Found a Screw in my back tire... Change the tire or patch it?

[Chaharly]

Hey guys, I've got an Elite-3 on the back of the Venture and she was flat as a pancake. Theres a wood screw in the middle of the tire, and the tire itself only has 3 or 4 thousand miles on it. Barely showing wear at all. Would you guys trust a plug/patch or should I scrap it and get a new tire???

[videoarizona]

Hey guys, I've got an Elite-3 on the back of the Venture and she was flat as a pancake. Theres a wood screw in the middle of the tire, and the tire itself only has 3 or 4 thousand miles on it. Barely showing wear at all. Would you guys trust a plug/patch or should I scrap it and get a new tire???

 

 

Two thoughts:

 

My buddy who rides the HD Ultra recently bought a new HD top of the line tire. He plugged it. He doesn't have much cash and spent a bit for that tire. Plug technology is sound.

 

You only have two tires underneath you.

 

I don't know what I would do. His plug is holding after a month of hot days riding....

[Stache]

Hey guys, I've got an Elite-3 on the back of the Venture and she was flat as a pancake. Theres a wood screw in the middle of the tire, and the tire itself only has 3 or 4 thousand miles on it. Barely showing wear at all. Would you guys trust a plug/patch or should I scrap it and get a new tire???

 

If out on the road I might trust a plug long enough to reach a service centre, then I'd replace. More likely I'd call CAA and have them haul it to the service centre. Only got 1 life.

[Flyinfool]

A "T" patch ( also called a mushroom patch) properly applied from the inside would be fine, I do not trust just plugs, I have had them fail. A "T" patch both plugs the hole and has a patch for the inside. My brother in law owns a service station, their insurance will not allow then to plug a tire for liability reasons, All the major tire makers do not allow just plugs. But then there are still a lot of people that use plugs with good results.

 

I still do carry a plug kit on the bike and in the truck for emergencies. But as soon as I get back to civilization, I have the tire taken off the rim and a proper repair done.

[Flyinfool]

FWIW

I have a very strong magnet on the bottom of my bike to help trip a specific traffic light I go thru a lot. I have found many screws and nails and other steel debris stuck to this magnet over the years, I figure every one of them was a potential rear flat.

[RSTDdog]

A one-piece plug patch like FF described above (flat disc with a stem) properly installed from the inside works really well. Requires removing the tire from the rim. I repaired a sidewall (not recommended) on a car tire that way when i was broke. It held for 20K miles until the tire got replaced.

[etcswjoe]

I have had a patched tire on my old Venture for about 12K miles now and it leaks down a few pounds over a couple weeks but I still ride it, I will not ride two up with it if that tells you anything. I cheaped out because it was a brand new tire but is it the cost of a tire worth the chance?

[vzuden]

not worth the chance. I even replaced a new tire with only 400 miles on it

[wizard]

I've always plugged my tires, with no issues

[Air Ready Auto]

If it was in the center of the tread or slightly offset the T patch, when properly installed, will hold for the life of the tire. I use them all the time at the service station as well as on semi tires and have never had one fail.

[djh3]

AS mentioned plug is a temp fix. I had a brand new like 1000 mile tire on my RSV and caught something to the left of center and the cut was large and in the grooves. I felt it was to close to the side wall to get a proper repair.

If yours is fairly centered a well installed patch will serve well. I also carry a plug kit with me. If I would not have had it with me when I got the flat I would have had to call a wrecker $$$$. Bottom line proper patch would be acceptable to me.

[RedRider]

Plug with a sticky string. Ride it like you stole it.

 

RR

[cowpuc]

I have had my share of flat tires on bikes thru the years.. The art of riding a full sized, fully loaded tour bike with a passenger on the back down from 70 miles an hour with a flat tire is an unforgettable experience, especially when you get below 25 mph and the bike does the dog track routine down the road with no intent of staying upright - that precision counter steer required to maintain forward motion to a stop without high siding always makes me sqweemish.. The memories I have of those experiences with both Tips and/or one of my kids fingernail prints forever imbedded into my sides are a constant reminder to me that = yes,, its ok to have fun wearing out cheap tires (as long as they carry at least a 75H load rating) but once they, or even a high end tire, get a hole in em I get the spoons out.. I may do a road side repair (I havent had good luck with repairing tires once I have ridden them down from a high speed flat) to get to a new tire but thats about the full extent of my trust of a patch/plug on a bike tire.. Car = YOU BETCHA,,, Bicycle = alll day long,, dirt bike = patching tubes is a way of life,, 2 up touring - not me,, never did trust ol Murph...

