Stop-N-Go tire plug let me down :(

[jaytee]

Well, the Stop-N-Go tire plugger is now batting .500 for me. Getting off the freeway, splitting between stopped cars at the bottom of the ramp, I felt the rear tire lift and jerk sideways with a rubbery 'pop' sound. At first I thought I hit a rock that I didnt see near the side-wall, but as soon as I made my turn I could feel the 'thwap-thwap-thwap' of something on the tire. I immediately regretted not taking my wife up on her offer to drive me to work

 

Not wanting to be stranded, I decided to ride it out until the air was gone and managed to make it the 2 miles to my office without hitting a single light! Just as I turned into my parking structure the tire vibration disappeared followed within seconds by all the air...

 

I worked my appointments then came down to the parking garage knowing that I was covererd by my high-speed, low-drag stop-n-go. The hole was obvious, right in the middle of the tire. I was aware of the problems others had with their steel-belts cutting these mushroom-shaped plugs, so I made sure to ream out the hole with the included rasping tool. Some turns of the supplied hex-wrench followed by a stretch to seat the plug and a razor to slice off the excess and the plug was set.

 

The nifty co2 cartiges put enough air in the tire to give me probably 15 lbs of pressure and I was all set to ride to the local gas station and fill up. Unfortunately, the hissing sound coming from the tire wound let me know I wasn't going anywhere fast. After tryign another plug to no avail, I finally figured out that the hole in the belt and through the tire was off-set from the punture mark on the tread. Thinkign back, I recalled that the bike had moved sideways a bit on impact, and I have to attribute that to the nail (or whatever it was) hittign the belt and skipping off of it towards the side and then finalyl ripping the belt as opposed to puncturing it cleanly.

 

Disappointed, my wife (with all three kids in tow) graciously agreed to bring me tools and drive me to Cyclegear for a new tire, and then on to Long Beach BMW (the *only* BMW dealer open on a Monday in Southern Cal???) where after a total of $215 I had a new BT-016 on my trusty ST.

 

While I'd like to blame the Stop-n-go, this was clearly not a clean puncture. Would a gooey rope of fibrous rubber have worked better? Maybe. It's the first time I wished I had one to try. But likely it was my over-exuberent reamming job in the wrong place that doomed the repair to failure.

 

None-the-less, gooey sticky tire rope is going in my underseat bag.

 

JT

[Huzband]

I have no experience with Stop-N-Go, but Dyna Plug has served me well.

 

I woke up to a flat in Helen, Ga. two years ago. Found the offending screw (quite large), & it took three plugs (not recommended) to close the hole. Checked at several unscheduled stops just to be sure, & it made it 380 miles home two-up with luggage on an 1150RT without a leak.

 

Now, for full disclosure. Pressure checked when we got home was the same as the last gas stop, about 34psi. Next morning, about ten psi.

 

Point is, I was still completely satisfied that the Dyna Plug got us home.

 

I still carry it, & always will.

[eddd]

After reading several posts on repair kits and using tire changes as a practice/testing opportunity, I've decided to carry the Dyna Plug and a Neeley kit. I also carry an awl so that I can locate the actual path of the hole. The awl has made repairs much easier.

 

As for the simple cheapo gooey sticks, I've found that at times they are impossible to shove through the tire.

 

One more tip. The Neely kit comes with a insertion tool that has a screwdriver type handle. I carry a pvc "T" fitting to give me some additional surface area on my hand. Without it you may end up with a very sore/bruised palm.

[10ovr]

 

As for the simple cheapo gooey sticks, I've found that at times they are impossible to shove through the tire.

 

I carry a small can of WD40,,Spray a little on the rope and they slide right in,,Trim it off and go,Have been doing this for over 20 years,,Never had one fail yet,,,,

[krussell]

I carry the Nealey kit and a slime compressor. I had one opportunity to use it in the field, it worked great. I used to carry a CO2 kit too, but it failed me in this one opportunity. There was a defect in the hose. Make sure if you carry a compressor or CO2 kit that it actually works. :-)

 

Nealy Kit Link

[Smoky]

I put the sticky rope thing in my screw hole last month. Put about 200 miles on the bike before I stored it for winter.

 

Just found the rear tire is flat.

 

I have about 5000 km left on that rear tire, so I will dis-mount it and repair it with a patch on the inside.

