Puncture Hassle

[Ade B]

After 2 hours of swearing, grunting and scrubbing to attempt to bring the grime covered S back to something approaching clean (one day's riding in last week's rain caked the entire bike.....) just as the light fades I wheel the bike back to its resting place and notice a quiet hissing....

A screw was neatly embedded in the rear wheel

No problem I think, whip out an inspection light and set to said puncture with the on board repair kit (I'm a veteran of 2 successful and 2 unsuccessful repairs...) thinking I'll have this sorted in 20mins and ride down to FWR in the week to get a new rear - which I've been promising myself for a while.

Not to be. The rubber bungs although fresh out the wrapper decide they don't want to go into the hole (despite religious instruction following) and instead neatly shear in two every time I try to drive them home with the metal whotsit tool...

So bike will stay with flat rear until I can get round to removing wheel and driving down to FWR....

Pants.

Anyone had a similar experience with those rubber bung thingies. The ones that came with the bike worked fine, purchased the above kit from Hein Gericke, all the bits are identical - could the rubber have perished (the seal to the packet was good...)

Ade.

[bmwonder]

I used the stock kit. It got me from Smithfield market to FWR........but only just. I followed the instructions to the letter. I guess that it saved me though. The thing is thoese bungs are rectangular in section. Thesy are nothing like the proper mushroom ones that FWR and other fit.

[mdouglas]

Just like you. One successful, one unsuccessful. And even on the successful one, I wasted a couple of bungs by shearing through them with the tool. No idea why. The successful one got me 17 miles into London with no signs of any deflation. Had Metropolis at Vauxhall replace the tyre.

[BockingBandit]

I sort of get quite a few punctures and financially I need to fix them quite quickly. The BMW Kit works.. but it's as fiddley as hell,.. and some 'fixes' still seem to 'Hiss'. Now, I use 'Sticky Puncture Worms'. Same principle as the BMW Kit,.. but no need for glue or to increase the size of the hole. Easy to use,.. probably takes less than a minute to 'Fix' once you've stopped and got your gloves off. For me,.. they work every time and I probably average 5 or 6 punctures per set of Z6's. Also, .... they last the life of the tyre (for me at least), I never 'Replace' following a puntrue, I simply can't afford too, but I do kind of keep an eye on tyre pressures, .. when I can remember,.. and when its not too cold.
I buy mine from Essential Rubber, Downham Road N1 (Along with any other last-minute fetish gear), but I guess most Tyre places will stock them.
Geoff

[bikemad99]

Geof,

do you live in a nail factory?

[bmwonder]

The repairs I've had done at FWR have all been permenant repairs. And have all lasted the lifetime of the tyre. There rule is on, or near the center line and no more than two repairs in a tyre. They will repair Z rated the same as any other tyre.

The sticky tyre worms sound good. I prefer this type of temporary repair to the tyre slime type of repair as it doesn't leave the same type of residue.

[crucial]

I use the self vulcanising plugs here http://www.motohaus.com/acatalog/Innovations.html

No glue needed and i've had no problems

[Jason M]

I repair and ride using the BMW bungs - I've had them in for 1000's of miles and they seem OK

I think the secret to getting the little buggers in is to coat the end of the rubber bung with copious amounts of blue glue to lubricate it's journey into the tight little hole Also, once you've made the hole bigger with the rasp, put a load of glue on the tool and poke it in and out a few times for extra, pre-entry lubrication

Works for me anyway - no glue and they shear every time

Jason

[Neil178]

I just love it when you talk dirty to me!

[BockingBandit]

Nah,.. I don't live in a Nail Factory, .. but I wish they'd stop putting those bloody magnets in my new rubber.
Oh,.. and try to avoid mixing 'Slime' and 'Temporary Bung Repairs', ... unless you just love the sound of 'Hissssssing'.
Geoff

[Ade B]

Replaced tyre yesterday and its a revelation. Previous tyre was proper square, the handling is vastly improved even round town. S, all is forgiven.

Just need to steer clear of the junction debris.....patience Ade.....

Will try the Sticky Puncture Worms from Essential Rubber (note to self keep them away from dog and put explanation next to receipt on accounts...)

[Dog Tyred]

I really must get around to reading my owners manual! Whats all this about a puncure repair kit? If I get a puncture I just call that nice Carol Nash lady and she sends a nice man to fix it for me or take me to a place that can fix it.

[boxerpan]

I really must get around to reading my owners manual! Whats all this about a puncure repair kit? If I get a puncture I just call that nice Carol Nash lady and she sends a nice man to fix it for me or take me to a place that can fix it.

Try doing that on a Sunday night in France and see how long you have to wait I would at least have a look at the kit in daylight so you have an idea how to work it when it all goes Pete Tong miles from anywhere with no phone reception.

[Skint]

try using ultra seal... it may not plug the hole 100% but will ooze for the rest of the tyre life.

[Ade B]

guess what, having barely scrubbed in the new rear about to jump on bike this morning to head out for meeting and...

shiney posidrive screw head poking out of centre of rear tread.....

rode to meeting, rode to FWR, 20mins later and £21 repair back on the road.

Note to self..
modify filtering technique to miss out piles of sharp objects at front of car queues.......

patience is definately a virtue - two punctures in 3 weeks

Ade