Boxer wrote:Airman,
You mention the Stop-n-Go plugger. My experience with this kit is that it is almost useless. I've plugged a tire that leaked down just setting in the garage. Others I have met have had similar experience on the road, with it not holding for very long. I now carry the the little tool that Daryl shows in his first post, along with some of those rubber worm things. There's supposed to be a better plug that is like the worm but blue....self vulcanizing rubber...or some such description. There was a write-up in one of the ON mags a short time ago, citing one company that sells the kit. I can't recall the company right now but the kit shipping was so high I didn't order it. I imagine you can purchase the same type worms at WalMart or NAPA.
My air pump is a $12 WalMart variety that I removed from the plastic outside case and reduced it down to a size that fits under the rear edge of the gas tank wrapped in a baggy and hot wired to my Centech fuse block. I just take the seat off, pull it out, attach the locking hose end and turn on the switch. It has a tendency, on rare occasions, to blow a fuse when first starting up, but I keep a spare fuse anyway.
Certainly the Stop&Go kit gives varied results. I read one account on a MC website of a terrible failure that turned out to be a bad installation tool. I don't like the wormy things very much, but they usually stop most of the air from escaping. I believe it was DJ's mate who discovered a screw in his tire after a trip and it had not leaked a pound, prompting DJ to add a cad plated #10 phillips head screw to his tire repair kit. I suspect a good screw would work as well as a plug in a lot of cases. Butter it with 242 thread lock. I will buy the Plugger, but may just buy a small string kit for backup. I have read some stories where the riding group ended up using everybody's repair kit before getting the hole plugged. it's worth carrying a little extra weight to avoid the flatbed. I have 3 take-off tires to practice on. I'm interested to see what these plugs look like when seated. (Well before airing up anyhow.)
Speaking of air pumps, I have the Cycle Pump which is quite expensive. Aerostich is selling a variation of your Walmart rig. A basic naked pump, but already wired up and the like. $35 I think. You could even afford Aerostich's very high shipping for that price.
I don't get caught in the rain, I ride in it on purpose.
http://www.gadgetjq.com/slime_pump.htm
Two days ago, I bought this Slime Power sports pump. (30 bucks at local discount store) I was going to buy one of the really cheap pumps, strip off the case, and put on a BMW socket adapter. The Slime model sold me, with its small size, included case, and aligator clips (plus other adapters). I decided to spend the extra 18 dollars. I dropped the pressure in one of my tires down to 20 pounds, and it refilled relatively quickly. The supplied aligator clips allow me to connect to the external jumping posts on my bike, and didn't need to buy the additonal BMW adapter (plus I thought I might blow fuses using the socket). It is just as easy to attach to Amy's bike's battery. Her bike is watercooled with a thermostatically controled fan. So I have no worries about draining down a battery or overheating an idling motor if it takes a several attempts to refill a tire.
Luckily, I have yet to need to use the sticky worms.
I was dreaming when I wrote this, forgive me if it goes astray...
Picked up a screw in the front tire of my airhead. Took my Roadster to get a new tube for the airhead and picked up a small coil of rigid wire in the rear tire, and yes, it punctured the tire. Great luck, huh? I was only about 3 miles from home so I clipped it close to the rubber and made a gentle trip home. Once home I pulled out the remaining bit of wire and retrieved the stock plug kit and the "sticky worm" variety which I also had. I tried the stock kit first and had no problems with the installation. I then rode around the neighborhood a bit. Upon inspection there was a slight dimple where the plug was although I had cut it flush to the tire, this did not inspire a lot of confidence in the plug. I probably only rode another 75 miles on the plug, without difficulty or air loss, before my new tire arrived (insert kudos to Motorcycle Superstore here). I had about 8k miles on that PR2 with plenty of tread left, but I figured it was better to replace it than risk a sudden loss of pressure. Of course if I had been several hundred miles from home I may have tested the plug more thouroughly.
So the stock kit is not complete crap, but I'll still be carrying the other kit as well, along with my CyclePump.
Boxer Briefs wrote:Picked up a screw in the front tire of my airhead. Took my Roadster to get a new tube for the airhead and picked up a small coil of rigid wire in the rear tire, and yes, it punctured the tire. Great luck, huh? I was only about 3 miles from home so I clipped it close to the rubber and made a gentle trip home. Once home I pulled out the remaining bit of wire and retrieved the stock plug kit and the "sticky worm" variety which I also had. I tried the stock kit first and had no problems with the installation. I then rode around the neighborhood a bit. Upon inspection there was a slight dimple where the plug was although I had cut it flush to the tire, this did not inspire a lot of confidence in the plug. I probably only rode another 75 miles on the plug, without difficulty or air loss, before my new tire arrived (insert kudos to Motorcycle Superstore here). I had about 8k miles on that PR2 with plenty of tread left, but I figured it was better to replace it than risk a sudden loss of pressure. Of course if I had been several hundred miles from home I may have tested the plug more thouroughly.
So the stock kit is not complete crap, but I'll still be carrying the other kit as well, along with my CyclePump.
There's a caution on that installation video not to pull on the plug stem when you cut it. I think if you do the stem will retract back inside the tire, (possible failure) when you do. Best advice with any repair kit is to install a permanent repair plug from the inside as soon as possible. You might do that on the PR2 and keep it as a spare.
I don't get caught in the rain, I ride in it on purpose.
