Modern Vespa

I was thinking a month or so ago that I have had very few tire issues.

Then last month, I was pushing the Zuma around the garage and noticed that the rear tire was flat.

I pumped it up and found a nail in the tread.

Then today, I was riding Vanessa back to the office from a project site.

On the way, I rode down Seminole Avenue to check on a garage I designed.

When I got to Riverside Avenue I heard a pop, then a thump thump thump sound.

A twisted wire had penetrated the tread.

I pulled it out and it started leaking.

I had to think fast.

We were only a few blocks from home and the air was not blasting out, although I could hear it.

So I decided to ride home and swap scooters.

I made it, being very careful with the few turns encountered.

An expensive diversion.

I actually already have two mounted rear tires awaiting installation.

But I still have to change it.

Bill

Buy the Givi tire repair kit, it works.

Bill, I thought one of your many minions would take care of it. Deliver another scooter to you along with a cold drink that you could consume under a strategically held umbrella, and off you go leaving the annoying flat to others.

Isn't that how you ride??

I wish!

Now I have to take off the exhaust, exhaust bracket and wheel.

Then put the new one on with the exhaust stuff to follow.

It might take an hour.

In the hot, Florida climate.

Oh well,

Bill

Luckily I could ride home on the deflating tire.

The holes on both tires are in the the bottom of big sipes.

Not much depth to hold the sticky string.

So the patch would be temporary at best.

But might allow me to get home, or to a shop (that probably wouldn’t have a replacement)

Bill

That's all you need for sticky string. When properly inserted it forms a mushroom inside which provides 95% or more of the air-blockage. If the tyres had some decent life left in them, I'd plug it every time (and have done...).

OK, if the wear bars are nearer the surface than the bottom of the treads, then swap out for new, why not. As a long-distance rider, your tyre swaps come round soon enough anyway without speeding them up.

This is what we did with my husband's tire that still had a good tread on it.

Maybe I will bust out my sticky string and fix both holed tires then.

Thank you for the knowledgeable advice.

Bill

Bill, we have "PunctureSafe" (used to be Ultraseal from the States) over here. PunctureSafe is a slightly better formula than Ultraseal but it works just the same. I've used it for decades. It has effectively sealed and made permanent repairs to every bike puncture on every bike I've owned over the last 25 years. It's never failed to work and many moons ago I posted some pictures of my Burgman rear tyre after a huge nail went through it. PunctureSafe saved the day though. We used it in the army, your US Marine Corp uses it, fleet companies use it all over the world. Many of our police motorcycle cops have it in their tyres too, and probably some of your forces use it. It's the most widely used safety aid and continuing to grow in popularity. It stops the inconvenience you have just suffered. You fit and forget it. It tells you when you've had a puncture by leaving a little dye on the tyre where it's sealed it. It never leaks from the same place again. In addition, there is no speed restriction on any tyre that is sealed by it, unlike mushroom plugs or patches. The standard formula can seal holes up to 6mm in width. It extends tyre life too by evening out running temps and preventing dry tyre rot. It does not affect tyre balance.

When I bought my new Vespa near 5 years ago I picked up a nail in the rear tyre with just 4 miles on the clock. My dealer had put PunctureSafe in the tyres so fortunately it sealed straight away after I pulled out the nail (you have to read/follow the instructions for the product before removing the nail). I did another 8k miles on that tyre with no leaks, no drama either...lol. Not many folks realise how good this puncture preventative is. I don't think you get Puncturesafe over there but you do have it's forerunner, Ultraseal. It's so good it even prevents punctures from small arms fire into the sidewalls of tyres. That's why the military often use it. Some folks have labelled this sort of product as 'snake oil for tyres'! Put simply, it isn't, it works and is well proven. It's just a thought for you.

https://www.puncturesafe.com/puncturesafe-technical.php

Note: to get the best results from this product you have to follow the instructions religiously. I've never had a failure to fix a puncture in over 25 years so have never lost a good tyre. Of course, the usual rules apply. If the puncture has occured near the shoulder of the tyre, it's probable a new tyre should be thrown on., same with sidewall damage. But then, you wouldn't repair a tyre with either of those punctures anyway.

