bud Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 Got a Michelin Pilot Road with only a couple thousand miles on it, but this weekend while cleaning the bike and inspecting the tires, I found two small metal shards near the middle of the tread of the rear tire. It looks like some sort of heavy duty staple went into the tire (and the chunk of staple that connected the two prongs wore or fell off. I pulled out the staple ends, each one is about the diameter of a small finish brad type nail, and each one is 1/2" long. I've always changed out my tires when I get a full puncture...figuring that my safety is worth $130 for a new tire...but now I've got dilemma. I don't have a clue how 'thick' a typical tire is...if a staple goes 1/2" in to the tire, do I still have a lot of rubber beyond the bottom of the staple hole? I figure I'll probably just replace the tire, but I'm just curious what others have done when they've picked up something in their tire, but it didn't completely puncture. thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beck Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 I would say that if the staple did not get deeper than tread depth in the area of the puncture, you should be OK to continue to use the tire. just check it once on a while by dripping some soapy water over the puncture holes the stapels left. No bubbles = no pucture. You might consider carrying a tire plug kit or tire sealant in a can in your tank bag.....just incase.... It could at least get you home in an emergency. Beck 95 VFR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KanadianKen Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 CHeck the tire tomorrow - if its low on air - you have a slow leak. If you do have a slow leak - or you are concerned that its a problem - get the tire off and patch it from inside. you really shouldn't have any issues. Ride the crap out of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spud786 Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 If it didnt leak dont worry about it , be happy you caught it beforehand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Ryanme17 Posted April 11, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted April 11, 2011 Yes, you can ride it without much concern, just check the pressure and do the soapy water test. But, I would change it only to get rid of the Pilot Road in favor of a stickier, more modern, and better in every way tire like the Pilot Road 2's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bud Posted April 14, 2011 Author Share Posted April 14, 2011 pressure has slowly dropped, so i'm going to change out the tire (i'll put a patch on this one and put it back on for winter when i'm not riding as far and fast and i'm more likely to pick up more road debris) If i was to put on the improved Pilot Road 2...would I need to change out both front and rear? I've always heard its a bad idea to put drastically different tires on the front and rear, but I assume the Pilot Road 2 is similar enough that it wouldn't be an issue matching it up with the existing Pilot Road I still have on the front? thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer BonusVFR Posted April 14, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted April 14, 2011 Ride it till it blows if not leaking. I have fixed holes/pin pricks from the inside with radial tire patchs. It works for me. On the road I have a string kit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monk Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 About the only diff' is the centre compound is harder on the rear, the shape(profile) of the tyre is the same. IMO I don't see the harm in mixing the two. How long did it take to lose a pound of air? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bud Posted April 14, 2011 Author Share Posted April 14, 2011 About the only diff' is the centre compound is harder on the rear, the shape(profile) of the tyre is the same. IMO I don't see the harm in mixing the two. How long did it take to lose a pound of air? thanks.... the leak seems really minor... dropped about 5-7psi since the weekend. I have too many long road trips this summer to be worried about riding on a tire with a patch, so even though I probably am coming across as a wuss, i'm going to opt for a new tire for the summer.. i'll get the other tire patched and keep it around for future use. BonusVFR- where did you get the radial tire patch? I wasn't sure what kind of patch to use,but I assume the glue-on type used for inner tubes is not what one should use on a tubeless tire. thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddog Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 I suffered the same fate while on a multi day ride a few years ago. Somehow picked up a rear flat caused by a large, industrial type staple. Noticed it when returning to the bike after lunch. Removed the rear wheel, lugged it to a service station several blocks away. The service man removed the tire, hot patched the tire on the inside. I didn't really trust the repair, so I headed home early, and cautiously. Following numerous pressure checks, I was convinced of the repair's worthiness and used the tire till it expired from my normal abuse. Done properly, a good patch job should last. My most recent flat occured following a group ride in Oregon while attending a meet. While checking tires, chain and drinking a beer in the motel parking lot, I discovered a foreign object in my rear tire. Removed it with my trusty multi-tool, and bingo, tire goes flat with a whoosh. Fixed that with a string sticky plug and my slime pump, and returned to Idaho the next day at triple digits. Used that tire till completion also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trace Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 About the only diff' is the centre compound is harder on the rear, the shape(profile) of the tyre is the same. IMO I don't see the harm in mixing the two. Actually....no, regarding the compound, yes regarding the profile. The center is the SAME as a regular Road....its the sides that are softer than a regular Road. Frankly, unless you're using the full tire, side to side, there's no real need for a Road 