Lone Wolf Posted June 13 Share Posted June 13 2 hours ago, miweber929 said: ... when I was younger and more willing to risk things I had a plug fail. Don’t want to deal with that again. Serious question - not trying to start an argument. When I was younger I neglected a chain that locked my rear wheel getting on a freeway. We have all lived and learned. I totally respect any decision to increase safety, but can you provide more info on the failed plug? Did you install it, or someone else? Was it a rope plug - and if so was it pushed in, properly twisted then tool removed? Was it a clean small puncture or more of a gash that required multiple ropes to seal the hole? Perhaps we can view this from the perspective of "emergency side of road repair" rather than what the OP should or shouldn't do with his tire. I carry a small pump and plugs with me at all times. I totally support the OP decision to patch and give the tire away, helping out a financially strapped rider. The good karma tends to come around. 1980 Yamaha 850 Triple (sold). Too many bikes to list, FJ-09 is next on my list Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miweber929 Posted June 13 Share Posted June 13 3 hours ago, Lone Wolf said: Serious question - not trying to start an argument. When I was younger I neglected a chain that locked my rear wheel getting on a freeway. We have all lived and learned. I totally respect any decision to increase safety, but can you provide more info on the failed plug? Did you install it, or someone else? Was it a rope plug - and if so was it pushed in, properly twisted then tool removed? Was it a clean small puncture or more of a gash that required multiple ropes to seal the hole? Perhaps we can view this from the perspective of "emergency side of road repair" rather than what the OP should or shouldn't do with his tire. I carry a small pump and plugs with me at all times. I totally support the OP decision to patch and give the tire away, helping out a financially strapped rider. The good karma tends to come around. I did it myself, it was a rope plug that I thought I did correctly but obviously did not. Not sure if it was procedure or a glue failure, it was from a kit that banged around in my tank bag for a while, but all the air leaked out by morning. I limped to a shop and got the tire replaced But none of that matters, really: if you (or anyone else) wants to plug your tire, and feel safe on it enough to keep using it, feel free to do so. I will use a plug to get me home or to a safe location and will replace the tire after. Call me a money waster, stupid for replacing a perfectly good tire or whatever, it's what I chose to do and I sleep fine because of it. I also don't run tires down fully through the wear-bars and will replace them at an opportune time before they are "shot"; again, my choice and I sleep better because of it. I've had front and rear tire failures over the years and do not wish to experience it again if I can help it. I can, and will, get a tire on my car plugged anywhere, but you will struggle to find a motorcycle shop who will do it, especially in the US. I believe there is a reason for that. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warrior Posted June 13 Author Share Posted June 13 1 minute ago, miweber929 said: you will struggle to find a motorcycle shop who will do it, especially in the US. I believe there is a reason for that. I dropped off my tires at the shop I trust and asked them what they thought about plugging the tire and they said they won't touch it, if I want to do it myself then that's on me but they won't be responsible. That tells me everything I need to know about running plugs in tires from a motorcycle mechanic, not a backyard mechanic such as myself. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone Wolf Posted June 13 Share Posted June 13 52 minutes ago, miweber929 said: I can, and will, get a tire on my car plugged anywhere, but you will struggle to find a motorcycle shop who will do it, especially in the US. I believe there is a reason for that. Yep - that is true. 48 minutes ago, warrior said: I dropped off my tires at the shop I trust and asked them what they thought about plugging the tire and they said they won't touch it, if I want to do it myself then that's on me but they won't be responsible. Right, they have enough liability as it is. Even a properly installed tire with a new valve stem leaked on me once because the valve stem came with a core that was not fully seated, lose enough to go down about 5 lb a day. A soccer mom who doesn't pay attention could run low air on freeway and shred the sidewalls before they notice anything wrong. Of course we are just as likely to encounter a "new" nail or screw in the tire, but that is beyond our control. The puncture we know about is in our control. 1980 Yamaha 850 Triple (sold). Too many bikes to list, FJ-09 is next on my list Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bwringer Posted June 13 Share Posted June 13 Let us know how you like the Contis! I've heard nothing but good things about the Mutants (which is a little remarkable; denizens of the internet absolutely love to bitch about tires), and I generally have a soft spot for Dunlops anyway. I don't think anyone here has run the Contis and Mutants back to back, if that's what you're asking. My belief has always been that tires should be invisible. If you're thinking about your tires for any reason, then you should replace them. You need every iota of thought focused on staying alive. Distractions that can be eliminated by applying money should be. It's only money... As someone remarked above, the worn out front wasn't doing you any favors, so I'm betting you'll love the fresh buns. I've never had any luck at all replacing the rear without also replacing the front. 2 Red 2015 FJ-09, among other things. Co-Host of The Riding Obsession, a Sport-Touring Motorcycling Podcast Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clegg78 Posted June 13 Share Posted June 13 Just threw Mutants on my 900GT, and damn they are nice. I ride on a lot of dirt roads lately and in all weather and ... they are night and day from my burned up T32s. I did like the T32s, they never let me down, but I think I am going to like the profile of the mutants a bit more. The bike seems a bit easier to tip into corners. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ride365 Posted June 14 Share Posted June 14 17 hours ago, warrior said: I dropped off my tires at the shop I trust and asked them what they thought about plugging the tire and they said they won't touch it, if I want to do it myself then that's on me but they won't be responsible. That tells me everything I need to know about running plugs in tires from a motorcycle mechanic, not a backyard mechanic such as myself. Don't always believe what a "touted" motorcycle mechanic says about such, as they are just covering their ass from liability is all. REAL WORLD experience and data IMHO from riders/owners trumps what a dealer mechanic says, and not everything in the service manuals is gospel or common sense as well. Again.....we all make a judgement call and live/deal with it, you have simply done the same. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
draco_1967 Posted June 14 Share Posted June 14 I carry a Nealy plug kit. The ropes are sticky, and do not require any glue. They do not dry out either, from what I've read. Many users have them stored in the vehicle for years and they are still sticky when they need to plug a tire. I have plugged 2 tires with the Nealys so far (fortunately, they were both car tires), and the repairs lasted several thousand miles until the tires were replaced. I would have no problem using it on an MC tire and running the tire to the end of its life, as long as it was a single puncture in the tread. MC shops won't patch tires because of the liability. Plus, they make way more money selling you a new tire at full price with install charges... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miweber929 Posted June 14 Share Posted June 14 6 hours ago, Ride365 said: they are just covering their ass from liability is all. 3 hours ago, draco_1967 said: MC shops won't patch tires because of the liability. Not trying to be a dick here, well OK, maybe a little, but it's kinda funny seeing all the people saying you should plug a tire yet also saying they understand why a shop wouldn't plug due to the liability. If plugs work so well, and their failure rate is so small, then what would the liability issue be? There shouldn't be any, right? To me the difference between plugging a car tire and a bike one is a motorcycle tire is a rounded profile and the carcass flexes while in use where a car tire is flat and the tread area doesn't flex the same way while cornering. The sidewall, however, does flex and maybe not surprisingly, shops won't patch a sidewall puncture. Again, to each their own, but I don't see the hate for those that chose not to plug. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member betoney Posted June 14 Supporting Member Share Posted June 14 47 minutes ago, miweber929 said: Again, to each their own, but I don't see the hate for those that chose not to plug. I don't think there was any 'hate' for choosing not to plug, merely many stating their experience of a plug working perfectly well for the life of the tire and disagreeing with discarding a serviceable tire. Concerning shops not patching a motorcycle tire and liability, I have asked around at several tire shops and the explanation given was on a motorcycle there are only 2 contact points to the ground whereas a passenger vehicle has 4. Should a passenger vehicles patched or plugged tire fail, you can -in most cases- rely on the other 3 tires and come out unscathed, not so on a motorcycle. Every tire shop I have asked