I was out riding and got a flat tire.  I got to a service station and since my tires on my Harley Fat Boy are tubless, they were able to plug the tire and I was on my way.

My question is, should I continue to ride with the plugged tire, or should I get a new one.  I know when you have a car tire repaired with a plug, it is normally good to last.  I am just a little skepical about the tire on a motorcycle though.  If the patch blows out, I could get hurt!!!

Just curious to see what the rest of you think.  What would you do?

It is the rear tire and is the Dunlop / Harley motorcycle tire and has less than 6,000 miles on it.

if the tyre is still good, i do leave the plug in place, then i'll have a patch put in the INSIDE fer good measure.
i stand ta be corrected here, safety-wise, but 'twas working fine for me before.

Man I hate throwing away tires that still have good rubber on them as much as you do...but I have to agree with Mike (Rex) on this one.  Two places on my bike I NEVER take chances - tires and brakes.  I am having that same sort of delema right now...Getting ready to leave for Sturgis and my rear tire has probably 4,000 miles left on it here in so call where weather is never an issue.  But since I will be riding through areas of unpredictable weather, NEW TIRE TIME.

Back to your plugged tire...

Plugs are not really made to be a perminant repair.  I have actually seen people have to plug the same hole a couple of times just to get back home.

Automobile tires are commonly repaired with an internal patch that is bonded to the inside of the tire over the puncture. But I still wouldn't feel real comfotable doing that.  I am not even sure if you could get a motorcycle shop to do it for you because of their concern for safety.   Stop & Go does make a "permanent" plug that installs from inside the tire like the auto patches, but that requires breaking the bead to get inside. Frankly, if you can limp in to a motorcycle shop on a plugged tire without any further disaster, my suggestion is to bite the bullet and replace the tire with a new one.

I'm 100% with Rex on this - plugs are a temp fix at best on a MC and as for patching, by the time you put an inside patch you already have pulled the tire off the bike, the rubber off the tire - why screw around?

Chances are you did damage to the cords if you need a plug or patch even if the hole is fairly small - when you add road heat it will aggrevate the situation. My take - time for new rubber...or at the least a tube.

one thing to remember about tires, when you have them patched or plugged, the speed rating no longer applies, as the carcass of the tire has been damaged.

Thanks everyone, that's what I was thinking but I didn't want to throw away a tire if I didn't have to. Well off to the Harley dealer to get a tire!

Little story here AZ...my brother used race a lot on his GSXR750. He got a puncture on the track one time and pit laned for a plug and air. Two laps later he splashed, no fault to the tyre, but because he had plugged it earlier in the race his insurance wouldn't pay out for his bike, even tho' the tyre had no bearing on the crash...

Good call!

Bullet style plugs are pretty reliable, got a kit with my BMW. The Germans are pretty anal about their machines and so the thought of them adding a tool or part that was faulty escapes me. After inspecting the puncture and determining that the belt cords were only seperated not cut, I would repair. If you find even 1 cord cut across, replace it ASAP or NOW if possible  "IF" used properly, I have faith in these plugs for highway speeds if I put it in.  The average person gets in a hurry and takes short cuts and that's where good products fail. I know I sound like a cheap Bastardi, but I have 1.2 million miles on the street and can onlt draw from experience. Cheap Helmets, lazy DYI,ers, Bad Judgement and poor maintenance have done more to help thin the Idiots from the Gene Pool. When in doubt, change it out.