Tire plugs..

[falconbrother]

Looking for your opinions on tire plugs.  In years past I would ride all year on a tire plug.  These days I will replace the tire.  What do you do when you have had to plug a tire on your bike? 

BTW, on my car I will ride a plug to kingdom come. 

[h13man]

Put one in the rear stock Dunlop on my 1100 Spirit with 5000 mi. It stayed good @ 40 psi. until 12,000 + mi. change. I'd use them on the front in a emergency but only long enough to get the tire changed out.

[F6Dave]

I ride it until the tire wears out.  I've ridden around 600,000 miles and have used dozens of plugs.  The worst problem was that one developed a slow leak.  I've found that those sticky string types work the best.  They're really inexpensive, too.

[da prez]

  If a tire is in good shape , a combi-plug is the way to go. It installs from the inside. It is a patch and plug with a built in insertion needle (combi). These are safe at all speeds , but the tire must come off.
  A tubeless tire has a built in inner tube and using a plug will not seal the inside of the tire .The string plugs should be inserted to full depth and twisted two turns and pulled out and then cut off. This creates a mushroom effect inside of the tire. If you miss the entry hole ,you can damage the tire even more. If I had a tire with a lot of tread left , I would and will use a combi patch.

                                da prez

[Daniel Meyer]

  If a tire is in good shape , a combi-plug is the way to go. It installs from the inside. It is a patch and plug with a built in insertion needle (combi). These are safe at all speeds , but the tire must come off.
  A tubeless tire has a built in inner tube and using a plug will not seal the inside of the tire .The string plugs should be inserted to full depth and twisted two turns and pulled out and then cut off. This creates a mushroom effect inside of the tire. If you miss the entry hole ,you can damage the tire even more. If I had a tire with a lot of tread left , I would and will use a combi patch.

                                da prez

Exactly what I do...plug 'em to get home...properly inserted string plug, or vulcanizing mushroom plug (with glue). When I get home, if the tire has decent tread, I pull it and combi patch (stinger patch).

When you pull it, inspect the liner...if it's bubbled up, replace the tire.

[Bighead]

I will ride on a plug only long enough to get to a new tire.
Some may say stupid but I say my life is worth more than a few hundred dollars. Not gonna risk it if I can afford to replace the tire. But that is just me.
I have seen folks ride them a lot of miles but not for me.

[sandy]

Use the Stop n Go plugger kit. I rode my wing 2500 miles with one in the rear towing a tent trailer. Wore the tire out with no issues.

[Pete]

I have had excellent success with  properly installed plugs on a tubeless motorcycle tire. 100% success and I run them until tread wear dictates replacement.

[Tfrank59]

Picked up a screw in my back tire about 300 miles after putting on new one, so I plugged it. I intend to ride with that plug in it until the tire wears out.

[jim@98valkyrie.com]

  If a tire is in good shape , a combi-plug is the way to go. It installs from the inside. It is a patch and plug with a built in insertion needle (combi). These are safe at all speeds , but the tire must come off.
  A tubeless tire has a built in inner tube and using a plug will not seal the inside of the tire .The string plugs should be inserted to full depth and twisted two turns and pulled out and then cut off. This creates a mushroom effect inside of the tire. If you miss the entry hole ,you can damage the tire even more. If I had a tire with a lot of tread left , I would and will use a combi patch.

                                da prez

After talking with da prez, I changed my mind on tire plugs. I am just finishing up a nail repair on my Metzler rear that only has 1000 miles on it. Pulled the tire and did the combi tire plug. Worked really well and pretty straight forward, but you do have to pull the tire. It is the proper way to fix it if you have a lot of good tread left.
With that said, several years ago I caught a screw in the rear tire and did one of the quick repairs. All went well until one day the wife and I were riding the super slab in E. Oregon when that plug blew out. It was quite a test of my skills to get the bike slowed down from 75 in the middle of a left curve and get to the side of the road without injury or damage to the bike.
Now, the "on the road" dealer replacement of the tire is a different story.........

[Michvalk]

I have run several plugged tires over the years nearly down to the cord. If the plug is properly installed, they will be just fine. I don't recommend running them to the cord.....LOL

[Tfrank59]

I'll admit I don't have a lot of experience about running plugs in tires. As far as those guys who run at high speeds and feel the need to pull the tire to plug it I defer to that. I don't spend much time on freeways or interstates with my bike. I'm always running around town or on country roads maybe 45 to 50 miles per hour and I don't ride two up.