Tire repair (Or Not)

[swamper]

Took a short 4 day 1300 mile trip and halfway out had a front tire flat in the rain. Tire was a new Dunlop Roadsmart that I had just put on about 750 miles ago. We had a BMW repair kit which utilizes plugs and CO2 to get us going again. Actually worked and held very well for the return ride. Now I know this isn't a permanent repair so this is my actual question. Has anybody here used the recommended repair of a Plug-Patch?? Or the other option is to replace the tire. On my 04 R we put on the Dunlop Roadsmart, on the 02 R My sons, we installed the Avon Storm2 which after riding both bike we both like the overall performance of the Avon tires the best. So if I replace the front tire that went flat I'm thinking of going to the Avon, good or bad to miss match brands front and back. Note we had changed all the tire with new just before this trip.

[Sunbeemer]

Well, it's a front tire, so that's bad. But how big was the hole and was it in the middle of the tire or off to the side?

If it was small hole in the middle, with so few miles on it I'd be tempted to have a self-vulcanizing mushroom plug installed at a shop and ride it.

[swamper]

It looked like a small phillips srewdriver made the puncher however the BMW kit has a reaming type tool to install it's plug, so the hole in question is about 2-3 mm. The puncher is about 3/8inch off center of tire.

[duegi]

Perhaps keep a mushroom plug handy in one's road fix kit to get to a place where you can settle in and take care of the tire problem.

[swamper]

Talked with a Dunlop Factory Rep at the Thousand Oaks BMW open house today. He said guys do the Plug-Patch thing however he doesn't recommend it after a Reaming tool has been used for the emergency plug fix. Says it causes to much damage to the radial ply belts. He also said not to use an inner tube as the heat transfer will not match what the tire is designed for. So I'm going to just replace the tire with a new one.

[duegi]

Swamper, I was visiting with my local BMW shop and asked his thoughts on your tire issue. He said a regular plug works for a while before the steel belts cut through it. He mentioned a vulcanizing mushroom plug would work best if one chooses to plug a tire. The closing of that conversation was that no customer tires are plugged by the shop as no tire manufacturer or distributor would sell product to the shop if word got back about plugging tires.

[swamper]

Thanx duegi for asking about it. After analyzing my type of riding and my options I think it's best to just replace it. I usually use this bike on longer touring type rides 4-10 days and really want to avoid any potential problem. Then the peace of mind starts to work into the equation also. Lastly I don't like the way the Dunlop tire handles in the switch backs, it was a big disappointment to me.

[duegi]

It's all good brother, there is no cost too high for peace of mind.

I modified my earlier post so no one considers the mushroom plug as a permanent fix. It would be good enough to get a person to a destination to settle in and correct the situation.

[swamper]

So not to start a new thread I'm thinking either Avon Storm2 or Michelin Pilot Road2 for my new front tire replacement. My sons 02 R has the Avon and it out performs the Dunlop that went flat. Don't know much about the Michelin. Feed back?????

[Sunbeemer]

I've heard good things about both types of tires, though a friend of mine has a PR-3 on the front of his Ducati and complains that it makes a lot of road noise. Haven't ridden it myself so can't say how bad it is, and it is the "3" not the "2" you're considering.

In my opinion, you made a good decision to replace it. While I've had three rear tires plugged (2-Z6's and a Z4), I don't know how comfortable I'd be with a plug up front. I've had good luck with the type of plug that's installed from the inside of the tire with a ~ 1-1/2" diameter self-vulcanizing mushroom head and a stem ~ 3/8" diameter. None of them failed, and one was installed in a new rear tire that only had 400 miles on it and went over 8000 more. But still, a flat in the rear is easier to deal with than one on front.

And I have to concur with the tire guy about not putting a tube in a tubeless radial. Heat build up, especially in warm climes, can cause a sudden tire failure.

[swamper]

Got the new Avon tire.

[Dr. Strangelove]

back to the original question...what is the consensus on patching the inside of the tire?

[swamper]

I couldn't find any shop that does it as a permanent fix. A couple of them told me that they would most likely work but they didn't want to be the one that was at fault if it failed. The biggest problem I have is not wanting to worry about a tire in a 60-70mph turn on a mountain road, which I drive a lot. New tire to me is pretty low cost insurance. The inner tube idea was probably not a bad option however the tube cost 1/3 the price of a new tire, would rather spend the extra on the new tire and have it right. Just a note, the BMW kit plug is holding pressure for two weeks, just drove it home from where I got the flat, 650 miles.