Small slice cuts deep

[T Legg]

On our way home from the RPM rally we planned on stopping by the Alpine air strip to do a high speed stability test of our saddle bags but while we were parked in Angels camp I found this thin slice in my front tire and decided not to.

[T Legg]

When I got home I cut away the flap of rubber from the slice to see how deep it went.It went much deeper than the skyping and I didn't really get to the bottom of the slice.I got lucky it didn't blow.

[Motofun]

When I got home I cut away the flap of rubber from the slice to see how deep it went.It went much deeper than the skyping and I didn't really get to the bottom of the slice.I got lucky it didn't blow.

Inspect that very closely.  It appears as if it may occur at the seam where the tread is bonded and may, in fact, be a manufacturing defect.

[T Legg]

My son said he thought it could be a defect as well because the slice doesn't extend all the way across the middle.If it is a defect it will be third bad sport demon tire I've had in the last year.One had a sidewall bubble,another had exhibited severe dry rot on the sidewall at six months of use 2500 miles and the tire was less than two years old by the manufacture date code.This tire is coming off now and thanks to the new front end I received from Pete's former parts bike (sorry Pete) I will be putting a different 17" tire on now.

[T Legg]

Well I now have my fourth Pirelli Sport Demon Tire experiencing premature failure. I found a little split about 1/5" long . It is leaking air at a very slow rate I haven't had to add air since I installed it. I don't know if it's a defect or if I have run over something that cut it. I'm wondering if anyone has used a hot patch on the inside of a motorcycle tire. I'm afraid using a plug on slice like that would split the slice wider and I don't know if plugs are safe for 100 mph + speeds. Does anyone have experience with motorcycle tire repairs? I'm going broke replacing tires every fifteen hundred miles.

[T Legg]

Oops the pictures.

[Ted Schefelbein]

An FJ is a big, heavy bike with a lot of power. I don't think a front tire is a good place to experiment with repairs. I plugged a brand new tire on a GSXR one time, just to get me home. Put a new tire on the next day.
It got me home, but I wasn't interested in a Z rated tire with a plug in it.

Ted

[giantkiller]

Back when I was young and stupid, and wasn't afraid of anything. I plugged a back tire and ran it all summer. On my fzr1000. Many extremely high speed runs. Still not afraid of anything. But not young, or as stupid. I would only use plugs to get home.

If I ever get back to the turbo bike. I really want to get it over 200mph. Tires are really the thing I'm most worried about. I've taken the fzr1000 to 187mph. On new tires.

[Carson City Paul]

Sound advise from Ted and Giantkiller.

Put a price tag on what you think your life is worth and I bet it's way more than the cost of another tire.

Live to ride another day... replace the tire.

[FJ1200W]

Like others, I was also young, dumb and lucky.

I ran multiple plugs in my GS1100E and with a ring of cord showing, would ride at triple digits, usually not at 100%.....

Looking back, I feel blessed.

Skip's Place was a bar I would frequent. I'd put a masterlock in the front rotor to keep "patrons" from moving my bike.

I forgot that lock more than once, much to the entertainment of the other "patrons".

Moving on to that tire, replace it and never look back.

You've justified another brand, I like Avon Spirit ST, others probably have other suggestions, it's harder to find a bad tire than a good one anymore.

https://www.avontyres.com/en-us/tyres/spirit-st

Tires are wear items, no worries.

[Pat Conlon]

The rope type plugs can dislodge. Once properly seated, the mushroom cap plugs can not.

[T Legg]

I wasn't planning to use a plug especially since it is a slice rather than a round puncture hole.I wouldn't trust it at speed either. I remember Pat having to plug his rear tire at the last RPM rally and was wondering if it was considered to be safe. In the old days at least they used to do hot patch repairs from the inside of the tire that was considered to be very safe on automobile tires but I haven't heard of that being done on motorcycles and I've never driven at 150 mph in a car so I don't know if it would be safe on a bike. I already have a new tire on the way . The slice in my rear tire and the previous slice in my front tire do not look like normal punctures I wonder if they are defects in the tire. If I didn't do regular close inspections of my tires I would never noticed this small hole the leak rate is so slow that the tire pressure has not dropped noticeably in several months since I put the tire on. I leaked more air from the last tire from the bead seal. Before I mounted this tire I used superfine steel wool on the rim lip to clean it up and that greatly reduced air leakage from the bead seal.

[Pat Conlon]

No repair on a slice, as the carcass flexes the cut can or will widen.

https://www.motorcyclistonline.com/tire-repair-plugs-should-you-use-plugs-on-motorcycle-tires/

[Old Rider]

When i was young i also was dumb now im 52 and  im a little wiser but still dumb if you take a look at the pick i took of my tire today .i have been riding on plugged tires many times before and never had something bad happened.
i did however had a exsplosion/blowout on my rear tire driving at 180 kilometers on higway 30 years ago on my 1100 (that was fun)  and that tire was not plugged!
i have ordered a new pirelli sport demon 10 days ago but still not arrived.
This tyre i plugged about 6000 kilometers ago had a nail in it .I has not leaked air and the plug is still there and has tolerated high speed.

[fj1289]

Back when I was young and stupid, and wasn't afraid of anything. I plugged a back tire and ran it all summer. On my fzr1000. Many extremely high speed runs. Still not afraid of anything. But not young, or as stupid. I would only use plugs to get home.

If I ever get back to the turbo bike. I really want to get it over 200mph. Tires are really the thing I'm most worried about. I've taken the fzr1000 to 187mph. On new tires.

Most of the 200+ mph runs are actually made on quality street tires.   The heat build up getting up to speed over a mile or so tends to overheat actual "race" tires.  Right now I'm running Michelin RS on the race bike - as recommended by Ransom Holbrook - fastest "nitrous only" bike at 252 in 1.5 miles and 244 in a mile (Hayabusa of course).