Motorcycle Tire Repair:
Get Rolling ASAP by Having The Right Stuff To Fix it

If you are out for a ride and need to do a motorcycle tire repair on the road, you just want to get rolling quickly (and safely!). I was originally advising against this thinking that I really wouldn’t want to ride around with a previously damaged tire. That is still true, but if you end up with a flat tire on the road, you will certainly be better off if you can repair the tire by the roadside and get rolling again. You will obviously need to have a motorcycle tire repair kit of some sort with you that helps you plug the leak and also gives you a way to get air into the tire again. What about fix-a-flat for your motorcycle tire repair? In an emergency, that might be a good idea, but I would still rather plug it and pump it up. If you have room for a small can of fix-a-flat, you have room for a plug kit and mini compressor. The fix-a-flat web site just shows three different sizes and the smallest is for “small cars”, so they don’t really recommend them for use on motorcycle tires. Of course, Fix-a-Flat isn’t the only tire sealant in the game. There is Seal ‘N’ Air emergency tire sealant, which is the same concept. This is a temporary repair for flat tires and is only meant to get your bike on the road again so it can be fixed properly.

Slime

Is Slime a product that can be used for a motorcycle tire repair? Well, I’ve heard of some people using this is a sort of preemptive leak protection as well to plug existing leaks. Slime advises only using it as a temporary repair for use above 65 mph. You need a way to reinflate the tire after using Slime as well. If your bike has enough storage space for a small bottle of Slime and a mini air compressor, then this is a good option. I’m not sure I’d recommend using Slime in a motorcycle tire as a preventive leak stopper. It supposedly clings to the inside of the tire in tubeless applications, and it redistributes when rotating besides, so they say there’s no problem with balance. Actually, Slime offers the Power Sport Smart SpAIR, which is a small container of their slime sealant and a palm-sized mini compressor. The compressor has interchangeable power adapters to allow you to connect to a variety of power sources. Of course, you can get the Stop & Go mini air compressor for about $10 less, so that might be a better option for some. The combination of an insertion plug kit plus the compressor would be quite a bit more expensive due to the tools for inserting the mushroom plug.

Tire Plug Kits

Another way to make a motorcycle tire repair is to use a tire plug kit of some type. Mushroom plugs are installed with the “head” of the mushroom on the inside of the tire and once inside, it expands back to its full size and seals the leak. These can come in a kit that is fairly compact and can be carried in the stowage space of many motorcycles, although it would be tough to stow on a sport bike. With any tire plug kit, you would need a way to inflate the tire after the repair is made. You can get a miniature compressor that runs off the bike’s own battery to do this. They may come with several different connectors for mating to the battery. Rope style plugs are a pretty common type of tire repair kit also. These have “ropes” of soft, sticky rubber that you can plug a leak with.