flat tire

[smoothblue]

Upon returning from a beautiful ride into eastern Oregon and back to Eugene, just short of home in fading light. I noticed the bike was feeling a bit different in the way it handled. I was riding two-up and after a long ride day I didn't think much of it as the bike generally throttled well and moved through traffic on I-5 without difficulty. After I got home I inspected the tires. I found that the rear tire was dangerously low on pressure to the point that I could push in on the tread of the tire without much difficulty. WOW!! Happy I didn't have any serious problem, but now I wonder if I damaged the tire riding it low like that with a heavy load. I plan on removing the rear wheel today (darn! shops are closed the next two days) and inspecting it for point of air loss. Any suggestions on what I should do next? Should I repair the tire if it's a small hole on the tread area and not near the sidewall? Inspect the casing? And if so, for what? The Set of Pilot Roads only have about 2,000 miles on them and are otherwise in good shape.

I don't want to error on the side of saving some money on fixing the tire if I have to be paranoid about riding on it and wondering whether it may suffer a rapid loss of air (blow-out) or some other serious condition. You folks have provided sage advice in the past. How should I proceed on this one? Thanks in advance for your input.

 

[Geezer]

Before you remove the wheel make sure the air isn't leaking from the schrader valve. A loose valve core is not common, but is the easiest to check and fix.

There are some older threads on tire patching. The bottom line is that some of us would repair the tire and use it up as normal, and others would replace it immediately.

If you patch it, there are several options regarding which type of patch to use. I prefer the string type patches that I use for my cars and trucks. There were some reports of the mushroom shaped patches working loose over time. And, the best patch would probably be the type that inserts from the inside but requires the tire be removed from one side to install.

 

[HaulinAshe]

Just an FYI, in case you consider taking the tire somewhere, in NC it's illegal to patch a motorcycle tire. Not sure if it's the same in Oregon or not.

+1 on the string-type patches.

 

[Feejer/Weejer man]

I have plugged tires before on a few bikes and had not one flat fail. I have run the tires to replacement with no issues. But others have not been so fortunate.

 

[Penforhire]

Illegal to patch? That's creepy. It may not be illegal here but two of my local dealers won't do it for tires on a FJR ("too much HP, too much liability"). I had a small nail hole in mid-tread. I had poor results with the Stop-N-Go mushroom (held for a while then leaked) but an old-fashioned super-cheap string plug fixed me right up. Go figure.