Selling A Tire

[HiDesertMLB]

Here's the deal-

I have approximately 800 miles on a set of Michelin Pilot Roads. I get ready to take my bike to work this morning, and noticed there's a flat on my rear tire. Looked and looked, but could not find a hole in it. Fill it up with air (maybe a leaky valve stem). Take it to work.... check the bike an hour later, down 15 PSI. Darn! :biggrin:

Air up the tire at a local gas station and take the bike home. I looked at it very, very carefully this time. It appears that I picked up a wood splinter in the road. Obviously enough to pass through the cords of the tire and cause the tire to lose pressure. Here are the pics:

DOH! Puncture in Pilot Road (1 of 2) Look carefully!

DOH! Puncture in Pilot Road (2 of 2) General location of damage-

Question is, would I get blasted by VFRD members for trying to sell this tire (all disclaimers included) in its punctured condition? For someone who is comfortable with a repair, this might be a way to score on an almost-new tire. I haven't convinced myself that tire repair is the way to go... VFRD member advice is appreciated.

[dutchinterceptor]

I don't see an issue if you offer it at a really good price. If it was a Power I would jump on it but doubt I'll ever run a regular Road again. Give it a shot.

[wera803]

I'll take it, Paypal sent.

[Guest]

Hmmm... when I bought my VFR, it had a plug on it that was put on, it looks, from the inside. Probably from a very similar wound, about the same place. I put almost 1000 miles on it and rode hard in twisties, and hit 140 or so once as well (oops). Was a Diablo. The little mushroom top stuck out in between the treads and wore with the rest of the tire tread. I guess, the only thing would be, what about when it wears down pretty close to the end of the tread??? I dunno, went ahead and bought me a nice new set of Diablos. My $.02.

[michaelf3]

Michael,

I think that should be an easy fix. You can plug it or just take it to a tire shop and have them fix it from the inside. It shouldn't cost anymore than $10-15. If the puncture was more on the side I'd worry, but it looks fixable to me.

[wera803]

I wouldn't plug any tire. By pushing that plug through the hole, it actually spreads the belts apart, which in the end can cause issues. Now patching from the inside is a different story. The problem is unless you have a way to do it yourself, most shops won't do it on a motorcycle tire (form my experience) because of "liability" reasons (plus they can sell you a brand new tire).

[HiDesertMLB]

Well, pulled the trigger on a replacement Pilot Road. The problem, as wera803 pointed out, is that none of the 7 shops I called wanted to patch, citing liability. The hole is definitely in a "safer" area of repair. It is very small, and a patch in this area doesn't seem terribly risky, but I have no access to a tire changer. Plugging the tire by making a bigger hole through the cords didn't sound too safe on a tire that occasionally sees triple digit speeds, so I abandoned the thought of a plug kit.

Anyhow, I had the chance to buy a tire from the new Cycle Gear store two blocks away from my place of work. I had no idea they mounted tires. In addition, they offer a Road Hazard add-on for $25! :unsure: I did not know that there was such an offering in the motorcycle world. Had I purchased at Cycle Gear to begin with, I would've had the tire replaced at no charge in accordance with their RH policy.

I thought about keeping the 180 for my 4th gen, but I don't want to squeeze a non-OEM size on a rear wheel that's designed for a 170 tire. Another VFR member expressed interest in the tire and has the equipment necessary to mount and repair. I worked out a deal, so hopefully he'll get some use out of the near-new tire.

Thanks for all of your input. :fing02:

Edited August 26, 2008 by hidesertmlb

[Veefer800Canuck]

Ask BMW shops, they tend to lean more toward plugging/patching tires from the inside, IME.

Or, take the loose tire to an auto tire repair place and have them put in a radial plug/patch from the inside, cash only deal, no reciept issued.

[fastrc46]

That sucks!! I feel your pain.

I had golf tee in a tire once. Must have picked it up just before I got home because I heard the hiss as I shut the bike off. Went flat in less than 60 seconds. Tire had less than 500 miles. :unsure: