but my opinion ONLY,  on a cycle tire, I would be replacing that tire at the first good deal I see on a new tire.  My .02 cents.  Not worth a blowout and the headache in case in the middle of nowhere.

Yeah, Im planning on 11K more miles and the hard lefts are fine they will be well past the plug......on what I call the "free rubber"  I have had a couple plugs in over the years.......one leaked a bit so I had an internal patch plug put on...the other rode out the rest of the tire just fine.