Holts Motorcycle Temporary Tyre Repair

Motorcycling
1

Please forgive the long winded account - but I’ve got a day off and thought I would write something. :slight_smile:

Rode into central London for work and parked up, took my lid off to be greeted by a hissing sound coming from the bike - my heart sank as It was obviously the sound of a nail or something in the rear tyre - I had been working long hours all week and had a long day of work ahead of me and the last thing I needed was working out how I was going to get this bike 40 miles back to base on a flat tyre.

I remembered that I had a can of holts temporary tyre repair in my tank bag - however I hadn’t used it before and had no idea if it would work or not, plus it had been sitting in the tank bag unused for about three years so I was not sure if it was even past it’s sell by date.

In the past nails in the tyre had usually resulted in slow punctures which I spotted after I had got back home - this time though the air was p1ssing out and the tyre would be as flat as a pancake in a couple of minutes.

I moved the bike forwards a few feet from where it was parked (which was difficult as the tyre was totally flat by now) to turn the tyre and and locate the puncture site - I spotted a large phillips type screw stuck in the tyre at an angle - I realised that I must have picked it up only moments before - as the last few hundred yards of my commute takes me up a small side road and past a spot where a lot of heavy construction work is taking place.

I got the can of temp tyre repair out and read the instructions - which said to remove the object which caused the puncture from the tyre and position the valve into a ‘ten to ten’ position before screwing the flexible perspex tubing which is fitted to the top of the can onto the tyre valve.

I got a phillips screwdriver out of the bikes toolkit and unscrewed the screw from the tyre - I put the tyre in a ten past ten position rather than the recommended ten to ten as in the ten to ten position the exhaust can/chain/pillion footpegs got in the way of the tyre repair can.

I pressed down on the button on the top of the can and saw the foam go into the tyre through the can’s clear perspex tube - for a couple of minutes the tyre stayed flat and nothing seemed to be happening except for some large gobs of foam coming out of the puncture hole - I thought ‘crap - this stuff is just some gimmik that doesn’t work’ - but a minute later the tyre started to inflate and harden and the foam stopped exiting the tyre - basically the foam gradually sealed the tyre which then allowed the gas in the can to inflate the tyre.

After about four minutes the can was spent and I detached it from the tyre - the tyre was partially inflated and fairly hard - I sat on the bike and paddled it forwards a few feet and it seemed rideable - although the instructions on the can recommend a top speed of 30 mph with stops every fiteen minutes to check the condition of the tyre. I thought that’s gonna be fun - riding home at 30 mph - I’ll have to ditch the motorway and take the back route - I knew I was going to have to leave work late anyway that night and the prospect of getting back past midnight after limping back home on a partially inflated tyre was a bit of a downer.

Anyway - I came back to the bike after work that night wondering if I would get home at all. At first I threaded my way slowly through the streets out of central London hoping the tyre would hold up - which wasn’t a problem as these streets are full of traffic and slow anyway even at 11p.m. at night. Riding the bike it was obvious that the rear wheel was under-inflated - but in a straight line it felt quite safe and rideable - I kept my lean angles down as with the rear tyre at a relatively low pressure the sidewalls of the tyre would be a lot weaker than usual.

30 mph felt ok and as I got farther out of London I felt confident enough to raise my speed to 40 and then 50 mph which also felt ok - although I kept the bike pretty upright and allowed a lot of more time and room for braking.

I felt confident enough to get on the motorway and cruised back at 60mph - although I reckon I could have done 70 no problem - when I got home the tyre looked fine and did not feel especially hot. In retrospect I probably could have stopped and inflated the tyre to the proper psi at a service station - but I thought it would be better to leave it alone seeing as it was doing ok.

Anyway - this stuff worked for me and got me out of a tight spot - so I reckon it’s worth having a can in your tankbag.

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_220357_langId_-1_categoryId_165547

There are a couple of reviews slagging it off - but it worked for me and lot of other riders have also given it praise.

