So...put it back in the tire & take a picture. What can go wrong?

So...put it back in the tire & take a picture. What can go wrong?

I think I will pass on that.

You said earlier that that nail was around 3 mm, which is 1/8" in 'real money'. There is simply no way to punch that big of a hole into a tire and not have it leak after the part that pierced it is removed. So I am convinced that it never got to the inside of the tire at all. Which is by far the very best way to get a nail in any tire, any time.  Nice work, max. 

Brian

Not that it matters, but while cleaning up today, I found the nail.  I wanted a pic in the tire, but this is all I have now.   Probably 300 more miles and there is still no air loss.

You said earlier that that nail was around 3 mm, which is 1/8" in 'real money'. There is simply no way to punch that big of a hole into a tire and not have it leak after the part that pierced it is removed. So I am convinced that it never got to the inside of the tire at all. Which is by far the very best way to get a nail in any tire, any time.  Nice work, max. 

Yeah, it was, apparently, completely in the tread, without ever puncturing through.  It had to be pretty close... although it was a very horizontal angle, it still was going in a long way.  It was pretty freaky, that is why I hate that I didn't get a photo to show just how strange it looked.  You will also notice where the "head" of the nail should be, it is missing, and bent, and worn way down.  The nail had a hard life and tried to make mine that way, too.

BTW- I have found that to be the hardest part of plugging tires, following the original path of the nail (or whatever it was) that punctured the tire. If the nail went in at, say, 30 degrees, and you are trying to punch the plug in perpendicular to the tire, 1) it will not go and 2) you have no idea what the puncture path was once the object was removed. It really does pay to pay attention to the angle of entry (yep, there is a joke in there too).

Brian

Yeah, it was, apparently, completely in the tread, without ever puncturing through.  It had to be pretty close... although it was a very horizontal angle, it still was going in a long way.  It was pretty freaky, that is why I hate that I didn't get a photo to show just how strange it looked.  You will also notice where the "head" of the nail should be, it is missing, and bent, and worn way down.  The nail had a hard life and tried to make mine that way, too.

BTW- I have found that to be the hardest part of plugging tires, following the original path of the nail (or whatever it was) that punctured the tire. If the nail went in at, say, 30 degrees, and you are trying to punch the plug in perpendicular to the tire, 1) it will not go and 2) you have no idea what the puncture path was once the object was removed. It really does pay to pay attention to the angle of entry

That is a very good point.  Had I removed it and THEN discovered it was leaking, with that type of strange angle, and without photographs, plugging would have been almost impossible.  Meaning that patching would be the only remaining option to repair (which is expensive and complicated).

Not that it matters, but while cleaning up today, I found the nail.  I wanted a pic in the tire, but this is all I have now.   Probably 300 more miles and there is still no air loss.

AND I now have experienced my very first flat tire on a motorcycle, ever.  After driving to Richmond for a meeting, left the meeting headed to Mom's house for a visit, the bike felt strange, a few blocks later the alarms went off- rear tire pressure gone.  Pulled into an empty business lot and started looking.  Sure enough, a tiny metal something in the center of the rear tread, flush.  No head, and I had nothing I could use to pull it.  So I opened the plug kit I have carried around for something like 20 years (a Slime kit) and used the reamer to test the metal and it just pushed all the way in and into the wheel.  Reamed, threaded rope, put rubber cement in hole then on rope, inserted rope, pulled out tool, let sit 20 min until Mom arrived with a compressor from her neighbor, cut off excess.   It worked!    It held pressure as I followed mom to her place.  It then held for the 100 miles home.  Took interstate instead, since shorter/faster/more help available, and kept loaned compressor from her neighbor (who didn't care).

This could have been so much worse- it could have been 50 miles from nowhere.  It could have been at night.  I could have had no plug kit.  The cement could have been dried out.  I could have failed at plugging.  I could have had something I couldn't remove.  I could have had something in the tire I couldn't find.  So I have to think I did well, considering I didn't really know what I was doing and had no way to fill the tire, and lost only an hour of time.

So, second nail, first flat, and first plugging.  I suppose I should carry CO2 or micro-compressor or something now.  The tires are nearly toast anyway, so I will order a set tomorrow.  But the age-old "is it safe to ride more" discussion keeps running through my head....

