Stop and Go Tire Plugs

[Leland]

My buddy who has a Triumph Tiger 1050 and I went on a three day, 1450 mile run last week through Western Colorado and Southern Utah. The second day rained much of the day, but still a nice scenic ride. Pulled into the Motel about 5 PM. While walking back from dinner, my buddy noticed a small (1/8") rock embedded in the middle of his rear tire. While trying to remove the rock, he noticed that it had put a small hole in the tire. This tire was near the end, about 1/32" above the wear bar.

 

We couldn't believe our good luck, finding this in the Motel lot instead of on the side of the road. It had even quit raining. My buddy's string type repair kit's glue had dried out. I said not to worry, I have a "Stop and Go" kit http://www.stopngo.com/ and a Slime air compressor. I have had this kit for a couple of years, but never used it and all of the plugs were still sealed in the original plastic bag. The plug went right in and the tire aired up with no leaks. The next morning we checked the tire and it had not loss an ounce of pressure so off we went.

 

We made it about 20 miles (two lane highway) when it went flat. The plug was gone. No choice but to install another plug. Plug once again went right in and held good. Off we went again. This time we made it about 5 miles before the tire went flat. At this point, we were about 25 miles from the nearest town. I rode to town to get a string type repair kit. My buddy installed a new plug. This time he made it about 2 miles before it went flat. Same thing, plug gone. When I returned, we installed the old fashion string and glue repair kit. This plug held the full 400+ miles home.

 

I don't know what went wrong, but I am presuming that a steel cord cut the mushroom head off of the plug when the tire was in motion. Don't know if reaming the hole out better would have made a difference, but the bottom line is that the old style string and glue kit held. My buddy was suppose to ask the tire tech what he found in the old tire, but I have not heard.

[Squidley]

Thanks for the info, I imagine it will be somewhat hard to determine what went wrong with the kit, but info we need to know about what not to have with us.

[Miles]

Leland, I have been using the same Stop 'n Go tire plug gun kit for more years than I care to count. Personally, I love this plug gun kit, and am very adept at using it. For many years I would buy about 5 to 10 of these Stop 'n Go Plug Gun Kits for Christmas, and give one to each of my riding buddies as gifts.

 

The secret here is that it takes practice to know how to use it correctly. I tell everyone to take a used tire, either one that was taken off your bike, or ask a local bike dealership if you can have one of their old used throw away tires. Then practice making holes and plugging those holes on the old tire. When the tire is off the wheel, you can see how well you are plugging it, or...how things went wrong.

 

It is important to get that mushroom head of the plug all the way into...inside...the tire, then, with the plug gun still attached to the plug (that is now in the tire), gently pull the plug gun off of the plug, so it seats the mushroom head up against the inside of the tire. When all that is left is about 3/8 " of rubber plug still sticking out of the tire, take the supplied razor blade and cut the rubber plug so it is eveb with the top of the remaining tread of the tire.

 

I have used the same kit I have now for probably more than 20 years, and have had to buy additional plugs to re-supply my kit. I have done my own tires on the road, and have done probably about 10 other bikes tires on the road. Quite frankly, I won't leave home without it. I even use it on car tires in my shop, if the need arises.

 

And I do carry my own air pump, different than the Slime pump you mentioned, but same principle.

 

I wish you had better luck with that Stop 'n Go Plug Gun Kit, but...life is like a box of chocolates...you never know what you're gonna get.

[djh3]

I use to carry an air pump years ago. Much bigger than they are now I imagine. But I had a triler I pulled to put it in. Last bike was a turb type tire so the need for plugs wasnt there. Now on the Venture I bought a tire plug kit to throw in the saddle bags, its the old string type. Last year I was on a trip and the need arised one morning before we left the motel we were checking tire pressures. Mine was about 3 lb low. I had bought a few weeks before we left one of the inflator deals that uses the small C02 cartriges. It worked pretty good. So now I have it with 4 or 5 "bottles" in the bags also.

[twigg]

The LD Riders discussed those kits recently and the concensus was a thumbs down. They can work, they frequently don't work.

 

The worm type are preferred because if the hole is reamed correctly, and the worm properly inserted, then they almost never fail.

 

The glue helps, but mostly it helps as a lubricant when the worm is inserted, because the repairs tend to hold just as well even without glue.

[djh3]

I cant tell you the last time I even used the glue with mine.