2

The one thing that might be a bit of an issue is the fact that places like Essential Rubber will not plug a tyre once you have used this. Therefore if it is a brand new tyre and you use something like this, you could be looking at an expensive repair as may have to buy another tyre…

Other than that it seems like a decent solution for a quick fix - better than the gas canisters they give you with the mushroom/ string solutions - Those don’t seem to do anything, I used the 2 that came with my string and they did absolutely nothing to the tyre…

3

That’s good to know, I’ve used the pedal bike stuff on my dad’s mobility scooter and it’s still inflated after a years use! Obviously a completely different load being put on the tyre, though it’s pumped to 40psi but it would give me confidence to use the motorcycle version if I needed it to get me home/to a tyre shop.

Personally I would of stopped to put more air in myself, but as you said it was working so why risk it.

4

Thanks for the account, really handy to know. I think I’ll put a can in my tail pack!

I wonder what pressure the can inflates the tyre to. Further inflating to normal pressures might not be within the foam’s tolerance. Probably safe to stick to the instructions on the can as that’s whats been tested. Also you went well over the recommended speed on the can which would have heated and raised the pressure further anyway.

Always good to get a real life review though :slight_smile: There’s just the 1 negative comment on the halfords site… which is usually a good sign in internet terms :slight_smile:

5

Serrisan: The one thing that might be a bit of an issue is the fact that places like Essential Rubber will not plug a tyre once you have used this. Therefore if it is a brand new tyre and you use something like this, you could be looking at an expensive repair as may have to buy another tyre…

Other than that it seems like a decent solution for a quick fix - better than the gas canisters they give you with the mushroom/ string solutions - Those don’t seem to do anything, I used the 2 that came with my string and they did absolutely nothing to the tyre…

Yeah - I know some tyre fitters have a problem with it - but in my opinion a tyre company that won’t deal with a tyre that has had a temp repair in this way can go f*ck themselves and have lost my business as well. :wink:

I’m hardly going to sit stranded in central London waiting for a recovery truck just because some lazy tw@t at a tyre company doesn’t want to deal with a tyre with a bit of foam in it.

My regular independent tyre fitter doesn’t have a problem with it.

6

I reckon the tyre was inflated to 24-26 psi - which is well below the recommended 42 psi for this bike but is enought to make the bike safely rideable at 60 mph in a straight line - although you would be advised to watch your cornering speeds and braking in this scenario :wink:

7

You could just get one of these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TIP-TOP-REP-AIR-MOTORCYCLE-MOTORBIKE-PUNCTURE-PLUG-TUBELESS-TYRE-REPAIR-KIT-/290608212391?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts&hash=item43a99969a7#ht_2863wt_952.

I’ve used one until the tyre wore out and its fine if you do it properly. That slime is crap. The time you save putting that stuff in you’ll spend cleaning the rim when you change your tyre as it sticks everywhere. Not to mention the plug takes all of 2-3mins.

8

I’ll take your word for it - but the patches/rod/glue and stuff looks kind of fiddly and involved - compared to just sticking a can on it.

9

^^ I have this kit under the seat. But having never used it and never seen a review (until now :)) I’ll have a can of the slimey stuff as a backup in case I cant repair my first puncture :slight_smile:

10

If I see you about I’ll show you the kit and you’ll be surprised. However, I would agree the string version is fiddly and difficult.

11

I’ve just checked it - ok it’s been sitting there for a week (i’ve been using my hack bike until i get it changed) and it’s not even 10 psi :w00t: - but it still looks and feels the same as when I first rode it back and I would ride it down the shops quite happily (although I’m not going to . . . :slight_smile:

12

Thanks - as you have tried and tested and recommend it i’ll start carrying the plug/gas kit. :slight_smile:

13

sookie tried it as well last week after my recommendation and he done it first time. Don’t know anyone who has done the thin strip version fist time but once you get those right they are just as good apparently.

14

Sounds good mate - everyone should carry some kind of tyre repair kit as you never know when and where you’ll be when you hear the dreaded hssing sound.

15

I did it first time… ok I used two strings and fecked them but the packet came with 5 :smiley:

16

@Serrisan - my point exactly :stuck_out_tongue:

17

One of these - Stop 'n Go Tyre Plugger with one of these - Stop 'n Go Mini Air Compressor has saved me several times out on the road. In my opinion, far superior to those string things. Dead easy to use and quick to fit, only inflating the tyre takes some time with the compressor.