Is that what they do in Kansas? Time to move somewhere with fewer ********.
Have you ever had a flat tire?
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Mortenk
Well-known member
Agreed. The hard work is taking the tire off. Plugging the hole with a mushroom is dead easy and takes just a few minutes. I have even been able to do it with the tire still on the rim, just breaking the bead on one side
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FJRay
Well-known member
I don't understand why you would break the bead just to plug a tire. Please explain.
Because he's using a real mushroom plug, i.e. a patch plug, from the inside. Not a blank piece of rubber shaped like a little mushroom that the Stop and Go kits use.
FJRay
Well-known member
I guess that makes a little sense although I can't imagine trying it with the wheel in place. I use those in the shop for a permanent fix but have run sticky strings into the cords. On another note I have yet to have to plug a darkside tire. I think they are enough stronger to resist most hazards.
Mortenk
Well-known member
Sorry, I might not have been totally clear. I have had many slow leaks with the gummy worms installed from the outside, so I typically replace those with a permanent fix within a few weeks/months. To install a permanent mushroom plug from the inside I definitely take the wheel off first, but I have found out that you only need to break the bead on one side to be able to do this. It's a lot faster than taking the tire off the rim...I guess that makes a little sense although I can't imagine trying it with the wheel in place. I use those in the shop for a permanent fix but have run sticky strings into the cords. On another note I have yet to have to plug a darkside tire. I think they are enough stronger to resist most hazards.
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Northwoods Snowman
Well-known member
I got my first street flat in the rear of the FJR out in Montana on the way to NAFO in 2016. I plugged it with a self vulcanizing sticky string and pumped it up with the full size bicycle pump I threw in the trailer. I made my own insertion tools. I used steel rod and formed a loop on the "handle" end of each that I could insert the other tool into to make a t-handle. Worked like a charm. I'll be getting a mini 12v pump before going out to EOM this year since I plan to leave the trailer home. On my dirt bikes I would carry tire irons and a compact hand pump on the front fender... thinking of which I should look for that pump.
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Bustanut joker
Well-known member
+1 or was that fuzzy balls?On another note I have yet to have to plug a darkside tire. I think they are enough stronger to resist most hazards.
I'd have to say yes Ray.. The first darkside tire took a major slam from a 5 inch deep square edged pothole.
Seen it with just enough time to "lighten" the front end.
Anyway it broke belts in the sidewall creating a huge bulge form bead to tread. Bent the rim a little but not enough to cause me any problems in the years following.
I believe had it been a bike tire, the rim would have been toast.
RossKean
Well-known member
I have a sticky string "kit" that includes the screwdriver handle reamer and plug insertion tool. Also comes with glue, patches, abrader etc. for tubes and a cheap stick gauge to measure tire pressure.
What is the expected shelf life of the sticky strings in the kit? Like many (most?) people, I have had this kit for a few years and have only used one string for a tire patch (at home). There are another 5 or more strings in the kit. Do these dry out after a time? Special concern when stored in the heat under the seat all year long! Is there a reasonable expectation that a three (or more) year old sticky string will work?
Wondering if they should be replaced annually or at some other interval? Reminder to anyone who uses an electric inflator - make SURE it works before you find that you need it!! Probably a good idea to use it to top off moto tires a few times a year to be sure that it continues to provide air at sufficient pressure.
What is the expected shelf life of the sticky strings in the kit? Like many (most?) people, I have had this kit for a few years and have only used one string for a tire patch (at home). There are another 5 or more strings in the kit. Do these dry out after a time? Special concern when stored in the heat under the seat all year long! Is there a reasonable expectation that a three (or more) year old sticky string will work?
Wondering if they should be replaced annually or at some other interval? Reminder to anyone who uses an electric inflator - make SURE it works before you find that you need it!! Probably a good idea to use it to top off moto tires a few times a year to be sure that it continues to provide air at sufficient pressure.
Pterodactyl
Well-known member
I replace the sticky strings every other year or so. I think they will last much longer but they are cheap and available at many locations.
I don't think they really go bad. Truth be told, with the miles I have been riding in the past decade, I never got the chance to see how long they last. Too many occasions to use them on my own or other's bikes.
I really prefer the orange ones. But the black ones do the job. Just not quite as sticky and a tiny bit thinner, I believe.
I really prefer the orange ones. But the black ones do the job. Just not quite as sticky and a tiny bit thinner, I believe.
RossKean
Well-known member
You must have a lot more debris on your roads than I do! I do lots of miles as well and I have only had one flat on the road in the past dozen years (20-30 K miles per year). Maybe three other flats discovered in the garage (obviously a slow leak that took a day or two to notice). I mostly ride by myself so haven't had the occasion to fix anybody else's tire. Anyway, I was concerned about my old pack of strings and may replace them "just because". They are cheap enough and I will make a point of comparing the hardness and stickiness of the new with the old. I have never noticed a "best before" on the package but I haven't looked carefully either. I also use the orange ones.
Do you moisten them with a smear of glue to make for smoother insertion? I haven't but it seems that some people do. Problem is that once opened, the glue dries up pretty quickly.
I wanted to put it out there in case people (like me) were relying on old stock that might not be good. I will worry less!
Endurance rallies take you off the beaten path. I've been a lot of strange and lonely places in the last 15 years or so.
Yes, I do use a bit of glue to aid in insertion of the sticky string. Secondary effect of filling in micro tears or uneven edges to the hole. I buy the smallest glue tubes I can find since they are rarely any good the next time you need it after being opened.
Yes, I do use a bit of glue to aid in insertion of the sticky string. Secondary effect of filling in micro tears or uneven edges to the hole. I buy the smallest glue tubes I can find since they are rarely any good the next time you need it after being opened.
I replace the glue once per year or when opened. I replace the strings every two or three yrs, I've not seen the need for more often. Or at all really, it just makes me feel better.
I prefer the orange ones, too. They seem more robust.
I prefer the orange ones, too. They seem more robust.
Uncle Hud
Just another blob of protoplasm using up your oxyg
Agree with OCfjr and rbentnail. My strings are probably 3 years old -- maybe older -- but they're rubber. Don't expect they'd deteriorate much inside a box inside my hardcase. I use a small tube of rubber cement to coat each string prior to insertion, then toss the tube (responsibly) after use since the gluey stuff gets hard and unusable after opening.
Never seen orange strings. Off to do research and find them in a store.
Never seen orange strings. Off to do research and find them in a store.
I get mine at Auto Zone. Advance Auto had only the black ones last time I was there. Never checked WalMart or O'Reilly's.
The other thing I did- dropped a Leatherman style multitool under the seat. The pliers come in handy for squishing the string and pulling it thru the insertion tool.
Uncle Hud
Just another blob of protoplasm using up your oxyg
Got wire-cutting pliers I found on the side of the road -- at a BMR bonus site -- that provide those services AND clip any excess string after the tool's pulled out.
RaiderBill
Well-known member
I don't know if I could live on the moon. Don't know if there are good roads to ride my fjr.
I haven't seen that one before. It's the size you get when you remove one of the cheap Walmart ones from the case. They just added a nice plastic low profile case to the pump instead of the big bulky case usually used. I would suspect the pump itself is the same quality as the bulk of all air pumps. Nice, but not worth $60 imho.
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