LCGB Forums

hi peeps
what's currently recommended for a roadside emergency repair?

i'd prefer to not put any type of sealer in the tube.

any suggestions appreciated

PeeJay

I'd be surprised if you can get one to work without the aid of a compressor.

I watched an RAC man plug and seal a puncture on my Guzzi and so I bought a kit with three little gas canisters to inflate the tyre once it had been plugged. As luck would have it I picked up a puncture heading home one day and had a go at repeating the exercise myself. Without air in the tyre it was impossible to push the "spike" and plug through the tyre as the tyre wasn't stiff enough without any air in it and all I was doing was pushing the tyre face down onto the wheel rim. When the RAC chap did it he was pumping up the tyre with his on-board compressor and thereby keeping the tyre stiff enough to push the plug through and make the seal. It might of gone through if the puncture hole was bigger but if it was I don't reckon I could have plugged it properly.

However, I could just be crap at mending a puncture.

Any of this type will do the job, although you would then need the small compressed air cylinders to inflate it. I've had punctures on a number of long distance rallies, swapped to my spare, then repaired the punctured tyre using this type of repair kit. I've then used the tyre and or lent it to pals who also had punctures and were not carrying a spare. To date I have only needed to redo the repair (have a second go because of it leaking) once, but that too was then a very sturdy repair that lasted the life of the tyre.

NB: These are sold as 'temporary' repair kits and you really should be replacing the tyre shortly after, however, I've known a number of people never have issue again for the life of the tyre, which even more makes me content that it is the sort of repair that you could happily return from any rally on, do some more miles, then replace at your leisure.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=tubel ... gD#imgrc=_

I note that a number of scooter dealers sell these as tubless repair kits. The ones I've used are the type that are like threading a rubber coated lace/fibre rawl plug into the hole, rather than the plastic screw insert type.

Adam

PS -Beedspeed sell the type that I have good experience of, plus the gas canisters to reinflate.
https://www.beedspeed.com/tool-tubeless ... -5828.html

No problems getting the bung through the tyre Adam?

I guess the scooter tyre being a lot smaller than a motorcycle makes it a little more rigid when deflated.

You have to make sure the bung is glued in place properly too as has happened to someone i know , the bing flew out causing the tyre to deflate instantly . I prefer split rims and tubes . Or carry a spare and get a tubeless tyre properly repaired .

Digger wrote:No problems getting the bung through the tyre Adam?

I guess the scooter tyre being a lot smaller than a motorcycle makes it a little more rigid when deflated.

No, no problem fitting the repair plug. The kit that I'd bought had 2 different sizes of fibre lace and the one that leaked slightly was the thinner one so I had a second go with the thicker one and this sealed it without issue. The laces / braids are already coated and the goo that you apply is like the vulcanising rubber that you use for bicycle patches, so once in and cured it forms a very secure repair... and like you say, it takes a bit of effort to force the lace through and to double back on itself when pulling the needle (of sorts) tool back out, meaning that it is a thick repair in a tight hole

To me this is no different than whether or not it is acceptable to patch a tube and whether you would then use this as a temporary repair to allow you to complete a rally/journey or then continue to use it once you've got home OK.

On that note, I bought a DL150 from a Vespa dealer in Cesena and rode it home (early 1990s). After getting it back to Exeter, where I was doing an Art degree, I rode the bike around for a bit and then stripped it down to restore it, and in doing so split the front wheel and found that the tube had been patched about 10 times!!!!!!!!! The tube was very likely the same one that it had left the factory with and the owner must have repaired the tube over and over again. I was a little shocked to think that I'd ridden it back from Italy like that but it had performed without issue and given me no reason to doubt it.... so I popped it back in when rebuilding it. No, I am kidding about reusing it.

Adam

I've used this on an AF rim with a scootsmart tyre.

https://www.infinitymotorcycles.com/pro ... air-kit/79

It's fine as a temporary repair ( in a rear tyre), worked straightaway after I'd pulled to the nail out. The hole was visible so easy to get the spike through. It lasted about 100 miles but when it let go it went very quickly without warning and I managed to control it just about bringing it to a stop without falling over. I carry this with me but use a bicycle type co2 pump to inflate which uses the same canisters. I tend to carry a split rim as a spare with an extra tube as well. To cover all eventualities

These kits are used a lot by Off road enduro and trail riders, word of warning those bottles for blowing up the tyre, put a layer of duct tape on them , or wear a glove or your skin will stick to them

hi guys
thanks very much for all your imput, sent off for a givi kit (seems to have a little bit more in the kit over some of the others).

i'm currently running 1 lammie with tubeless rims and a spare and a GTS 300 so i'll be able to sort both (that's the theory anyway)

PeeJay

I'm not sure this is relevant to bike tyres as I'm not 100% sure how they are constructed. We had a problem with juddering steering on Ms EddieStone's car. It was traced to a bulge on the tyre (quite a bad one). The cause for the bulge was a puncture repair where a plug had been fitted. The plug effectively cut the cords in the tyre carcass, which then retracted allowing the bulge to form. The mechanic said that plugs were the only approved form of repair for a tyre, but they should not be used long term and the tyre should be replaced as soon as possible.

Personally, I've ridden many miles with inner tubes with repair patches, whether I would now is unlikely, but a replacement inner tube is easy to carry and is a quick and easy repair.

Slight thread drift but has any one run with a split rim on extended studs? I can't see why this wouldn't work with some spacers, any thoughts?

coaster wrote:Slight thread drift but has any one run with a split rim on extended studs? I can't see why this wouldn't work with some spacers, any thoughts?

If you use open wheel nuts,you wont need spacers.

coaster wrote:Slight thread drift but has any one run with a split rim on extended studs? I can't see why this wouldn't work with some spacers, any thoughts?

In 2012 my son & I acquired some proper tubeless rims that fit the hub (SIP) & covertly used them for racing prior to approval. (The BSSO had approved the ‘alternatives’ which we didn’t wish to use for reasons discussed on this Forum)

Of course, we had the extended hub screws on some hubs that then needed to use, on occasion, split rims, say, fitted with wet tyres without any issue.

For the record, I managed to (very carefully) counter-bore some SIP rims so that they didn’t require the extended studs & were used with KM type, floating washer nuts....

HxPaul wrote:

coaster wrote:Slight thread drift but has any one run with a split rim on extended studs? I can't see why this wouldn't work with some spacers, any thoughts?

If you use open wheel nuts,you wont need spacers.

Exactly right ^

I've got this as my spare situation on one of my bikes and I use a hollow plug spanner and rotation bar (goes through the holes in the side) so that I can reach down over the long studs, that way there is no need for spacers and standard 8mm nylocs can be used on the long studs.

Adam

Thanks guys, I couldn't remember if there was a shank on the extended studs, assumed there would be hence thinking about spacers. Great news that I don't have to fork out for a spare for Adria

EddieStone wrote: The mechanic said that plugs were the only approved form of repair for a tyre, but they should not be used long term and the tyre should be replaced as soon as possible.
Personally, I've ridden many miles with inner tubes with repair patches, whether I would now is unlikely, but a replacement inner tube is easy to carry and is a quick and easy repair.

cos i can worry about the slightest thing my intention would be to effect a repair just so i can finish my journey and replace the tyre at the earliest opportunity.

the spare wheel is tubeless as well so carrying a tube is pointless