This thing in my tire

[GypsyRR]

I've picked this up in my rear tire somewhere on my trip. The tire is still holding air - no loss in pressure.

After discovering it, I drove 40 miles to the nearest cycle shop to have them take a look at it. He said I could ride on this tire all the way home (about 350 miles), and could probably just keep the nail? there until I'm ready to replace the tires. No plugging it because it's in the outer third.

Just wondering if anyone has left a nail or other object in their tire and rode it that way for a long time. And I'm wondering if I need to be especially cautious about how I ride with this thing in there. Specs: Z6's at about 7500 miles right now.

[bmwdave52]

I never mess around with tires problems. I would get new ones. You got good life out of these and to much is at risk if you have a blowout.

[OU812]

Pull it out. If you have not lost pressure, then you don't need that thing digging in any deeper.

[baltm604]

at the risk of starting yet another stereotypical thread if opposing views (along the lines of oil threads or even worse helmet threads) here are my 2 cents:

the nail will eventually leak air. so unless you like being stranded, either patch or replace the tire.

I have ridden thousands of miles on patched or plugged tires with no ill effects. BUT..... I do most of my miles in the city limits of chicago, where there are more taxi cabs than hot dog stands. If a patch tire goes flat on me, it is a cheap cab ride home, then pick the bike up later and get it fixed. I ride to work, and the R is part pleasure to me, but equally a cost of commuting. I tend to look at trying to save as much $$$ as possible, and with all the nails and screws I pick up in the alleys and side streets it would be a serious financial drain to replace a tire with every nail.

If you ride for pleasure, who wants to have that worry in the back of you mind when you don't trust your tires? I would replace the tire in this situation and enjoy the peace of mind.

Bill

[OU812]

Bill does live in the city of daggers.

[CycleRob]

Definitely pull it out before it digs all the way thru!!
It might be only going sideways, which after removal will allow you to use the tire until it's worn out. . . . . then check for leaking with (this is soooo unladylike) a spit blob transfered/positioned from your fingertip over the hole.

Do that either at home, where you can remove the wheel if it starts leaking and take it to a dealer . . .
-or-
In the dealer's parking lot, where you can remove the wheel then they can put on a new tire. Call ahead to be sure the tire is there 1st.

When you pull the nail out, it'll be apparent which direction it went in and if or not you'll need to replace the tire.

[iowabeakster]

I never mess around with tires problems. I would get new ones. You got good life out of these and to much is at risk if you have a blowout.

+1

[challey]

It's difficult for me to tell from the picture exactly where the nail is. It looks like it's pretty close to the center. If so, you may be able to patch the tire. This will entail removing the tire from the rim, closely inspecting the puncture (it must be a clean wound that has not caused the belts or plies to separate), preparing the area and then applying a high-quality radial tire patch. Of course, you then need to remount the tire and rebalance. Properly done, this is a relatively safe repair. My Z6 was punctured by a machine screw at under 1,000 miles. I patched it and have put nearly 10,000 more on without incident.

That said, the only truly safe thing to do is replace the tire. As I said above, patching is only relatively safe and everyone's tolerence for risk is different.

Oh, and make sure you use only 100% Bavarian air when you re-inflate the tire .

Charlie

[boxermania]

Gypsy....whatever you decide to do. make sure to take it easy for the first 30 miles or so and then check the tire pressure (after the tire has warmed up).

After that I would check it after 100 miles, if OK, you should be good for the rest of the trip.

Be safe......

[Airman]

I think I would pull it out and patch it if it's in the tread area. Certainly don't leave it in there. I got 15-16k out of my ME-Z4's, there may be a lot of miles left in that tire.

Airman

[Ian]

Gypsy - get it looked ASAP.
Tell your Mechanic to pull it and plug it!

[Rockosmith]

I would definitely replace the tire as soon as is practical. If you look closely at the photo, you can see the wear indicator clearly. The tire is almost used up now. If you cut a Z6 apart, you will be amazed just how little rubber there is between you and the road when the tire is worn this far. That said, I would proceed cautiously and somewhat slower than normal, checking tire pressure periodically until I got home and then immediately get it off there.

