Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums General Tech My dilemma – Request Advice (Tire Puncture)

Background – I'm a bit of a stickler regarding tires. Last November, I picked up a nail in the rear tire. I have been riding since 1972 and that was the first puncture I ever experienced. The tire was near the end of its usable life span and had approximately 1 – 2000 mi. of remaining tread. Weighing the cost of repairing the tire opposed to replacing – I opted to replace the tire and skip a double hit on the labor fee. Since that time, I have ridden approximately 1500 miles on the new tire. The tire is a tubeless METZLER.

On Saturday, I spent considerable time performing routine maintenance and cleaning on the bike in anticipation of some riding on Sunday. After completion, I rolled the bike into the garage and was in the process of putting the jack , tools, and cleaning agents away and noticed a elongated 'mark' on the rear tire. Reaching down to touch it, I immediately became aware the 'mark' was a nail.

The nail remains in place. The tire remains inflated. There is no sign of pressure loss at this point.

The questions (since I'm virtually inexperienced with tire failure and repair)

1. What is the preferred means of repair of a nail puncture (i.e., plug, patch, tube, etc)
2. Will the repair be 'permanent' and the tire safe
3. Do I pull the nail now (perhaps finding the nail is NOT through the tire, but, just into the rubber (wishful thinking)
4. Do I leave the nail in place and risk damage to the belting while riding to the repair shop.
5. Will I have to replace a virtually new tire to be confident about safety.

Best is to replace tire always. But as long as no cords were damaged you can remove the tire and patch from the inside with proper patch (The way you talk I assume you are talking tubeless)Plugging works but I don't feel comfortable doing it on bikes even though I plug car tires all the time. I would NOT ride it to a repair place. If you want to take it somewhere remove the wheel and take it there is a car or truck.

It sounds like you don't want to repair it yourself. Check tire pressure, if it's low, inflate it about 5psi more than normal. Leave the nail in and ride it to the repair shop. You don't have to go real slow, 50mph or less should be fine. The normal method of repair is to plug it.

Plugs are safe, I've done 145mph solo and 110mph two-up on plugged tires with no problems.

If you want to do it yourself, it's pretty easy, only a Doofus Factor of 1.

Pull the nail with Vice-Grip.
There is a rasp in the plug kit to ream out the hole before plugging. Don't use it. Take a drillbit a little bit smaller than the rasp and ream the hole w/your drill (much easier).
Put the plug in the plug tool (the one with the split end), cover it with the rubber cement, push through the hole, twist and pull back out.
Inflate and test for leaks with water. Piece 'o cake.

What's the opinion on adding a patch inside and posibly adding a tube. The Metzler says tubeless/tube on the side wall.

To patch from the inside or add a tube, you have to pull the wheel, remove the tire, costs more. I don't think it's worth it. If the hole is so big the plug won't work, you should just replace the tire. I've plugged from roofing nails, 10d nails, drywall screws, with no problems. The resulting repairs lasted thousands of miles, until the tread wore out. I did Fort Lauderdale to Daytona and back on a plugged tire, two-up, 100plus, no worries.

If the hole is big you can still patch from inside as long as the cords aren't broken. There are even patches that have a plug in the center but still has to be done with the tire off the rim. Tube or tube and patch are another good option.

I agree that plugging is an acceptable option all I was saying is I am not comfortable with it.

I wouldn't add a tube, you wouldn't be able to plug later if you had a puncture on the road.
You said "mark on the tire", is the nail partially sticking out at an angle? Does it bubble when soapy water or spit applied?

Its sticking waaaaay out and I think there's a 50% chance its lodged into the meat of the tread. No leakage - but my only previous nail didn't leak either - Until I pulled it.

I have 1/2 a mind to take another gamble and give it a rip... I'm just short on courage.

Don't pull it until you have the repair tools. If you're going to ride it to the repair shop, cut off the portion of the nail that's sticking out. (Dremel,side cutters, whatever.) If you're going to "give 'er a rip", buy the plug kit first. You have a air pump/compressor, right?

I use the mushroom type plugs, and I have never encountered a problem with them. This includes usage on auto's and bikes.......ANGELIS

With it sticking out, you could wiggle it around with soapy water or spit and tell if it goes all the way through to the air.