B*** punture

[davebike 943]

Well I had a intermitant leak on the rear for the best part of a week 

I could not find anything including srpraying the tyre with soapy water on the bike  changed the valve core 

This morning not busy  so pulled the wheel off and stuck it in the test tank  Bubbles  I seeing bubbles

Still could not see anything so marked up the tyre and pulled one side off 

Oh  thay a nasty roofing nail!  

So it is plugged  6mm mushroom plug  from inside 

I must have worn the head off and pushed to nail below the surface quickly befor I noticed the pressure loss

Now it coffee time then refit the wheel !

[Andy m 23,472]

Tis the season for it. Waiting for the postie to bring me a tube. I have two front ones in the garage , can you guess which one popped? 

 

Andy

[davebike 943]

Tis almost always the rear  I see 100+ rear to front

 

[Xactly 5,340]

3 hours ago, davebike said:

Tis almost always the rear  I see 100+ rear to front

 

Probably a good thing (in a way). But of course if you really prefer front wheel punctures just buy two rear tubes and throw away the front ones….

[listener 11,158]

8 hours ago, Andy m said:

Tis the season for it. Waiting for the postie to bring me a tube. I have two front ones in the garage , can you guess which one popped? 

 

 

This one? 

 

[Scootabout 2,248]

11 hours ago, davebike said:

Tis almost always the rear  I see 100+ rear to front

 

Interesting that it's such a high ratio.  I suppose I've had maybe half a dozen punctures in my biking career of 22 years, and they've always been the rear. But that is a small sample. 

[embattle 332]

I assume it is simply due to weight distribution and force 

[Andy m 23,472]

There is a theory/urban myth that the front flings stuff back, stirs the pot as it were, at angles that improve the chances of it sticking in the rear. 

 

Andy 

[dave 959]

I've fixed 4 punctures in the last couple of months, all rears on little step through Hondas, one was not on my bike and the owner was carrying his own spare tube which was old stock, that one went bang after a mile. 

 If you carry a spare rear tube make sure its not 20 years old and don't inflate it high, just get enough air in it and inflate it fully at home.

 I now have the new CB125F 2021 Honda with 18'' tubeless wheels hopefully my luck will change, I try not to ride in the unswept parts of the road, keep clear of building works and laybys where rubbish gathers. 

 

[Dr D 21]

I had four nail incidents this summer, one on the Honda and three on the Kwaka. All rear wheel, I put a new tyre on the Kawasaki after a nail incident, took the bike for an MOT travelled the three miles home and yes another nail! The tyre did about 10 miles in all. That is about £16 per mile. I have had more punctures this year than in 30 years of commuting by bike. I wonder what the factor is? Davebike, I noticed you repaired yours, I never know if this is an ok thing to do or not. You can never really find out any true facts about the longevity and safety of repairs. On the internet there are lots of opinions but no hard and fast facts. I think litigation seems to rule over science

[listener 11,158]

5 hours ago, Andy m said:

There is a theory/urban myth that the front flings stuff back, stirs the pot as it were, at angles that improve the chances of it sticking in the rear. 

 

 

The front tyre (usually on a motorbike) has a narrower profile than the rear, so is a smaller target for 'Nerg the nail'.

 

Also nails will usually lie flat on the road surface and so the front will generally run over the nail body.

It may however spit the nail into the path of the rear, with the nail's (now random) orientation being a threat.

 

So probably a combo of bigger target and luck.

 

Or maybe Nerg just prefers big girlies tyres! 

[Xactly 5,340]

1 hour ago, listener said:

 

The front tyre (usually on a motorbike) has a narrower profile than the rear, so is a smaller target for 'Nerg the nail'.

 

Also nails will usually lie flat on the road surface and so the front will generally run over the nail body.

It may however spit the nail into the path of the rear, with the nail's (now random) orientation being a threat.

 

So probably a combo of bigger target and luck.

 

Or maybe Nerg just prefers big girlies tyres! 

