Big Bike And Punctures.

[kenny999]

How do you prepare for the unexpected puncture on a big bike here in Thailand, in the UK I used to carry the foam that inflated the tyre and enabled you to get to a garage at a reduced speed. I have a feeling that is not the case here..

[snowflake]

Well, you have a small shop mech every 50m- they can plug it so it will last for a while... If not- a guy i knew a long time ago rode around with a screw- just in case... Dodgy, but he said it worked... If not- well- ride slowly or call a friend with a pick up...

[CMX]

Assuming tubeless tires, there are the kits for plugging the hole (if you can find it). Some then carry a hose so as to fill one tire from the other in order to carry on slowly to the next pump; others carry pumps of mechanical or 12v nature, and a third choice is compressed gas.

Except for the pumps, I know of none available here, but have not researched GT Rider.

[kenny999]

Assuming tubeless tires, there are the kits for plugging the hole (if you can find it). Some then carry a hose so as to fill one tire from the other in order to carry on slowly to the next pump; others carry pumps of mechanical or 12v nature, and a third choice is compressed gas.

Except for the pumps, I know of none available here, but have not researched GT Rider.

Cheers for that, so I take it the foam is not available here?

[engrin]

The foam is available at Carrefour. You can also get those puncture repair kits where you plug the whole at Kawasaki in Pattaya.

[Garry]

I have the first kit (Pocket Tire Plugger - For All Tubeless Tires) as seen in this webpage: http://www.stopngo.com/motorcycle.asp. They could not ship me the kit with the CO2 cartridges. basically Soda stream cartridges. I have the cartridges now and your motorcycle tool kits (if you have one) should have pliers in them. I have been told it may take up to three cartridges to inflate a large tyre eg: 190. Never had to use it (knock on wood) but small enough to keep in my jacket. I have used kits before in Australia and this would have to be one of the best. Quite ingenious how the system works inserting the mushroom type plug, as it really leaves nothing to error if you even half mechanically minded. How to use the kit

Meant to add that this will be my next purchase from them: Mini-Air Compressor Measures (4” x 2” x 6”)

Edited December 21, 2010 by Garry

[saorsa]

For tubeless, the tyre plug system is great, if you have tubed tyres, Ive found the foam works ok, but not great. The tyre still deflated, but but with regular stops to top up with air, i got home the time i had to use it. This was in UK and touring Europe though, in Thailand, I have nothing yet, but will try to rectify that when i get home.

[floridaguy]

there is a motor service here in Thailand that give discounts to TV members that covers flat tires. They will dispatch a mechanic to you or pick your bike up and take it to a service center. I can't remember, and I couldn't find it in a search. Perhaps someone with a better memory than mine can help.

[nikster]

I've recently had 2 punctures on my rear Versys tire - lucky me, eh? Both times a nail got stuck in the tire, and both times I was able to ride slowly to the dealership and have it fixed.

Learned something new too, those automatic pumps at the gas station have a special "flat tire" button and they don't work on flats otherwise. I was tooling around there wondering why the pump doesn't work until a Thai guy in line behind me pushed the flat tire button for me *whoops*. Somewhat embarrassing!

So question for the experts: Should I throw this tire out? I feel like it might be a bit dodgy now, plus it has 4000km on it, and it's pretty squared out anyway as I haven't been able to do much mountain riding.

[Garry]

I've recently had 2 punctures on my rear Versys tire - lucky me, eh? Both times a nail got stuck in the tire, and both times I was able to ride slowly to the dealership and have it fixed.

Learned something new too, those automatic pumps at the gas station have a special "flat tire" button and they don't work on flats otherwise. I was tooling around there wondering why the pump doesn't work until a Thai guy in line behind me pushed the flat tire button for me *whoops*. Somewhat embarrassing!

So question for the experts: Should I throw this tire out? I feel like it might be a bit dodgy now, plus it has 4000km on it, and it's pretty squared out anyway as I haven't been able to do much mountain riding.

nikster I think you've already answered your question mate..it's squared off..get a new one and be done with. Quick one, what was the brand & spec of tire fitted as OEM?

[nikster]

I've recently had 2 punctures on my rear Versys tire - lucky me, eh? Both times a nail got stuck in the tire, and both times I was able to ride slowly to the dealership and have it fixed.

