Repair Sportsbike Tires, Still Possible?

A lot of people ask us about tire repairs. Some tire fitters say new tire standards forbid it. But you can find enough accounts of people still repairing sportsbike tires without incident. So the question is... is it safe?.

The answer is yes it's perfectly safe, you can still get your motorcycle tires repaired. To cut the story short, most motorcycle tire manufacturers say plugs are Okay. 'As long as the tire is repaired in accordance with the manufacturers guidelines by a specialist who will accept responsibility for the repair.' So go nuts, or words to that effect.

However, there lies the rub. Not only are the criteria for a repair nightly stringent, such as position of the puncture cause, but you have to find someone who is willing to put their name to the repair. Even though the tire fitter isn't completely correct in that you can repair punctured tire, it's obviously more attractive to him for you to buy another new one and leave him without the worry that his repair might fail and land him up in court.

You best bet is to find someone not too far way who will man up, and repair your tire. Also, avoiding trackdays with repaired tires is probably a good idea. Most motorcycle tire manufacturers recommend that you not take repaired sportsbike tires on the track.