Motorcycle Puncture Repair

[Daffy D]

One of the our motorcycles is a Vespa LX S125 that had a puncture.

 

The tyre is tubeless so they just put a plug in it. This works on the car but not so well on the bike tyre, as after just a few days the plug came out, or at least the tyre went down again.

 

I suggested instead of using a plug putting a patch on the inside of the tyre, but this means having to remove the wheel to get at the tire so nobody is enthusiastic about it  "no need, plug good".

 

Yea! good business for them, getting paid many times for the same puncture.

 

Anyways question is are inside patches available for bike tyres like they are for cars? 

 

Please don't say get a new tyre, this one cost almost a thousand baht and is only a couple of months old.

 

[roo860]

Plug from the inside. 

[PJ71]

5 minutes ago, Daffy D said:

 

Please don't say get a new tyre, this one cost almost a thousand baht and is only a couple of months old.

Almost a 1000 baht - good lord!!!

[Pi Tao]

250 thb for my car.

 

[VocalNeal]

14 minutes ago, roo860 said:

Plug from the inside. 

 

Yes there are rubber plugs that go in but won't come out. They are mushroom-shaped.🤔

Edited October 29, 2023 by VocalNeal

[richard_smith237]

Is it not risky to have a tyre on a motorcycle thats not 100% intact ???...

 

Edited October 29, 2023 by richard_smith237

[roo860]

6 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

 

Yes there are rubber plugs that go in but won't come out. They are mushroom-shaped.🤔

I had a few punctures in the UK, hole drilled out to plug size, also glue added and then plugged.

[soi3eddie]

17 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

 

Yes there are rubber plugs that go in but won't come out. They are mushroom-shaped.🤔

I used to run a business in London in late 1980's, solely repairing puntures for motorcyles. Tubeless were only common on bigger bikes back then but we used to repair them. Always did from the inside and yes, the plug was mushroom shaped. Never failed. 

In Thailand I had a puncture on my ADV150 and took it to the repair shop (one with castrol logo IIRC) and they put a folded rubber strip into the hole from the outside. It worked ok but that tyre always lost a bit of pressure every few weeks. In the end it was time for new tyres anyway. Advise using a proper plug repair from the inside if possible. Repair from outside should be considered temporary only IMO.

 

 

Edited October 29, 2023 by soi3eddie

[brianthainess]

IMO all plugs are just temporary it needs a proper patch on the inside. 

[BarraMarra]

I got a Yamaha D-Max got a puncture last year in UK my Nephew owns his own Tyre business fixes truck, Agricultural,  cars, and even wheelbarrow tyres. He removed my rear tyre tubeless and drilled the hole with a rotary file then put a Mushroom patch with proper tyre glue still going strong now.

[ravip]

In some specific cases, it is possible to repair a punctured tyre on a motorcycle. But it is unlikely that you will be able to make the correct diagnosis yourself.

 

Why? Firstly, because you need to be able to access the inside of the tyre. Secondly, because it takes the eye of a professional to assess its condition and determine the correct diagnosis.

 

Depending on the condition of your tyre, he will either repair it or recommend replacing it. It is therefore imperative that you take your tyre to a specialist as soon as possible so that he can draw conclusions about your tyre.

 

Of course, it is difficult to show your tyre to a professional if you are far from the next garage and your tyre is flat! In this case, it comes down to one of two things:

 

Some advice from Michelin

[eisfeld]

There are good plugs and there are bad plugs. Good plugs can be pretty much a permanent fix but a patch from the inside always is better. I've had my motorcycle tire patched twice in Thailand but not every shop does it. Everyone does plugs though. It's a good idea to first plug and then use the temporarily fixed tire to look for someone that can patch it from inside for peace of mind.

[MangoKorat]

A decent plug repair will include a patch that is attached to the plug and can only be repaired internally.  I would not accept an external plug unless it was just a 'get you home' measure.  Had several internal plug repairs done over the years and never had a problem.

[Daffy D]

3 hours ago, PJ71 said:

Almost a 1000 baht - good lord!!!

Well Yea! But the lord wasn't too good when he made an odd ball size tire that doesn't seem to be regular stock   

[Daffy D]

3 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Is it not risky to have a tyre on a motorcycle thats not 100% intact ???...

 

Agree, but it's only a small bike used just locally, and it's on the rear wheel so little risk   🤞

[Andre0720]

Go see a real mechanic. Many around....

[Daffy D]

Thank you'all for your detailed replies, good information.

 

Will only go for the mushroom plug from the inside in future, though I don't think there's many of the local repair guys round here that could do it.

 

Anyways Thanks  

[Moonlover]

I've had exactly the same problem as you @Daffy D on the rear tyre of my Aerox. I fitted a plug as a temporary measure to get the bike into town in the hope that Yamaha would fix it, but no! Just as with you they would only replace the tyre at 1,800 baht. Tyre repair shops would only plug, they wouldn't (or couldn't) remove the wheel.

 

So in the end I allowed them to remove my temporary plug and replace it. I have to admit they did a much better job than I did and it has held now for 2 months without any problem, but I check the tyres much more than I used to.

 

But still feel that I would be more confident if I had a 'mushroom' plug and I think I may have found the answer on Lazada. There's a demonstration video on the page. Go check it out. Website link at: Mushroom repair kit

 

Edited October 29, 2023 by Moonlover

[papa al]

If in Patty,

iMoto does inside hot patches.

[novacova]

On 10/29/2023 at 1:30 PM, Daffy D said:

Anyways question is are inside patches available for bike tyres like they are for cars?

Get it patched up and put a tube in it. Yes, tubes can be used in tubeless.

[Badrabbit]

I can fix my own punctures, I have a 12v power outlet fitted to my bikes, I carry a Mini air compresser, I carry a puncture kit, takes 5 mins to repair and lasts for years.

[Daffy D]

Yes I know tubes can be put into tubeless tyres buy I didn't want to do that.

 

About a hundred years ago I also used to fix my own punctures, but these days all I can manage is the kids push bikes.

 

Anyways, the puncture guy said the hole was too big now and need a new tyre, so that problem solved 

 

 

[BarraMarra]

On 10/29/2023 at 10:51 AM, Moonlover said:

I've had exactly the same problem as you @Daffy D on the rear tyre of my Aerox. I fitted a plug as a temporary measure to get the bike into town in the hope that Yamaha would fix it, but no! Just as with you they would only replace the tyre at 1,800 baht. Tyre repair shops would only plug, they wouldn't (or couldn't) remove the wheel.

 

So in the end I allowed them to remove my temporary plug and replace it. I have to admit they did a much better job than I did and it has held now for 2 months without any problem, but I check the tyres much more than I used to.

 

But still feel that I would be more confident if I had a 'mushroom' plug and I think I may have found the answer on Lazada. There's a demonstration video on the page. Go check it out. Website link at: Mushroom repair kit

 

Cheap to put a tube in even though its tubeless. A garage will most likely make you cough up for a new tyre makes them Cash. 

[eisfeld]

Not every rim of a tubeless wheel can take tubes. And in any case putting a tube inside a tubeless tire should only be done as a temporary measure because that's not what they were designed for. But then again much easier to just put a plug in if we're talking temporary fix anyways.

[Moonlover]

1 hour ago, BarraMarra said:

Cheap to put a tube in even though its tubeless. A garage will most likely make you cough up for a new tyre makes them Cash. 

If one could remove the wheel then one can remove the tyre and make a proper repair using a mushroom plug/patch. So no tube would be necessary.

 

In fact a tube should NOT be fitted in tubeless tyre unless the rim profile is suitable and you won't know that until the tyre has been removed. And if you've got that far, see paragraph one.

 

https://www.continental-tyres.co.uk/b2c/tyre-knowledge/how-to-combine-tubeless-and-tube-type-motorcycle-tyres-with-rims/#:~:text=for spoked wheels-,Inner Tubes,washer on the valve stem.

 

Edited November 2, 2023 by Moonlover