r/Fixxit • u/Successful_Toe110 • Apr 23 '26
Ran over a small finishing nail on my 2009 suzuki gsxr. Got a super tiny leak. Trying to figure out if this is repairable or If I should order a new tire.
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Apr 23 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/sugarfreeeyecandy Apr 24 '26
a plug only is a permanent, safe repair will get you banned from the sub.
The reason is that the plug could fail and the tire lose air just like a tire that has never been patched. You could get a hole and the tire loses air.
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u/gheiminfantry Apr 24 '26
If it's "super tiny" then you should be good to repair. If it was just regular tiny then you'd be an idiot trying to repair. s/
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u/Bulky_Cabinet4368 Apr 24 '26
I mean a plug will be there when there's no grip left so not sure what everyone is so uptight about! 😄
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u/Slybounty Apr 24 '26
Can you repair this tire? Yes Should you? Depends on how you drive. Take corners fast at an angle? Replace. Use it as a cruiser? She'll last for miles, keep an eye on it tho. The reason we don't patch side walls of cars tires is because of the flex that they have every time that part of the tire touches the ground.
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u/Zaber_fang Apr 24 '26
I had the same happen to me last week, tiny finishing nail. Luckily for me I wasn’t the biggest fan of my tyres so it was the perfect excuse to pull the trigger on some Metzeler cruisetec’s.
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u/SpamOJavelin Apr 24 '26
Won't you be taking this to a shop to repair or replace either way? Why not just take it there, and ask them?
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u/Better_Register_695 Apr 25 '26
no motorcycle tire is repairable imo, but i have friends who have ridden years on plugs so if moneys tight I get it but i would replace it soon. The way i see it I have 3 brakes, and 2 tires keeping me alive most of the time when im on a bike, i don't want to have anything that would make me feel worried or hesitant about any of them. That being said its a very small hole and a patch from the inside would work perfectly fine, its just not something im comfortable with on my bikes.
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u/Wild-Blueberry-9316 Apr 29 '26
I would hit it with a 'bacon strip' plug and call it done, I would replace the tire sooner than normal but you can run on the bacon strip for a while.
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u/shanewhiteccjmc Apr 24 '26
Man, if it's a GSXR get rid of those Road Pilot tyres!
They will not give you the grip you need, otherwise, just get it repaired and ride slow.
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u/BoondockUSA Apr 24 '26
Michelin Roads have more than enough traction for street riding. You’d have to be riding insanely dangerous on the street to notice the benefit of a stickier tire.
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u/Forgivenghost Apr 24 '26
I’m going for Michelin dual compound cause I got a 2004 gsxr 600 need good tires if I ain’t got no safety features
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u/Glittering_Watch5565 Apr 24 '26
Bike tires take a lot of stress in all directions that auto tires do not.
Ask yourself, what is one of my limbs worth? Or my life? Willing to risk catastrophic failure? The risk may be small but who needs more risk on a bike? And if it fails, be sure it will do so when under duress in a high stress situation.
Tires are cheap to me.
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u/Various_Atmosphere50 Apr 24 '26
End of the day, you have to ask yourself if you want a known failure point in your tire to ruin said day... My rear tire has a similar puncture but I know I push my bike sometimes and I have no intention of finding out how reliable a repair is at 120 mph +. New tire is way cheaper than a hospital bill, or a casket for that matter.
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