Puncture Repairs

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D-Rider · #1 Post by **D-Rider** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 2:00 pm

I've had a couple of punctures lately. The first happened near home so I was able to take the wheel off and get it repaired professionally.

The second, on Sunday, happened a long way from home - fortunately it was within a few miles of my parents' house and I managed to limp up there - topping up with air at a petrol station.

Finding anywhere to repair it or sell me a new tyre on a Sunday was an impossible task but, fortunately I had one of those DIY tyre plug kits with me.
I was able to use this to plug the tyre and get me home.

BUT

The experience has made me question just how useful those plug kits are.
They come with what you need to plug the tyre and fit it (which I got right at the 3rd attempt ... lack of practice) and also 3 compressed gas canisters to inflate the tyre (not used as my dad had a compressor).

The thing is, there was absolutely no way I could actually find the puncture without blowing the tyre up a to sufficient pressure to hear/feel the air escaping or by using some soapy water painted on to its surface.
Were I stuck at the roadside, in the dark with only the gas canisters for final inflation, I wouldn't have stood a chance.

The discussions I've read up until now suggest that these plug kits are the best solution .... but my feeling is that for a lot of punctures they could be entirely useless as you have no means of locating the puncture.

I'm wondering if a can of slime might be a better solution as it automatically finds the puncture for you.

Any views on this?

Pierre · #2 Post by **Pierre** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 3:05 pm

The only time ive seen one of those kits used was luckily when you could actually see the screw head in the tyre. It worked but like you it took a couple of failed attempts before 1 worked.

I've not tried the slime (mainly cos its expensive :) ) but i have got the foam stuff in my van tyre atm, as it was leaking around the beading due to a crap rim and i was too lazy to get a tube inserted. £5.99 from halfords. Nice to know it works as ive always carried one under my seat for touring but never needed it.

Samray · #3 Post by **Samray** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 4:09 pm

Always carry a kit and used it a couple of times on others bikes, once to repair an obvious puncture and once to inflate a tyre that went down overnight at a rally to get it to a repair shop. I guess the scenario you had provides a problem though.

snapdragon · #4 Post by **snapdragon** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 7:10 pm

I own one of those cans of foam (for justin case) - the one time I attempted to use the repair kit I found I was just not strong enough (or maybe too techno numptie) to work it

- eventually a nice man with a drill came to my aid, drilled a straight hole and plugged the thing up

#5 Post by **Kwackerz** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 7:14 pm

I was told that the cans of slime although handy, as they come in liquid form that expands, etc it rots the rubber so once used, you should really bin the tyre.

Not bothered to look past what I was reliably informed tbh. Could be true, could be cobblers.

I carry a plug set for mine. Replacement cannisters can be got at Boots reasonably cheaply.

Tweaker · #6 Post by **Tweaker** » Thu Sep 06, 2007 3:45 pm

I've used Ultraseal and Tyreseal (same type of product) and have never had a problem. I did once find a small nail in the tyre tread, which I removed, and the tyre stayed fully inflated for another 1000 miles or so until it was due for replacement. Costs around £20 - £25 to do both wheels but, compared to the hassle of being stranded miles from anywhere, is well worth it IMHO. I've even stopped carrying the emergency can of foam as I can't see me ever needing it.

HowardQ · #7 Post by **HowardQ** » Thu Sep 06, 2007 10:16 pm

I've used Slime once and it worked OK and got me home, about 50 odd miles. I've personally used the foam sealant three times on my bikes and its worked each times. In the second instance it leaked out through the largish hole initially, then I added more and it sealed OK. All three times I rode to a garage very slowly and added more air around 15 mins after using the sealant, then rode home carefully, but not dead slow, for between 40 and 60 miles, so now always carry a can of foam under the seat.
Only had one failure on the son-in-law's CBR 6. It was a big hole, made bigger when we struggled to get the chunk of metal out. Inflated so far but kept bubbling out, may have been OK once ridden to spread it around better and to get the tyre hot, but we'd left Willingham Woods quite late one Wednesday night, it was after 11pm and his dad had a tranny van 5 miles away, so he was summoned and in it went.
In every case when I've used it, I've had absolutely no problem finding the punctures, certainly not pin holes!
Many car munufactures now use foam in stead of a spare wheel, so they must be pretty confident.
I'll keep using foam, it's easier to fit this under the seat than slime, which is in a larger plastic bottle, that could puncture with the vibration against the metal frame. Which brings me to my only problem. Even the metal cans with the foam wear away when vibrated against the frame, at the front and the back. One Saturday teatime, I pulled into the Jet station at Gainsborough, again on the way back from Willingham and got some funny looks, got off the bike and turned round and the back of the bike was covered in foam, can't do it justice, wish I'd had my camera phone with me, there was a bloke on an R1 pissing himself, it was oozing "out of every orifice". I chucked the can out, cleaned off what I could before riding home. It took me all day Sunday to clean the bloody stuff off the rear bodywork, chain/sprocket, wheel, tyre and cans. Now cover the sealant cans in duck tape, to stop having the same problem again.