Learned something new too, those automatic pumps at the gas station have a special "flat tire" button and they don't work on flats otherwise. I was tooling around there wondering why the pump doesn't work until a Thai guy in line behind me pushed the flat tire button for me *whoops*. Somewhat embarrassing!

So question for the experts: Should I throw this tire out? I feel like it might be a bit dodgy now, plus it has 4000km on it, and it's pretty squared out anyway as I haven't been able to do much mountain riding.

nikster I think you've already answered your question mate..it's squared off..get a new one and be done with. Quick one, what was the brand & spec of tire fitted as OEM?

Thx for the response! I think I'll do that. The Versys had Dunlop Sportmax fitted off factory, I swapped them for the Bridgestone Battlax BT021 from my ER-6n. Next I want dual compound to counter the squaring problem - maybe BT023 would be great, I also heard Pirelli Angels are good - well I'll ask about that in the Versys thread...

[bbradsby]

Dual compound tires are the order of the day for those of us trapped in urban areas with infrequent opportunities to get to the twisties.

And to answer one question, assuming tread is adequate, a well-plugged tubeless tire is fine for sane street riding. Wouldn't do a track day on one. The tire manf will never tell ya its ok... but they're in the business of selling tires. also, they wouldn't want to handle the legal claims from saying it was ok to ride on a plugged tire and then having the idiots out there screw it up and come looking for money.

[Scottish Thailander]

Dual compound tires are the order of the day for those of us trapped in urban areas with infrequent opportunities to get to the twisties.

And to answer one question, assuming tread is adequate, a well-plugged tubeless tire is fine for sane street riding. Wouldn't do a track day on one. The tire manf will never tell ya its ok... but they're in the business of selling tires. also, they wouldn't want to handle the legal claims from saying it was ok to ride on a plugged tire and then having the idiots out there screw it up and come looking for money.

:jap:. Sorry, I disagree. Even assuming tread is adequate, I'd say replace it (or at least tube it). The tyre is the only thing between you and the road. Is it really worth the risk? Hospital bills and bike repairs (if you survive a spill) will almost certainly cost you more than the cost of a new tyre.

.

[Garry]

Most tyre manufactures have specific details on where a repair can & can't be made to a tyre in regards to temporary (get you home scenario) to full time, (continue to use scenario).

I'm a fan of changing a plugged motorcycle tire (especially a front tyre) at your earliest opportunity, though I have ridden on a plugged rear tyre for nearly 3,000 kms without any issues. In fact the tyre had worn to the point that at the end of its life, the plug could not be seen by the discerning eye from the outside. When the tyre was eventually changed, I asked the mechanic if he could see the plug on the inside. he spotted it grabbed a pair of pliers and tried to pull it out internally. It did not budge, but the bit he had a hold of did come off with some effort, but the integrity of the plug was still sound, the rubber bonding glue in my kit had worked so well. The mechanic commented that whoever had done the plug fix had done a great job. Have I ridden long term on a plugged tyre since, no..but I would do it again if need be, but probably not to that extent.

In short, if money is tight, run with the plug but be sensible (no superbike speeds, overloading, burnouts etc). If you have the money, change the tyre as soon as possible. I for one am a fan of tire plugs. If you buy a tire plug kit, don't be cheap, buy a quality kit, follow the directions to the letter and funnily enough you will get good results. You then have a better than average chance of being able to get home or to the next repair facility safely.

[Scottish Thailander]

Garry, your point is taken.

Although a plug repair might be good and last a long time there are, however, many things to consider; the quality of the kit, the repairer's skill, the weight of the bike (and rider and luggage), the condition of the roads, etc, and the unquantifiably nasty bit, luck.

Let me clarify my previous statement a little. I have often used, and am also a fan of tire plugs (and the little sodastream type gas cylinders). I had one of the first kits made available many, many years ago by BMW. I also agree, if you buy a tire plug kit, buy a quality kit, and follow the directions to the letter you then have a good chance of being able to get home or to the next repair facility safely (at a sensible speed - the repair kits usually specify a very short drive at a very low speed). Having clarified that, I personally would still then change the tyre as soon as possible and advise others to do so. The purpose of these kit is to get you home. They are not designed to be a permanent fix. Don't push your luck.

.

[Garry]

I really enjoy threads like this. Good honest thoughtful discussion with no bashing.

So now we just have to hunt down suppliers in Thailand. Off hand I would imagine that BMW Motorcycles would sell the kits. Ducati have an 'all in one' kit on their website. Whether it is held by Ducati Thonglor in Bangkok, I have no idea. Let's keep this thread updated as more information is found out.

