best place ot get a puncture repaired

RE*AC*TOR

Got a puncture on the back wheel of my scooter this morning - had to tie it to a lampost and leave it.

What is my best bet? now. repair it myself?

Recommendations?

Hotblack Desiato

Don't leave the bike chained to a lamppost overnight, even if you have a good lock there's a good chance of it getting vandalised. Either push it to your/a friend's home, call the AA if you're a member, or call the Motorcycle Recovery Service, number in the faq. (Unlikely you're insured with Carole Nash but they have free recovery.)

Best bet is the Bike Tyre Co in Fairview, sound guys, good service and prices. In a pinch, a car place might be able to do the job but they're unlikely to be able to get the wheel off, and it might be too small to fit in their tyre mounting machine. Most of them will refuse to look at a bike.

In theory it's possible to remove a tubeless tyre from the rim yourself, in practice it's very difficult even with proper tyre levers, and the risk of damaging the wheel (causing an air leak) is too high, so forget it.

Ask the lads in the Bike Tyre Co about plugs / sticky "string" which you can carry with you for temporary sealing of a puncture next time (there WILL be a next time).

Tomohawk

Sorry can't really help, the ole vespa px200 carries a spare wheel at all times
I would do as the lads say above though, and try to move it outta harms way overnight... your nearest mate's gaff, even his work place, yer cousins, yer aunties etc...anywhere outta sight and secure!

RE*AC*TOR

I got it home in the (open) boot of my car. Thanks for the tips though.

madrab

heres one for ya, plugs in a tyre are actually illegal

Hotblack Desiato

How do you figure that out madrab?

Even in safety obsessive Germany, where bike tyre repairs aren't supposed to be allowed, you can buy temporary plug kits. BMW even supply them with new bikes in the toolkit. After all, it's much safer to plug a tyre to get you home than have to keep pumping up a slow puncture.

madrab

told by a few mechanics that they are actually illegal in ireland, the bmw ones are slightly different i think

pbergin

madrab wrote:

told by a few mechanics that they are actually illegal in ireland, the bmw ones are slightly different i think

Wha????
BMW dont make tyres. There isnt any law against it, most companies will say they dont recommend putting a plug in a tyre, but I think that is just to sell more tyres, I have had several tyres plugged and I have never had any problems, I even had plugged tyres on the track and they are a perfect.
Lately I have started to use Autoseal in my bike tyres and it seems to be a great solution\prevention method for punctures.

madrab

im talking about the bmw puncture repair kit

but when it comes to tire plugs im fairly sure they are actually illegal

pbergin

madrab wrote:

im talking about the bmw puncture repair kit

Ahhh, there are 2 main types of plugs, the temp one is just a sticky piece of rubber string that gets pushed through from the outside, its is not a great repair and I wouldnt use one as a perminant repair. The best plug has a large patch and a rubber plug from the centre of it, this is fitted from inside the tyre and is a good perminant fix, but you do have to take the tyre off to fit it.

Garibaldi

I've heard of/experienced bike shops refusing to plug a tyre from certain manufacturers (Bridgestone spring immediately to mind), but there are still plenty of shops who'll plug a tire for you. As pbergin said, I've had loads of plugs done over the years, and never had a problem with any of them.

Hotblack Desiato

There's no law against it.
I think this is "Irish Whispers" (like Chinese Whispers, but only applies to motoring topics) at work.
Tyre repair guy says "Bridgestone don't want us to repair Bridgestone tyres"
This passes through a few people and gets turned into "It's ILLEGAL to repair ANY tyre" :rolleyes:

This works for doing your test as well, why bother consulting the Rules of the Road or the Theory Test Manual when you can ask some guy down the pub who will tell you a very believeable rumour


Edit: the BMW repair kit is exactly the same as the one I'm talking about (usually made by Metzeler) - a very soft sticky rubber plug good for 100km or so. Easy to put in at the roadside in an emergency.
Tyre dealers have stronger plugs intended as a permanent repair, you can't really put them in yourself.
The best option is a patch put on the inside of the tyre, exactly like a car tyre repair.