[Flyinfool]

So you are saying that the stop and go does as advertised...

 

 

.....youare stopped and then you go, then you stop and then you go, then you stop and then you go..........

[RedRider]

+1 on the sticky string. Have used it both with and without glue and it has never failed. Used on both motorcycle and truck (Suburban) tires and continued to run the tires until worn out.

 

RR

[Cougar]

http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=5933

[V7Goose]

My buddy who has a Triumph Tiger 1050 and I went on a three day, 1450 mile run last week through Western Colorado and Southern Utah. The second day rained much of the day, but still a nice scenic ride. Pulled into the Motel about 5 PM. While walking back from dinner, my buddy noticed a small (1/8") rock embedded in the middle of his rear tire. While trying to remove the rock, he noticed that it had put a small hole in the tire. This tire was near the end, about 1/32" above the wear bar.

 

We couldn't believe our good luck, finding this in the Motel lot instead of on the side of the road. It had even quit raining. My buddy's string type repair kit's glue had dried out. I said not to worry, I have a "Stop and Go" kit http://www.stopngo.com/ and a Slime air compressor. I have had this kit for a couple of years, but never used it and all of the plugs were still sealed in the original plastic bag. The plug went right in and the tire aired up with no leaks. The next morning we checked the tire and it had not loss an ounce of pressure so off we went.

 

We made it about 20 miles (two lane highway) when it went flat. The plug was gone. No choice but to install another plug. Plug once again went right in and held good. Off we went again. This time we made it about 5 miles before the tire went flat. At this point, we were about 25 miles from the nearest town. I rode to town to get a string type repair kit. My buddy installed a new plug. This time he made it about 2 miles before it went flat. Same thing, plug gone. When I returned, we installed the old fashion string and glue repair kit. This plug held the full 400+ miles home.

 

I don't know what went wrong, but I am presuming that a steel cord cut the mushroom head off of the plug when the tire was in motion. Don't know if reaming the hole out better would have made a difference, but the bottom line is that the old style string and glue kit held. My buddy was suppose to ask the tire tech what he found in the old tire, but I have not heard.

I can absolutely confirm this problem with the Stop & Go plugs. I have been carrying one for years, and I was initially impressed with the product; I did several test repairs with no problems. But now I know it is dangerous.

 

Earlier this year I found a small nail in my rear tire (a Dunlop E3) - straight through the center of the tread, so it was a perfect candidate for repair. thankfully, I found this while at home. I used the Stop & Go plug gun - first pug inserted perfectly, but when I pulled on the stem to ensure the mushroom head was properly seated inside the tire (per the printed instructions), the stem popped out and the tire went flat. Comparing the stem to a new plug, it was clear it had broken off at the base of the mushroom head.

 

I was sure I had not pulled too hard on the plug, but I was still willing to accept maybe I did make a mistake. So I carefully inserted another plug, and this time I made darned sure I did not stretch the stem more than 1". The plug held, so I assumed everything was fine and just went about my business in the garage. Approximately 20 minutes later I heard a "pop" and the tire went flat again. The SAME thing had happened - the stem came off the head of the plug and blew out - only this time I wasn't tugging on it with pliers. In fact, the bike had not even moved an inch since I had finished inserting the plug!!

 

Like Leland, my plugs were several years old, but still in the plastic bag and coated with the original lubricant. They felt just as soft and flexible as they had the day I bought the kit and tested it. All I can say now after this experience, plus reading Leland's experience, is that I am absolutely certain that this is a VERY BAD AND DANGEROUS PRODUCT!

 

I strongly urge anyone who has this kit to never use it!

Goose

[Cougar]

Darn, Guess I will throw out mine then.. never have used it. but it is still in the trunk.

2 years now .

however I do use RIDE-ON ..

 

Just keep it just in case. I guess not now.

Thanks Guys for the update.

Jeff

[Miles]

 

this is a VERY BAD AND DANGEROUS PRODUCT!

 

I strongly urge anyone who has this kit to never use it!

Goose

 

 

Goose, given that I am a very bad and dangerous person, I choose to continue using this product.

 

As I have already said in my previous post, I have used my Stop 'n Go Plug Gun Kit many, many times, and it has never failed me.

 

I also said, "life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get".

 

If another product works better for you folks, then by all means use it.