Cheers guys,

Garry :jap:

[bbradsby]

Dual compound tires are the order of the day for those of us trapped in urban areas with infrequent opportunities to get to the twisties.

And to answer one question, assuming tread is adequate, a well-plugged tubeless tire is fine for sane street riding. Wouldn't do a track day on one. The tire manf will never tell ya its ok... but they're in the business of selling tires. also, they wouldn't want to handle the legal claims from saying it was ok to ride on a plugged tire and then having the idiots out there screw it up and come looking for money.

:jap:. Sorry, I disagree. Even assuming tread is adequate, I'd say replace it (or at least tube it). The tyre is the only thing between you and the road. Is it really worth the risk? Hospital bills and bike repairs (if you survive a spill) will almost certainly cost you more than the cost of a new tyre.

.

You can do that ...and you're erring on the side of safety, so won't get an argument from me. But in financially skinnier times, I've patched quite a few non-tracked, tubeless tires over the decades, as have many others, without incident, and rode the tires for their normal tread lifetimes. Key thing IMHO is not assuming you can do track speeds/cornering. In the absence of these kinds of shenanigans, the forces on the plug [which is fused to the tire carcass via the adhesive to become one] have never resulted in a failure in my experience. BIke shops run by lifelong bikers [not sales boys], were in concurrence, saying a proper patch is fine, but the tire manf could never agree in writing due to insurance reasons as well as lost sales.

In the end, if you have a 600 and up sportbike, and ride it like you should, I'd recommend that you never patch a tire. I never patched a tire on a Ducati of mine back stateside, except to get home. For my [new-to-me] NSR 150sp, which tops out around 100mph, I'll patch an otherwise good street tire - talk about understressed

[bbradsby]

I'm a fan of the BMW tire patch system - from experience, and also because their R&D are second to none. I probably wouldn't buy one labelled 'Made in China'... as any business culture where shoddy & dangerous business practices (construction & food industries, as documented examples) are routinely carried out in the interest of profit gets a thumbs down from me.

But I digress a wee bit... I'm just guessing that in Thailand, the BMW patch kit'll cost as much as a new tire

[RusticCharm]

 

Ducati have an 'all in one' kit on their website. Whether it is held by Ducati Thonglor in Bangkok, I have no idea.

I'm going into Ducati this afternoon. If I remember, I'll take a look. 

[BigBikeBKK]

I have the first kit (Pocket Tire Plugger - For All Tubeless Tires) as seen in this webpage: http://www.stopngo.com/motorcycle.asp. They could not ship me the kit with the CO2 cartridges. basically Soda stream cartridges. I have the cartridges now and your motorcycle tool kits (if you have one) should have pliers in them. I have been told it may take up to three cartridges to inflate a large tyre eg: 190. Never had to use it (knock on wood) but small enough to keep in my jacket. I have used kits before in Australia and this would have to be one of the best. Quite ingenious how the system works inserting the mushroom type plug, as it really leaves nothing to error if you even half mechanically minded. How to use the kit

Meant to add that this will be my next purchase from them: Mini-Air Compressor Measures (4" x 2" x 6")

The stop and go pocket tire plugger is an awesome piece of kit! Thanks to the mushroom shape of the plugs it nearly impossible for them to fail. As a general rule if I puncture a front tire I always replace asap, but for the rear, as long as the puncture is well plugged I've ridden plugged tires down to the wear indicators without any problems quite a few times.

Instead of carrying the CO2 cartridges that come with the Stop and Go kit (what happens if you run out of them in the middle of nowhere?!) I went to Carrefour and bought a cheap automotive 12V air pump, removed the housing, cut off the cigarette lighter plug and soldered on some alligator clips and voila- my hand sized ~300 Baht motorcycle air pump:

Happy Holidays!

Tony

Edited December 24, 2010 by BigBikeBKK

[Garry]

Ducati have an 'all in one' kit on their website. Whether it is held by Ducati Thonglor in Bangkok, I have no idea.

I'm going into Ducati this afternoon. If I remember, I'll take a look.

