Tire kits

[Lehrman]

Any advice on what to carry for long trips in regards to tire repair? Considering tire slime, mushroom plug kit, mini compressor etc. Should all of these be taken? If not what is your recommendation? Also, which specific brands are the best in their respective categories?

[Navydad]

I put together my own kit for my bikes. I bought a package that included the good old fashioned string plugs and the tools to install them. I have a small SLIME mini compressor. These have served me well the couple of times I have used them. Some like the mushroom plugs, but I had a bad experience when I picked up a large screw and the mushroom plugs were worthless. That's when I switched to the string plugs and never looked back.

[Gwolf]

Plug kit and CO² cylinders.

[Lew L]

Plug kit and CO² cylinders.

+1 with extra cylinders. Takes up almost no room in the in the frunk.
Lew L

[2dogs]

I put together my own kit for my bikes. I bought a package that included the good old fashioned string plugs and the tools to install them. I have a small SLIME mini compressor. These have served me well the couple of times I have used them. Some like the mushroom plugs, but I had a bad experience when I picked up a large screw and the mushroom plugs were worthless. That's when I switched to the string plugs and never looked back.

I have the exact same kit and components on my spyder. After having used both plugs and strings over the years on car tires, I tossed the plugs and went with all strings. Truthfully it's a 50/50 shot with plugs or strings. Strings are easier to replace if one or two don't work the first time. Just add more. I've never had to (knock-on-wood) plug a bike tire. All my experience has been with trailer tires in the backcountry.

[MrMagicFingers]

I have the "Slime" air compressor that I carry with me on the Goldwing. It's small in size but appears to be a good compressor in what few times I have used it. I do not used the slime. The bikes rims are aluminum and the slime will corrode aluminum easily over time. Plus when you do go to replace the tire you have an awful mess on your hands. I have gotten a chemical burn on my hands before using that slime.

Instead, I use the traditional rope plugs. I have plugged 2 motorcycle tires in the past without issue with rope plugs and they have remained in the tire under normal use for the duration of the life of the tire. The flat footed Spyder tires should be no issue I would think.

Tim

[glorybiz]

I used the co2 but found they run out very quickly so I got a small compressor instead along with the plug kit

[BoilerAnimal]

How many CO2 cylinders are needed to inflate a rear tire on a Spyder?

[Gwolf]

Go to a place that sells the CO² for pellet rifles. They have all different sizes. The big ones will do it.

[spyder01]

Ive got plugs,strings,mini compressor.I bought most of it from the for sale section on here and it takes up very little space.BTW I had heard some of these pumps overheat and fail quick so I tried it on a deflated truck tire and it worked well and didn't get hot so I think Im ok.

[SpyderAnn01]

We carry a compressor from www.aerostitch.com. Works great, and it is small and priced around $50, it has never let us down and it has been used a ton.

[troop]

Here's my $8 emergency tire repair kit. Mini compressor (Walmart) $5 + ebay tire repair kit ($3). Peace of mind.

[Gwolf]

The compressors are fine, but the F3-S has very limited storage, which is the reason I carry the CO². If I had more room or if I was carrying a large bag on the pillion, I would probably carry a compressor too.

[MONK]

Here's my $8 emergency tire repair kit. Mini compressor (Walmart) $5 + ebay tire repair kit ($3). Peace of mind.

troop---Is that BACON I see (left side)??? It IS bacon, isn't it? Bacon is great to eat during any roadside repair stop. (Or any other time, of course.) Tell me it's bacon. #baconrocks #ineeddeadpig #ivebeencoopeduptoolong

[troop]

troop---Is that BACON I see (left side)??? It IS bacon, isn't it? Bacon is great to eat during any roadside repair stop. (Or any other time, of course.) Tell me it's bacon. #baconrocks #ineeddeadpig #ivebeencoopeduptoolong

Come on man Tire plugs, but yeah, I see the resemblance

[troop]

The compressors are fine, but the F3-S has very limited storage, which is the reason I carry the CO². If I had more room or if I was carrying a large bag on the pillion, I would probably carry a compressor too.

I always travel solo. When I travel, I have my frunk, Shad luggage and a bolt on/lockable storage box on the passenger pillion. It measures 23" L x 12" D x 13" H. It holds my traveling tools/rain suit/snacks. Crap load of storage for one

[shakin_jake]

For those of you putting together your first tire repair kit, one item I haven't seen mentioned yet in this thread but I consider it essential to have and use, and doesn't take up much space-& for those concerned about keeping your kit light and small...like the peeps that cut their toothbrush in half to save space in their trail kit bag, make sure you take along a single edge razor blade. It's used to cut your tire plug flush with your tire thread. If you leave excess plug exposed especially the string plugs & they're my choice as well, that part of the string plug above the tire tread can catch the road with each tire rotation and the plug can work itself out of the tire, so carry and cut off the string above the tire tread flush using your SE (single edge) razor blade

One more thing...if you've never repaired a flat tubeless tire using the string/rope type repairs, get a car tire mounted on a rim full of air and practice on that. A junk yard will sell you one inexpensively. The tire doesn't have to have a lot of tread left, you just want something that will hold air then use a hand drill driver with a small bit to put a hole in the tire and plug away!

It would be very prudent for you to wear a pair of safety glasses when puncturing the tire. Have fun with this as you learn this essential DIY repair!

Not that anyone asked but the last time I plugged a tire on the road was at a WeSToc rally in southern BC (Kimberly). Actually, the tire was plugged (on a fellow SToc'ers Honda ST1100 in the neighboring province to the east. You Kamloopers know where I'm talking about. It was in that town by the park there, before Lake Louise. At the time, no one had an air source in their kit (from memory) but we did this repair beside a gas station so they had an air compressor

[BoilerAnimal]

For those that use a small compressor, you need to be careful that you don't burn up the wiring from wherever you draw your power. There is a mention by someone about carrying extra fuses. That's fine as long as the wiring is big enough to handle the amp draw for a prolonged time period, especially if the original fuse was replaced by a larger one to prevent it from blowing. But, if the wiring is too small for the amp draw and say a 5 amp fuse is replaced by a 10 amp fuse, well, that can be a recipe for disaster. A fuse protects the wire. It doesn't care diddly about what you are running on it. So, if BRP put a 5 amp fuse on a circuit, there's a very high probability that the wire is only heavy enough to handle 5 amps. So, if you put a 10 amp fuse in place of a 5 amp fuse that was originally there because you blow the fuse when you run your air compressor, just know that instead of the fuse blowing, the likely outcome will be a melted wire. Along with that comes a possibility of a fire. And definitely the need to replace the burnt wire(s) and the expense that will entail. So the best thing to do would be to run a separate wire with an inline fuse dedicated to your compressor that is the correct gauge to handle the amp draw of your compressor.

[Lehrman]

Thanks for all the advice. I have a lot to consider.

[Dudley]

Best way to fix a flat is with a round head Phillips screw (3/4 inch), Phillips screw driver, an air pump and a can of Fix-a-Flat. Pull out the piercing object, screw the screw in the hole, use one can of Fix-a-Flat, air up tire and continue your journey. I did that on a new tire years ago on my motorcycle. The fix held up until tire was worn and ready to change.