 

Miles

[aharbi]

I've had Stop & Go plugs fail on the road. Sticky string works best last long time. Also through out those CO² cartridges. You can't carry enough of them to fill a tire, also like carrying "little bombs" with you. Get a slime compressor tire kit at Walmart for like $14.

[twigg]

I've had Stop & Go plugs fail on the road. Sticky string works best last long time. Also through out those CO² cartridges. You can't carry enough of them to fill a tire, also like carrying "little bombs" with you. Get a slime compressor tire kit at Walmart for like $14.

 

I have this one and would recommend it to anyone. It requires a 15 Amp fused outlet:

 

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Slime-COMP06-Heavy-Duty-12-Volt-Inflator/dp/B000M8R0QM/ref=sr_1_3?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1344530877&sr=1-3&keywords=slime+tire+inflator]Amazon.com: Slime COMP06 Pro Power Heavy-Duty 12-Volt Tire Inflator: Automotive@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41%2BIz8oqeIL.@@AMEPARAM@@41%2BIz8oqeIL[/ame]

[dacheedah]

I can say that on our squad cars, we were not allowed to drive at highway speed with any plugs, they were a temp get her to the station and deadline the car. They would pull the tire off the rim and patch from the inside so we could run again. I never drove my bike like a squad but would only use a plug to get me to a place I could properly patch the tire. I do think plugs have their place, to get me off the side of the road. My luck will be it will happen in the middle of no where at 3:00am in a storm.

[twigg]

I can say that on our squad cars, we were not allowed to drive at highway speed with any plugs, they were a temp get her to the station and deadline the car. They would pull the tire off the rim and patch from the inside so we could run again. I never drove my bike like a squad but would only use a plug to get me to a place I could properly patch the tire. I do think plugs have their place, to get me off the side of the road. My luck will be it will happen in the middle of no where at 3:00am in a storm.

 

Well the PD would be rightly concerned with liability issues.

 

In the real world, the sticky worms work. The tyres on our bikes are rated for much higher speeds than are legal in the US, and in normal riding really aren't stressed very much.

 

If the hole is small (you have to really push hard to get the reamer through, and the plug in), then you are probably going to be safe riding the life of the tyre on that repair.

 

High performance bikes, and track days don't count

[saddlebum]

I have used Tech permacure plugs for years on cars and trucks and have yet to have one fail. The supplier who used to come to our shop would shove them in the side wall of his front tire (personally not recomended ) to demo them. by the time the tires were worn out he had approximatly 250 plugs in his tire. I have never tried one on a MC tire but probably wopuld if the occasion came up.

 

http://www.techtirerepairs.com/Catalog/ItemList.aspx?SalesSubGroup=MR030&family=MR&salesGroup=MR03

 

http://www.techtirerepairs.com/Catalog/ItemDetail.aspx?itemnum= 215 &salessubgroup=MR140

[Leland]

Well I heard back from my buddy with the Triumph Tiger. According to the tire shop's counterperson, they found all of the Stop and Go plugs inside the tire. He asked the counterperson if they were "intact", but he did not know.

 

Now I guess that this means that the mushroom heads were still attached. I know for a fact that all three plugs held (1st one overnight, 2nd & 3rd via spit test) before the tire was put back in use. I can see no way that the plug could fall back inside the tire while still under pressure. Does this mean that the plug allowed the air to leak out around the plug while the tire was in motion and the plug then fell back inside the tire?

 

Like Goose said, after the first one failed, we thought "did we maybe stretch it too far while seating the mushroom head?" I can guarantee that the 2nd and 3rd were installed exactly as per the manufacturer's instructions. Plus, the Triumph with its centerstand and high rear fender is very easy to access the rear tire. And like I said in my first post, the hole was in the exact center of the tire.

 

I know that my mind is made up.

 

PS, this was the kit that uses the tool with the allen wrench to insert the plug.

[jfoster]

Well the PD would be rightly concerned with liability issues.

 

In the real world, the sticky worms work. The tyres on our bikes are rated for much higher speeds than are legal in the US, and in normal riding really aren't stressed very much.

 

If the hole is small (you have to really push hard to get the reamer through, and the plug in), then you are probably going to be safe riding the life of the tyre on that repair.

 

High performance bikes, and track days don't count [/quote

 

I agree, we're not suppose to use them either. But I do and at one time had six or seven in one tire from running over a wire brush in the median and have never had an issue with them. We don't get reimbursed for having a tire repaired and I usually work 50-70 miles from one of two of our shops.