Enlarging puncture hole in tire

karuzo

karuzo

Joined
Sep 17, 2023
Messages
148
Location
Chicago
Bike
Royal Enfield INT650
Hi all,

This morning, I discovered what caused a flat on the rear tire of my 1993 ST1100 (Dunlop). The image below shows the drill bit that punctured the tire, with the actual element inside being about the diameter of a toothpick. Despite the flat, I managed to ride home slowly, but the tire is still losing air.

The puncture is so small that I can barely see it, making it difficult to insert a repair tool. Other than replacing the tire, what are my options? Is it advisable to use a drill to enlarge the hole for plugging, or would that compromise the tire's integrity?

I appreciate any advice you can offer.

Thank you,

Doron

IMG_9472.jpg
 
I would say the only issue I would have enlarging the hole is that the plug you use may gradually unseat itself, unless you use a lot of rubber cement (I have some experience with this happening on a prior tire plug repair several years ago). I had a recent nail puncture in the 94’s back tire- I have a Dynaplug kit that has a reamer tool…I intentionally did not use this and although it took a lot of effort, I was able to get the Dynaplug in and it sealed very well and no air loss was noted (so I kept the puncture as small as possible). What kind of plug are you using (Nealy, Dynaplug, regular worm plug)?
 
Erdoc48 said:
I would say the only issue I would have enlarging the hole is that the plug you use may gradually unseat itself, unless you use a lot of rubber cement (I have some experience with this happening on a prior tire plug repair several years ago). I had a recent nail puncture in the 94’s back tire- I have a Dynaplug kit that has a reamer tool…I intentionally did not use this and although it took a lot of effort, I was able to get the Dynaplug in and it sealed very well and no air loss was noted (so I kept the puncture as small as possible). What kind of plug are you using (Nealy, Dynaplug, regular worm plug)?
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I ordered earlier today a kit off Amazon, mushroom plug type, brand is Stop & Go.
 
Easy repair for regular gummy worm, it will seal that up straight away. Don't drill it out. Use the reamer that comes with the gummy worm repair kit to ream the hole. The reamer will not enlarge the hole to a diameter that is to large for the gummy worms.
 
Erdoc48 said:
I would say the only issue I would have enlarging the hole is that the plug you use may gradually unseat itself, unless you use a lot of rubber cement (I have some experience with this happening on a prior tire plug repair several years ago). I had a recent nail puncture in the 94’s back tire- I have a Dynaplug kit that has a reamer tool…I intentionally did not use this and although it took a lot of effort, I was able to get the Dynaplug in and it sealed very well and no air loss was noted (so I kept the puncture as small as possible). What kind of plug are you using (Nealy, Dynaplug, regular worm plug)?
Click to expand...
I think I need to slightly enlarge the hole so I can get the tool inside. Currently, I cannot insert it in, no matter how hard I try.
 
Since you have mentioned it is hard going when you try to ream out the puncture, make sure your bike is blocked so it cannot roll forward as you try to ream and patch the hole. If you put the bike on the center stand, tie a rope from the crossbar of the stand to the aft of the front wheel. This will prevent the bike from falling forward off the stand.
 
Andrew Shadow said:
Easy repair for regular gummy worm, it will seal that up straight away. Don't drill it out. Use the reamer that comes with the gummy worm repair kit to ream the hole. The reamer will not enlarge the hole to a diameter that is to large for the gummy worms.
Click to expand...
I just looked at the tire. The hole is so small it is almost non-existent. I’ll try to use the reamer first.
 
karuzo said:
Thanks for sharing. Now I have doubt about the mushroom plugs…
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Don't have doubts. I have used the Stop N Go mushroom plugs MANY times without failure. This test is bogus in my opinion. The thing about pushing the plug into the tire from the outside is BS. That will NEVER happen.
 
Gummy worms are your friend. The reamer will go in, just a little cement for lube and twist it and it will go in...
 
ST-venture said:
Don't have doubts. I have used the Stop N Go mushroom plugs MANY times without failure. This test is bogus in my opinion. The thing about pushing the plug into the tire from the outside is BS. That will NEVER happen.
Click to expand...
Likewise - it's all I carry ... have used it a few times on different bikes , without any problems !
 
I carry the mushroom and rope plugs, just to have options, the rope plugs might work better if it's a slice type puncture. I've used the mushrooms on bikes and cars with no issues. Ryan likes to analyze things to the point that you'd think we all would have died by now on any bike he doesn't have. But, it's big business to him.
 
I have used both the gummy worms and the mushroom plugs, no problems with either. I have a tire on my Acura which has a mushroom plug in it now for 30-35000 miles, about 10 years.
 
I'm not making suggestions, but my limited experience with Stop 'n Go has been they are more difficult for me. I think I may have been trying the larger size, while the smaller ones may have worked.

But I have had better success with the stringy worms with the glue / cement out of a tube.

Either way, I need to refresh my tire repair kits on both bikes. Thanks for the reminder.
 
Mellow said:
I carry the mushroom and rope plugs, just to have options, the rope plugs might work better if it's a slice type puncture. I've used the mushrooms on bikes and cars with no issues. Ryan likes to analyze things to the point that you'd think we all would have died by now on any bike he doesn't have. But, it's big business to him.
Click to expand...
correct but I don't like the idea of making the hole that large.
 
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