have flatly refused to ever repair a motorcycle tire due to their liability, not because they don't work, though plug kits are sold to the end user by the thousands and have worked for decades. Tire shops don't want the finger pointed at them saying they were the last person to touch the tire, should it ever fail. 3 ***2015 Candy Red FJ-09*** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone Wolf Posted June 14 Share Posted June 14 (edited) 1 hour ago, miweber929 said: ... kinda funny seeing all the people saying you should plug a tire yet also saying they understand why a shop wouldn't plug due to the liability. If plugs work so well, and their failure rate is so small, then what would the liability issue be? There shouldn't be any, right? I was an insurance adjuster for 25 years and had to attend various litigation and work with defense attorneys. It is a very litigious world out there. I understand why shops don't want to patch tires because of the LIABILITY but that doesn't = unsafe (if done right and the tire was a candidate for being repaired). Simply opening your doors exposes a business to liability. Renting to a college kid that jumps off the balcony exposes you to liability. The job of Risk Management is to reduce that liability, as much as you can. Personally, whenever I deem a tire repairable (simple puncture, not a gash and not near sidewall) I always put soapy water on the repair to see if it is a good seal. I carry soapy water with my tire repair kit because sometimes you struggle to see where the leak is. And I check it the next day, soapy water in addition to confirm tire pressure. Draco uses a Nealy kit, they are very highly respected. I use Safety Seal tire repair, they are made in USA since 1964 and that is what the military uses. https://safetyseal.com/ My first repair on a vehicle tire was using the cheap WalMart "Slime" ropes and it never leaked. I ended up doing a lot of research and decided on Safety Seal because they are super sticky and the insertion tool is very sturdy, completely different than the cheap slime tool. There are 1,000 shades of opinions on the tire thing, from people that won't even remove the wheel from their bike and ride into the dealership - to those who change their own tires and take that opportunity to check wheel bearings and have a very hands on relationship with their machine and tires. Some may land in the middle, do all their own work but not trust a repaired tire and I totally respect that. A lot of riders don't carry tire repair kit or have the means to inflate a repair tire. Even if I tossed any repaired tire, I would still want to be as good as I could at doing a repair that got me back home. Edited June 14 by Lone Wolf 2 1 1980 Yamaha 850 Triple (sold). Too many bikes to list, FJ-09 is next on my list Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member micah2074 Posted June 14 Premium Member Share Posted June 14 Differing opinions do not equal hate. 1 1 Let’s go Brandon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larolco Posted June 15 Share Posted June 15 Another vote for the Mutants here. They were a good all-condition tire, even if they seemed to square off a bit soon. Running Road 6 now and, after a couple thousand kms, they are pretty sweet too, though I've yet to have them on hot pavement. I hear they resist squaring. And, since everyone is chiming in on rope plugs, I'll give them my vote as well. But, I'm a high-miler and go through a lot of tires and I like to make them last. I'm not made of money and won't replace a tire if its got decent life left in it. I've had as many as three plugs in a rear tire at one time (too much rush hour shoulder riding will do that). IIRC, I've only ever had one rope plug give me trouble and that was a nasty big puncture that required a couple of ropes. (That tire got replaced.) It's also worth noting that a front tire is not the same as a rear. I wouldn't plug a front except for in emergency situations and it would be replaced as soon as possible. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone Wolf Posted June 15 Share Posted June 15 24 minutes ago, larolco said: It's also worth noting that a front tire is not the same as a rear. I wouldn't plug a front except for in emergency situations and it would be replaced as soon as possible. Always seems to be the rear that picks up nails, screws, etc. I have heard that the front will get the thing airborne - then the rear tire goes over it and gets poked. 1980 Yamaha 850 Triple (sold). Too many bikes to list, FJ-09 is next on my list Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ride365 Posted June 15 Share Posted June 15 17 hours ago, micah2074 said: Differing opinions do not equal hate. Along with experience on the subject matter, it's just giving another option is all.....options are good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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