Tire trouble on the Coast

[Chal De Cecco]

So there we were leaving the Bodega Bay area on Hiway 1 in Nor Cal when the yellow dash triangle alerted me that a rear tire was going down. Pulled into a station and found a short 1 inch wire twist imbedded in the rear tire. Tried to patch the hole twice using a conical plug and then a kit using adhesive rubberized strips. Neither worked on the Metzler. Limped back to Petaluma with a leaking patch job. Wheel and tire off at a Honda dealer. Interior patch made.

Back to the coast. Tire patch failed near Jenner!. Off to Santa Rosa BMW. New Pilot mounted. Mechanic says the tire was never meant to be patched due to interior silicon spray from the manufacturer. So what to do if this happens again? Is there an exterior patch kit that will get someone at least 30 miles on these new tires? I am writing Michelin and Metzler for their take on this issue.....

[Danny caddyshack Noonan]

I'm not aware of anything as persistent a bondline contaminant as silicones. They inhibit bonding and, depending upon viscosity, can fill asperities preventing dovetail bonds (the kind you get when abrading surfaces).

Not many people are even willing to patch M/C tires anymore.

If you are willing in the future, the mold release (silicone spray) has the best chance of being removed using a combination of Brakleen and F.I. or Carb cleaner. Use Brakeleen last as it has less light oils in suspension to be left behind. Wipe hard like you are scrubbing. Keep changing out clean terry towels while cleaning. The final pass should be in one direction, and only once.

Then the surface can be abraded and cleaned in the same manner as before then bonding a patch.

Note that this might not work but, I've found is sufficient to get non-adhesive bond failures in other materials.

[JR356]

Sounds like the Honda dealer did a poor prep job on their repair attempt.

Unfortunately it's often the newer less skilled employees busting tires in a lot of shops.

 

Where on tire was the hole?,if not in center 1/3 of tread,then the chance of a successful plug or patch diminishes the further you are from center.

 

Best repair is using what is called a plug patch.

 

JR356

[Tri750]

No shop in this town will repair a street bike tire by any means. Plug, patch, boot, plug patch, nothing.

 

I've used the Stop N Go plugs by the side of the road for a simple puncture and they, like several other brands work great as a temp solution. Cuts are best repaired with the "tarred roap" type temporary plugs.

 

Truthfully, you had a shot to do it safely and correctly at the Honda dealer assuming they had the correct size new tire by just replacing the holed tire.

 

We have all had to suck it up and buy a new tire when we pick up a nail in a tire say 100 miles old. It's what happens.

 

The tire manufacturers are not going to be real helpful in offering information. The whole thing boils down to liability .

 

 

 

 

[AndyS]

Well, I for one am very happy to ride on a repaired tyre.

Even when using camel string types the repairs are consistently leak free for the life of the tyre. Use due diligence. Check for leaks. Also carefully monitor the profile of the tyre observing any change. If there is change, the carcass is damaged and should be destroyed.

[Antimatter]

I had to patch a Pilot Power a while back. It had an interior coating designed to help the tire maintain temperature for track riding. It wasn't a silicon spray, rather it was a flexible barrier sprayed on the inside of the tire. Patching it required completely removing that layer, and roughing up the inside of the tire with a dremel abrasive point. That tire got transferred to street duty because, as a rule, I don't use patched tires on the track.

 

For 'on the road' repairs, I prefer the sticky strings. Mostly because they're readily available everywhere, so I can buy a fresh pack every spring. But there are some situations during which no plug will work. In that case you have two options; roadside assistance (tow), or carry tools to dismount the tire and put an inner tube inside. For domestic riding, #1 is the easier option. #2 I'd reserve for BFE riding.

 

There are two other tricks I've used in the past, just for reference. The first is a tube of Super Glue; it's an old ATV trick - find the hole, let the tire deflate completely, and put a full tube of super glue in it. Roll the tire so the hole is pointed straight down, then wait about 5 min, and try putting air in. The other is to use a pan-headed screw as a patch. That comes from way back in the day (mid-80's), and when I tried it, it didn't work.

[Chal De Cecco]

Thanks for the input. The Honda dealer had inventory issues and did not have a tire to fit the new RS. The wire twist went in at an angle but dead center in the tire. The Honda wrench did grind and dremel the inside carcass but obviously not enough. The plan is now for one of us to carry a tube, a Stop and go kit and some CO2 cartridges and most importantly, the torque socket to remove the rear wheel. Heading to the shop now......

 

As a bonus, the new Pilot seems to be outperforming the original Metzeler in terms of side wall grip and road holding. One last question: does the trouble triangle tire pressure indicator show both over and under inflation on a given tire?

[mbelectric]

Well, I for one am very happy to ride on a repaired tyre.

Even when using camel string types the repairs are consistently leak free for the life of the tyre. Use due diligence. Check for leaks. Also carefully monitor the profile of the tyre observing any change. If there is change, the carcass is damaged and should be destroyed.

 

Different strokes for different folks.

 

Doubt very seriously that your conditions match ours here. High heat, high speed road surfaces place heavy demands on tires. Extended periods of high heat and loading stress tires to the limit. Wouldn't want a blowout at 80 plus. And the "patch" is the weakest link.

A patch gets me to the next place to purchase a tire. And at significantly slower pace.

 

200 bucks for a tire is cheap in the context of safety.

 

MB>

 

[JR356]

The gooey string kits are preferred for the BMW radials,there have been some notable failures with the S&G kits,the steel belts cut right thru them.

 

I like the Nealy mini kits for the smaller string size:

http://www.tirerepairkit.com/whichkit.htm

But the kits available at any auto parts place,Walmart,lots of gas stations are all good too.

 

 

JR356

[eddd]

 

 

Sometimes the damage makes a repair less of a sure thing, but in the vast majority of cases you should be able to make a good roadside repair in short order if you have the right tools and supplies.

 

Check out this post. You might pick up an idea or two that will prove to be useful.

 

BTW, I'm one of those that has no problem riding on a tire repaired using this technique. As a matter of fact I just got home after a riding 990 miles across some of the most isolated areas of the country, and I did it on a tire I had plugged 1000 miles earlier.

[Chal De Cecco]

What a great post! Many Thanks. Ordered both items tonight and picked up a Beemer tool kit that contains both tools to remove the front and rear wheel assemblies. Not going to do the stranded thing again.

[elkroeger]

I'm not sure what you mean by a "wire twist". Is that like a metal zip tie?

 

At any rate, all punctures are different. Some are more difficult to get a good seal than others. I had a sawzall blade in my tire once, which made more of a slit, than a round hole. The best I could do with it was a chronic slow leak, but it lasted a couple weeks until I could get a new tire (I was on a cross country trip at the time). I've done well with the monkey grip stuff at the local auto shop.

 

Skip the CO2 cartridges and get a 12v pump. You won't be sorry.