[smiller]

I think the most important thing to look for in a tire repair system is one that does not require reaming to install. A clean nail hole won't do much damage to the structure of the tire but reaming the puncture out larger sure will... I've never understood tire repair techniques that call for doing additional damage to the tire before repairing it. The Dynaplug and Nealy systems are designed to work without reaming the puncture and I think this makes them a lot more reliable. I've never had a subsequent failure with a Dynaplug (not even a leak) but then again I've never been in a situation where I needed to use more than one to fill the puncture. If I did I would probably be inclined to treat the repair as temporary until I could apply an inside patch. Eddd's idea of carrying both the Dynaplug and Nealy seems pretty good, the Dynaplug for simple punctures and the Nealy for larger holes. That way you will be able to use whatever method causes the least additional trauma to the tire.

[elkroeger]

Well you can't win 'em all. I've had good plug jobs and a couple of not-so-good ones. I've only used the cheapie Monkey Grip ropes. The main thing for me is to NOT use the CO2 cartriges. I always use a 12V compressor. 15psi right out of the gate isn't satisfying at all. And if I get a leaky plug job, it's just a matter of gauging when to stop and air up a bit. No looking for gas stations or digging for quarters....

[EddyQ]

I used the stop-n-go for a rather big nasty bolt hole last summer. Luckily I had enough tire pressure to make it to a gas station, so I never got to use the CO2 (and good thing). Before I used the stop-n-go, I never thought the kit could be so flawed and forsale in many motorcycle shops. During the repair, I kept looking for the step where some adhesive or chemical would be applied to bond the plug in place. To my utter amazement, the plugs are greased for easy install with no steps for anything better than a greased fit. Well, the first plug leaked really bad. I removed it and installed two plugs in the hole. It too leaked, but less. So, I rode it home checking pressure every now and then. I didn't dare drive over 35mph. Since this experience, I've read that you need at least 5 cartidges to fill the tire if you are lucky. The kit has four. If I was in the middle of nowhere, I would have been doomed. I'm not convinced that this kit would even work on the most minor hole.

 

A 12V pump and Nealys and/or equivalent repair kit would be the only option for my bikes future roadside repairs.

 

 

[scaudy]

Well, the Stop-N-Go tire plugger is now batting .500 for me. Getting off the freeway, splitting between stopped cars at the bottom of the ramp, I felt the rear tire lift and jerk sideways with a rubbery 'pop' sound. At first I thought I hit a rock that I didnt see near the side-wall, but as soon as I made my turn I could feel the 'thwap-thwap-thwap' of something on the tire. I immediately regretted not taking my wife up on her offer to drive me to work

 

Not wanting to be stranded, I decided to ride it out until the air was gone and managed to make it the 2 miles to my office without hitting a single light! Just as I turned into my parking structure the tire vibration disappeared followed within seconds by all the air...

 

I worked my appointments then came down to the parking garage knowing that I was covererd by my high-speed, low-drag stop-n-go. The hole was obvious, right in the middle of the tire. I was aware of the problems others had with their steel-belts cutting these mushroom-shaped plugs, so I made sure to ream out the hole with the included rasping tool. Some turns of the supplied hex-wrench followed by a stretch to seat the plug and a razor to slice off the excess and the plug was set.

 

The nifty co2 cartiges put enough air in the tire to give me probably 15 lbs of pressure and I was all set to ride to the local gas station and fill up. Unfortunately, the hissing sound coming from the tire wound let me know I wasn't going anywhere fast. After tryign another plug to no avail, I finally figured out that the hole in the belt and through the tire was off-set from the punture mark on the tread. Thinkign back, I recalled that the bike had moved sideways a bit on impact, and I have to attribute that to the nail (or whatever it was) hittign the belt and skipping off of it towards the side and then finalyl ripping the belt as opposed to puncturing it cleanly.

 

Disappointed, my wife (with all three kids in tow) graciously agreed to bring me tools and drive me to Cyclegear for a new tire, and then on to Long Beach BMW (the *only* BMW dealer open on a Monday in Southern Cal???) where after a total of $215 I had a new BT-016 on my trusty ST.

 

While I'd like to blame the Stop-n-go, this was clearly not a clean puncture. Would a gooey rope of fibrous rubber have worked better? Maybe. It's the first time I wished I had one to try. But likely it was my over-exuberent reamming job in the wrong place that doomed the repair to failure.

 

None-the-less, gooey sticky tire rope is going in my underseat bag.

 

JT

 

 

Curious question. Couldn't you have gotten the tire installed at Malcolm Smith in Ricerside?

