Well, that f****ed that ride, dinnit...and a question please

**Kickaha** · 26th October 2009, 16:14

Originally Posted by kwaka_crasher

String repairs are not acceptable for WoF purposes but I've never had one fail.

Having worked in the tyre industry for a decade or two I've seen these fail a considerable number of times, there has also been at least one fatality directly attributed to these repairs before they were made illegal

The biggest problem with them is that without removing the tyre you have no idea whether any internal damage has been done in the time the tyre was run underinflated

**Gremlin** · 26th October 2009, 16:29

I've had to dogturd 2 of my tyres, one was near end of life and I swapped it out when I had the chance.

The other was almost fucken new, so I was naughty and rode on the dogturd... worked fine. Also had to dogturd a loan bike and did the whole South Island trip on the dogturd, worked just fine under quite a bit of load (wasn't going slow and carrying 40kg of luggage).

Those tyres have lasted about twice what a set of mine would... just replace em, and its safer too.

**Headbanger** · 26th October 2009, 17:10

Not only would I not trust the tire after the puncture damage, More importantly, I wouldn't trust a tire that had been ridden flat.

**Pussy** · 26th October 2009, 17:20

Originally Posted by Headbanger

Not only would I not trust the tire after the puncture damage, More importantly, I wouldn't trust a tire that had been ridden flat.

My sentiments exactly!

**slofox** · 26th October 2009, 18:22

Originally Posted by Headbanger

Not only would I not trust the tire after the puncture damage, More importantly, I wouldn't trust a tire that had been ridden flat.

Didn't actually run totally flat - until I had been stopped for several minutes.

Howsumever, in view of the age and general condition of that particular tyre and its mate on the front, replacement is a probable...

**carver** · 26th October 2009, 18:26

i run 5psi in my beta!

it works good!

**avgas** · 26th October 2009, 18:30

I love the goo in a can - which reminds me i need to get another.

**BMWST?** · 26th October 2009, 18:36

the string is supposed be temporary repair.A proper repair is a patch inside the tire,exactly as is done on your car tyre.Noting wrong with that so no need to replace,unless of course the tyre damaged.But i think that unlikely as as the OP noted you cant run it flat without realising.A low profile car tyre however......

**JATZ** · 26th October 2009, 18:48

I'm still comming to grips with the "15,000 k's" bit, mines toast on the trumpy after 10,000 mostly 2 up with some gear, and about 2500 on the DR

**vifferman** · 26th October 2009, 19:09

Originally Posted by BMWST?

...as the OP noted you cant run it flat without realising.A low profile car tyre however......

Or an SUV tyre.
I had a rear tyre go flat on the Pajero we used to own, a few kms from Pio Pio. I thought, "Hmmmmm... this feels funny on the corners - better check it at the next service station..."
It was empty of air, but because it had 12 meeeleeeon plies, it was not flattened.
Just ferkt.
Cost me $500 or summat, as I had to buy two new matching tyres when I got to Hawera.

**boman** · 26th October 2009, 19:45

Originally Posted by avgas

I love the goo in a can - which reminds me i need to get another.

If you mean a tyre pando, just beware, they love to corrode alloy rims when left in for a while.

**Mystic13** · 26th October 2009, 23:46

First of all...

Get an electric pump. You can get some real small ones and Slime do one that is about the same size as the CO2 kit.

Secondly... damned amazing that you got the second plug in as the tyre was going down.

Farmers are usually pretty helpful and resourceful people.

**Owl** · 27th October 2009, 06:16

Originally Posted by Headbanger

Not only would I not trust the tire after the puncture damage, More importantly, I wouldn't trust a tire that had been ridden flat.

Especially two-up

**nico** · 27th October 2009, 08:01

the dog turd plugs are awsme, i had to use one ages ago and finshed the tyre off around 5thosand km's took 2 co2 canaster's then limp to gasy to er up the replasment canasters wernt cheep but cant put a price on geting home can ya

Originally Posted by slofox

Had the big plan for a ride today - out to Kawhia, round the harbour, down past Marakopa and follow on to SH3. Then home via circuitous routes to be decided on the fly. Sorta what the LOR had planned for the other weekend.

