Plugged rear tire - how safe is that?

[fish]

I changed my plugged front tire asap. Maybe I should of ran it for a while :-/

Did anybody ever put a tube inside after plugging or putting an inside patch on????????

[ringadingh]

If the plug is installed properly and holding air you don't need a tube. It seems some people are paranoid about about having a plugged tire. Ive never had one on the bike, And it wouldn't bother me to ride on it at all.I have had many in my truck, and I drive on them until the tire is worn right out every time.

[fish]

I've had several plugged tire on the cages and never had one go bad. But I do think the mushroom plugs would be better.

[mobandy78]

I used to ride a Suzuki Bandit 1200S... picked up a nail in the rear. Didn't know about it until 2 weeks and a top speed run later, hit 160mph in my stupid days. I plugged the tire, on the road and rode it until I got rid of the bike (laid it down going around a corner). I probably had a couple thousand miles on the tire with the plug in it.

I haven't had to deal with a plugged tire since, but I wouldn't have any problems with it again. I did always check the tire and the condition of the plug just to make sure it was still holding up.

[dank]

For me it would depend in part on the location of the plug. Yours is where I would replace the tire. The walls of motorcycle tires are pretty thin, and there just isn't much thickness to hold the plug/patch in between the tread. car tires have thicker rubber to hold the plug. I plugged one on my Nomad, a screw in the tire over about 1/2" inside the edge of the tread. It was between the tread. I didn't feel good about it, so I replaced the tire. (It was a ME880 with about 1000 miles on it.) When I inspected how thin the rubber was in the area of the patch, I was glad I replaced it.

But each to his own. We all perceive risk differently. For me, it made me uneasy, so I wasn't enjoying the ride. Doesn't sound like the small hole in yours would make a catastrophic flat even if the plug came loose.

[caddman11]

I have 6000 miles on my plugged tire and it's doing fine. I watched the guy do it and he worked grinding the areas where the mushroom plug was going to make the seal along with the hole the screw came out of. I haven't had any issues, andI just couldn't see spending $200 on a new tire when I only had 800 miles on the tire when I caught the screw. Between my wife and I we add about 475 lbs on the bike.

[goose]

Originally Posted by macmac

Never the less inspect for lumps as if a tendon snapped and with drew to become lumps... No lumps and no cut cords yer set.. find lumps fore and aft, and your doomed to a new tire. Simple as that. It's your life... I have run on patched tires too... I have plugged them and found lumps as well...

It usually takes a larger item like re-bar (road mesh) to tear cords. The re-bar is larger in diameter of course, and tends to stay in the road bed, so there is tearing going in on some angle, and more tearing coming out since the rod stays put.

I'm with Mac on this P/U a 20penny nail in my YamahaRSTD once it was such a big nail it looked like it about went through the rim, I found it the night before the TailofTears ride so I put a plug in it myself, it never did leak, but after about 5k miles on it I noticed it began to shake at low speeds, then I found the cords must have broken in it because where I had plugged it there was a lump that had started appearing. Just keep an eye out for this!!!!

[josh]

I ran my last bike with 2 plugs in the rear tire about 2 inches from each other for another 5,000 miles before I replaced the tire due to being worn out. If it was a front tire I would replace it asap but the rear I personally think its safe. BTW both plugs were in the middle of the tread, not a gap in between the tread but I don't know how much difference that makes

[macmac]

Well these sorts of things are always a call in good judgement. No side wall should be plugged ever, and no tubes should be considered ever on a tubless mc wheel.

[afgunner]

Took a large screw in the front tire a short time ago and put a plug in on the side of the road to make it home. Must have cut some cords as it was like riding on a square wheel all the way home. Took the bike in and had a Metzler put on the next day...The two bike stores that we have in town both refuse to use plugs due to liability concerns.

I think that it is all up to the way you feel about riding on the plug... I personally wouldn't do it, but I have been down hard with a blown tire and don't intend to risk it if I don't have to. $200 for a tire is still cheaper that thousands of dollars worth of doctor bills or a $100K funeral.

[flightdoc]

I rode cross country once on a plugged tire. I was alone at the time. I also used to ride on bald tires too!!!
I now ride with the wife a great deal and she puts 100% of her trust in me . If I have any issues with tires they get replaced. Might be a bit over cautious but it makes us both feel better.

vin