This si the link to the Ducati Kit

[Garry]

I have the first kit (Pocket Tire Plugger - For All Tubeless Tires) as seen in this webpage: http://www.stopngo.com/motorcycle.asp. They could not ship me the kit with the CO2 cartridges. basically Soda stream cartridges. I have the cartridges now and your motorcycle tool kits (if you have one) should have pliers in them. I have been told it may take up to three cartridges to inflate a large tyre eg: 190. Never had to use it (knock on wood) but small enough to keep in my jacket. I have used kits before in Australia and this would have to be one of the best. Quite ingenious how the system works inserting the mushroom type plug, as it really leaves nothing to error if you even half mechanically minded. How to use the kit

Meant to add that this will be my next purchase from them: Mini-Air Compressor Measures (4" x 2" x 6")

The stop and go pocket tire plugger is an awesome piece of kit! Thanks to the mushroom shape of the plugs it nearly impossible for them to fail. As a general rule if I puncture a front tire I always replace asap, but for the rear, as long as the puncture is well plugged I've ridden plugged tires down to the wear indicators without any problems quite a few times.

Instead of carrying the CO2 cartridges that come with the Stop and Go kit (what happens if you run out of them in the middle of nowhere?!) I went to Carrefour and bought a cheap automotive 12V air pump, removed the housing, cut off the cigarette lighter plug and soldered on some alligator clips and voila- my hand sized ~300 Baht motorcycle air pump:

Happy Holidays!

Tony

Nice one Tony. I've bought similar pumps from Big C. I'll be doing the same thing. Thanks for the idea.

Happy Holidays mate

[RusticCharm]

This si the link to the Ducati Kit

Mmm, definitely priced at a premium, methinks. 

[BigBikeBKK]

Ducati have an 'all in one' kit on their website. Whether it is held by Ducati Thonglor in Bangkok, I have no idea.

I'm going into Ducati this afternoon. If I remember, I'll take a look.

This si the link to the Ducati Kit

Love how the Duc kit comes with white gloves so you don't get your hands dirty!

Merry Christmas!!!

Tony

[T_Dog]

Those pluggers (tire shops and kits) work well if the tubeless tire stays on the bead. I had a flat in the boonies two years ago and it took most of an afternoon to find an air compressor with enough capacity to blow the tire bead back on the rim to seal. If you get a flat, stop right away and get the weight of the tire to keep the bead seated. That way a low capacity air source will get you back on the road after the hole is plugged. If it tire unseats from the rim, you are going to need a lot of air.

[Garry]

Those pluggers (tire shops and kits) work well if the tubeless tire stays on the bead. I had a flat in the boonies two years ago and it took most of an afternoon to find an air compressor with enough capacity to blow the tire bead back on the rim to seal. If you get a flat, stop right away and get the weight of the tire to keep the bead seated. That way a low capacity air source will get you back on the road after the hole is plugged. If it tire unseats from the rim, you are going to need a lot of air.

You could use the old 4WD'ers trick of using flammable gas to reseat a tyre on the bead. It works for big tyres. I might just try a bit of R&D on that and see if there is enough volume in a big bike tyre to allow the process to work.

4WD tire

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=vLtBojvDEyc

IT WORKS....!!!!

Bike tire

Edited December 24, 2010 by Garry

[RusticCharm]

 

Love how the Duc kit comes with white gloves so you don't get your hands dirty! 

And that little ticket bottom right is an offer for a free Starbuck's Latte. 

[BigBikeBKK]

Love how the Duc kit comes with white gloves so you don't get your hands dirty!

And that little ticket bottom right is an offer for a free Starbuck's Latte.

Italians drink Starbucks?!

[nikster]

Italians drink Starbucks?!

Good point, Italy is quite possibly the only western country without a Starbucks. Wise move, I don't think it would work very well in iItaly given that Italy is saturated with coffee shops way better than Starbucks

Edited December 24, 2010 by nikster

[T_Dog]

Those pluggers (tire shops and kits) work well if the tubeless tire stays on the bead. I had a flat in the boonies two years ago and it took most of an afternoon to find an air compressor with enough capacity to blow the tire bead back on the rim to seal. If you get a flat, stop right away and get the weight of the tire to keep the bead seated. That way a low capacity air source will get you back on the road after the hole is plugged. If it tire unseats from the rim, you are going to need a lot of air.

You could use the old 4WD'ers trick of using flammable gas to reseat a tyre on the bead. It works for big tyres. I might just try a bit of R&D on that and see if there is enough volume in a big bike tyre to allow the process to work.

4WD tire

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=vLtBojvDEyc

IT WORKS....!!!!

Bike tire

That is one sweet trick! Note to self: Pack butane canister......