Technology similar to that used on all cars without a spare tire but requires a fairly bulky and heavy compressor or pump. So I saw in the dedicated page.
It is not very "portable".

No Attila. It's not the same as the car stuff without a spare. When you buy the product it comes in it's own container with it's own pump. You have to install the product into the tyre BEFORE you get a puncture. So the product always lives in the tyre and then springs into action if a puncture occurs. You do not install the product after you have a puncture, so no need to carry around anything bulky.

PunctureSafe will normally instantly seal the puncture even if the offending object that causes the puncture stays stuck in the tyre. As soon as you spot the problem you can simply take out the offending item, be it a nail or screw and the product will seal the hole permanently. No need for any further action unless the puncture has occurred in the normal area of the tyre where a replacement tyre would normally be required ie: on the shoulder of the tyre or in the sidewall. There are simple instructions to follow when removing a nail or screw to make sure the PunctureSafe works correctly. It's easy.

When going on a continental tour on motorcycles or scooters, many tour firms insist that all bikes have PunctureSafe installed into the tyres before leaving. This means no one will likely hold up the group with a puncture during the tour.

Of course, it's not a complete guarantee that a puncture won't affect someone (nothing guarantees that) and they may require a tyre replacement, but PunctureSafe's record of fixing punctures is very high indeed. I've had countless punctures over the last 25 years on all of my bikes including my beloved GSX1400's (30-40k per year), Bandit 1250 (25k per year) , Vstrom 1000GT (30k per year), Burgman 650's and 400's and indeed my Vespa GTS. My current front tyre has two punctures in it sealed by PunctureSafe. The rear tyre that I just disgarded had two also. PunctureSafe has always worked for me. Never had a failure, but it's important to follow the instructions for installation and removing nails etc. Some folks have not had complete success with it, and it's always down to them not following the instructions.

It's a great commercial product and it works. None of the sticky string plug stuff to mess with.

Puncturesafe is a great product - I've used it in the past and it saved a couple of tyres in places where recovery would have been tricky (continental Europe). However, if you're doing 20-25,000 miles ayear (which I was for a few years) then it's just too damned expensive to apply in every new tyre you fit, and it's no use after the event.

So now I just stick with sticky strings - not had a failure yet. Used in our cars as well.

Yes jimc, for me I ran my bikes all over europe for work hitting near 40k miles one year, but more normally 25-30k pa. We had workshops and offices in several countries and I had to be there at some very strange times in out of the way places in order to strip and blueprint an engine ready for the next stage of development. So motorcycles/scooters for me were always the preferred way to travel. But a very expensive way to travel. My GSX1400's went through tyres (rears particularly) very quickly. I found a small improvement in tyre life when using PunctureSafe as the tyre did definitely run cooler extending their life. If you buy in bulk as I did the cost was minimal and amounted to just a few pounds per tyre. Considering the huge safety benefits ie: reduced chance of blowouts, slow puncture accidents etc it was well worth it for the miles I was doing.

For the average owner doing just 2-3 or 4k per year the cost is not much.

A point I haven't made is that you can use it after a puncture if you wish. That is, if you haven't already installed it in the tyre. It will still work in most cases. Unlike the stuff often used in cars without a spare tyre, PunctureSafe will not prevent you from having the tyre professionally repaired if you wish, but professionally repairing a tyre that's already been fixed by PunctureSafe is actually an inferior repair so not recommended.

... i only do 2000 km a year ...

I ride 15,000 to 20,000 miles per year.

And my office is 0.8 mile from home.

So almost all of my riding is for fun.

Bill

Because I had a mounted tire on the shelf, I went ahead and changed it out.

I always prefer a new tire.

I also have another mounted rear tire. It was punctured last year with only 1000 miles on it. I had it plugged from inside.

I checked it and it only had 5 lbs of pressure. I put soapy water on the plugged spot and saw tiny bubbles.

I put 40 lbs in it and will check it over the next week.

Might replace it with an Angel I will be getting soon.

Bill