This might be like an oil thread.

Anyways, I recall watching some TV program about cars and the topic of tire plugs, etc., was being discussed. On the basis of the idea that "tire plugs are bad" is simply a marketing ploy by tire manufacturers trying to get you to buy more tires, they interviewed the VP Marketing for Michelin. The VP said "look, if plugging a tire was safe, we'd develop our own plugs and market them." It seems that all the tire manufacturers and the majority of tire shops recommend that sticky rope plugging not be used.

While watching, I recalled a situation that happened when I lived in Canada. Our motorcycle club hosted a couple of Argentinians who were riding South -> North, up to the Arctic Circle. Their tires were full of plugs. We pooled some cash and got them new tires, at cost, from one of our member's shop. On their return, their new tires had a fresh set of plugs in them. Somehow, plugging had worked for them without serious incident.

In our Beijing clubhouse, we've got all the types of repair kits (sticky rope, mushroom plugs with the gun, pressure patches, etc). I personally prefer the mushroom type, but they can be finicky to use. They are also not as compact as a sticky rope repair kit, for carrying on the bike. They do, however, seem to give a better "fix".

Quote Originally Posted by birdmove View Post
Thanks all. This is good reading about tires and repairs to them. I have never patched a tubeless tire, but have patched and replaced tube type tires over the years. We do have an emergency tubless repair kit stored in our SYM HD200 scooter, and we also have a Kymco People 150.
This is where I have my greatest concern - scooters. I love my scooter and ride it everywhere through the city. I am constantly picking up roadside crap around construction sites. If I replaced tires for each puncture, I'd be buying a new set at least once a month (expensive!).

BUT, my scooter has 10 inch wheels - the tire's rotation RPM at 50 km/h is almost twice that of a 17 inch wheel. And losing a tire on a scooter is no fun - scoots are not as controllable as a regular motorcycle with a tire failure. Fortunately, the scoot's tires are tubeless - so quickie repairs are easy, and sudden deflation and tire separation (i.e., as what often happens with tubed tires) is rare. Nevertheless, it is always something in the back of my mind - I think my Suzuki scooter currently has 3 plugs in the rear. I run Pirellis on it, at 400 rmb/each, so I'm certainly not going to be replacing them with each puncture, that's for sure. If I did replace after each puncture, I'd use the OEM ones at about 80 rmb/tire - but they are very slippery tires in the wet, so it is a calculus - do I go for slippery tires or a risk of a plug failure (which usually just results in gradual deflation).

Oh yeah, this will be just like an oil thread.