I suppose I should carry CO2 or micro-compressor or something now. 

Nah, it'll never happen again. Just continue on the way you did before. 

Nah, it'll never happen again. Just continue on the way you did before. 

I can't believe it.  So almost new tires.  Now 45,327mi.  Left for friend's and running late.  3 miles later I check tire pressure and rear is 9psi too low.  It held the same pressure for the 30 miles.  At his house I looked and I had picked up a tiny nail, about 1” right from midline, directly opposite the fill stem, in thinnest part, going in at maybe a 30 degree angle toward the right.  Hours later, filled pressure to 45 cold and it held the entire 30 miles back home.

It looks too small to plug- I would have to ream out a hole something like 10 times as large and I am not sure I can follow the path.  So now I face a dilemma as to what to do

Well, it's probably in the best place it could be...center of the tire.  I use the sticky ropes personally as they seem to hold up better for me.  I've seen two sizes out there and prefer the skinniest one, especially for that nail.  You really don't have a choice in fixing it other than replacing the tire.

Picked up a staple in a angle gt  pulled the tire off and put in a patch. Could not see why to make the hole much larger to use the string type plug, patch held for over a year till tire was replaced.

That's the best way to do it but requires some disassembly.  Strings work fine as well.

I have a plug kit (I used it to plug that last large nail in the previous set), but the ropes and reamer are huge.  Online I only see only one size rope.  My only alternative is paying lots of money to pull the wheel, unmount the tire, patch the hole, remount tire, balance, then mount wheel.  Ug. 

JB Weld

JB Weld

32mm x 2mm
I took it to Precision and they used a "patch plug" from the inside to repair it.  $84.

   Didn't have a proper American ruler?

32mm x 2mm
I took it to Precision and they used a "patch plug" from the inside to repair it.  $84.

BUMMER... sorry i didn't see your post prior to your recent "cashectomy"...

I also surmise you did not attend my tech session at the '07 National, which I gave on tire plugging "all aspects"..

In your case, already having the ropes and kit, (and hopefully you bought a new sealed tube of glue, after opening the last one..), you could have fixed that. You know already the reamer is kinda big, but not really an issue...
Take the Gummy Worm" rope, and use a pocket kinife, to slice it lengthwise, going along with the strands, and make it half the size width, then, place it in your hook tool first, to prepare.. coat the reamer with the glue, and imediatly pull the nail and shove in the reamer.. it's now lubricated by the glue, and will go right in... leave it sticking in the tire to block the hole, and goober up the rope plug, then pull the reamer, and jamb the now downsized rope plug into place.. it will seal fine..
I showed this technique for plugging holes from small .080" diameter, to 3/16" diameter, and based on sliceing a rope to make it smaller, or adding additional rope, sliced from a plug combined with a full rope (tricky to thread in the "hook tool" but doable) and having them all prepared before pulling the reamer, you can plug pretty much anything up to 1/4"...  I have a tire in my garage I used for this demo, 13 years ago, with like 20 plugs in it, and it still holds air.. Oh, and the "holes" were actually drilled in the tire, using various drill bits, so they were not a simple "puncture"..
Now you know, share this with others..

  Didn't have a proper American ruler?

All my rulers are both crazy units and metric.  When measuring small things, I typically use metric.

In your case, already having the ropes and kit, (and hopefully you bought a new sealed tube of glue, after opening the last one..),

Well, I admit I was lazy and did not replace the glue, so I had none.  I will make sure to remedy that, soon.  And to obtain some type of air pump to carry.

you could have fixed that. You know already the reamer is kinda big, but not really an issue...
Take the Gummy Worm" rope, and use a pocket kinife, to slice it lengthwise, going along with the strands, and make it half the size width, then, place it in your hook tool first, to prepare.. coat the reamer with the glue, and imediatly pull the nail and shove in the reamer.. it's now lubricated by the glue, and will go right in...

Oh, it never even occurred to me to cut the rope lengthwise.  Ug.  You can shove it in through a 2mm hole with that large hook thing, though?  And without reaming at all??

once it's (the reamer, and the reduced size rope) "lubed" with glue.. it's easy.. I'm not going to say anything bad,(porno) but I can say it's... easy...(porno) lets leave it at that... (donkey porn)