Husker Red Posted January 11, 2006 Share Posted January 11, 2006 Last night I found my r1100rt with a completely flat rear tire. (Metzler Z6) I added one CO2 cartridge and immediately heard the leak - I found a small puncture right in the center of the tire. I tried the @#$%^%&* BMW kit which did not work well for me. I had to enlarge the hole with the punch, applied the goo, and then managed to break all three of their plugs trying to push them in. IMHO, those plugs are WAY too big for a small leak. Now really pissed, I walked to the nearest gas station and bought their tire plugger kit and a bottle of "fix a flat." I tried the plugger first, but it didn't seal the hole very well at all. I then put the "fix a flat" foam in. I rode it immediately then checked and adjusted the pressure. It is holding fine so far. So... Do I need to replace the tire or can I ride it indefintely as is? I have not noticed any balance issues. Mike Link to comment
baggerchris Posted January 11, 2006 Share Posted January 11, 2006 Reaming may have hurt the cord. You have no idea when or if the dang thing may unstop itself. Murphy's law says that you can expect this at the most inopportune time, say in the middle of a high speed turn/corner, or at best out in B.F. Egypt. I myself would not want to A. plug it now and/or B. leave it like it is. I am a worry wort and would always be thinking: "am I putting my lovely wife's well being at stake for $150.00?" You do what you want. I would replace it. You will find plenty on this board who would just "let it be". Link to comment
BigArn Posted January 11, 2006 Share Posted January 11, 2006 Warn person changing tire that you put in a can of that stuff. And get a new tire, it's only your life and you only get one!!! Link to comment
bigboy Posted January 11, 2006 Share Posted January 11, 2006 change the tyre. There really is no contest where saftey is concerned. As we teach our pupils in uk good/safe riding = no accidents STAY UPRIGHT DEREK Link to comment
Blake Posted January 11, 2006 Share Posted January 11, 2006 as painful as it is and sounds, you should ALWAYS replace a tire that you have to use a plug and then some type of aerosol fix a flat. especially if it's through the corded area. like both Chris and Mark pointed out, you don't want to be in some sort of performance position or BF Egypt when the tire fails. and due to the volatility of the aerosol contents, you CAN NOT forget that it's in there, so get it done as soon as you can. if you forget about it and a tire tech starts to work on your tire, there could be detrimental effects. there have been instances where someone brought their "vehicle" in for tire service, and whatever equipment they used caused a spark and the insuing flame / explosion has maimed and killed. short of that, at least you'll have peace of mind, plus one less thing to be thinking / worrying about as you're tooling down the road, it's just not worth the aggravation - IMHO. Link to comment
wolcott Posted January 12, 2006 Share Posted January 12, 2006 You've got an r1100rt like me. At americanmototire.com they have a z6 for $114. My '98 runs a 160/60zr/18. The name of the company is the american motorcycle tire company. I've bought Michelin commanders off of them a couple of times for my sportster-good service and prices. If you take the rear tire & wheel & new tire to bike shop it should cost a half-hour labor ($30- $40) for installation of new tire, balance, and new valve stem. Maybe you should ask about getting one of those new, fancy valve stems- the kind that have a nut on them-don't know the proper name for them- some of the guys have had valve stem failure at high speed. Link to comment
wolcott Posted January 12, 2006 Share Posted January 12, 2006 You've got an r1100rt like me. At americanmototire.com they have a z6 for $114. My '98 runs a 160/60zr/18. The name of the company is the american motorcycle tire company. I've bought Michelin commanders off of them a couple of times for my sportster-good service and prices. If you take the rear tire & wheel & new tire to bike shop it should cost a half-hour labor ($30- $40) for installation of new tire, balance, and new valve stem. Maybe you should ask about getting one of those new, fancy valve stems- the kind that have a nut on them. Link to comment
tomk99r11 Posted January 12, 2006 Share Posted January 12, 2006 Thanks for the link to American. Can never have too many sources for bike stuff. Didn't look at shipping but the tire for my bike is $7 less than SW. SW is hard to beat though, especially for service. Ride Safely! Link to comment
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