OK here's the rest of the story. I located the combo plug-patch specified by Dunlop at a local tire dealership this afternoon (cycle dealerships around here are closed Mondays). They let me have a couple. IMHO there is no way this thing can fail catastrophically. It resembles an overgrown roofing nail. You would have to blow out not only the plug but also a 1 3/4 inch patch to have a catastrophic failure. Before that happened you would surely start losing air slowly. If you check your tires and tire pressure frequently, as I do, you should have plenty of warning something is going bad.

So this evening I broke the tire down and repaired it EXACTLY PER DUNLOP'S REQUIREMENTS. I just finished remounting the tire and there is not a trace of leakage. Per Dunlop's instructions I will not exceed 50 mph tomorrow and not exceed 80 mph ever on this tire. Hell I never drive that fast anyway!

If repairing a tire exactly according to the tiremaker's instructions is recklessness, then I plead guilty.

 

Don't mean to highjack the post here but, how did you drill out the mufflers & can you explain what specifically what ZUMO 450 means? I'm thinking about modifying the stock mufflers on my 08; I just have a problem spending the $$$ for a new exhaust sys. THANKS!

REALBOB 08 EGC

 

Have anyone ever seen a blown out radiator hose? The cord fatigues and they fail. I have seen only one tire fail in that manner in 20 years and they got lucky and didn't crash. The tire was plug patched 4000 miles prior. The tear was approximately 2' long and it sounded like a 38. Sure the odds are with you that it wont happen.
Remember this thread.

https://www.hdforums.com/forum/touring-models/263323-wife-dead-due-to-rear-blowout.html

 

You're absolutely right !

Peter

 

Just my 2 cents worth. If done properly, the string plugs that are being made will adhere strongly to the tire and actually wear with the rubber as it passes along over time. Of course, if a hole is so large that you have to start using more than one or, if its in a spot where it will not be subjected to the heat of the road against it, it may become less adhesive and "brittle". In cases where I have had failure of a plug in the past, they began to leak. Then, a patch plug from the inside or, a tube is necessary, in which case, depending on my financial status at that moment, would dictate the consideration of a new tire.

 

This statement, coupled with the fact that Dunlop confirms that plugged tires aren't "good as new" with their warning never to exceed 80 mph on them, doesn't fill me with confidence regarding the long-term use of a repaired tire, but that's just me.

Personally, I'll continue to replace my punctured tires with new ones. Some may call this paranoid; I call it prudent.

P.S.- The NJSP doesn't use plugged tires on their motors either. Fact is, no police agency in their right mind would.

 

You get no argument from me there. But there's a world of difference between the way motor cops may have to drive and the way I drive. I don't have run flat tires on my bike either, but would insist on them if I were a motor cop. If I drove my car the way NASCAR drivers do I would darn sure have a rollbar and wear a helmet in the car. I don't carry a million dollars of liability insurance even though there is a very slight chance I could be judged at fault in a million dollar traffic accident, etc., etc. Judgments about safety and prudence versus risk must always be made against a background of circumstances and tradeoffs.

In today's lawsuit happy society, if Dunlop weren't satisfied with the safety of their tires when repaired and used according to their specifications, they would be the first to say never repair a flat.

 

Uncle Scrooge: What you said about Dunlop makes sense and I agree with you. There's no way in hell they'd recommend riding on plugged tires (per their instructions) if it weren't ok. As long as you stay within the recommended limitations, I'm sure the tire and you will be fine.