Ran Over a Screw

Chim · 03-21-2012, 04:04 PM

And it sucks. Luckily it didn't go flat, it went in at kind of a weird angle: sideways inside a groove in the tread. I noticed it later at home, when I was looking over my tires. I'll try to take a picture later, though I've already pulled the screw out.

After agonizing for days over what to do I went ahead and ordered a new tire and am thinking I'll take a crack at changing it myself (changed a tire on a moped before... but this is pretty different. Mostly I'm actually more worried about taking the wheel on and off the bike properly, but so long as I follow the service manual, hopefully it'll go alright... )

The thing that really sucks to me is, it isn't even a puncture, the inner tube is just fine. I thought about plugging the hole, but it seemed like a reamer/plugger kit meant for a tubeless tire might actually do MORE damage. In other words, puncture the tube.

I'm still new to riding and owning a motorcycle, but from all my hours of googling and asking my boss (who rides) what he figured, it seems like the general consensus is that the safest thing to do is just to replace the tire. It's a pain, and there are still plenty of miles left in the tire, but it is kind of old, anyway, and it's not like there aren't certain cracks and such I've been 'overlooking,' so I might as well. Still, for future reference and just for the sake of learning everything I can, if this were a brand new tire and the situation were the same (screw goes in tread, doesn't penetrate the tube) what would y'all suggest doing? Can a tubed tire be plugged safely? What are the dangers of riding with a hole like that in the tire? Pretty much, if you were in my situation, what would you have done?

Thanks for the advice!

(And like I said, I'll try to post a picture later. As for depth, I'd say the screw itself (the head had ground off by the time I found it) was probably an inch or so long, with maybe 3/4 of that in the tire? Also, this was in the rear tire, if that makes any difference.)

blaine · 03-21-2012, 04:33 PM

No question.I would replace it.

Water Warrior 2 · 03-21-2012, 05:53 PM

As you say the tire is old and iffy. Might be a good plan to replace it. If it was a new tire and caught a screw in the tread I would tear it apart, patch the tire and put it back together. Not saying you should but I would.
Caught an ugly screw in a one week old tubless tire on the Vstrom. Patched the tire, added a tube for good measure and rode on for the next 2 years without a problem. The alternative was really big bucks.
Your tire is old and iffy so just do it right if only for your own safety and peace of mind. How does the front tire look and is it as old?

Chim · 04-20-2012, 04:38 PM

SO! As I said I would do about a month ago ( :whistle: ), I'm finally getting around to posting those pictures.

Now I have another problem. At the last minute I decided to replace the inner tube as well as the tire, even though that probably should have been my first instinct. I ordered the tube off Bikebandit, and it arrived today... only I think I ordered the wrong one. I meant to order a 130/90-15 tube with a straight valve, but I accidently ordered a 90 degree one.

Will this still work in the tire? I get that it will be a little harder to install, but will it be okay in there? I figure if it's okay to just keep it, it'll make checking the pressure that much easier, anyway. Also, on the tube itself, it doesn't list the size '130/90-15,' the closest it gets is 140/90-15 and 130/90-16. Is that alright?

P.S. - for all you out there searching the forums for threads about wheel removal, like I was not too long ago, This is unfortunately the best link I can provide of the jack I got. (I know that link to ebay will be a dead end soon, but I can't find it anywhere else.) It's just a little scissor jack called a 'Red Widow Motorcycle Jack.' It seems to work very well. This is the wheel balancer I got, though I haven't used it yet. I've attached a photo of where I jacked the bike, in case anyone was wondering.

Sorry for the wait, and thanks for your time!

Chim · 04-20-2012, 04:40 PM

Aaand, in all of that I forgot to actually answer your question! The front tire is much newer (though still came with the bike when I bought it.). Looks like it has plenty of life left in it, nice deep tread.

Water Warrior 2 · 04-20-2012, 07:03 PM

The 90 degree stem will work fine and pressure checking will be easier. Remember one thing though. When you tighten up the nut on the valve stem it should be slightly more than finger tight. Do not ever tighten it a whole bunch. The nut is there to hold the stem in place while installing the tube and tire. All you will do is pull the stem out through the hole. Or you will damage the stem base just enough that it will let you down miles away from civilization. That means a new tube and starting over. Now ask me if I found this out by accident.

Chim · 04-20-2012, 07:55 PM

Awesome! Thanks! All good advice. I definitely don't want to go through all this trouble just to tear up the inner tube and have to start all over again. :roll:

Just to be clear, you think the sizing will be okay? I guess I figure it's close enough.

Well! Now I just have to put everything back together and hope I did everything right! I really can't wait to get riding again. I spent all winter forcing myself out into the cold just to get some practice, and here it is, 79 degrees and sunny, and I've been cooped up inside!

mrlmd1 · 04-20-2012, 07:56 PM

That's the rear tire, right? You might get away with patching it from the inside but if that tire is original with the bike then it's 9+ years old and needs to be replaced anyway, regardless of how much tread is on it. Did you look at the date stamp on the tire to see how old it is ? (a little rectangular box imprinted on the sidewall with 4 numbers indicating the week and year of manufacture). You should never do that or any repair on a front tire. If your front tire is that old also, it needs to be replaced too. Rubber gets hard and brittle with age and you lose your grip on the road, not something you want to do.
That tube should be OK - you can put a tube made for a slightly larger tire in but never one that's meant for a smaller tire as you will be over-inflating and stretching the tube to fill it to the correct pressure, and the tube will blow when you hit a little bump, then you have to start over again.
Put a little talcum powder on the tube so it slides in and sets up easier when you fill it and be careful not to get it caught in the rim when you put the tire back on.
You got yourself tire irons too, to get the tire off and back on?
Then you have to adjust the chain again, don't forget.
Like WW said, if you wrench that nut on the valve stem too tight, it will pull the stem off the tube.

Rookie Rider · 04-20-2012, 09:56 PM

Good stuff. All of you just taught me a few thngs in this thread alone.

Water Warrior 2 · 04-20-2012, 10:54 PM

Everybody learns everyday. We all have some experience to share and the Do's and Don'ts that we often make no matter how well we plan. We often have to learn from other member's mistakes because we won't live long enough to make them all ourselves. That is absolutely a good thing.
I doubt there is an active member(newbie or otherwise) who has not made a contribution to increase the knowledge base here for everyone. Sort of like a big family without the infighting and oneupmanship we have to endure now and again.

