Puncture

[Andy FZS]

Got my bike out this morning and found a nail in the tyre , pulled it out and down it went. As the tyre has only done about 1000miles what are my options? Dealer repair? are the DIY repair kits any good? are they safe? The nail was about 20/30mm from the edge of the tyre so I'm suspecting a repair should be ok but......
 
Cheers
Andy

[Andy FZS]

I've been looking on the net and some people say up to three repairs in a tyre is ok, others say they can't be repaired or at least the dealers will not repair them? If a repair is possible does anyone know of anywhere in the Hull area? If not it looks like £100+ for another new tyre.
Thanks
Andy

[markbubble]

andy iv not had any tyres repaired but id realy recomend quickfix motorcycles on cottingham road,alan has always been great and fair rates etc,if you need help just give me a shout as im also in hull,are you riding a fazer 6 or 1000?if its a 6 i might be able to get you realy cheap tyres
cheers mark

[limax2]

It used to be (three years ago) that dealers would only do a repair if the tyre manufacturer approved it. As far as I know the only manufacurer that approved repairs to the tyres rated for a Fazer was Michellin, who I think allowed two repairs. I could be wrong but as I had a Michallin on at the time I didn't investigate any further. The situation may have changed now.
 I wouldn't like to trust one of the DIY repairs that you push in from the outside other than as a get you home measure. I know plenty have probably done several thousand miles with such repairs, but you don't know what damage has been done to the carcass of the tyre.
For me it's a risk I can do without.

[Ben Diesel]

I've had at least half a dozen mushroom plug repairs done to punctures over the years and never had any problems with any of them. I always have the 'tyre off the rim' repair so that the plug can be pushed through from the inside, though.
 
The last one was to plug a hole left by one of those hexagonal screwdriver bits which went straight through. My tyre fixer said that he would be reluctant to repair anything that left a bigger hole than that; but 5000 miles later and it hasn't needed even a puff of extra air.
 
There's a bit too much paranoia about puncture repairs and I suspect much of it originates from people wanting to sell new tyres.
 
£20 for a plug? Or £120 for a new tyre? For me, it's a no-brainer.
 
 

[Andy FZS]

Thanks for the replies  . My bike is a FZS600 (03). Quickfix is just round the corner from me and does my MOT so I was going to give him a ring in the morning. I've also read about people plugging punctures from the outside and must admit it makes me a bit nervous. I've had car tyres plugged with the mushroom shaped plugs before and hoped the same would apply to motorbike tyres. Thanks for the tyre offer Mark I'll keep it in mind.
Once again thanks for everones input, I'll let you know how I get on.
Cheers Andy

[markbubble]

andy no problem,im not too far away either from quickfix(im just off bev road)alan at quick fix it top bloke and iv used him for years with all sorts of weird and wacky bikes etc,i deffo wouldnt use the plug from outside,iv heard of great results from correct fitting ones from the inside
if your tyres is 160 rear i can usually get x race tyres from a pal of mine (tread is great as is grip but no use to him for racing after 1 meeting!)
just give me a shout if you need help
 

[Grahamm]

If I were you I'd consider getting some Puncturesafe which plugs the hole *before* the tyre deflates and prevents damage from riding on the sidewall.

[Andy FZS]

Well finaly got home in time to take the wheel out and get the puncture mended. All back together now but chain seem a bit noisey so I might have got it too tight anyway I've given it a good oiling and I'll check it again tomorrow and go out for an hour or so if the weather is ok.
Cheers to all
Andy

[markbubble]

glad you got fixed up andy,where did you get the repair done ?hopefully il never need to get one done but just in case i do be good to know where i can go

[Andy FZS]

Took it to Quickfix as recomended. Strange thing though, I put the wheel back in and adjusted the chain, took it for a spin and I could hear a noise from the chain so I checked the tension and found it to be tight. This afternoon I readjusted the chain and checked for 30-40mm movement using a steel rule and then went out again. All was well at first but then the noise retrurned? Re-checked the chain and found it tight again?? So once again I've adjusted the chain and I'll see how it goes
Andy

[markbubble]

glad alan got you fixed,cant see how your chain would adjust itself tho!are you checking for tight spots on it ? have you locked the adjusters and the spindle nut right up?
   

[Andy FZS]

Adjusters seem to be still in line and I torqued the wheel to 117Nm this time, previously I just did it tight, so weather permiting I'll go to work on it in the morning and keep you posted
Andy

[markbubble]

very strange,have you spun the wheel to make sure there is no tight or loose points,iv heard of some sprockets that are not round!

[Andy FZS]

There is some variation as I spin the wheel but I'll see how it goes.
Andy

[Andy FZS]

Well I went to work on my bike and waited for the only rain of the day to come home in   Anyway I checked the chain when I got in and it still seems ok. BUT..... although the chain is kept oiled and looks to be in good nick it does seem to have tight and slack points? I would guess about 15-20mm extra movement in the slackest points. So it's got 30mm at the tightest and about 50mm at the slackest. It's an "O" ring chain and always oiled so why so much variation? or it this normal? It might just be me being paranoid as it all seemed ok until my puncture.
Cheers Andy

[markbubble]

it was prob the same before your puncture you prob just never noticed it,were your cush drive rubber in goog condition when you refitted wheel?
i think with o ring chains when the o rings brak down it can lead to more wear (the rings hold in the lube)in that part of the chain ,do you know how many miles the chain sprockets have done? you can get ok chains at good prices now so maybe worth keep an eye on it and possibly replace

[Phil TK]

So it's got 30mm at the tightest and about 50mm at the slackest. It's an "O" ring chain and always oiled so why so much variation? or it this normal?

Completely normal, in fact all chains are like this after the first few hundred miles. It won't cause any problems as long as you adjust the chain to the correct amount of slack at it's tightest point.
 Good to hear that you use oil on the chain (as recomended by all chain manufacturers) rather than throwing money away on useless cans of 'lube'