[magconpres]

I took my AT off pavement for the first time today. about 12 miles down the forest road it started to handle funny. Felt like a flat tire. Turns out it was.

Somehow, a bolt punctured the rear tire head first. My best guess is it was jammed between some board on a bridge and I hit it dead on. It's roughly a 6mm bolt.

I can't pull it out the way it went in, but the head must have created a good size hole in the tire.

Given it's a tube tire, can I just plug the hole like you would a tubeless, install a new tube and run it? Or do I need a new tire?

I'd like to get more mileage out of the tire (it only has about 550 miles) if it is safe to run. I did plan on getting more aggressive tires next spring for offroad trips, but was planning on swapping back to the stock tires for commuting.

BTW, I was having a blast right up until this point. I have been dying to get the bike off pavement, and this was the first chance I got.

 

[AussieTwin]

I put a 4 inch nail into the back tyre....not dissimilar to what your picture looks like.

When we removed the tyre I didn't think it safe to keep using as the inside wall of the tyre had lifted and we figured that it could rub on the tube. This will probably look the same in your case.

Maybe others would offer comment but for me it would be a new tyre.

 

[magconpres]

I'll pull the tire off and check it out later this week. I'll be sure to investigate the condition of the inside of the tire near the hole.

Thanks for the input.

 

[Elvisto]

That's bad luck mag, But IMHO its better to get a new tyre,

 

[6986]

Apart from the fact that it is a good excuse to get rid of the OEM tyre, I suspect the head of the bolt has seriously weakened the carcase of the tyre. I would not be inclined to use it again given the size of the hole made by the head.


I have in the past fixed tyres like that by putting some material inside between the tube and hole, but that is really only a get home fix.


Did that bolt do any damage to the shock shield or the fender or swingarm while swinging around in the spinning wheel ?

 

[magconpres]

Well, I sort of knew what that the responses would lean towards a new tire. Now I get to go read the "what's the best tire" threads and figure out what I'll get. I'll take advantage of the situation to get something more off-road worthy., but will still just do the back for now. Bummer part is I just dropped $500 for tires on my dual sport and dirtbikes. Griff, the bolt was completely inside the tire. I thought It was just a big nail until I went to pull it out. Hopefully It didn't damage the inside of the rim. I'm hoping the tube protected the rim for a bit. I'm not sure how far I went with it in there. Maybe a mile. Thanks mag

 

[eltel62]

You've only got one life, ditch the tyre.