[KDeline]

I have used the Stop-N-Go and 3 out of 4 times it worked, got me home, 1500 miles and 200 miles. The 200 miles had two holes in the tire at once. The time it did not work was a hole/slice practally on the side wall, very lucky I was in the garage when I found it, the others were on the road. I use a slime compressor.

[Jerry Johnston]

I used the Stop-N-Go on a flat in Montana. I continued my trip and stopped in Lolo for the night. The next morning the tire was still ok in pressure, I rode it home approx. 200mi more and replaced the tire.

There were two holes I had to plug (where the nail went in and came back out about an inch farther away). Both holes were in the tread. It's my favorite to carry and I don't worry about reaming the hole because I replace the tire anyway.

[GordonB]

Riding on 15psi will most definately cause the plug to fail.

[jaytee]

Riding on 15psi will most definately cause the plug to fail.

 

Never got to ride it. The air was leaking out jsut sitting on the center stand.

 

I would not have "ridden" the bike on ~15lbs except to slowly wheel it to the gas station 1 1/2 blocks away to put air in the tire in any case.

 

JT

[Ken H.]

They’re definitely a love/hate thing. Personally I’ve had 0% luck with them. Mine’s probably still sitting in that ditch in Indiana where I got PO’ed and tossed it!

[krussell]

They’re definitely a love/hate thing. Personally I’ve had 0% luck with them. Mine’s probably still sitting in that ditch in Indiana where I got PO’ed and tossed it!

 

[Mike05]

They’re definitely a love/hate thing. Personally I’ve had 0% luck with them. Mine’s probably still sitting in that ditch in Indiana where I got PO’ed and tossed it!

 

Ken, I'm curious; what do you take on trips for emergency tire repair?

 

I usually carry both the Nealey Tire Repair Kit & the DynaPlug with the Cycle Pump for air. Probably too much but comfortable with the redundancy. "Everything to excess or not at all"; words to live by.

[eddd]

They’re definitely a love/hate thing. Personally I’ve had 0% luck with them. Mine’s probably still sitting in that ditch in Indiana where I got PO’ed and tossed it!

 

That doesn't seem to be very eco-friendly, Ken...

[Ken H.]

, I'm curious; what do you take on trips for emergency tire repair?

I've come full circle back to the old fashioned sticky/gooey ropes. A tube of rubber cement, a T-handled tool that is a reamer on one end and rope insertion hook on the other, and a 12v pump.

[Ken H.]

That doesn't seem to be very eco-friendly, Ken...

Yeah, I wasn't feeling particularly environmentally friendly at that particular !@#$% moment!

[elkroeger]

...the plugs are greased for easy install with no steps for anything better than a greased fit....

 

and then there's that earlier post about WD40...

 

Somebody explain to me how a plug is supposed to work without the glue. Or pass me some of whatever that is you've been smokin'.

 

I'll ride a tire with 3 or 4 plugs in it, but if you told me there was grease or oil in the plugged hole, I wouldn't ride another block.

[smiller]

Somebody explain to me how a plug is supposed to work without the glue.

A couple of tire repair systems (Dynaplug and Nealy to name a few) use plugs that are self-sealing without external adhesive. Has always seemed to work well for me and eliminates having to deal with the tube of glue that is always dried out when you need it.

 

Re: WD40, I personally wouldn't advise getting any petroleum-based lubricant anywhere near any tire repair plug, but maybe that's just me.

[Hall Vince]

...the plugs are greased for easy install with no steps for anything better than a greased fit....

 

and then there's that earlier post about WD40...

 

Somebody explain to me how a plug is supposed to work without the glue. Or pass me some of whatever that is you've been smokin'.

 

I'll ride a tire with 3 or 4 plugs in it, but if you told me there was grease or oil in the plugged hole, I wouldn't ride another block.

 

 

 

Ah, now My Father and his two brothers used to own and run a Tyre repair/fitting company way back when I was a young lad and I ended up working for a few years there when I left school, So I have a few years experiance and many tubed and tubless puncture repairs under my belt.

 

I've never been a big fan of plug kits, tho to be fair I've seen a couple of mates use them with some success. I however, am a fan of the gooey sticky tire rope as you call it.

 

I bought some of these a few years back from a company you supplies the tyre industry. So I had a rather large pack.

 

WD40, I wouldn't use that. If your having problems getting through the eye of the tool, then the hole in the tyre, then good old saliva works very well. (It's usually better if you use your own ;-)

 

The trick with the sticky rope is to insert it as far as possible (this is where the 6" ropes are better than some of those cheap 3" ones) and as you withdraw the tool gently rotate it, so curling the rope on the inside of the tyre. It then sticks to it's self forming a mound on the inside which cannot be forced back out the hole under pressure as the more it tries to get out the tighter it bonds to it'self.

