How to Patch a Tubeless Motorcycle Tire

A flat tire on a car can be inconvenient, but a flat tire on a motorcycle means it cannot be driven at all. If you have tubeless motorcycle tires on your bike, then you can repair your flat anywhere without having to remove the tire. As long as you have a good emergency repair kit with you that includes an inflation device, you can get back on the road in no time. All you need to patch a tubeless motorcycle tire is a tire puncture repair kit.

Things You'll Need

• Tire puncture repair kit

Instructions

1. Roll your bike on a level and hard surface (such as a road, driveway or packed earth) until the puncture area of the tire is on the top of the tire where you can easily reach it (away from fairings or fenders). Put your kickstand down and turn the front wheel into the lean of the bike. This will make it more stable to work on. Dismount your bike.

2. Remove the valve stem cap from the tire. Press down on the center brass "button" in the stem with your fingernail to let air out of your tire. When the tire feels soft, stop and replace the valve stem cap.

3. Remove the object puncturing the tire. If you cannot remove it by pinching it between your thumb and forefinger, use your ignition key to pry it out.

4. Open your tire repair kit. Select the "T" handle tool that has a straight probe on the end (not the one that is shaped like a needle). Open the included rubber cement and coat the probe with the cement. Push the probe into the tire through the hole made by the object. Remove the probe.

5. Take one of the tire plugs in the kit (a thin roll of black rubber) and thread the plug through the end of the needle tool. Coat the plug in rubber cement.

6. Push the needle into the hole in the tire just past the eye of the needle. Turn the needle a 1/4 turn counterclockwise and pull the needle out. Your tire plug should remain in the tire. If it did not, re-thread the needle and try again, turning the needle slightly less than you did before until the plug remains. Trim the plug so no more than a 1/4 inch of the plug is outside of the tire.

7. Re-inflate the tire to the recommended pressure or fill it with an emergency tire inflator that is designed for tubeless motorcycle tires, and you are ready to drive.

Tips & Warnings

• As soon as possible, after you have placed a patch on a tubeless motorcycle tire, make sure you replenish your tire repair kit so it is available to you in the event of another flat tire.

• Replace a tire that was punctured on the side walls immediately. The side walls of a motorcycle tire are not as strong as the tread area, and the tire can blow out while you are riding, causing serious injury.

References

• Motorcycle Tire Repair

Resources

• Repair Kit Reviews