Unwanted Hitchhiker

[Duccrazydave]

Was about 5 miles from the house, on my way back from a great 130 mile loop to my favorite local twisties, when I received a yellow warning triangle on the dash. And a little tire symbol. Switched to the Nav info screen and the rear tire was down to 30psi. Slowed my pace a little and kept an eye on the screen. By the time I pulled in the driveway, the warning had been flashing red for a bit and I was left with 27psi.
Seemed like a good time to try out the Stop and Go repair kit I've been carrying for the last year. After pulling out the hitchhiker (a 2" deck screw) I followed the instructions and inserted the plug, pulled it tight to the inside of the tire, pumped the tire up and trimmed the excess. The quality of the tools make it an easy process, but I'm still a little skeptical of the mushroom type plug. For my entire driving experience (car & bike) I've only ever used the sticky rope type plugs, which have always lasted the remaining life of the tire. And it's been over 25 years since I've picked up anything in a motorcycle tire. Anyone used this style plug kit before? I'm interested in what I can expect out of the repair.

[Duccrazydave]

Was about 5 miles from the house, on my way back from a great 130 mile loop to my favorite local twisties, when I received a yellow warning triangle on the dash. And a little tire symbol. Switched to the Nav info screen and the rear tire was down to 30psi. Slowed my pace a little and kept an eye on the screen. By the time I pulled in the driveway, the warning had been flashing red for a bit and I was left with 27psi.
Seemed like a good time to try out the Stop and Go repair kit I've been carrying for the last year. After pulling out the hitchhiker (a 2" deck screw) I followed the instructions and inserted the plug, pulled it tight to the inside of the tire, pumped the tire up and trimmed the excess. The quality of the tools make it an easy process, but I'm still a little skeptical of the mushroom type plug. For my entire driving experience (car & bike) I've only ever used the sticky rope type plugs, which have always lasted the remaining life of the tire. And it's been over 25 years since I've picked up anything in a motorcycle tire. Anyone used this style plug kit before? I'm interested in what I can expect out of the repair.

And the answer is (drum roll)...Not much. Checked the rear tire pressure this morning and it had an underwhelming total of 17psi. The paperwork says it's only a temporary fix, but I expected it to at least do as well as the Autozone tire plugs. At least the tools and compressor work.

[darrell]

I’ve never used the type of plugger you used so can’t comment on the system. I use the cheap rope plugs, have plugged many tires for myself (3 rear on the RS alone) and a few others tires never having one fail. I rode with a friend on a trip who had a different system using the all rubber mushroom plug. He picked up a nail. We plugged his tire and 100 miles later it had failed. We plugged again using the ropes I had. Getting back home we pulled his tire to see if we could determine why the failure. In reaming the hole we could feel a steel cord. I believe the steel cord cut the rubber plug off spitting the outer part out as the plug head and a bit of the stem of the rubber plug was loose on the inside of the tire.

When using the rope plugs I clean the hole with reamer. Once in and pull out with no turning as not wanting to remove any rubber, then insert the rope plug, twist the handle 1.5 turns to form a head on the inside of the tire and then yank straight out.

Always a bummer on a brand new tire to pick up a screw/nail. Yours is certainly in a spot where it should present no issues using the full life of that tire.

[darrell]

Just saw your note on plug failure. I’d spend $12 bucks for tools and 5 ropes at a local farm supply store or a few more dollars at an auto parts place. Maybe get an extra 5 ropes package of a larger size rope in case hole is larger than the ones with the package which allows you to use the one larger rope vs 2 of the smaller ones although that works as well. I’ve used 3 ropes in a hole to seal one.

Keep us updated. Not a way to spend a Sunday when you would prefer to take a ride and see who is not social distancing or wearing a mask. Might have to drag the other bike out instead.

[BobAin'tStoppin']

This makes me nervous. Have been carrying the Stop & Go mushrooms for years but never really used them for the bike. They work great on car tires.

[Grumpy Goat]

I have the Stop N Go repair kit as shown in a couple of my videos BUT I have never had a puncture where I have repaired the tire and continued to ride. So while I have patched a couple of tires using the kit, I am yet to experience the effectiveness of the plug repair and whether the tire holds pressure afterwards. I like the kit for its design and the design of the tools etc. but if the effectiveness is "iffy" then it is not worth a damn.

Like you said, Dave, the compressor is good and I suspect that the plugs would be good to have on hand just in case the puncture is nice and small in diameter. For more difficult repairs the ropes sound better, and no one can dispute Darrell's real-world experience using those. I will be getting some ropes as well to augment my kit.

[Olgry1]

I watched Darrell fix a flat tire on a ride with multiple riders a couple of years ago. Before he removed the nail/screw from the tire he had the tire repair kit all set and close by to start the repair immediately after removing the screw/nail. Being all set to do the repair preserved as much of the tire's psi as possible.
From the time he started till he finished with a repaired tire it may have been 10 minutes. From what I recall the rider continued to ride on that tire for the rest of the trip.

I am going to leave a note in my tire repair kit (rope type) noting the procedure Darrell described in his post. Hopefully in the future I will never have to read the note.

[Duccrazydave]

This morning I did follow up with the rope and glue that I normally use. But because the hole is below the tread surface, where it’s very thin, it went in way too easy. I don’t have much confidence in it either. If the screw had wound up in the treaded portion of the tire the plug would have had more support and may have worked better. Going to pull the tire and plug it from the inside.
And yes, it’s the Duc that gets to play today



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[Grumpy Goat]

This morning I did follow up with the rope and glue that I normally use. But because the hole is below the tread surface, where it’s very thin, it went in way too easy. I don’t have much confidence in it either. If the screw had wound up in the treaded portion of the tire the plug would have had more support and may have worked better.

I thought about that when I saw where the hole was located (in the bottom of a groove).

Going to pull the tire and plug it from the inside.
And yes, it’s the Duc that gets to play today

Nothing can beat a patch from the inside. I like the Stop N Go patches which seem to do a great job. Good luck.

[MrVvrroomm]

I've used the Stop-n-Go mushroom plugs that are squeezed in with the gun. I've put thousands of miles on plugged tires.

[Duccrazydave]

How appropriate that I just rewatched your tire patch video, Wayne. After an unfruitful search for a patch-pug combo, like the Stop and Go, at the usual spots (AutoZone,OReilly,Advance) I’ve decide to just order some online


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[Duccrazydave]

I've used the Stop-n-Go mushroom plugs that are squeezed in with the gun. I've put thousands of miles on plugged tires.

Bruce, I think I just stumbled on the perfect location where it wouldn’t work. Not to mention the way the screw had rotated back at angle, possibly making the hole bigger


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[Duccrazydave]

At least I’m getting to spend some quality time with my NoMar, lol



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[Lee]

I am going to leave a note in my tire repair kit (rope type) noting the procedure Darrell described in his post. Hopefully in the future I will never have to read the note.

Good idea.

[Lee]

I've seen at least three of the mushroom plugs fail when using the gun.
I saw one mushroom plug repair when using the same tool Dave has.
In this picture you can see the green gun on the table.

   

[Lee]

At least I’m getting to spend some quality time with my NoMar,

Do you plan to patch it from the inside?

[Duckbubbles]

As of right now, I have about 3000 miles on the rear tire on my '03 R1100S BCR (Michelin Pilot Power 2CT) since I installed a Stop-and-Go mushroom plug. Air leakage has been virtually nonexistent. Easiest, quickest fix in my experience.

Frank

[darrell]

Dave’s note - Was about 5 miles from the house, on my way back from a great 130 mile loop to my favorite local twisties, when I received a yellow warning triangle on the dash. And a little tire symbol. Switched to the Nav info screen and the rear tire was down to 30psi. Slowed my pace a little and kept an eye on the screen. By the time I pulled in the driveway, the warning had been flashing red for a bit and I was left with 27psi.

Darrell’s comment - please don’t see this as being critical but rather a comment. And I have done this before. Once anyone sees a warning on a low tire or feels something is wrong and bike is not handling right stop as soon as you safely can and see if you can find the issue. A suggestion in a case like Dave experienced and being 5 miles from home I would have used a screw drive and turned that screw in further flush with the rubber which would have eliminated it moving around every time the wheel rotated likely enlarging the hole. I’ve done this and rode 50 miles to a town with a motel in case I could not plug the tire properly. If you keep a tube of tire patch glue with you apply a little of that to the screw or nail when you push or turn it in.

[Lee]

As of right now, I have about 3000 miles on the rear tire on my '03 R1100S BCR (Michelin Pilot Power 2CT) since I installed a Stop-and-Go mushroom plug. Air leakage has been virtually nonexistent. Easiest, quickest fix in my experience.

Frank

Which Stop and Go tool did you use?

[Duccrazydave]

"Do you plan to patch it from the inside?"
Yes, Lee. Due to the peculiar way this happened, it's the only solution I'll be happy with.
Darrell, no hint of criticism taken. Sharing experiences and lessons learned is a big part of what makes this forum great. I had my Stop and Go kit with me. There was no way to get the screw in any further, as it was past the threads into the shoulder area. The Nav info was very helpful in this case. Up until the warning (which didn't pop up until it had dropped to 30psi) as there were no obvious handling issues because of it losing air on the straight stretch of highway I had traveled. It wasn't until 29psi that it started to give that goofy disconnected feedback. If I had been further from home I would have stopped and repaired it as soon as I saw the warning.