I run the standard Dunlop 555 on the rear. Slow leak traced to a nail head protruding near the edge of the tread. :(
So is this tire self sealing? Or should I leave the nail in it for the short ride to the shop?
I have neither the tools nor the desire to dismount, patch, and remount this tire on the rear rim.
Thanks
Well I would make it a short ride and slow with the nail!!!!!!! I have a kit at the house that has plugs and CO2 in it have used the plugs once or twice comes in handy was made for motorcycles but once I got to the shop I would replace the tire have never trusted plugs or patches.
Ride it to the shop. I have plugged my tires as recently as last week on the front. My hole was down in the center tread where the road surface would not pull on the plug.
It's your decision depending on where the hole is and whether you plug or not. The shop may or may not not plug it.
Depending on where the nail is and how big, a plug-n-patch combo works great. But you have to do what makes you comfortable!!!
The tire won't self seal so if you pull the nail you won't make it to the shop except on a trailer. Leave the nail, air the tire up and ride to the shop being judicious with the throttle of course. You'll be fine.
Curtis
Thanks, guys, yet again, for your sage advice.
So, I called the Honda dealer in New Braunfels today, and asked about patching the tire (dismount patch from inside, remount) and he replied that they could do that, but Honda does not recommend it for speeds in excess of 55 mph!! While I don't ride like Alan or a certain nameless colleague from Bronte, 55 mph would cramp my style occasionally. So I asked him to order me another Dunlop 555, which, to my understanding, is the "factory" tire for the 3rd gen Magnas. Said he would do so, and call me when it arrived.
This afternoon he called back and stated that the Dunlop 555 had been discontinued. He has a tire in stock that is 10mm wider. Sure hate to scrap this rear tire -- the mold relief tits are barely worn off it. On the other hand, the nail is at the edge of the tread, square in the portion that is meant to contact the ground in a tight lean. So, I'll probably ride down there tomorrow afternoon. The leak rate is slow -- dropped from 40 to 35 psi in 28 hours. I will be very careful and slow on the ride down, and given the propensity of new tires to slide, on the way back as well.
This is the most expensive nail I have ever encountered, but it could get a whole lot more expensive if I make the wrong choice. Still I wonder if the dealer's position on this is in my best interest, or his.
Quote from: lragan on December 26, 2007, 09:20:08 PM
Still I wonder if the dealer's position on this is in my best interest, or his.
An argument could be made either way here but I always think they are out to get my money and only one person interested in me keeping it. LOL
I hate to see Dunlop 555 discontinued as I like the tires characteristics (grippier) more than the Metz. After slipping a few times on the Metz I never felt confident running them.
What tire and size did he recommend?
It will be sad if the 555 is a goner. The Dunlop website still has it listed as the only tire for a Magna (94-03). I too prefer the sticky 555 over the Metz.
I have been looking around and there are still alot of sites carrying the 555 you may have to order it and have it mounted. I have never run one have always had good luck with the Metz.. kinda like an oil debate LOL evryone has there favorite !!!
So I now have a shiny new Bridgestone 704. Only rode it home so far, and it feels OK.
Once I wear it in a bit, I will give a report. The profile looks very similar to the Dunlop 555.
I thought the 704 was a radial tire and the 702 the bias?
You are so right, Terry. Sorry about that. The tire is a G702 160/80 TR412, according to the invoice, which I had right here when I made the erroneous post.
I emailed Dunlop to see what there take is on this and what they would recommend as a replacement along with info as to what difference the characteristics would be between the two tires. \
Stay tuned....
I'll give you my first hand experiance with tire plugs on bikes, then you do what ever gives you a warm fuzzy feeling inside.
I have been a mechanic for 26 years now, have plugged probably at least 6 or 7 of my own bike tires, and I have never used a patch inside with the plug, just a good quality plug from the outside. I rode all of these tires down to the recomended tread wear depth with no problems what so ever. The only ones that made me think about it a little was the front tires, but I never sweated the rear ones.
Now, as mentioned by some of the other guys, where the hole is on the tire is the big factor here. If the hole is near the side wall of the tire, you should only plug it to get yourself to a shop for replacement ASAP. Like I said though, you have to have a warm fuzzy feeling and trust your tires while riding; make your decision based on that.
I agree with you John for the most part.
I had a rear that got a very small finishing type nail in the very center of the tread pattern. Had a patch plug combo put in it and believe it went another 8K.
However I personally just to make myself feel warm and fuzzy :lol: would replace a front and consider about $100 a good investment towards the fuzzies hehehehe.
I don't suppose the size of the nail (within limits, of course, we're not talking railroad spikes here) doesn't matter much. This nail was near the edge of the tire, still in the tread, but just barely. Only occasionally do I use this part of the tread, while grinding off the left boot heel :lol:, but when I do, I don't want any slip-ups, er outs.
The Bridgestone cost me $105, but by the time they figured in installation, balancing, tax, title, license, dead tire fee, weekday fee, lawyerly insurance, etc, etc, it came to $175.43
Like I said, the most expensive nail I have ever encountered.
Now if it saves you from a mishap....than the cheapest non mishap you might have. :-P
Thanks, Terry. You are quite right (again), and that's the way I look at it.
This morning was nice, and I rode enough to try out the new rear tire. Took it through a few heel-dragging, accelerating turns.
Best I can tell, this tire is as sticky as the Dunlop. Some of you racing folks may have better input, but I can't feel a difference -- once it was worn in. There was some slipping early, but after a couple of turns, it seemed to hold just fine.
To refresh everyone's memory, this is a Bridgestone G702 160/80 TR412. I like it.
In any case it was a great day even if a short (2 hour) ride. :-D
That's a promising first impression. Thanks for the update.