Or a high proportion of us do a lot of wheelies😊

[John Tatt 95]

Tidied up a dozen or so of these little chaps at the B5269 / A585 junction whilst out on the push bike. I'd like to think size and thread makes them less likely than a shorter, thinner nail to get stuck in a tyre. 

[PoppetM 16,828]

10 hours ago, John Tatt said:

Tidied up a dozen or so of these little chaps at the B5269 / A585 junction whilst out on the push bike. I'd like to think size and thread makes them less likely than a shorter, thinner nail to get stuck in a tyre. 

Well done for doing that.  My neighbours had work done to their house before they moved in, every morning and evening I had to go pick up the nails and screws left across the entrance to our driveway and our corner of the cul de sac. Eventually I caught up with her uncle who was doing the work, handed the whole lot back to him and assured him he would be getting my tyre bills, and pointed out a blowout at 70mph means I might not come home. Turns out her father is a biker, there were no more nails 😀

[Morph 257]

1 hour ago, PoppetM said:

Well done for doing that.  My neighbours had work done to their house before they moved in, every morning and evening I had to go pick up the nails and screws left across the entrance to our driveway and our corner of the cul de sac. Eventually I caught up with her uncle who was doing the work, handed the whole lot back to him and assured him he would be getting my tyre bills, and pointed out a blowout at 70mph means I might not come home. Turns out her father is a biker, there were no more nails 😀

Alas.  I failed to do this diligently enough with my neighbour ... on our driveway that went past where he was having work done.  Result?  car tyre puncture.  Fortunately local garage able to fix for the princely sum of £18, but it did piss me off!

Edited January 9, 2022 by Morph

[Rev Ken 6,327]

On 08/01/2022 at 11:34, Dr D said:

I had four nail incidents this summer, one on the Honda and three on the Kwaka. All rear wheel, I put a new tyre on the Kawasaki after a nail incident, took the bike for an MOT travelled the three miles home and yes another nail! The tyre did about 10 miles in all. That is about £16 per mile. I have had more punctures this year than in 30 years of commuting by bike. I wonder what the factor is? Davebike, I noticed you repaired yours, I never know if this is an ok thing to do or not. You can never really find out any true facts about the longevity and safety of repairs. On the internet there are lots of opinions but no hard and fast facts. I think litigation seems to rule over science

Manufacturers detail what is 'safe' to repair so long as the puncture is in a defined area of the tyre (not in the sidewall) and the repair is vulcanised. However many riders claim to have used 'plugs' pushed into a tyre from the outside and ridden safely for many thousands of miles. Personally I adhere to the manufactures recommendations.

[John Tatt 95]

Covered miles 000s  on professionally plugged tyres on the car with no problems.  But this thread got me thinking what I'd do if I got a puncture whilst out on the NC.  Currently I comfort myself with the notion that my cheapo Auto Aid policy will in no time at all turn out  a recovery vehicle suitable to take the bike and me home to a cup of hot soup and warm slippers. 
Then I think more likely several miserable hours waiting at the roadside and what if I'm in a remote area where the mobile signal is patchy.
So repair kit or crazy foam? What do you guys recommend?

 

[elbee 753]

I used a repair kit I keep under the saddle the one time I fixed a puncture at the roadside, the plug got me home just fine and later down to the garage.

 

I discovered a flat when going out for a ride a month ago so left the nail in, inflated the tyre to check it overnight. It hadn't gone down much so I just pumped it up before riding to the garage.

 

[embattle 332]

I used a plug just to get to the garage.

[davebike 943]

Plugkit ofsome kinde I use weldtight with tapered plugs rather old fasioned but I been using it OK I on a repacement kits as I worn out kits  I done perhaps 50 at roadside for my self and others  and I guess at least a hundrad demonstrating

I hada couple at roadside need a seccond try both in pooring rain !

