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Asked a local mechanic for the charge of repairing a puncture and he says he'd charge a certain amount for simply taking a piece of rubber tube and sticking it over the puncture, or if I would pay him a little bit extra, he'd use a pressing machine to apply a bit of heat to the patch of rubber tube and press it onto the punctured area so that it would be more long lasting.

Is that how punctures are best repaired? With application of heat and pressure? Is it really longer lasting?

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These ways to repair tires can work - the air pressure inside the tire does hold the patch to the body of the tire - but the question you want to ask yourself is:

Are you willing to trust your life to a weaker tire when a small amount of money will get you a brand new tire?

I would always go with the new tire if I have had a puncture on my motorbike - the risks are just too high. In a car I'd be happier with a repair, as I have 3 other tires to grip with, but on a bike a failure of one tire is always bad!

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  • 4
    If you ride a lot of distance, it's good to learn how to patch or plug a motorcycle tire on the roadside, but I think that's the only proper application of a motorcycle tire repair---to get you to the shop. – mac Jan 18 '13 at 14:49
  • mac - totally agree. A temporary fix to crawl back to the garage. Where you would buy a new tire :-) – Rory Alsop Jan 18 '13 at 15:30
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This is a standard patching technique for car and motorcycle tires

Three components of a good tire repair include the following

  • Pressure

  • Heat

  • Vulcanizing glue

The combination of the three ensure that the patch is broken down by the vulcanizing glue as well as part of the inner carcass of the tire where the patch is being applied. The heat accelerates the evaporation of chemicals in the vulcanizing glue to ensure the patch has become a part of the tire in terms of rubber bonding. The pressure ensures that no air bubbles are under the patch as well as reducing risk regarding the bonding of the patch to the tire.

If you are getting a patch that does not have those characteristics then you are NOT getting a good patch/plug for you tire.

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I think that will expose your tire to harm. The heat will cause your tire to become weak and even if it gets repaired and you are back on track, its lifespan is limited.

I don't think that's the right way to do it. The guy just wants to milk money from you. I would advise you too that you buy a new tire or go to your Motorcycle tire seller and ask him for the best mechanics around.

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  • That's true. The mechanic told me that after he repairs it, many more faults will develop in the tube. Sure enough, two months later another fault occurred in the tube, and I replaced the tube with a new one. I should've just replaced the tube the first time itself. It really was a waste to try repairing it. – Nav Jan 19 '13 at 14:31

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