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CVO Technical => Wheels/Tires/Suspension/Brakes => Topic started by: bribe36 on April 11, 2009, 11:39:53 PM
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I just got my first ever flat in the tubeless rear tire of my 09 SERG. The tire has less than 1000 miles and I have a nail in the center of the tread. Is it safe to fix this tire and if so what is the best way? Thanks for the help guys.
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Tire & wheel warranty?
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I have a no patch rule at the shop. I get asked often to patch tires and will not do it. A new tire is cheap compared to what can happen with a tire failure. Its not worth the risk.
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Nope, no tire / wheel warranty.
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I have a no patch rule at the shop. I get asked often to patch tires and will not do it. A new tire is cheap compared to what can happen with a tire failure. Its not worth the risk.
What he said! :2vrolijk_21:
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My wife had a flat tire while we were running through rural North Carolina on a crooked 4 lane a couple of years ago. Her headlight disappeared from my mirrors, and after a little bit I pulled over to wait for her. A person in a minivan pulled in behind me, rolled down his window and asked me if I was traveling with a girl on a white motorcycle. He went on to say that her bike was wobbling and that he thought that she had a flat tire. I immediately asked him if her motorcycle was still upright, and when he said yes, I’m here to tell you that the sense of relief was worth a dozen or more tires. Give yourself a HUGE treat and replace your damaged tire.
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1. A plug repair can be made to get you home or to a shop, but under no circumstances should you consider that to be a lasting repair. Even in a four wheeled vehicle, plugs should be considered temporary emergency repairs only.
2. A proper repair involves removing the tire and patching it from the inside. This process is pretty reliable if done properly with fresh patches and adhesives, and I wouldn't have any qualms about doing this on a car or truck. On a two wheeled vehicle, however, I side with those who say no patches.
3. In theory, most Harley bias ply tires will accept tubes and you could repair the leak by installing a tube. However, this will add weight and will cause the tire to run hotter as well. Since you have to break the tire and wheel down to install a tube, it makes more sense to just replace the tire and keep all the benefits of a tubeless tire.
I know it really irks a cheap guy like myself to throw away an almost new tire, but you have to ask yourself if your life really isn't worth a couple hundred bucks. My answer to your question: Replace the tire!
Jerry
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I carry a patch and "air" for on the road and stuck repairs (trips only)
Other then that - replace the tire
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Spend the $$ and replace the tire- better safe than sorry- tires are one of those items on your bike not to skimp on-
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I agree with everyone's comments, but assuming you are in the middle of buttf**k nowhere, if someone has done the patch from the outside please explain the steps. As well as the "what not to do."
Of course, when the bike makes it to a HD dealer the tire will then be replaced.
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If you run tube tires- your pretty much hosed if you are out in BFE and get a flat- unless you have all your tools- tire spoons- compressed air in your side bag- yeah right-....call roadside assistance
If your run tubeless, you can use a tire plug to get you home- not a permanent solution - and there are a bunch of motorcycle oriented portable tubless repair kits with C02 inflators out there to choose from- I carry one on my offroad bike-
the kits range in price from 7.95 up to 59.95 depending what you want to carry-
here are couple of the better ones:
http://www.genuineinnovations.com/motorprods.aspx
http://www.phatperformanceparts.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=0363-0003&click=37735
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I have to agree with the majority here ----replace it. A patched tire will play with your head every time you twist the throttle.
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Sit down and figure out what your life is worth... then price a new tire.
You can guarantee the next tire will last a long time, because you will have put the extra bucks down for the warranty for that one!
Murphy's Law!!! :huepfenlol2:
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replace the tire, or most of the time you can put in a tube. the tube will derate the speed limit of the tire but the
speed limit rating will be higher than you nominally ride. your chose. axil
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I carry a plug and inflation kit for emergencies, but I would only ride as far as the next town before I got a new tire.
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I agree with everyone's comments, but assuming you are in the middle of buttf**k nowhere, if someone has done the patch from the outside please explain the steps. As well as the "what not to do."
Of course, when the bike makes it to a HD dealer the tire will then be replaced.
I carry this tire inflator in my saddlebag at all times http://www.slime.com/product/111/Power-Sport-Tire-Inflator-(%2340001).html (http://www.slime.com/product/111/Power-Sport-Tire-Inflator-(%2340001).html) I paid $29.99 at Pep Boys. I also carry a tire plug kit, which you can find anywhere from $2 to $3 up to about $10. Mine came in handy when I had a flat in the middle of BFEgypt. My neighbor saw mine and got the same for himself. On Friday he had the opportunity to use his also. He thanked me quite sincerely. It's very easy to inflate the tire and find the leak. Put the plug in, then hit it with the air again to inflate to proper pressure. The entire repair will be complete in less than 10 minutes. If you get a flat in an area with no cell phone reception, you are going to be sincerely thankful that you have this equipment with you also. I can't imagine how long it would have taken for me to get someone to pick me up and take me somewhere that I could make a call, leaving my bike behind on the side of the road, and then getting back to my bike, waiting for someone to come out and either plug it on the spot like I did, or flat bed it to the shop to do the same. Even finding someone to come out and fix your tire or flat bed you will take much longer than the repair itself. I was able to just fix it quickly, and get back on the road in search of a dealer to get a new tire installed as quickly as possible. I absolutely will never leave home without my Slime compressor and the plug kit. By the way, the plug kit that I got was from Kmart. It was about $9 and it said on it that it was specifically for motorcycle tires. I assume they will all work fine, but that kit just made me feel even more comfortable knowing that I wouldn't run into any problems when I'm in a bad situation.
