Can you patch a motorcycle tire?

[smedly]

I have a Pilot Power rear with @3k on it and PLENTY or tread life left . A couple of days ago in the garage I noticed a small nail head in the tire almost dead center . I called a shop near me and they said no reputable shop would patch it due to liability reasons . BUT for $279 they'll sell and install a brand new Pilot Power . Now my question is if you can patch a car tire as long as it's not near the side why not a bike tire? They're the only shop near me (i'm in the boonies) and I'd rather not buy another tire when I just got this one a couple of months ago . Or am I better off just getting a new one? BTW,NO I'm not paying $279 . I'll buy one online (they're $130 less) and just have it installed . Thanks!!

 

[sixpack577]

They can be patched inside. Whether or not you want to ride a tire like that is up to you.

 

[GsxrBots]

You are going to get a ton of mixed answers on this question.
All I know is I've ridden on plugged/patched tires for many miles without issues.
I also know that my good friend had a plug fly out at a relatively high speed before..

If I had the money to buy a new tire, I would.

 

[Tony Nitrous]

If they are less than half worn,
If they are punctured NOT near the wall/edge,
If it isnt a huge hole....
....I plug them.

I will only plug them with the "penny on a stick" type plug
fitted from the inside out. Impossible to come out.

Did a 1170 mile weekend ride and few weeks after ran at
the drags with a plugged tyre. No drama's. Personal choice.

 

[Busa1166]

Yes mixed answers but all I would probably agree once a tire is repaired it has been structurally compromised ride accordingly. I would plug it and ride on but I don't ride aggressively so I got no problem riding mine within the posted limits.

 

[smedly]

Scrw it . I'll just wait till next week when I get paid and get a new one . Now that I think about it,I'm not comfortable with the idea . Patch goes bad on a car you have 3 other tires and can keep some semblance of control till you can stop . Motorcycle especially a 'Busa ? Nah . Thanks for the replies .

 

[Blanca BusaLess]

You should keep the old tire and advertise it here.
I'm sure someone here will patch it and ride on.
Sell it cheap to recoup a little.

 

[kromdom]

Now that I think about it,I'm not comfortable with the idea . Patch goes bad on a car you have 3 other tires and can keep some semblance of control till you can stop . Motorcycle especially a 'Busa ? Nah

Peace of mind is PRICELESS!

 

[CruzinBusa]

I dont mind patching mine four or five times, but after that it is shot. JK jk. Personal choice indeed. I dont ride like an arse on the streets. Most I do might be a burst of excelleration on the hwy or some lower speed corners. If I rode like some of the riders I have seen out here I would def not do it. They are on the edge of control as it is. Enjoy the new rubber and I hope you dont pick anything else up in it anytime soon.

 

[lankeeyankee]

Simple answer, first its not a car with 4 tires on the ground and your all buckled up comfy inside of 3000+ lbs of steel.
Your on a high performance motorcycle that is capable of speeds up to 100 mph in 5 seconds. If your tire patch blows in your car on a turn guess what, you may just chit your pants and save it, have a patch blow or come loose in a turn as your leaning over at 75+ mph, well hmmm a lil differernt out come.
2 things you dont take chances with on with a high performance motorcycle, Tires and Brakes! just suck it up and frown about a 300.00 bad luck rather then risk your life.
300.00 buck or a tire failure in a turn at high speeds as an 18 wheeler is coming towards you? Not hard for me to decide but then again as I always say " Aint my ride"

 

[08BusaKY]

I know this is an old thread.
I went out to ride my 19 FJR today and the rear tire was flat. It was near the middle of the tread so I pluged it. It only had 697 miles on it (740 since I rode it today after the patch). I hate to replace a new tire so I guess I will try to get a few k off it and be careful...if it was the front I would replace it right away.

Anyone had any problems with plugs?

 

[WuzzaCBXRider]

I know this is an old thread.
I went out to ride my 19 FJR today and the rear tire was flat. It was near the middle of the tread so I pluged it. It only had 697 miles on it (740 since I rode it today after the patch). I hate to replace a new tire so I guess I will try to get a few k off it and be careful...if it was the front I would replace it right away.

Anyone had any problems with plugs?

I’ve successfully used those short fat orange sticky worms several times on rears and rode them until the tread wore out. Never tried a plug.

 

[Mr Brown]

I've used plugs in bike tires in an emergency, but never long term. Way I look at it, there's only 2 tires, I'm not going to chance a plug or patch.

 

[08BusaKY]

I’ve successfully used those short fat orange sticky worms several times on rears and rode them until the tread wore out. Never tried a plug.

Yeah this was the sticky worm type you put glue on and push in the hole. Never had a problem with them on cars but...

 

[WuzzaCBXRider]

Yeah this was the sticky worm type you put glue on and push in the hole. Never had a problem with them on cars but...

The sticky works I mentioned don’t use glue, they’re already impregnated with it. On tour with my son one year on our last day, he woke to find two nails in his rear about an inch apart but the tire wasn’t flat just low. He pushed in two worms, aired it up at a nearby gas station and we rode home hundreds of miles down the coast hiway. Never lost air. Some carry small compressors with their kit but I carry c02 caps. I’d hate to be anywhere with a flat I couldn’t repair.

 

[08BusaKY]

The sticky works I mentioned don’t use glue, they’re already impregnated with it. On tour with my son one year on our last day, he woke to find two nails in his rear about an inch apart but the tire wasn’t flat just low. He pushed in two worms, aired it up at a nearby gas station and we rode home hundreds of miles down the coast hiway. Never lost air. Some carry small compressors with their kit but I carry c02 caps. I’d hate to be anywhere with a flat I couldn’t repair.

Yep I stuck the compressor from my old dodge challenger in the saddlebag in case it goes low...

 

[1busa]

Nah my bike and definitely my life is worth more than a couple hundred bucks....

Idk maybe it’s just me but I’d patch or plug to get me to where I’m going but that thing would be replaced with a brand new 1 before I got on it again. Don’t care if the tire only had 300 or 3,000 miles

 

[Lodi]

I am another vote for plugging it to get home, then replacing the tire.

 

[WuzzaCBXRider]

If it doesn’t lose air or fail after hundreds of miles why buy another tire then? The worms I use seem to almost vulcanize with the tire’s rubber.

 

[bigoltool]

I carry a DynaPlug kit and their 12V compressor always, never needed them on the bike but I have used them on my car and they do work. I have a Stop&go Tire Plugger kit as well but deemed it too damn big to carry on the bike.