03-21-2012, 04:04 PM	#1
Chim Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Virginia Posts: 16	Ran Over a Screw And it sucks. Luckily it didn't go flat, it went in at kind of a weird angle: sideways inside a groove in the tread. I noticed it later at home, when I was looking over my tires. I'll try to take a picture later, though I've already pulled the screw out. After agonizing for days over what to do I went ahead and ordered a new tire and am thinking I'll take a crack at changing it myself (changed a tire on a moped before... but this is pretty different. Mostly I'm actually more worried about taking the wheel on and off the bike properly, but so long as I follow the service manual, hopefully it'll go alright... ) The thing that really sucks to me is, it isn't even a puncture, the inner tube is just fine. I thought about plugging the hole, but it seemed like a reamer/plugger kit meant for a tubeless tire might actually do MORE damage. In other words, puncture the tube. I'm still new to riding and owning a motorcycle, but from all my hours of googling and asking my boss (who rides) what he figured, it seems like the general consensus is that the safest thing to do is just to replace the tire. It's a pain, and there are still plenty of miles left in the tire, but it is kind of old, anyway, and it's not like there aren't certain cracks and such I've been 'overlooking,' so I might as well. Still, for future reference and just for the sake of learning everything I can, if this were a brand new tire and the situation were the same (screw goes in tread, doesn't penetrate the tube) what would y'all suggest doing? Can a tubed tire be plugged safely? What are the dangers of riding with a hole like that in the tire? Pretty much, if you were in my situation, what would you have done? Thanks for the advice! (And like I said, I'll try to post a picture later. As for depth, I'd say the screw itself (the head had ground off by the time I found it) was probably an inch or so long, with maybe 3/4 of that in the tire? Also, this was in the rear tire, if that makes any difference.) Login or Register to Remove Ads
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03-21-2012, 04:33 PM	#2
blaine Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: P.E.I. Canada Posts: 3,784	Re: Ran Over a Screw No question.I would replace it. __________________ If at first you do succeed, try not to look surprised.
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03-21-2012, 05:53 PM	#3
Water Warrior 2 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Squamish B.C Canada Posts: 11,409	Re: Ran Over a Screw As you say the tire is old and iffy. Might be a good plan to replace it. If it was a new tire and caught a screw in the tread I would tear it apart, patch the tire and put it back together. Not saying you should but I would. Caught an ugly screw in a one week old tubless tire on the Vstrom. Patched the tire, added a tube for good measure and rode on for the next 2 years without a problem. The alternative was really big bucks. Your tire is old and iffy so just do it right if only for your own safety and peace of mind. How does the front tire look and is it as old? Login or Register to Remove Ads
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04-20-2012, 04:38 PM	#4
Chim Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Virginia Posts: 16	Re: Ran Over a Screw SO! As I said I would do about a month ago ( :whistle: ), I'm finally getting around to posting those pictures. Now I have another problem. At the last minute I decided to replace the inner tube as well as the tire, even though that probably should have been my first instinct. I ordered the tube off Bikebandit, and it arrived today... only I think I ordered the wrong one. I meant to order a 130/90-15 tube with a straight valve, but I accidently ordered a 90 degree one. Will this still work in the tire? I get that it will be a little harder to install, but will it be okay in there? I figure if it's okay to just keep it, it'll make checking the pressure that much easier, anyway. Also, on the tube itself, it doesn't list the size '130/90-15,' the closest it gets is 140/90-15 and 130/90-16. Is that alright? P.S. - for all you out there searching the forums for threads about wheel removal, like I was not too long ago, This is unfortunately the best link I can provide of the jack I got. (I know that link to ebay will be a dead end soon, but I can't find it anywhere else.) It's just a little scissor jack called a 'Red Widow Motorcycle Jack.' It seems to work very well. This is the wheel balancer I got, though I haven't used it yet. I've attached a photo of where I jacked the bike, in case anyone was wondering. Sorry for the wait, and thanks for your time!
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04-20-2012, 04:40 PM	#5
Chim Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Virginia Posts: 16	Re: Ran Over a Screw Aaand, in all of that I forgot to actually answer your question! The front tire is much newer (though still came with the bike when I bought it.). Looks like it has plenty of life left in it, nice deep tread. Login or Register to Remove Ads
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04-20-2012, 07:03 PM	#6
Water Warrior 2 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Squamish B.C Canada Posts: 11,409	Re: Ran Over a Screw The 90 degree stem will work fine and pressure checking will be easier. Remember one thing though. When you tighten up the nut on the valve stem it should be slightly more than finger tight. Do not ever tighten it a whole bunch. The nut is there to hold the stem in place while installing the tube and tire. All you will do is pull the stem out through the hole. Or you will damage the stem base just enough that it will let you down miles away from civilization. That means a new tube and starting over. Now ask me if I found this out by accident.
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04-20-2012, 07:55 PM	#7
Chim Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Virginia Posts: 16	Re: Ran Over a Screw Awesome! Thanks! All good advice. I definitely don't want to go through all this trouble just to tear up the inner tube and have to start all over again. :roll: Just to be clear, you think the sizing will be okay? I guess I figure it's close enough. Well! Now I just have to put everything back together and hope I did everything right! I really can't wait to get riding again. I spent all winter forcing myself out into the cold just to get some practice, and here it is, 79 degrees and sunny, and I've been cooped up inside!
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04-20-2012, 07:56 PM	#8
mrlmd1 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Crawfordville, Florida Posts: 2,853	Re: Ran Over a Screw That's the rear tire, right? You might get away with patching it from the inside but if that tire is original with the bike then it's 9+ years old and needs to be replaced anyway, regardless of how much tread is on it. Did you look at the date stamp on the tire to see how old it is ? (a little rectangular box imprinted on the sidewall with 4 numbers indicating the week and year of manufacture). You should never do that or any repair on a front tire. If your front tire is that old also, it needs to be replaced too. Rubber gets hard and brittle with age and you lose your grip on the road, not something you want to do. That tube should be OK - you can put a tube made for a slightly larger tire in but never one that's meant for a smaller tire as you will be over-inflating and stretching the tube to fill it to the correct pressure, and the tube will blow when you hit a little bump, then you have to start over again. Put a little talcum powder on the tube so it slides in and sets up easier when you fill it and be careful not to get it caught in the rim when you put the tire back on. You got yourself tire irons too, to get the tire off and back on? Then you have to adjust the chain again, don't forget. Like WW said, if you wrench that nut on the valve stem too tight, it will pull the stem off the tube.
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04-20-2012, 09:56 PM	#9
Rookie Rider Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Queens, NYC Posts: 1,263	Re: Ran Over a Screw Good stuff. All of you just taught me a few thngs in this thread alone.
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04-20-2012, 10:54 PM	#10
Water Warrior 2 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Squamish B.C Canada Posts: 11,409	Re: Ran Over a Screw Everybody learns everyday. We all have some experience to share and the Do's and Don'ts that we often make no matter how well we plan. We often have to learn from other member's mistakes because we won't live long enough to make them all ourselves. That is absolutely a good thing. I doubt there is an active member(newbie or otherwise) who has not made a contribution to increase the knowledge base here for everyone. Sort of like a big family without the infighting and oneupmanship we have to endure now and again.
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