 

I'm confident this method works, I say this as when I took the tyre off to make a proper repair, I had to really work quite hard to remove the rope. I would not use the rope on a tyre that has any puncture sealant already inside as this might stop the rope bonding to it'self.

 

This has been my findings after using it 4 or 5 times over the last few years. I've had the unfortunate occurance of repairing a rear tyre, and in the few days where I was still using the bike prior to getting to my Uncles to make a proper repair I picked up another puncture. So I was running two ropes on the same tyre I had no worries about that.

 

Bigger holes? Use two or more ropes to get you home or to a repair center.

 

The above method works for me, but may not for you, It's your decison whether or not to try it next time you use the rope for a repair.

 

hth

\v/

 

 

 

[Selden]

Count me among those who no longer trust Stop-n-Go plugs, who have switched to string plugs. One important caveat: they go stale, so toss and replace the string plugs annually. Fresh strings and fresh cement should work on most punctures.

[KDeline]

Count me among those who no longer trust Stop-n-Go plugs, who have switched to string plugs. One important caveat: they go stale, so toss and replace the string plugs annually. Fresh strings and fresh cement should work on most punctures.

 

And on the other side of the coin, my Stop-N-Go is over 7 years old, and I just used the plugs a few months ago. Don't have to replace annually and no glue.

[Bheckel169]

I must be the lucky one. I'm still riding on a plug that now has almost 6,000 miles on it and it doesn't leak a bit of air.

Bruce

[effexer1]

 

 

The trick with the sticky rope is to insert it as far as possible (this is where the 6" ropes are better than some of those cheap 3" ones) and as you withdraw the tool gently rotate it, so curling the rope on the inside of the tyre. It then sticks to it's self forming a mound on the inside which cannot be forced back out the hole under pressure as the more it tries to get out the tighter it bonds to it'self.

 

I'm confident this method works, I say this as when I took the tyre off to make a proper repair, I had to really work quite hard to remove the rope. I would not use the rope on a tyre that has any puncture sealant already inside as this might stop the rope bonding to it'self.

 

This has been my findings after using it 4 or 5 times over the last few years. I've had the unfortunate occurance of repairing a rear tyre, and in the few days where I was still using the bike prior to getting to my Uncles to make a proper repair I picked up another puncture. So I was running two ropes on the same tyre I had no worries about that.

 

Bigger holes? Use two or more ropes to get you home or to a repair center.

 

The above method works for me, but may not for you, It's your decison whether or not to try it next time you use the rope for a repair.

 

hth

\v/

 

 

 

+1

[Mark K]

String plugs for me as well.

[jaytee]

Curious question. Couldn't you have gotten the tire installed at Malcolm Smith in Ricerside?

 

I usually get my tires mounted at Malcom Smith, but it was near the end of the day and I was on the wrong side of the Santa Ana Canyon. My wife had to bring all the kids in tow from Riverside and I had to both source a tire (BMW dealerships don't carry BT-016s around here) and get to somewhere that had the balancing cones for the R1200ST rear wheel. It was quick to go from Fullerton to Long Beach against 5pm traffic. It's *not* quick to go from Fullerton to Riverside at 5pm and I was worried about Malcom Smith's tire changing hours.

 

JT

 

PS: Long Beach BMW charged me $55 to mount whereas Malcom Smith is only $28

[Green RT]

I believe the design of the plug with its mushroom head is what makes the Stop-N-Go plug work without any adhesive. The air pressure forces the mushroom head against the inside of the tire and cause it to seal. There is a name for this type of seal where an increase in pressure causes an increase in sealing ability, but I can't remember the name of that type of seal.

 

I got a batch of Stop-N-Go plugs with defective rubber and the heads would pull off when they were installed. I discovered the problem when I tried them out on an old tire. The company was aware of the problem and sent me a new bag of plugs at no cost. However, the exercise of trying out your tire plugging system on an old unmounted tire is a useful exercise. You can see what it looks like on the inside and refine your installation procedure.

[10ovr]

...the plugs are greased for easy install with no steps for anything better than a greased fit....

 

and then there's that earlier post about WD40...

 

Somebody explain to me how a plug is supposed to work without the glue. Or pass me some of whatever that is you've been smokin'.

 

I'll ride a tire with 3 or 4 plugs in it, but if you told me there was grease or oil in the plugged hole, I wouldn't ride another block.

