Patching tires?

Discussion in 'General VFR Discussions' started by fighting_fires, Jun 14, 2012.

  1. fighting_fires

    fighting_fires New Member

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    Hey guys quick question for all of ya.

    So my rear tire seemed to have a leak due to air levels being way too low. I did a check and found a nice nail in the tire. I contacted my local shop, where I get everything done and they said they do not patch tires for sport bikes, due to the potential speed they can reach, there only being two tires in a motorcycle (obviously), they are not comfortable patching it. if there were ever a blow out they do not want that responsibility.

    My question is, should I find someone who is willing to patch it, patch it myself or just buy new tires? My current tires are the same tires I had when I bought the bike new in 2011, its a 2007 RWB. The tires only have about 4500~ miles on them, since I really wasnt able to ride too much last year due to school.

    Now if i go the route of buying a new tire, i figure to just replace them both.

    My issue is this, I about to sign a lease on an apartment this week, which is gonna be pretty expensive, first months rent + security deposit that equals first months rent, so i would prefer to not have to purchase new tires at this time.

    A friend sent me a link to these tires saying they are his favorites, Dunlop Sportmax Q2 Tires - Z-Rated - Package Specials from SportbikeTrackGear.com

    thoughts? issues? comments?

    Thanks all.
     
  2. tinkerinWstuff

    tinkerinWstuff Administrator Staff Member

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    this one is like religion and politics

    for me, sport touring / commuting etc and not doing track days, I would patch it myself and not worry.

    Do not run patches or plugs with tire slime. Bad news.
     
  3. Rollin_Again

    Rollin_Again Member

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    I have never had any issues with any tire I patched over the years and have ridden them hard until they have reached the end of their useful life. It really depends on the location of the hole. I've never used anything other than the "sticky string" type patches btw.

    Rollin
     
  4. fighting_fires

    fighting_fires New Member

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    Thanks guys. I really only use the bike to cruise around for fun, no track days. And lately it hasnt been my commuter since I work 24 hr shifts and when i get off work ive usually only gotten 2 hrs of sleep, dont wanna ride that groggy.

    Rollin- can you elaborate on depends on where it is?
     
  5. Keager

    Keager Member

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    in the same boat. Plug it if you don't hot rod it, otherwise plug it and use it until you can afford a replacement. no slime.
     
  6. ridervfr

    ridervfr Member

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    Center of tyre carcass = ok to patch / if its on the side wall your fucked. I ran patched tyres on the race track. I have also replaced new bikes tyres with new ones because the owner didnt wana use the one with the nail in it. Guess where those tyres went, right in my trunk!

    Personal prefrence / if your rich, go for new!
     
  7. FoothillRyder

    FoothillRyder New Member

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    +1 on the plug. I've run plugged tires thousands of miles with no issues. :cool:

    ... and you don't have to pull the tire off to use a plug.
     
  8. tinkerinWstuff

    tinkerinWstuff Administrator Staff Member

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    My experience with plugs has been mixed and I would not recommend them. I carry plugs on road trips for emergency repairs however I've had plugs leak and come out. A patch is your only thing closest to a sure thing IMO.
     
  9. Scubalong

    Scubalong Official Greeter?

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    Use the sticky worm and apply a lot of glue .......It Will be fine
     
  10. SilverSurferRWB

    SilverSurferRWB Member

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    Long, he's talking about patching tires, not your trip to Mexico! As long as the patch is in the tread and not the side wall you should be fine. I've run a patched tire for over 4000 miles with no issues. Use the "tread type" patches as the rubber angled patches are garbage.
     
  11. fighting_fires

    fighting_fires New Member

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    Any particular brand I should aim for?
     
  12. Badbilly

    Badbilly Official VFRWorld Troll Of The Year!

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    At least the OP is not one of those dudes who only get 500 miles on a set of tires from melting..

    Good insurance is plug and patch. Sidewall? NO!! Not real bright.
     
  13. tinkerinWstuff

    tinkerinWstuff Administrator Staff Member

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    there's always the Unicorn plug-patch everyone talks about. I think they are stored in a compartment attached to the right side radiator fan housing.
     
  14. Ghost_Rider

    Ghost_Rider Active Member

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    I agree with this for just standard non-sticky plugs, but for sticky type plugs (especially with some rubber cement) I have done this many a time with no-issues. Of course I only do it if it is in the kind of in the middle area of the tread. You do need a brain to be able to do it right I suppose though.
     
  15. tinkerinWstuff

    tinkerinWstuff Administrator Staff Member

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    My experience was with sticky plugs and rubber cement in a Pilot Power at the center of the tire.

    The plug ended up with a slow leak. Slime was introduced to try and stop the leak. Water on the road would loosen up the slime every time it rained and it would leak more. Eventually it broke down the seal on the plug until the whole thing came out all of a sudden and caused a rapid lose of air pressure.

    Plenty of things were not done right. First being that a new tire wasn't purchased, 2nd being not using a proper patch that CAN'T come out, (3rd of course being the intro of SLIME). Also, the installation of the patch doesn't require that you bore out the hole to a larger size. So even if the patch fails, the worst case is that you are back to a small nail hole leak as opposed to a rapid lose of pressure.
     
  16. Badbilly

    Badbilly Official VFRWorld Troll Of The Year!

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    Plugs work OK if in other than a sidewall or if it's a clean hole. A clean hole would be one caused by a nail puncture as opposed to a drywall screw. All the plugs in the world ain't fixing a hole like that.

    Better to have a plug kit under the seat than not.
     
  17. silverbullet132

    silverbullet132 New Member

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    No one has noticed the tires on his bike are at least 5 years old. 2007 bike bought in 2011. Get new tires.

    Your tires are too old, rubber is too hard, can blow out at any time.
     
  18. fighting_fires

    fighting_fires New Member

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    Thanks guys, I have decided to just buy new tires, I mean what are credit cards for right!??!?

    serious question on the tires, even if there were zero miles on it when i bought it would that make a difference on their age? would they have put fresh tires on when i purchased it?
     
  19. woobie

    woobie New Member

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    I doubt it, but just go out side and check the date code on the tire, that will tell you right away how old they are.
    How to: Read Tire Date Codes | eHow.com

    When I bought my 06 used in 2009 it still had the original tires on it and they were from mid 2005.

    My current PR3 have the date code of 3410, so they were made in the 34th week of 201o bought them in the spring of 2011.
     
  20. reg71

    reg71 Poser Staff Member

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    thos Q2s you listed earlier lasted quite a while for me and seemed like pretty good grip. Longer than most tires I buy actually and just as grippy as most. As for age, it seems like they dry out to me and slide easier when they get old. My solution was to ride more and wear them out faster. If I bought an old or new bike with old tires, I wouldn't push the tires hard because I wouldn't trust them.

    New tires are one of those things that just make riding better. Coupled with new suspension and you can be riding a POS and still feel pretty confident.

    That being said, I have ridden on plugs for over 1000 miles, but I sure was happy when I got the new tires...
     
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