Flat tire

[duive01]

I had a flat tire last week. It was slowly losing air when I wanted to make a trip. I thought if I filled the tire with air (I don't know how you call this in English) every day at a gas station I would be OK. NOT! The tire was losing air faster after every 'fill up'.
Luckily I had a reparation set with me so I used that. First you have to clean the hole with a kind of a drill and then you put in a sticky rubber strip that becomes a plug. It works like a charm. I wonder how long you can use a tire fixed like this?

Has anyone experience with punctures? How did you solve it?

[louthepoo]

i had a puncture on a kymco scooter i had and had the same repair by an aa breakdown mechanic. He told me not to go over 40mph and not exceed 200 miles on it! i did 300 then got it changed. i wouldnt take the risk, get it done asap

[Woolley]

He told me not to go over 40mph and not exceed 200 miles on it! i did 300 then got it changed. i wouldnt take the risk, get it done asap

Sounds like you did take the risk!

[gn2]

I wonder how long you can use a tire fixed like this?

Until the tyre wears out.

[Cascanciu]

Provided that the tyre has been repaired properly, yep, you can use it until it wears down.

Nowadays, it's not that common to have a flat, but it still happens. I bought a tyre-repair spray today and will keep it underneath the seat just in case.

[haildamage]

it really depends on who you ask and opinions vary.

it is a bit dangerous to ride on a plugged tire on a motorcycle, especially the front tire. if the rear blows it is less likely to cause a crash than the front.

if a tire blows on a car you have 3 more so it is not as dangerous. generally speaking, plugging a tire on a motorcycle should only be done to get you to the shop to buy a new tire. however, some people ride until the tire wears out. i have a buddy that ran a plugged tire on a track bike until it wore out. thats taking it a bit far though, IMO.

[duive01]

Provided that the tyre has been repaired properly, yep, you can use it until it wears down.

Nowadays, it's not that common to have a flat, but it still happens. I bought a tyre-repair spray today and will keep it underneath the seat just in case.

I'm curious about your repair spray. Dd you read any comments on it? Does it work OK? Is it expensive?

[duive01]

I'm not feeling too safe with this plugged tire. Like suggested I hardly drive faster than 40 miles/65 km per hour (I have a Honda Lead 100 (my red PCX150 is ordered) and it has a top speed of just over 50 miles/80 km so it rides best at about this 40mls/65km speed). All my rides are recreational so I have no need to go faster. I like a (slow) speed where I can take a quick look at the things around me so 40/65 is OK for that.
But I was unlucky to get this puncture but lucky that the tire is well used. So replacing the tire would have been needed soon anyway, I think. But since my PCX is arriving in about three weeks and I don't yet know what I'm gonna do with my Lead I think I wait a little while until I do know (maybe sell the Lead (with a new tire of course), maybe use it in bad weather and the winter to spare the PCX).

Does anyone know how you can see how far gone your tire exactly is?

I did read the manual and it says something about it but since I'm not mechanic I don't really get it.

[gn2]

I'm not feeling too safe with this plugged tire.

What's the probability of any tyre getting a puncture?
Most tyres will never have a puncture.
Yours has already had a puncture.
Statistically this makes it far less likely to have another puncture in it's remaining life than it is for your new tyre to have a puncture in it's entire life.
It is also possible that if you replace the tyre the new one could be accidentally irreparably damaged before the old plugged one would have worn out.
It's a gamble, feel lucky...?

Most tyres have wear indicators in the tread, when the tyre wears down to the limit these show as solid bars across the tread.

However you should check the legal limits for your country as these may be different.
For example in the UK the minimum tread depth is 1mm but the wear indicators show before this.

[maddiedog]

Statistically this makes it far less likely to have another puncture in it's remaining life than it is for your new tyre to have a puncture in it's entire life.

Actually, this is a common misconception in statistics. He's just as likely to have a puncture on any tire, previously punctured or not, at any given time. Just because he's had it punctured already doesn't make another puncture any more or less likely... Each puncture is an independent event with independent, unrelated probabilities...

It is also possible that if you replace the tyre the new one could be accidentally irreparably damaged before the old plugged one would have worn out.

This is also true. But it's also possible that he could be run over by an airplane on the way to work. Or die of flesh eating bacteria.


The only real risk of running a plugged tire comes from an increased likelihood of having a blowout. If your puncture is in the middle of the tire, you are not increasing your likelihood of blowout much, whereas a plug through the sidewall of the tire is REALLY dangerous, so the tire should be replaced right away. As was said earlier, front tire blowouts are more risky than rear, because you lose steering and balance, and are much more likely to go down.


I would never ride a motorcycle on a patched tire, other than to get home or to get to the shop. My truck, car, or trailers, I'll run with a patch until the tire wears all the way down, assuming the patch isn't through the sidewall.


Honestly, if you might be selling the bike soon, I'd just leave the patch and let the next owner deal with it.

[Cascanciu]

Provided that the tyre has been repaired properly, yep, you can use it until it wears down.

Nowadays, it's not that common to have a flat, but it still happens. I bought a tyre-repair spray today and will keep it underneath the seat just in case.

I'm curious about your repair spray. Dd you read any comments on it? Does it work OK? Is it expensive?

I can give you no word on whether it works or not, haven't tried it yet, actually . And quite frankly, I'll be more comfortable if I manage to skip the chance to test it, you know.

I bought it at Carrefour. Don't know if you have those in The Netherlands (guess you do), but it was there, and it looks like it'll work. Can't upload a pic right now, will try tomorrow.

Over here, "plugging" a tyre is illegal. I've taken car tyres to repair and they didn't plug it. Instead, they applied some sort of patch in the inner part of the tyre and heated it, so it became one with the tyre's material. I've been told this type of repair withstands daily use much better than the "plugging" method.

[gn2]

Actually, this is a common misconception in statistics. He's just as likely to have a puncture on any tire, previously punctured or not, at any given time.

But if the "given time" is the lifespan of the tyre the probablity of a second puncture is reduced by the first one.
Watch the film World According To Garp, all will be explained when they go looking for a house....

Over here, "plugging" a tyre is illegal. I've taken car tyres to repair and they didn't plug it. Instead, they applied some sort of patch in the inner part of the tyre and heated it, so it became one with the tyre's material. I've been told this type of repair withstands daily use much better than the "plugging" method.

How do they know that the heat hasn't damaged the tyre?
(which is what heat usually does)
I'm not convinced.

[maddiedog]

But if the "given time" is the lifespan of the tyre the probablity of a second puncture is reduced by the first one.
Watch the film World According To Garp, all will be explained when they go looking for a house....

That's not how statistics works. I've taken 2 college-level statistics courses, and got two A's. I don't care what World According to Garp says -- if you get a puncture, you're no more or less likely to get another puncture on that tire at any given moment than you would be if you got a new one.

Let's put it this way. You're playing roulette. You win. Does that affect your probability of winning next spin? No. Would changing tables affect your probability of winning either? No. Each spin is an unrelated, independent event with an independent probability. Just because you win roulette once doesn't mean you're more likely or less likely to win again at that same table or another table.

If you stay at the table LONGER, you spin the wheel more times, giving you more OPPORTUNITY to win. I think this is where you're getting confused. But your probability of winning at any given spin at any given table is the same -- the probability of winning again is not reduced or increased because you have already won once.

I think that analogy carries perfectly into having a tire puncture. Getting your tire fucked by a nail is like winning roulette, and each table is analogous to a tire.

Does that make sense?

[TC3]

Dave do you have a gambling addiction? :-)

[maddiedog]

I like to invest money, buying things that are probable to appreciate in value, or that I can resell higher at a later date or another market (also known as arbitrage). Not quite gambling, but just as addicting. That's how I paid for my scooter.

[gn2]

That's not how statistics works.

Statistics work any way you want them to.
If you didn't learn that at college then your lecturers don't know shit.

[duive01]

Most tyres have wear indicators in the tread, when the tyre wears down to the limit these show as solid bars across the tread.

However you should check the legal limits for your country as these may be different.
For example in the UK the minimum tread depth is 1mm but the wear indicators show before this.

Well, mine hasn't! And my manual talks about triangular markings but they also don't appear to be on my tire.
I will ask my dealer what he thinks of the state of the tire.

[duive01]

It is also possible that if you replace the tyre the new one could be accidentally irreparably damaged before the old plugged one would have worn out.

This is also true. But it's also possible that he could be run over by an airplane on the way to work.

Did you read that on the news. An airplane went through the fence of the airport and hit a van killing 10 people inside that van! Talk about destiny!

The only real risk of running a plugged tire comes from an increased likelihood of having a blowout. If your puncture is in the middle of the tire, you are not increasing your likelihood of blowout much, whereas a plug through the sidewall of the tire is REALLY dangerous, so the tire should be replaced right away. As was said earlier, front tire blowouts are more risky than rear, because you lose steering and balance, and are much more likely to go down.

The puncture is in the profile but on the far right side of the tire. The sidewall is the part where you don't ride on, is it? Well, maybe if you have Yamaha R1 or something like that. Can you get a puncture in the side wall? Not a big chance, is it?

[duive01]

I can give you no word on whether it works or not, haven't tried it yet, actually . And quite frankly, I'll be more comfortable if I manage to skip the chance to test it, you know.

I bought it at Carrefour. Don't know if you have those in The Netherlands (guess you do), but it was there, and it looks like it'll work. Can't upload a pic right now, will try tomorrow.

Over here, "plugging" a tyre is illegal. I've taken car tyres to repair and they didn't plug it. Instead, they applied some sort of patch in the inner part of the tyre and heated it, so it became one with the tyre's material. I've been told this type of repair withstands daily use much better than the "plugging" method.

I understand you don't want to try it and probably never have to.
We don't have Carrefour here, I believe I've seen then in Belgium, France and Spain. When I shop at Carrefour it means 'vacation'!
It's good to known that your country doesn't allow 'plugging a tire' since I'm coming your way in July. I think it will be over 2500km of Spain I will be doing. Maybe it's good to visit a Carrefour and take a look at the spray you bought. If you post a picture it would help!

[gn2]

Well, mine hasn't!

What tyre is fitted to your PCX?
If it's an OEM IRC then it definitely does have them.
Turn the wheel and check all the tread slots, not every slot has one.