2, or a Power 2CT. Again, the Power 2CT has the same center section as a regular Power...the sides are softer. (I know this because as a Florida Straight Road rider, I want a special Florida Tire that's ultra-hard in the center and normal on the sides! ) As Monk said, for both Power and the Road the profile of the single compound and the dual compounds are identical. So, that means mixing them is not a problem. For that matter, I've been "mixing" using a Power on the front and a Road on the rear of my 5th Gen for a long time. And I've had a Power on the front and a 2CT on the rear of my RC, but have the same profile of course. No issues at all with the differing profiles of the Power vs. the Road, as long as the Power is on the front. A Power front/Road rear gives you the quick turn-in of a Power with the life of a Road. A good combo IMHO. Here's a pic of the differing profiles of the Power (left) and the Road (right). Pretty dramatic, huh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Lobster Posted April 15, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted April 15, 2011 ...and make sure you set the pressure to 36 / 42... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VFR4Lee Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 Here's a pic of the differing profiles of the Power (left) and the Road (right). Pretty dramatic, huh? So, the pink and blue lines don't tell which tires are for boys and which for girls? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Rice Posted April 15, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted April 15, 2011 Patch and ride until the thread is gone. Patches don't fail if applied correctly. Especially with a staple pinhole. I've had all sorts of patches, strings and multiple combinations thereof in the same tire and never had any issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trace Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 ...and make sure you set the pressure to 36 / 42... Hahahahaaaa....you beat me to my own rant! So, the pink and blue lines don't tell which tires are for boys and which for girls? I guess the Powers are for da boyz! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spud786 Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 I would use the tire, it simply has a pin hole , its not going anywhere or degrading. Do you realize, you could buy another tire tomorrow and next day another staple. You can go broke very easily replacing tire everytime they get a hole. Since you probably dont have anyone to do an internal repair ,#1 choice. With that timy of hole Id CAR slime it with 5 ounces, verses creating a larger hole with a plug. Ive ridden slime applications to 125 mph many times, Larger holes slime doesnt work very well, and then youd do the worm If your going to replace the tire, the road 2 would be okay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer BonusVFR Posted April 15, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted April 15, 2011 About the only diff' is the centre compound is harder on the rear, the shape(profile) of the tyre is the same. IMO I don't see the harm in mixing the two. How long did it take to lose a pound of air? thanks.... the leak seems really minor... dropped about 5-7psi since the weekend. I have too many long road trips this summer to be worried about riding on a tire with a patch, so even though I probably am coming across as a wuss, i'm going to opt for a new tire for the summer.. i'll get the other tire patched and keep it around for future use. BonusVFR- where did you get the radial tire patch? I wasn't sure what kind of patch to use,but I assume the glue-on type used for inner tubes is not what one should use on a tubeless tire. thanks. I think I got the radial tire patch kit at Pep Boys.... do not remember the brand. Walmart may have them too. I did this myself and it worked. No you do not want a tube patch.....you want a radial tire patch. BTW I also picked up some emergency valve stems too. The professional boys have a patch with a rubber extension that goes thru the hole but the puncture has to be perpendicular to the tread. These super patchs come in different sizes and they match to the hole size. I would only use the string external plug for an emergency on the road repair. Although you could experiment with your technique on your punctured tire if you have a changer at home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer BonusVFR Posted April 19, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted April 19, 2011 THis is the Radial Tire Patch kit I used. Monkey Grip is the brand name. Still holding! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer jaimev34 Posted April 19, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted April 19, 2011 I would only use the string external plug for an emergency on the road repair. Although you could experiment with your technique on your punctured tire if you have a changer at home. I've got over 2,000 miles on a rear Pirelli Angel I plugged a few months ago, and it hasn't lost ANY air since I plugged it. In this case, though, I'd probably use a patch since the hole is so small; however, if I didn't want to remove the tire from the wheel, I'd plug it without much worry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer BonusVFR Posted April 19, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted April 19, 2011 I would only use the string external plug for an emergency on the road repair. Although you could experiment with your technique on your punctured tire if you have a changer at home. I've got over 2,000 miles on a rear Pirelli Angel I plugged a few months ago, and it hasn't lost ANY air since I plugged it. In this case, though, I'd probably use a patch since the hole is so small; however, if I didn't want to remove the tire from the wheel, I'd plug it without much worry. That is another advantage of having a tire changer at home you can experiment. Plug it first and if the tire does not hold air then patch it. And if you are going on a long tour spoon on a new tire and try again with the plugged/patched tire when you get back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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