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Hey 1abastarsmda, thanks for that info. I'm in Idaho right now and I'm gonna check out a pep boys and kmart, we don't have them up north.
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I always carry a variety of things with me at all times, one of them is a tire repair kit.
Some people laugh at me because of what I carry on the bike, but you know what. screw.....em.
There are some that have ridden with me that actually benefited from what I had, most times nothing was needed and that is always a good thing.
There have been times were I have had stupid things go wrong and not had a fix for, other times I have had everything I needed.
Example: One day a buddy un-clipped his saddlebag, went to re-clip it and the fastener broke. Yep guess who carries 2 all the time. $10.00 a piece, no big deal when your cruising all day out in no were land.
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Hey 1abastarsmda, thanks for that info. I'm in Idaho right now and I'm gonna check out a pep boys and kmart, we don't have them up north.
As far as the tire plugs go, you can get those at Pep Boys also. A lot of places carry the Slime compressors, such as Walmart, Autozone, Ace Hardware, Lowes, Home Depot, NAPA, etc. They have a list on their website. The model that I got is nice since it's so small, and it comes with connections to plug into the lighter, and 2 ways to attach direct to the battery. If you have a battery tender cable coming off your battery, you can actually just plug it in there just like the battery tender...it's the same connection on the wire. You will be able to save a friend's butt too, if they get a flat.
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I also have the Slime compressor and a plug kit from Auto Zone. Only other thing I carry now is a large needle nose pliers. Had a flat last year and the nail had gotten bent over and it was a real bitch to get it out. If someone in our group had not had the pliers I would have been stuck even though I had the repair kit and compressor.
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I also have the Slime compressor and a plug kit from Auto Zone. Only other thing I carry now is a large needle nose pliers. Had a flat last year and the nail had gotten bent over and it was a real bitch to get it out. If someone in our group had not had the pliers I would have been stuck even though I had the repair kit and compressor.
2 uses for the needlenose pliers...one is getting the nail or other object out, and the other is cutting off the plug even with the tread. Sorry I forgot to mention that before. That was the other piece of the puzzle to complete the job.
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Hey 1abastarsmda, thanks for that info. I'm in Idaho right now and I'm gonna check out a pep boys and kmart, we don't have them up north.
Wal-Mart has them also, it comes in a decent little nylon pouch with the compressor and the plug kit...good piece of gear.
I always have a leatherman on me (or SOG multi tool at work) so I always have a needle nose and other tools at hand as well...
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Hey 1abastarsmda, thanks for that info. I'm in Idaho right now and I'm gonna check out a pep boys and kmart, we don't have them up north.
Would you believe it, no PEP Boys in Idaho or Washington. Guess I'll go with plan B.
I have tire plugs for my truck, they look like 6" pieces of black licorice. To use them you use a rasp to clean the hole, then a tool to push the plug into the tire. Does that sound anything like the bike tire patch?
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Go online and look up Motorcycle tire repair kits, order one that is designed for what you are going to use it for.
Spend the extra money on a quality product, chances are you will never use it. But if you do you can be sure that it will get you to the next shop safely so you can get a new tire.
You guys have spent 30+ thousand dollars on a Motorcycle if it cost you $50.00 for the repair kit it will be worth every penny if you need it.
Sorry, JMO
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Would you believe it, no PEP Boys in Idaho or Washington. Guess I'll go with plan B.
I have tire plugs for my truck, they look like 6" pieces of black licorice. To use them you use a rasp to clean the hole, then a tool to push the plug into the tire. Does that sound anything like the bike tire patch?
same thing...then all you need is a small compressor
the Slime kit is a nice neat small package that fits in my bags
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anyone ever try this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvz2YlMh8AU
TN
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anyone ever try this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvz2YlMh8AU
TN
I don't see a need for those when you can have a compressor packed neatly away in your saddlebag.
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anyone ever try this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvz2YlMh8AU
TN
It does look pretty cool
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I carry the plug kit on trips. Also carry the "spark plug compressor" kit.
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I was just in a Walmart in Spokane and found the Slime kit for motorcycles. Very compact and perfect to throw in the saddle bag and forget about it. Thanks for the suggestion.
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anyone ever try this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvz2YlMh8AU
TN
Good luck getting it onto the valve on the rear tire of an '09 SEUC.
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Good luck getting it onto the valve on the rear tire of an '09 SEUC.
They sure do make that valve hard to get to. I think that as I approach the need for another rear tire, I will start looking around to see if there are any angled valve stems available that will work there. I assume that shouldn't be much of a problem finding one that will work. But as I was looking at a few on some different websites, there were some valve stems noted as specifically being for motorcycles. Are they different? An angled valve stem sure would make life a lot easier on the rear.
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I carry a tire plug kit and a portable air compressor in my saddle bag. I've had to use it once because of a sheet metal screw in the rear tire. As soon as I could, I took the bike in and got the tire replaced. I would never ride my bike with a patched/plugged tire on it. Besides, as long as you have some useable tire tread left and have the wheel/tire warranty (which I do) the tire is replaced free. :) :2vrolijk_21:
:devil: