One of the most irritating (and dangerous) thing to pick up a tyre puncture. Good news is, plugging a tubeless tyre puncture is rather straightforward as you do not have to remove the tyre, unless the hole is too large to plug. On the other hand, a tube tyre requires you remove the tyre from the rim.
What we need
Firstly, you need an Oxford Tyre Repair Kit. The kit is complete with:
- 1 x Connector complete with valve.
- 1 X Cutter.
- 5 x Sealing strips, also known as rope strips (also colloquially known as “cacing” in Malaysia).
- 1 x Plug insert tool.
- 1 x Hole routing tool.
- 1 x Tube of glue.
- 3 x CO2 canisters (avoiding the need for an air pump).
Secondly, you need the Oxford Tool Kit Pro. The set includes further pieces of tools including pliers to pull the thing that punctured the tyre. You may also consider the Oxford Tool Kit.
Plugging the puncture
Usually, the hole is easy to find as there is still a nail, screw or some object embedded in it.
1. Rotate the tyre and check for other signs of puncture.
2. Pull offending item out with the pliers.
3. Pick up the corkscrew-like tool and ream in and out of the hole to rough it up a bit.
4. Apply the cement into and around hole. The cement is to hold the rope plug (also called ‘cacing‘ colloquially in Malaysia) in place.
5. Insert the sticky rope plug through the eyelet of the needle.
6. Push the needle with the rope plug through the hole and pull the needle back out quickly.
7. Cut off the excess rope plug, leaving just a little higher than the tyre’s surface.
8. Place the metal part of the valve adapter on the tyre valve.
9. Push in a CO² canister into the red end of the adapter.
10. Check again to see if air is escaping from the repaired hole, by sprinkling some water on it or spitting on it.
11. You can ride away if there’s no further leak, or you may need to insert another plug if there is.
After plugging
You can ride away after inflating the tyre with the CO² canisters. Ride slowly, not over 80 km/h for 15 minutes to let the plug settle in.
However, the tyre pressure may not be correct after doing so, thus the first thing you should do is head to a petrol station or workshop to reinflate the tyre, whichever comes first.
Also do visit a motorcycle workshop to have the tyre removed and patched from the inside, as the rope plug is NOT a permanent fix. After that, remember that the tyre’s top speed is reduced by one level i.e. Z => V.
The best solution is to replace the punctured tyre completely, as its structure has been compromised.