Start out early to beat the expected rain - figured I could get there and back before midday and stay dry all the way.

On the road at 6.30am. All good apart from some fog in Waikato's swamp basin. Past Pirongia and eventually turn off to Kawhia. No more fog. Nice windy road through the hills to look forward to.

Into the twisties and I am thinking "Shit! - I'm riding like a dork today!" Corners are difficult to say the least. Bike doesn't really wanna go round them - it's fighting back and just wants to go straight. And as we go further it just gets steadily worse.

Until eventually even my thick skull starts to wonder just WTF is going on. And I begin to doubt the integrity of the tyres...either that or a wheel has fallen off somewhere.

Stop at the turnoff to Harbour Road. Put 'er on the stand and poke the tyres. Front is rock solid as usual. Go to the back..hmmm can poke my finger right into it. That's not right!

So out with the handy pressure gauge...which reads 0.0 psi. Soooooo! Fuckin puncture is it then? Bastard! Lucky for me I am prepared with my handy Fiximup puncture repair kit in the seat bag! NOW I am glad I bought it all those ages ago...course I have never read the instructions and have no idea how to use it. So I sit on the gravel and pull out the instruction sheet.

"First find your puncture"...which is easier said than done. We're not on the flat here - the verge slopes away and the road does as well. By this time the rear wheel is on the rim and the stand is a little long to put down on the uphill side, so I have to manhandle the bike into a position where it will stay on the stand and not roll off it. Bikes don't roll all that well with a flat tyre I discovered...

So I poke around the tyre for ages (could have used a paddock stand here) and eventually find a bit of a tear in the rubber that goes deepish and I decide that in the absence of any other evidence that this must be the hole. Back to the instruction sheet..."poke the reamer into the hole and shake it all about" or words to that effect. Which I do. And then figure out how to do the insert bit - man those things stick to ya fingers eh?

Finally get all the fiddly bits sorted and do the inflation thing with the CO2 cylinder. Tyre rises up! Woohoo, we're cookin' again. Check the pressure - 12 psi...mmmmm maybe the other CO2 cylinder as well huh? Which I duly do.

That's when I hear the telltale "ssssssssssssssss". Fuckit, musta screwed the insert bit. But no, not leaking there. Stick the ear close and find the air is coming out of a totally different hole! I can feel it easily with the finger. Damn! It's just around from the one I have fixed and is in the bottom of a tread line. No wonder I couldn't see it. So what to do? I have already used both gas cylinders. Better fill the hole quicksmart.

So out with the reamer, a real fast in and out and in with another plug. This bugger just didn't want to go in (tiny hole) but a bit of brute force and ignorance soon sorts that. Done.

I check the pressure. 10.5 psi. Not the best. I figured I might limp to Oparau and see if the servo there has an air pump. But then I notice the farm opposite where I am and wonder if they have a pump I could borrow.

Right on cue, the farmer comes out of the drive in his ute. I give him the wave and he stops..."You lost are ya?" he asks. "Nah - just a flatty but not quite enough air to go on with. You got a pump at all?" Better than that, he has a compressor up at the shed. So I pootle in there and bingo - 32 psi in three seconds! Good bloke he was an' all.

In accordance with the instructions in the tyre kit, I return to home base at reduced speed...suddenly I can corner again...how much better is that I ask.

So. What now? Has anyone any experience with these plug and inflate deals? Do they last or not?

The book says "get it professionally repaired or replace the tyre". In my case I am close to replacement anyway so will probably do that. But what would the "professional repair" be? And how good are the tyres after such treatment?

Moral of the story: ALWAYS carry a repair kit. And having a couple extra gas canisters as well would not be stupid...