Modern Vespa

Hello everyone,

I just noticed that the rear tire of my Vespa Elettrica was almost flat (it was down to 15 PSI instead of the recommended 36 PSI).

I found a staple (see photo) stuck in one of the tread grooves. When I tried to remove it, it broke and part of it stayed lodged in the tire.

I assume it should be repairable, but since the puncture is inside a groove, I'm not sure if a plug kit would work in that spot, especially since I've never done it before.
The scooter is brand new, so I'm a bit hesitant.

Do you think this kind of puncture can be repaired with a plug or tire repair kit or should I bring it to the dealer?

Would love to hear your thoughts!

Yep,
sticky rope, easy. If you don't know how, since you've not done it before, watch a couple YT videos. You'll wonder why you didn't learn to do it before.

If you plug it, keep that in mind the rest of the tires life and keep a good eye on tire pressure. Especially for the first few weeks after plugging, to make sure there is no slow leak.
Do not use a mushroom plug, they can push out/into the tire on gravel.

As above - use a sticky string plug. The golden rule with those is Don't Twist It inserting it or when yanking out the insertion tool. It'll almost certainly be fine for the life of the tyre.

Thank you all for your tips.
I gave it a try and tried to respect the golden rule as much as I could.

On YT videos, some people leave about 5 mm of excess plug sticking out, while others cut it flush with the tire.
I decided to leave a bit of extra material.

After inflating the tire, no more bubbles. 🤞.

I'll check the pressure on a regular basis.

Again, thank you all.

the best fix is to have a proper repair done. this means breaking the tire down, and a proper patch place inside the tire, remounting the tire.

sticky strings and other plug repairs are meant for temporary repairs so you can get home or to a place for a proper repair.

Some folks have gotten lucky run with temporary plugs and stings for the rest of the tire life.

I've never (yet!) had one fail where there's just been a single hole, not a slit. A self-tapping screw also works well for those "between tread" punctures, especially if used with some rubber goo. Couriers always carry quite a few!

I picked up a nail in the rear tire of my Rocket 3R last year and used a sticky string plug in it. First time I ever plugged a motorcycle tire, and I was justifiability concerned about it, but the plug worked very well with zero pressure leakage, and the tire went another 4000 miles before I replaced it several months ago.

At one point, I forgot that it was a plugged tire and hit 120 mph on the bike in a fit of acceleration exuberance, but because I'm writing this now, it's obvious that the plug held.

The nail...

I plugged a tire on my BMW K100rs, and rode it from Lima Ohio to Maryland with no issues and no loss in tire pressure (I checked it at each stop), but replaced it when I got home. Mine was on top of the tread, so you should be fine...

Anecdotally it would appear that this is NOT luck. I have never heard of a temporary sticky string failure. I was surprised when my car tyre was repaired this way in Portugal, but it is still holding pressure completely two years after the repair.

these folks might have a different perspective with ya'll


https://www.carabinshaw.com/unsafe-tire-repair-methods-persist-despite-strong-evidence-of-da.html

Posted by a law firm.

So if the plug gives way or the tyre starts to delaminate - you just go back to square one. Oh dear, you'll notice some noise and vibration and pull over, just like you did when it first got punctured...

A *Personal Injury* law firm at that. Probably so they can throw a huge printout at someone in a deposition "are you aware of this well-regarded website posting an extremely lengthy and detailed article about what a horrible slap-dash repair you performed on that tire?!?!?"

I too have installed many over the last 55+ yrs of driving and riding. I never replaced a tire because of doing this type of repair. I only had one problem, and that was because I left the remainder sticking out instead of trimming flush w/tire. It actually pulled the string seal out when tire spun ( front wheel drive) in a tight turn. The whole thing pulled out. My bad. Had I took time to trim it would not have been able to pull out. I carry these in every vehicle I own, along with/ a air pump of some type.

Scooters/motorcycles have plenty of elbow room to insert a plug. If you find it impossible to insert a plug because of awkward body position under a car/SUV/truck, you can use a ratchet strap around the tire and plug tool to force the plug in.