Anyone Have Experience with Tire Insurance?

Clyde

Clyde

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I checked my tire pressure this morning and the rear was low. This is the second time this week I've had to put air in, so I felt that something was probably amiss. Checked the tire and found what appears to be a nail embedded in the meat of the tread, at about the 2 o'clock position (12 being the center of the tread). I'll replace the tire -- no doubt about that.

This will be the 3rd replacement tire this season, the previous two also due to tire damage :cry: . I ride a fair amount (16K miles in 11 months), but haven't had to replace a tire due to wear yet. This one has less than 3000 miles on it. I'm using Michelin Pilot Road 3's, and they're a bit pricey. Between the tire purchase and mounting/balancing I'll have spent over $600 on rear rubber and another $150 on the front this year alone (glad I never thought commuting on my bike would be cheaper than my car)!

Enough back-story. This latest incident has me thinking that I need to look into tire hazard insurance. I've just started researching what's available, but personal recommendations are always better than the generic stuff found online. Does anyone have experience with these insurance programs? Recommendations, personal claim stories, or even the rumor mill would be appreciated.
 
can you patch it? if your commuting that many miles it may be worth it to learn your way around a tire iron. once i did i never took it anywhere else to get new tires. patching from the inside is safe just don't race on them and your fine.
 
just an FYI... if your in the motorcycle riding for the long haul... save that $60-100 shop fee for changing tires and invest in a changer/balancer...


No-Mar: Cycle Hill Tire Changer


we got about 6-10 riders together and bought this one....

especially if you're hitting the track or commuting, figure 2-3 changes / year, after about 6 changes you've made your money back if you buy it alone, even if you go in with one other person, it only takes a year or two to get your money back.

:thinking:
 
Hmm, Clyde I feel for you, been there and done that. I wonder if the insurance company that insures your bike wouldn't take care of that? I will have to check myself but if you do find something good let us know, if I have to replace another tire to nails I swear:rant:
 
dart1963 said:
just an FYI... if your in the motorcycle riding for the long haul... save that $60-100 shop fee for changing tires and invest in a changer/balancer...
Click to expand...

I have an acquaintance who lets me use his tire changer. He's 10 miles away. I also have a shop less than a mile away that charges $35 off-bike to change a tire. I've done both, but the shop can do it in 20 minutes whereas it takes me a bit longer (probably would get better with experience), plus his rig isn't permanently mounted so there is setup time involved. Sometimes it's worth the money to just have the local shop do the work, from a time and effort perspective. Removing the tire isn't the hard part -- Last time I did it while I was on hold with BikeBandit. It's the mounting/balancing that is tough for me.
 
It isn't cost effective for most people to change tires themselves, and it's a PITA. I'll gladly pay my bike shop a reasonable fee to get the tire off the bike, remove tire, put new one on, balance it, and reinstall it. For those that want to do it themselves, have at it. But it's one of those things most people just don't want to fool with.

Most bike shops won't plug any tire now due to ambulance chasing lawyers. You might find an independent shop that will do it but most dealers won't do it anymore.

I've ridden for over 35 years and I've had 5 punctures in that time, not too bad. If you've had three in a year you are definitely having a string of bad luck, or are travelling in places with lots of construction. In your case bike tire insurance may be worthwhile, you'll have to do the math to see if it works.
 
Where do you ride, a post zombie apocalypse city? That is a lot of tire replacement. It is sad you usually need to replace a damaged tire. However, I got a small nail about 3o' clock on the factory rear tire. I plugged it and wore out the tire with no issues. Probably not the best idea for sport riding, but I was broke and it worked out well.

Sent from my Thunderbolt using Tapatalk 2
 
fazernoob66 said:
Where do you ride, a post zombie apocalypse city?
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16K miles... I ride every-where man, I ride every-where!

Seriously, though... Much of my riding (and where the tires have been damaged) has been on suburban "main" streets. I'm thinking about plugging this one, then replacing it in the Spring.

In any case, this particular incident got me to place the order for those 90-degree aluminum valve stems found elsewhere on this forum. My wife and I celebrate 10 years of marriage today, so I kissed her and told her thanks for the great gift (10 years is allegedly the "aluminum" anniversary).
 
Anyone have a good reason to not plug the hole and keep riding?

When I was a teen I rode Quads and Dirt Bikes and I plugged a number of tires in my day and never had a plug fail, and I was not being nice to those bikes, Rocks, jumps, logs, etc. Those tires took a beating. Perhaps they did not get as hot as a street tire would.......
 
Klurejr said:
Anyone have a good reason to not plug the hole and keep riding?

When I was a teen I rode Quads and Dirt Bikes and I plugged a number of tires in my day and never had a plug fail, and I was not being nice to those bikes, Rocks, jumps, logs, etc. Those tires took a beating. Perhaps they did not get as hot as a street tire would.......
Click to expand...

If it's a puncture not too close to the shoulder, and if the plug is done from the inside there is no good reason why it won't last, the problem is when you try to use a rope type plug and rubber cement, I would not be comfortable riding at high speed for long distances with that kind of repair. It may last, but I wouldn't chance it.
 
I checked around and can't find anyone local to plug the tire. Looks like I'll be getting a new one. I have the new aluminum valve stems on their way, so I'll wait until they arrive to put another tire on.
 
Klurejr said:
Anyone have a good reason to not plug the hole and keep riding?

When I was a teen I rode Quads and Dirt Bikes and I plugged a number of tires in my day and never had a plug fail, and I was not being nice to those bikes, Rocks, jumps, logs, etc. Those tires took a beating. Perhaps they did not get as hot as a street tire would.......
Click to expand...

I posted a pic on this site last year of my plugged tire, after about 500 miles the tires started to split at the plug........was good enough reason for me never to plug again unless it is in an emergency situation to get you to a shop
 
I had a nail in my original rear tire. I took it to a local tire store and had it plugged. There was never an issue with the plug and I replaced the tire when worn out at 10,000 miles. I would not hesitate to have another one plugged if I needed to.
 
I also have had rear tyres plugged but only the mushroom inside fitting type.
I had 2 in my last rear tyre but replaced it when I got another flat.
I wasn't too keen on having 3 plugs in there lol

Sent from my GT-I9100
 
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