The sticky string also works well

I carry a 12v punp but never totally trust it so i aslo have CO2 cylinders

 

The sealers and sprays may work but in most cases that is it for the tyre  I and most others will not repair a tyre that has had sealer in it and I for one charge an extra £20 to clean up !

 

[Andy m 23,472]

External mushroom plug kit and compressor. Mostly they last the life of the tyre, so no huge rush for further action once you are back on the road. 

 

Gloop, gunk, foam etc. is the route to having to buy a new tyre, plus they are nothing like 100% effective and degrade with age (as do soda stream cartridges). 

 

Andy

[fj_stuart 4,739]

I might have posted this before but here's an account of an on-the-road plug repair followed by a permanent plug patch I did some years ago. I now carry a Turn & Go kit but have never had to use it. From my now defunct blog.

 

https://fjstuart.blogspot.com/2015/10/puncture.html

[Xactly 5,340]

2 hours ago, Andy m said:

External mushroom plug kit and compressor. Mostly they last the life of the tyre, so no huge rush for further action once you are back on the road. 

 

Gloop, gunk, foam etc. is the route to having to buy a new tyre, plus they are nothing like 100% effective and degrade with age (as do soda stream cartridges). 

 

Andy

What he says. The tyre fitter had a helluva job removing my temporary mushroom repair - if I’d have known it was that good I wouldn’t have bothered with a vulcanised repair.

That said it all depends where in the tyre the hole is and how big it is. The only time I used a sealant it didn’t work. Not saying it doesn’t but it didn’t for me.

[Empty_Ten 441]

On 10/01/2022 at 14:02, John Tatt said:

Covered miles 000s  on professionally plugged tyres on the car with no problems.  But this thread got me thinking what I'd do if I got a puncture whilst out on the NC.  Currently I comfort myself with the notion that my cheapo Auto Aid policy will in no time at all turn out  a recovery vehicle suitable to take the bike and me home to a cup of hot soup and warm slippers. 
Then I think more likely several miserable hours waiting at the roadside and what if I'm in a remote area where the mobile signal is patchy.
So repair kit or crazy foam? What do you guys recommend?

 

I have one of these 

 

https://www.that auction site.co.uk/itm/OXFORD-CO2-TYRE-REPAIR-MOTORCYCLE-PUNCTURE-REPAIR-KIT-OX160-/393706521828?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l6249&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

 

from my experience, they’re fantastic and I’ve never had a problem with it. I plugged the rear tyre on my blade and it lasted till the end of the tyres life (several thousand miles) being ridden as normal.

 

I’ve also plugged a few of my colleagues tyres and they’ve reported no problems.  One got his tyre replaced as soon as he could afterwards and one used it till the tyre needed replacing.

 

I can only speak about the plugs themselves, I never used the CO2 capsules as I discovered the punctures when at home/work where I have tyre inflating facilities.

 

I did have a roadside puncture about 3-4 years ago, I didn’t have the rope plug kit at the time but did have a cargol turn and go kit and a bottle of slime.  As the puncture was from a piece of flint and about just under an inch long/wide - neither the slime or cargol kit worked.  I managed to limp the bike back to a petrol station and had a 5hr wait for recovery.  Not an experience I want to repeat anytime soon so I carry the rope plug kit wherever I go.  I no longer carry the sealant/slime though.  All the tyre places seem to hate it and I’ve seen some charge for cleaning it up if you’ve used/attempted to use it.

 

ive seen a few portable, rechargeable air compressors which double up as a torch/power bank.  Very tempted to get one and Chuck it in the Frunk and to use at home (beats using a foot pump)

Edited January 11, 2022 by Empty_Ten

[Andy m 23,472]

If you strip the case off a cheap nasty (or Halfords) electric compressor, the guts will fit in the palm of one hand. The plastic box is full of air so Captain Volvo won't burn his pinkies or not be able to save the carpet in the boot with a quick wipe. As we'll be wearing gloves it's not such a hazard. 

 

Andy