I have been putting WD40 on plugs for over 28 years,,Hundreds of tires,,Never had one fail,NEVER,,,So stick that in your pipe and smoke it,,You spray on a lite mist and It activates the compound on the rope and makes it stick has hell,,

[Hall Vince]

One important caveat: they go stale, so toss and replace the string plugs annually. Fresh strings and fresh cement should work on most punctures.

 

I wonder if we are talking about the same thing/string?

There is no seperate cement with the strings I use. They are covered in a very, very sticky goo. I must admit I have the luxury of having high barrier plastic and a heat sealer at my disposal and split my 30 string pack into pack of 2's and 3's, I top up my spares on the bike when I use them.

 

I will however go check on a pack to make sure they are still useable, it is good advice to check on these things annualy, you may rely on them one dark night.

Thanks for the reminder, actually my rear tyre is near replacement, I think I'll do a practise repair on it and see how it holds up, that'll be a real test of the stored strings.

\v/

[EddyQ]

...the plugs are greased for easy install with no steps for anything better than a greased fit....

 

and then there's that earlier post about WD40...

 

Somebody explain to me how a plug is supposed to work without the glue. Or pass me some of whatever that is you've been smokin'.

 

I'll ride a tire with 3 or 4 plugs in it, but if you told me there was grease or oil in the plugged hole, I wouldn't ride another block.

I have been putting WD40 on plugs for over 28 years,,Hundreds of tires,,Never had one fail,NEVER,,,So stick that in your pipe and smoke it,,You spray on a lite mist and It activates the compound on the rope and makes it stick has hell,,

 

I can believe WD-40 could work. Many folks including myself have used WD-40 to slide on new dirt bike grips. The next day, you couldn't get the grip off without cutting it off.

But that doesn't happen with the stop-n-go plug. The plug is still a slippery grease fit till the grease dries up, which is probably longer that the plug will stay in the hole.

[Penforhire]

I had several leakers with the Stop-N-Go (assured my mushrooms were a good batch), one that started 10 leaking minutes later (still on centerstand)! Switched to sticky string, which is batting 1000. I carry a 12V inflator because a faulty fix will consume your CO2 carts and then what?

[GoldenK9]

I had two punctures from a heavy duty staple in my rear OE Michelin Pilot Road. I got a Stop-n-Go kit direct from them. Meanwhile, I

had replaced the tire (2500 miles) with a new one because I was always taught to replace a bike tire when you have a puncture.

I kept the old tire figuring I could practice with my new kit. I

did. Two plugs in within an inch of each other. Worked slick.

When I wore out my new tire I asked my dealer to install my OE tire

back on. They refused, due to liability reasons (Silly!). I asked if I could mount it myself as I had the experience with the

Snap On Tire Machine. They agreed, so I did it myself. They balanced it for me. One thing. I replaced the mushroom plugs with

Stop-n-Go's spike patches (as instructed), 2 of them, and I now have about 6000 miles plus on the plugged and patched tire. No leaks, whatsoever.

[Beemer_Nancy]

My Stop-N-Go kit has rubber cement in it. Holds the plug secure.

 

Never had to use it...knock on keyboard.

 

 

[Dances_With_Wiener_Dogs]

Well, let me toss my two bits in. Have a stop-n-go, recently picked up a nail. Put in the stop-n-go, no problems and no glue. I think I spit on the plug first though. Seemed to work fine. Only have about 200 miles on it at the moment, simple commuting. I plan to get it replaced soon, since it's also near the end of its tread life.

[skinny_tom (aka boney)]

I use the string-things. I buy them in bulk at the discount auto-parts store and use rubber cement with them.

 

The other day Richard and I stuffed two strings in a slit in his tire caused by a small piece of sheet metal. After letting the glue cure, the tire held 46 psi for a 45 mile ride home. Knowing Richard, he's probably still riding on it. And knowing Richard, he's riding the edges of that tire on every corner.

 

I'll dig up some pictures.

 

[skinny_tom (aka boney)]

I use the string-things. I buy them in bulk at the discount auto-parts store and use rubber cement with them.

 

The other day Richard and I stuffed two strings in a slit in his tire caused by a small piece of sheet metal. After letting the glue cure, the tire held 46 psi for a 45 mile ride home. Knowing Richard, he's probably still riding on it. And knowing Richard, he's riding the edges of that tire on every corner.

 

I'll dig up some pictures.

 

Here we go:

 

The culprit:

 

The hole:

 

The final product:

 

The location: