Tire damage: am I being wussy

I may be sounding a little angsty as it's a new bike, and the tyre has fewer than 200 miles scrubbed from it, but I collected a small but rather vicious stone yesterday which dug 5-6mm deep into the centre tread. The photo doesn't shed much light on the possible dangers posed by the damage, but here we go anyway:



I pulled the stone out with needle nose pliers and looked at it accusingly. It had a razor sharp leading edge and a more round backside worn smooth by the road.

I'd be interested to hear views from you guys as to whether I should ignore the hole it made, get the damage investigated, book the bike in to have the tyre repaired, or bite the proverbial bullet and replace the thing.

I should say I am both annoyed and concerned by the episode, in that it makes me realise just how vulnerable tyres are, particularly at this time of year when farmers are leaving all kinds of debris from their fields strewn over roads

Do nothing in terms of replacement!

I would watch for any sort of tell-tale bulge which might indicate that a cord was cut. I would slather it with a bit of soap solution to make SURE the rock didn't go too deep and cause a leak. It is possible that a little rubber cement in the cut might fill it up and prevent dirt from caking in the hole (but it won't add any strength to the wound).

The tire is new and there is a fair amount of rubber there...

Very unlikely to have a problem IMHO.

If it's not leaking-no worries...If it is, plug it with sticky string...

For peace of mind, I would put some rubber cement down in there as Ross stated. It's not going to fix a leak, but it will protect the area from ingress of potentially damaging particles.

The rubber cement idea is sound. If the tire is leaking, since it is in the center, plugging it is a safe choice, IMO. Since the rock was so large, a string plug may not hold, but I would try it anyway. If it won't hold, you can have a tire man plug/patch it from the inside, which will definitely work.

In either case, there is no point in replacing the tire. Except for the fact that it's a Battle-Ax piece of shit Bridgestone tire in the first place. If you ride that bike the least bit close to the way it was designed and should be ridden, then fear not. In about 3,500 miles, you are either going to have that puppy worn down to the cords, or you will be so fed up with it that you will replace it anyway.

Mystery solved....

If it worries you that much then by all means replace it. Send me that tire and I will gladly arrange proper disposal in a timely fashion. By timely fashion I mean however long it will take me to run the damn thing down to the wear bars!

As already stated, check with soapy water for possible air loss. If not leaking fill with rubber cement just to prevent further intrusion of debris. If leaking, plug it.

Agreed to forget about it, or rubber cement it if it helps you worry less. It's in the middle of the tire, I can tell you I've run several sets, including the last one, right down to the steel belts in the center and there is plenty of structure left to still hold air just fine.

Thanks guys. Appreciate all the feedback. Looks like I'm a wuss

I did about 10 track days on a rear tire that looked like below. Turns out that the Dunlop Q2's and Q3's had some tendency for this kind of tear but I never felt anything out of place at speeds over 130mph and a lot time at pretty good lean angles on the left shoulder of the tire.

Like other have said, to me the damage you have doesn't look like anything significant to worry about

russperry post: I did about 10 track days on a rear tire that looked like below. Turns out that the Dunlop Q2's and Q3's had some tendency for this kind of tear but I never felt anything out of place at speeds over 130mph and a lot time at pretty good lean angles on the left shoulder of the tire.
Like other have said, to me the damage you have doesn't look like anything significant to worry about

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The chain means it's not an FJR. What bike is that?

Uncle Hud said:

russperry post: I did about 10 track days on a rear tire that looked like below. Turns out that the Dunlop Q2's and Q3's had some tendency for this kind of tear but I never felt anything out of place at speeds over 130mph and a lot time at pretty good lean angles on the left shoulder of the tire.
Like other have said, to me the damage you have doesn't look like anything significant to worry about

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The chain means it's not an FJR. What bike is that?

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True confession - that's not the exact picture from my own bike but its representative

I ride a ZX6R on the track (it has a chain as well) and I loved the Q2 and Q3 but I did have some issues with these tears - you can look it up on the internetz and see lots of commentary. Even with those I never felt anything out of place so thought it might be helpful for the OP in having confidence that his tire is OK in its current condition....

hppants said:

In either case, there is no point in replacing the tire. Except for the fact that it's a Battle-Ax piece of shit Bridgestone tire in the first place. .... In about 3,500 miles, you are either going to have that puppy worn down to the cords, or you will be so fed up with it that you will replace it anyway.

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Guessing Bridgestone is not on your short list....

russperry said:

I ride a ZX6R on the track (it has a chain as well) and I loved the Q2 and Q3 but I did have some issues with these tears - you can look it up on the internetz and see lots of commentary. Even with those I never felt anything out of place so thought it might be helpful for the OP in having confidence that his tire is OK in its current condition....

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Yes. It did. The tiny hole I was fretting about put next to that dog-eared Dunlop means I'm going to have to put extra ribbons in my pigtails now...

Dynaplug - don't leave home without 'em. They're close to mindlessly easy to install. Load one in the installation tool, jam the tool into the hole, pull it out, the plug stays behind. Slice off the excess plug, pump up the tire, ride on!

I've used them on a couple of punctures (lucky me), and... they work. End of story.

Jamming the installer into the tire can take some serious pushing. Anchor the bike first. Other than that, there's no glue (the plug is coated with "won't-let-go-ium"). If the hole looks a little weird, there's a file in the kit. Use it to tidy up the hole. There's a meta temporary plug that can be used to slow air loss in a serious hole. Finally, for a big hole, up to four plugs can be used to plug something bigger that a roofing nail hole.

DISCLAIMER: i've got no skin in this game, save as a happy user.

Dude, that's just another sipe. Obviously, I'd double check it for depth, but barring a leak, or an obvious bulge, I wouldn't worry about it. Remember,tires are personal. If it bothers YOU, replace it and don't worry about it.