[Thrill]

This past Sunday, I was out in the early AM putting the Aprilia through the paces, when I got home and parked the bike and did my normal post ride cleanup/inspection... when I heard a hissing coming from the rear of the bike. Put it up on the rear stand and found where a jagged piece of rock had punctured the tire almost exactly in the center of the tire. The Pirelli Dragon Corsa only has 1650 miles on it and I hate to toss the tire....

I know there are several opinions on the fixing/replacement of a flat tire... I am replacing it, that is a given... What I want to know is should I keep the tire and have it plugged and maybe use it on the track? If the tire was on a "cruiser" then I would have no problem fixing and using the tire, since speed would not be an issue....

Some thoughts....

[SSearchVT]

Pitch it!!!! Even though the track is a controlled enviroment the stresses you will be putting on the tire are significantly greater than they would experience on street riding.

[RandyO]

I'm not sure how a "jagged rock" could puncture a tire, more than likely it was a nail, staple or something that hjust didn't stay in the tire or it went completly thru and is floating around inside your tire.

I have run plugged tires on the street for thousands of miles. IMHO you are more likely to have a tire failure from another road hazard than your are to have a plug failure.

[stoinkythepig]

If it's just a puncture, I'd plug it and use it on the street (assuming it holds air reliably). If it's torn, toss it.

[greco954]

Patch it and have some fun smoking it in a controlled environment. Maybe even get some vids. That way you do not have to feel bad about wasting a good tire for some show. But don't ride it.

[mungersv]

this has brought up an issue that ive wondered about. Why are tire plugs on bike tires so risky and are they the same auto plugs.

[Rye]

I run a plug in my 208 and (knock on wood) haven't experienced any problems at all. Unless it has adversely affected the cords in the tire, I would not be concerned about a catastrophic failure of the tire. If the plug fails it will probably go flat at the same pace as when the rock puncture occured. Run a plug. With such low miles on them I would try to salvage a few more miles. I would use the opposite rationale as you though.....I would not run it on the track. But ultimately do what suits your comfort level.

[slingblade]

Another vote for the smokeshow

I just dont trust it It'll allways be in my mind as a potential failure.

[Rice-rocket1]

The only plug that I would put in is the plug/patch combo. The only one that is approved by the tire manufactures. It pulls in like a plug but it's installed from the inside because it has about a 2" patch attached to it that gets cemented in from the inside. So they do have to break the bead, but much better to me....

[stoinkythepig]

Originally posted by mungersv
this has brought up an issue that ive wondered about. Why are tire plugs on bike tires so risky and are they the same auto plugs.

It's all about the dynamics of a sudden loss of air in a tire on a car vs. a bike. When it happens in a car, you let of the gas and pull over. When it happens on a bike you let of the gas and the handlebars wiggle a lot while you pull over. Some people are deathly afraid of the handlebar wiggle. Don't know why

I got a front tire flat while in the midst of a decreasing radius turn, on a highway on-ramp that happened to be grooved in preparation for repaving, in steady rain once. I didn't go down. The other flats were all pretty minor compared to that one. I plug 'em up and run 'em till their worn out.

[Thrill]

Thanks for everyones suggestions

I am keeping the punctured tire... I like the "Patch it and smoke it" suggestions (greco954 and slingblade).

General consensus was keep it off the track...

I had the tire replaced... worth every penny for many reasons. i.e., a small price to pay for peace of mind...