had to plug a tire the other day-this is when you know you & the bike are getting old
....not on the Rune, but on the Valk (ok, some folks call the Rune a "Valkyrie Rune"). Anyway, it was the rear tire......had a screw in it. Went to go for a ride and realized it sure was hard to roll it out of the garage. So I checked tire pressure....yep, nada. Kind of surprised the sidewall (Avon Venom tire) stayed as rigid as it did....and that I couldn't tell it was flat while sitting on the kickstand.
Anyway, I go to plug the tire with my "trusty" tire patch kit I always carry in the Valkyrie Tourer saddlebags....and i get the screw out....ream the hole...and go to put the plug in and I realize before I even do.....this probably isn't going to turn out so good. You see, my tire patch kit is....oh....about as old as the Valk. I got the Valk in the Summer of 1997. So....that kit....and that plug....are about the same age as the bike.....or over 23 years old! Yikes. I tried three plugs. All three just "fell apart" as I tried to put them in the hole (much less, pull anything back out). Good thing it happened sitting in my driveway and not out on the road!
Ran down to Lowes and bought a tire patch kit they had in the lawn mower department. Worked like a charm, of course. I'll probably do something (again) they say to NEVER do. I'll likely leave the plug in and ride it as is and not go to the trouble of taking the tire off the rim or getting a new tire. I don't take that bike anywhere far anymore....due to a rattle in the engine (I've talked about it on here before....long ago). I still think the rattle I'm hearing is a tensioner that holds the oil pump chain is "gone"....as it was some type of plastic or polymer device that kept tension on the chain. I think what I'm hearing is the oil pump chain slapping around inside a bit lose. Yea, I know...if that chain fails, I've got no oil pressure....and if STILL riding, soon no engine! But the shop wants over $1000 just to tear the engine down....and whatever else it may cost to fix it. On a 23 year old bike with 128,000 miles, I just don't feel like paying that and I'm not capable of doing the work myself. But I digress...............
Anyway, I've ridden the life of a tire before with a plug, and I'll likely do it again. What little I ride the bike, that tire will probably dry rot before I wear the tire down (or have issues with the plug). And not only do I not ride far anymore, I don't ride fast much any more either. If I lose a plug (again, it's on the rear) while riding around local, I'll just call the wife to bring the trailer.................or plug it again
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Originally Posted by MO Rune Rider
