There has been a lot of construction along parts of my commute. Melbourne is a very progressive City - as such it is hard to find a Suburban or Metro street which has not succumbed to some form of development.
Great for Melbourne, not so great for a Moto Commuter.
In the past 2 months I've managed to pickup 2 items which would cause a puncture. Luckily the first item was a small staple which was not long enough to penetrate the Tyre carcass and was safely pulled without any ill-affects. I was not so lucky this time.
Time to bust out the 'ol GRYYP repair kit and get to work removing my cheeky little hitchhiker.
Pull the item using the needle nose pliers - if you're doing this road side and want to minimise pressure loss, have the rasp tool ready to stop escaping air.
Clearly this nail was long enough to pierce the carcass.......damn.
Step 2
Use the rasp tool to clean out the puncture site. You are intentionally trying to make the hole larger and, depending on the area of the Tyre, are likely going to need to push through the reinforcing belts/material.
This can be quite strenuous but don't rush - you need to make sure the hole is clear and ready to receive the plug.
Step 3
Prepare a wax-cord 'plug' on the insertion tool and drive the plug 2/3 of the length into the Tyre. This is going to require significant force, be determined.
The idea is that you want the cord loop to drop inside the Tyre and create an internal plug too large to work its way back through the original hole, similar to how a dynabolt works.
Step 4
In one swift movement - pull the insertion tool out of the Tyre. You should have the cord remain in place as a plug.
Use the craft knife to trim some of the excess and leave ~3mm of cord exposed - with riding this will be forced into a kind of 'surface' patch.
Step 5
Add air, test pressure.
Step 6
Ride, retest pressure when warm - it should have increased and, if done correctly, should hold steady.
It should be noted that this type of plug is technically only to be used to repair a Tyre to get you out of trouble. The manufacturers state that, for a 'proper' repair, the Tyre must be stripped from the rim and plugged internally with a mushroom plug or similar.
I'm only about 500kms from my next scheduled service so will take care of that then.
\BitSar
........so long, you cheeky little hitchhiker.