Good luck!!

[maduko]

Leave it alone.

Give it the spit test periodically and if it doesn't bubble keep going.

If it isn't losing air at this point it probably hasn't passed the cords. Hopefully it's just in fleshy rubber- I've seen nails near the edge do this often. The less you f__ with it the better.

But do get a new tire.

[marecycling]

I know that leaning into a corner doing 70mph, I want my thoughts on the road, not on, if a weak spot on my tire is OK. My Pirelli's, and the confidence they inspire, are a big factor in my riding enjoyment. I would'nt sacrifice that feeling, for the price of a new tire!

[Dr. Strangelove]

Got to agree with replacing the tire.
To patch it you need to remove the wheel and tire. That is going to cost nearly an hour shop time. Your tire looks like there's not a whole lot of life left in it--1000 miles if you're lucky. So you face the cost of patching for a tire that is on the way out and then replacing the tire in 1000 miles, or doing nothing except worrying and checking for 1000 miles and then replacing. So you are looking at ~~$75 to maybe get another 1000 miles out of a tire that costs ~~$140?? getting gray hairs the whole time.

Bang for buck, change the tire and don't look back.

Of course, ymmv.

[Boxer]

That picture looks like a meteor has just plunged into the surface of the moon...WAIT! What are those strange crop-circle type formations? I think you may have just discovered a long sought-after astronomical object...The Metzler Moon!

Do what Robbie said!

[Biff's R]

I rode from Deal's Gap home after the first Bash with a nail in my rear tire. Approx 450 miles.

I checked the pressure, or did the spit test, everytime that I stopped. The next day I pulled it out, and the nail had gone all of the way through. The reason that I did not screw with it was that it was Sunday morning, and the only place that I knew would have another tire was the BMW shop in Cincinnati which happened to be open on Sundays. Since I was not losing pressure I did not bother stopping by the shop.

I ended up replacing the tire.

[hank]

Gypsy, Dont take chances with a dodgy tyre, get it replaced as soon as possible.

If you decide to ride home with the nail in the tyre chances are it will leak air and leave you stuck in the most inconveniant of places.

If you have to get home before changing tyres I would pull the nail and use the plugs from the toolkit to seal the hole then drive home at no more than 50 mph.

The rep and air kit that came with my 1150r was put to good use last year when I picked up a nail in the front tyre. I used it as a get me to a tyre shop fix.

Stay safe,

Hank

[R4R&R]

I'd pull it and plug it if it leaks. Then decide the risk you're willing to take with a plugged tire. Things to consider:
How aggressive of a rider are you?
How often do you ride at high speeds for extended periods? (Wait, I've seen some of your pictures!)
How many miles otherwise left on that tire?
Can you easily afford a new tire?

For me, if the tire is close to worn out, I'd replace it. If the nail isn't too big and the patch seems to hold, I would think about riding on it longer.

[GypsyRR]

I made it home with the nail still in the tire. The cycle shop didn’t have a replacement tire and he said it was too far to the outer third to patch it. Below is a picture showing where it is.




I asked the mechanic if I could ride the bike like I normally do and he said he thought it would be fine. So I did. Maybe he expected me to cruise. At first I was apprehensive, but the more fun the roads got, the more I forgot about the ‘thing’ in my tire. On a long stretch of desolate road, I wanted to see if I could break the 118 mark……… nope, not yet.

So I know it is holding at high speeds and in tight turns. And I found out in a close call with some deer, that it is still holding pressure in a panic stop.



I rode on gravel, over cattle guards, through a hellacious rain storm and then some high water standing on the road to get home – tire still holding pressure.


I agree I don’t need to mess around with a bad tire, but after 350 miles of aggressive riding……. well?

Yes, I should and will replace it when I can - since it does have that many miles and I’m planning on traveling again soon. I can’t remove the tire myself. I don’t know how and I doubt I have the tools or strength to do it. So now I just have to decide if I want to order some and then try to find someone to put them on for me, or if I should spend the extra $$$ to have BMW do it for me. I’ll definitely go with these Z6’s again. My riding improved 100% when I put them on. They may look like they are wearing out, but they ride like they are brand new.