Below is Dunlops response.
Dunlop Tire Contact Form Submission
To: tlram1XXXXX.com
From: awittmeyer@dunloptire.com Add to Address Book Add Mobile Alert
Date: Fri, 4 Jan 2008 10:06:43 -0500
Terry -
Thanks for supplying the necessary additional information. The Dunlop
K555 has not been discontinued in either size and are readily available as
there are no back-orders in our system for either tire (front or rear).
Looks as if the dealer recieved and past on bad info.
Quote from: TLRam1 on January 04, 2008, 10:20:53 AM
Below is Dunlops response.
Dunlop Tire Contact Form Submission
To: tlram1XXXXX.com
From: awittmeyer@dunloptire.com Add to Address Book Add Mobile Alert
Date: Fri, 4 Jan 2008 10:06:43 -0500
Terry -
Thanks for supplying the necessary additional information. The Dunlop
K555 has not been discontinued in either size and are readily available as
there are no back-orders in our system for either tire (front or rear).
Looks as if the dealer recieved and past on bad info.
I was suspicious of this at the outset. Probably should have checked around some. Even though I am (so far) satisfied with the price and performance of the Bridgestone, it still bugs me to be misinformed. May I have your permission to send a copy of the response in an e-mail to the dealer?
You bet, have at it, sick em!
Probably will not happen but the dealer needs to forward the info to their supplier as well. Other than curiosty it would be nice to find out who the dealers supplier is. I would guess someone like Rocky Tucker, Parts Unlimited, etc.
Although we, the customer, always has to fin for ourselves the dealer needs to have done more work on their part. May have been a brain pop on their part but your email or visit will help keep them sharp.
Hopefully the dealer was not trying to move a in-stock tire verses ordering you one.
I sent the dealer a FAX yesterday. It wasn't worded to demand a reply, just to notify their supplier that they were misinformed. (This makes the charitable assumption that they were, and not just trying to move some current inventory.) They have not replied, but I will post when/if they do.
In any case, it is nice to know the old reliable is still available. Thanks, Terry
I have noticed on the Internet the K555 is hard to find. I wonder if it goes by different abbreviation or name.
New tires before pushing the performance you need to ride it for a while to wear past the new protective layer. I believe 400 miles is the recommended distance. One person recommended due a burnout. Which I do not recommend because that will do the center of the tire not the sides. and the sides is what we would be concerned about.
Quote from: Luke 22 on January 05, 2008, 10:07:20 PM
I have noticed on the Internet the K555 is hard to find. I wonder if it goes by different abbreviation or name.
New tires before pushing the performance you need to ride it for a while to wear past the new protective layer. I believe 400 miles is the recommended distance. One person recommended due a burnout. Which I do not recommend because that will do the center of the tire not the sides. and the sides is what we would be concerned about.
You are right about new tires being slick. :shock: I would guess the number of miles is not so important as the number of revolutions in steep turns. Is there any other way to remove the smooth, shiny black layer from the edges than to turn? (I suppose maybe sandpaper, but where's the fun in that?)
It is also true that one can have good traction for modest turns, and still slide when you lay it over steeper. When I look at the rear tire now, it has "rough" rubber almost to the "hard edge" of the tread, lacking about 3/8".
You can feel the slippage. I run them in on low speed, tighter turns where I have plenty of margin to straighten up when they slide. I suppose one could do this in a large, empty parking lot, although I haven't tried it.
This is the second new rear tire I have dealt with. Have yet to put on a new front tire, which may be a bit tougher.
Over on the other forum several of the other guys swear by naptha. They allude to the mold release that is still on the rubber from the manufacturing process making the tire slick. They say if you wipe the tire down with naptha on a rag, it removes this coating without harming the tire and evaporates quickly. Naptha is available at any paint or hardware store or "big box" home improvement warehouse.
I don't know the efficacy of this procedure as I have not experienced any new tires that were slick and have never used naptha on a new tire. I'm just passing on what I read elsewhere.
You are correct that a burn out or mild turns still leaves parts of the tire unscrubbed.
Curtis
I've actually used a sanding block and 200 grit paper to take the majority of mold release off the very edges, I just want to know that when I need the very edge it's ready. Somebody also mentioned Scotchbrite which sounds even better.
As for using Naptha I'm a little concerned what harsh chemicals can do to the rubber.
just an fyi
http://www.cruisercustomizing.com/list.cfm?mc=ESS-CC-005&model_ID=0&category_ID=24&manufacturer_ID=372&sblid=Dunlop
as you all know i work at a independant bike shop that by the way was voted texas 5th best ind bike shop (just had to through that in anyways i ordered the 555 for both front and rear for my bike yesterday.
You might get a discount because of your connections and working for a shop but you might keep these sites handy. If you do not receive a discount maybe you still have time to cancel.
Arvada Cycle
K555 120/80-17 FRT $74.35
K555 140/80B15 REAR $78.65
Ron Ayers
Front $73.60
Rear $95.98
http://www.ronayers.com/catalogs/tires/parts.cfm?secid=2&type=30
http://www.angelfire.com/co4/arvadacycle/dunlop_tires_w_price_pay_pal.htm
how does free discount sound
Quote from: crash on January 14, 2008, 06:49:41 PM
how does free discount sound
Keith! Friend! Buddy! Pal! Amigo! Compadre! :lol:
always friends in low places
Free, you mean Free!
You just wanted to see me work. :P
Quote from: crash on January 14, 2008, 08:34:17 PM
always friends in low places
Not to worry -- no vulture feathers here. Besides, I'm several thousand miles away from needing new tires! Heh heh heh heh heh
as you all know nothing in live is free but sometimes you swap what they want for you want