[CaseyJ955]

I carry plug kits and sticky rope in all my vehicles. One of my Samurai tires must have 6 plugs in it. To replace those tires (35x12.5) cost almost what I paid for my Venture, so I'll plug the hell out of those and replace them only when there is no tread left.

 

For a bike, I'll plug it and inflate it to get going again, I may even ride into town gently but it's getting replaced fairly soon. I often end up ripping up twisty roads and sometimes find myself doing 100+ on the long stretches without meaning too. The price for failure of a bike tire can be immeasurably high under the wrong circumstances. I vote to replace it when you can even though a plug in the medial part of the tread will likely hold just fine. It would always be in my head as I'm sailing down the superslab or carving up Custer State Park.

[Chaharly]

Hey thanks for the reply's guys! I think I'm going to patch it so I can ride it back and fourth to work (1 mile each way) and maybe to the local Wal-Mart etc. But before the end of the month she'll have new rubber on the back. Hell maybe I should just bite the bullet and buy the new Star Venture! Its gotta be impossible to get a flat on a bike THAT fancy!

[Chaharly]

FWIW

I have a very strong magnet on the bottom of my bike to help trip a specific traffic light I go thru a lot. I have found many screws and nails and other steel debris stuck to this magnet over the years, I figure every one of them was a potential rear flat.

 

 

Hell, it looks like I could use one of those magnets!

[cowpuc]

Hey thanks for the reply's guys! I think I'm going to patch it so I can ride it back and fourth to work (1 mile each way) and maybe to the local Wal-Mart etc. But before the end of the month she'll have new rubber on the back. Hell maybe I should just bite the bullet and buy the new Star Venture! Its gotta be impossible to get a flat on a bike THAT fancy!

 

Cha I think you should spring for the new Venture = then ride it up to Michigan for a Pucs MGnEM where you and your new bike will be treated to endless WONDERFUL Hot Dogs AND you will get Star (no pun intended - Star Motorcycles) billing and folks will come from miles around just to meet you and pet your new scoot = PROMISE!!

 

Of course,, you and your old bike with a new tire on it would be treated the same brother if you wanna save $26000 minus the price of a new rear tire for her =

[Kretz]

Not looking to hijack this thread as it is on a similar theme....

I have a small leak on the (newish) front tire of my RSTD. (2psi over a few days) I cannot see anything in the tire at all & I'm pretty certain it's not the valve. Are there any of the "injectable sealers" that you have used or would recommend? I've heard that some can cause serious corrosion to alloy wheels, any thoughts or advice?

[cowpuc]

Not looking to hijack this thread as it is on a similar theme....

I have a small leak on the (newish) front tire of my RSTD. (2psi over a few days) I cannot see anything in the tire at all & I'm pretty certain it's not the valve. Are there any of the "injectable sealers" that you have used or would recommend? I've heard that some can cause serious corrosion to alloy wheels, any thoughts or advice?

 

Sure,, take a spray bottle like an empty windex bottle - fill it half full of water - put in 3 or 4 table spoons of dish soap in it - shake it a little to mix good and make sure its sudsing - if no suds add a couple more table spoons of water - inflate the tire to max PSI - spray tire across tread on down beads where they meet the rim - if its leaking the soapy water will bubble up - after spraying section let it set of a couple minutes to give bubbles a chance to form - watch closely, if no bubbles rotate tire and try another section - work methodically and you will find the leak. Also check air valve with no cap and around valve at rim. If all this fails - work the rim, I have found porous spots in cast wheels that started leaking this way.. If all fails = remove wheel from bike - find a creek or use a dunk tank to stick aired up tire into - dont give up till you find the leak = flat tires are no fun..

Possibly you have some dirt in a bead causing it to leak. This can fairly easily be repaired on the bike by using a small hand held bead breaker like the one I use from Harbor Freight - break the bead, clean the rim and tire and pump her up.. Personally I dont use fix a flat in bike tires but not because I dont want to ruin my rims - more cause, like patching or plugging a bike tire = I simply dont trust the stuff for long term usage..

[Liptoss]

I suggest you plug it, then do an outstanding smoke show down to the cords. Post the video your friend has take of you to YouTube, looking to get a million or so views. Take the few bucks made from Google and apply it towards the new replacement tyre.