Nail in tire what to do?

[Vipermmx]

Hey all I got a damned nail in my rear tire. It is actually not on the tread but inside the grooves in the factory tires. Its a little nail. Im kind of new to bike tires what do I need to do? Tire only has 378 miles on it lol.

Can bike tired be plugged by a home kit?

The nail is inside the grooves in the tire its not in the thick tread it somehow got inside one of the grooves and slid in lol.

[Mr. Clean]

Well most people here will tell you to replace the tire. I had the same thing happen with only 100 miles on a rear tire. I plugged it and rode another 2,000 miles on it. It never leaked but I checked it all the time and kept my eye on it. Bottom line is, do you trust your plugging and patching ability enough to plug it and ride on it?

[Junior]

Tires can be plugged but I personally wouldn't recommend it. Everyone has their own opinion whether or not a plugged bike tire is safe. Personally, I wouldn't trust it. If the plug were to fall out, blow out, whatever while you were riding you'd be screwed. Not worth the risk IMO.

I was at a rally last year and got a nail in my tire doing 70mph... I was damn lucky I didn't dump my bike.

Buy a new tire. Otherwise you'll be constantly thinking "what if that rear tire blows in this corner".

[Vipermmx]

my friend told me to get a tube...hes a harley guy so heh. Would a tube work?

This hole is very small and the its inside the tread marks. It took week for it to leak out my guess based on the rear feeling funny for a week.

Will tubes work?

New tires every nail will be to expensive lol!

[Junior]

Tubes won't work. I was once told by a bike tech that there's a certain mushroom type plug that apparently works pretty well. Don't know much about them tho.

[The CyberPoet]

Re: Nail in tire what to do?

Hey all I got a damned nail in my rear tire. It is actually not on the tread but inside the grooves in the factory tires. Its a little nail. Im kind of new to bike tires what do I need to do? Tire only has 378 miles on it lol.

Can bike tired be plugged by a home kit?

The nail is inside the grooves in the tire its not in the thick tread it somehow got inside one of the grooves and slid in lol.

(A) If it's a metzeler, contact Metzeler's US rep and get them to replace it for free. They have a little known 1000 mile road hazard warrantee from the factory.
(B) If it's an Avon, contact Avon and get them to replace it for free. They have a 1.2mm road hazard warrantee.

If it's neither of the above, you have basically two choices:
Replace it (the safe bet) or plug it. There is a third choice that's not often discussed, and that's plug it, then sell it (eBay) with full disclosure that it's plugged -- you'll get quite a bit of the $$ towards a new tire that way, since your existing tire has virtually brand new tread (make sure you list the mileage on the tire when you list it up).

The problem with plugging Z-rated tires is that the plug will create a thermal stress point under normal use (and is why Z-rated radials are not supposed to get plugged or patched). To plug it, just go to the local auto parts store, get a plug kit (mushroom plugs are usually better, but strip-style plugs work just as well in small, straight nail holes) and follow the directions on the kit. You may need to get your tire rebalanced afterwards.

Good Luck!
=-= The CyberPoet

[Vipermmx]

actually I have the factory whatever comes on the 2005 Kats. I will for sure call them!!!

I did plug it and its working. I had a guy that plugs alot of tires do it for me. He said it shouldnt pop out being such a small hole and straight. Ill get a new tire though thanks for that info!!!

Manual should have the tire replacement info right?

I only ride around my town nothing over 45mph normally 30mph max in this area. I work prettyu close as well so pluig should hold do no highway driving.

Cant wait to get a tire lol.

[The CyberPoet]

actually I have the factory whatever comes on the 2005 Kats. I did plug it and its working. Manual should have the tire replacement info right?

If you still have the factory tires on the bike, sell both on eBay and buy a set of Metzeler Z6 RoadTechs, or Pirelli Diablo Stradas. Tire sizes are in the owner's manual, as well as printed on the tires themselves.
Front is a 120/70ZR17 (58W), Rear is a 150/70ZR17 (69W).

KNOW THIS:
The weakest point of the stock bike is the OEM tires. Replacing them is one of first upgrades that Katana owner's who are "in the know" do... For more tips, see:
CyberPoet's 10 Key (Beginner) Katana Upgrades, at MotorcycleAnchor.com, makers of fine security motorcycle products.

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet