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Rear tire screw'd! Need new tires (Dunlop Mutant or Conti RoadAttack 4)


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Riding on the highway with traffic travelling about 40km/h (25mp/h) and I hear a little *pop* sound, but didn't pay much attention to it as my bike was operating normally.  Made it to my destination, hung out for a few hours, and then rode home in the rain, about 45 min. 

Sunday morning, cleaning my bike and look what we have here!  Tire only lost 6psi, so I was hoping it was just a tiny screw 😞.

Anyone have any experience with the Dunlop Mutants? I'm open to this if anyone has positive things to say otherwise, I'll go with Conti. 

I had to replace my rear T32 as I got rear-ended last summer and needed new rim/tire, so the rear has plenty of tread but the front has 12,000km (7,500m).  I am not impressed or happy with the Bridgestone T32 that came with the bike.

I had the Road Attack 2 on my VFR800 and those were great! 

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I have repaired many rear tires with puncture in that region and rode them until tread is low.

That puncture is not near shoulder. Also you caught it before riding with super low pressure so the sidewalls didn't get jacked up.

I am running Mutants on another bike and love them.

Edited by Lone Wolf
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1980 Yamaha 850 Triple (sold). Too many bikes to list, FJ-09 is next on my list
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I put on a set of Mutants ~2000 miles ago. I had T32s on before. I am very happy with them so far. They handle great, and provide a lot of traction, even in cold/wet conditions. @Wintersdark likes his also (but on an MT-10). My only concern is how long they will last. So far, the wear seems on par with the T32s. 

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11 minutes ago, draco_1967 said:

I put on a set of Mutants ~2000 miles ago. I had T32s on before. I am very happy with them so far. They handle great, and provide a lot of traction, even in cold/wet conditions. @Wintersdark likes his also (but on an MT-10). My only concern is how long they will last. So far, the wear seems on par with the T32s. 

That's good to know.  The RoadAttack 4's were only $70 difference and some of the technology on them is pretty cool.  The single compound idea is great and the zero degree belt.  I didn't find the T32's stable at higher speeds, so hopefully the RoadAttack's are better in that area!

12 minutes ago, Lone Wolf said:

I have repaired many rear tires with puncture in that region and rode them until tread is low.

That puncture is not near shoulder. Also you caught it before riding with super low pressure so the sidewalls didn't get jacked up.

I am running Mutants on another bike and love them.

I think patches are safe, not plugs, but neither are for me on my Tracer.  If I had a low torque, smaller bike that I used casually, then I'd be ok with a patch on that bike.

Everything I read about the Mutants is great, maybe I'll give them ago after the RoadAttacks. 

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I would plug that rear tire and finish it out.

I'm running Metzler sport tec rr. Really nice tires. Would recommend.

With an almost worn out front and a fresh rear I'm not surprised you don't like them. Also the OEM tires that come on the bike are not the same as what you and I buy. I've had T32s on my last bike and really enjoyed them. Stable and even wearing.

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3 hours ago, warrior said:

...I think patches are safe, not plugs, but neither are for me on my Tracer.  If I had a low torque, smaller bike that I used casually, then I'd be ok with a patch on that bike.

I respect that you have to be comfortable with it. Personally, I change my own tires and do all of my maintenance work myself. When I pull an old tire and it has a couple plugs in it, I see the twisted knot on the INSIDE of the tire and remember doing the plug. If it is something small like yours, it is quite an effort to even get the rope into the tire, then it gets twisted and the tool pulled out. It forms a knot inside, and the rope is sticky (I use high quality ones)

There is no way in hell any of my plugs are going to "come out" and there is air pressure keeping them from "falling in".  I have several plugs in my van tires right now, and just took off a set of Tahoe tires with plugs that were down to the wear bars.

If it is not  a simple straight puncture, if there is any tear, if it is near the shoulder I replace the tire. 

I also run a FOBO 2 pressure sensor and have that display in front of me, with alarm thresholds set. That is a layer of insurance, but I have NEVER had any tire repair leak.  There may be another puncture, or a valve start to leak, but for me personally it is never a prior repair area and I have done dozens of them at age 68.

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1980 Yamaha 850 Triple (sold). Too many bikes to list, FJ-09 is next on my list
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Plug it, if done right you will wear that tire out to the end. My buddy got a screw in about same location you do on his rear while we were on a moto trip in WV beginning of May........that tire is still holding air 100%. It is your money and your mental health, so of course do whatever you feel most comfortable with. I also have another good bud who is still riding on a rear he plugged 8K miles ago. ;)

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If I was riding this tire on the track, I'd replace it, But then if it was over a year old I'd replace it too. The reality is that almost all of us are not in real racing on a track (not a track day!), we don't replace tires after their first year, and very few can ride their bikes to the real max (not just to were it gets exciting).

Plug the tire, enjoy life. You've paid for the tire pressure insurance (FOBO thing) so get the benefit.

They'll tell you about the plug if you take some real race time at tech inspection.

Cheers,

B

Edited by Brock
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Posted (edited)

I've already purchased my new tires, they'll be here tomorrow.

As I said in my previous post, I do not run plugs/patches on my Tracer.  It doesn't matter to me how safe it is, as it's not about safety to me.  The front tire has 12,000km on it, it needs to be replaced, so it doesn't matter how much life the rear has on it as I will not run different tire brands. 

My post never mentioned anything about "should I plug/patch my tire and run it", it was simply to share how my rear tire got screw'd and opinions on the Mutants or Road Attacks.

It's great that you all will run plugs in your tires and save money, but I am lucky enough to be in a position where I can splurge on my bike when the time calls for it :)

Edited by warrior
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Money isn't an issue for me either, but wasting a perfectly good tire is an issue for me........to each their own. :) So what tire did you end up going with?

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I went with the Conti Road Attack 4.

Tire won't be wasted, I'll patch the tire and give it away since it's perfectly good, maybe someone else can make use of it.

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12 hours ago, warrior said:

I went with the Conti Road Attack 4.

Tire won't be wasted, I'll patch the tire and give it away since it's perfectly good, maybe someone else can make use of it.

Be sure to report back on the Road attack 4 when you have some miles on them.

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Put me in the camp of I would replace the tire if it were mine. Might not make sense to a lot of people but it puts my mind at ease; when I was younger and more willing to risk things I had a plug fail. Don’t want to deal with that again. 

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16 minutes ago, miweber929 said:

Put me in the camp of I would replace the tire if it were mine. Might not make sense to a lot of people but it puts my mind at ease; when I was younger and more willing to risk things I had a plug fail. Don’t want to deal with that again. 

Looks like you and I are the only ones in that camp! 😂

I don't even run plugs in my car tires, patches from the inside is the only way.

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