Firestarter · #8 Post by **Firestarter** » Fri Sep 07, 2007 8:18 am

The thing to note with the foam (don't know if this applies with Slime etc) is you shouldn't go quick after using it - in fact, the tin says no more than 50 km/h (30 mph)!!! Essentially the foam stuff is an emergency fix, to get you to a repair place where it can be plugged properly, it shouldn't be used as a permanent repair.

D-Rider · #9 Post by **D-Rider** » Fri Sep 07, 2007 8:44 am

Firestarter wrote:The thing to note with the foam (don't know if this applies with Slime etc) is you shouldn't go quick after using it - in fact, the tin says no more than 50 km/h (30 mph)!!! Essentially the foam stuff is an emergency fix, to get you to a repair place where it can be plugged properly, it shouldn't be used as a permanent repair.

The plug kits also tell you not to go above 60kph (37mph) and limit use to 400kms.

As for the 400kms - I'm still within that limit (and I'm getting a new tyre tomorrow as it was finished anyway). As for the 60kph - yeah right

.

Fausto · #10 Post by **Fausto** » Fri Sep 07, 2007 3:23 pm

I'm another Ultraseal fan. Just to be clear, this stuff you put in when you fit a new tyre and it's supposed to prevent a puncture by sealing the hole immediately. I have never had a puncture with it in.........but then I have never had one with it out either

. OK, that's asking for it!!

Similarly to Tweaker I did find a small pin sticking out of my rear and when I pulled it out it leaked air slowly but once I'd hammered up and down the road a bit it was sealed - presumably the Ultraseal doing it's job.

I don't think I'd ever go on a long trip without it

D-Rider · #11 Post by **D-Rider** » Fri Sep 07, 2007 4:06 pm

Fausto wrote: Similarly to Tweaker I did find a small pin sticking out of my rear and when I pulled it out it leaked air slowly

.... most of us can 'leak air' out of our rears whether or not a pin is involved .....

Samray · #12 Post by **Samray** » Fri Sep 07, 2007 6:03 pm

Fausto · #13 Post by **Fausto** » Fri Sep 07, 2007 6:04 pm

D-Rider wrote:
Fausto wrote: Similarly to Tweaker I did find a small pin sticking out of my rear and when I pulled it out it leaked air slowly
.... most of us can 'leak air' out of our rears whether or not a pin is involved .....

Oh well, I guess it shows that people read my posts...

scorpio24v · #14 Post by **scorpio24v** » Tue Feb 26, 2008 5:20 pm

I too am an Ultraseal user. used it in a few tyres and never needed it until----------riding home 40milea out, front Conti road attack delaminates with a very faint pop the handling goes tits up, front of bike covered in goo but tyre loosing air in a controlled way, just like it says on the tin.

i manage to limp home at 20MPH ish.

Conti refunded my front tyre costs and i bin both front and rear. could have been real serious rather than an "experience" I for one wont put Contis on my lawnmower, not to mention my bikes.

I used to use em years ago on my 750 Honda and so I thought i`d give em a try. Mistake.

falcomunky · #15 Post by **falcomunky** » Tue Feb 26, 2008 8:47 pm

Interesting thread; Just got a new rear hoop today as I found a large blade of twisted sheet metal in my 2 month old tyre!

Luckily it must have happened on my way home from work yesterday afternoon and didnt go flat til this morning.
Rang a few garages local to me n all said they wouldnt repair zr-rated tyres; 'Illegal mate' was the general reply.

Ended-up having to buy a new bloody tyre, (punctured tyre doesnt even have a 1000 mile on it!), that cost me £105 fitted, (BT014).

Ive heard people say that in long-term use, (ie you put the slime in a new tyre and dont get a puncture for its whole life), that it can damage the inner tyre surface, possibly the wheel itself, and has been known to solidify if the wheel aint spun regularily enough, throwing the wheel badly out of balance!
I bet its also a lot messier when changing tyres!