Testimonial

BMW Club.

Taken from the Club Journal & reprinted with permission from the Technical Officer Mike Fishwick –

While punctures definitely occur far less nowadays compared to in the 80’s, punctures are still one of the leading problems to afflict the motoring public. BMW are justifying the removal of spare wheels based on claims that claim that they only occur every 93,000 miles. The M Roadster itself has fallen victim too.

To offer odds at all on a random event is something, which no self-respecting bookie would ever dream of! My experience has been that punctures can occur at any time – ask anyone living on a new housing development where nails and screws and other fragments are everywhere. The only guarantee is that punctures will usually occur when one least expects and at the most inconvenient times.

Temporary repair aerosol sealants are a fast way for the motorist to regain mobility but their use can only start once vehicle comes to a stop. Prolonged use is not advisable. Due to the composition of these sealants the majority of tyre specialists refuse to repair punctured tyres, that internally are coated with these sealants.

Most modern motorcycles have ‘Z’ rated low profile tyres and suffering a flat tyre could be a very expensive experience. The fitting of a vulcanised plug isn’t always possible, especially if the puncture is too close to the sidewall. Also in most cases tyre specialists limit only 1 repair per tyre.

Severe damage to the sidewalls not to mention the wheel rims are possible, simply by slowing down to stop from an advanced speed. Extremely life threatening tyre deflation can occur without tyres being punctured such as what almost happened to John Coleman during our return from the FIM Rally at Barcelona. John ran over a rock while climbing towards the Col de I’lseran in the French Alps. The front rim of his R80 became badly deformed that the edge of the tyre bead was visible over a length of about two inches. Just part of an inch deeper and his front tyre would have instantly deflated, leading to a rapid one-way trip to Bonneval – sur – Arc, about a thousand feet below!

The obvious solution to all these problems would be that tyre manufacturers manufactured puncture resistant tyres. But in the absence of tyre companies not doing so an alternative is to coat the inside of the tyre with an anti puncture tyre sealant which will always stay sufficiently fluid to fill the puncture as soon as it occurs. Naturally the sealant should be such that it does not disturb wheel balance, and be capable of being easily removed if required.

Several such products have been marketed over the years, mainly directed at the motorcycle market. While tyre manufacturers do not recommend their use, there is no evidence or proven trusted research showing these sealants to be detrimental. In all known cases of major damage to the front tyre, riders have maintained control and stopped safely.

Most of the sealants worked well even though they had disadvantages. The common problem was that after continued use at high speed the centrifugal force led to the sealant separating thus losing the ability to seal for long periods. Added to this is that it is extremely difficult to remove existing sealant to affect a permanent repair, so that a new tyre was the only effective remedy.

In contrast PunctureSafe tyre sealant appears to be the complete answer. It definitely seals very well – I have personally attacked a motorcycle tyre with a spike until my arm grew tired, at the end of which pressure loss was negligible. Two weeks of such treatment by the public during a motorcycle show and the tyre had more puncture marks than tread, but still maintained it’s pressure. PunctureSafe according to the manufacturer is safely capable of repairing punctures made by objects up to 6 mm in diameter for the life of the tyre, and in the event of a larger area of damage it will provide protection from rapid deflation. It is also water soluble in it’s uncured state, and I have witnessed on occasions the sealant being washed out of a tyre casing without difficulty to enable the fitting of a vulcanised plug. Other properties include the ability to virtually eliminate pressure loss, even during long-term storage, and also to extend tyre life due to improved heat transfer from the tread area to the wheel rim. Many motorcycle riders have found this increase to be in the order of 50%. I’m assuming that this is reason why tyre manufacturers do not recommend its use!

Formulated for use in tubeless tyres, Puncturesafe can also be used with inner tubes, as Cynthia Milton and John Adams demonstrated during their recent trip to Pakistan. John’s RI00GS rear tyre was badly damaged by a two-inch long bolt, but retained pressure well enough to be fitted with a new inner tube later. Cynthia was unaware of any problems, but when replacing her R80GS rear tyre after returning home she found the marks of 12 punctures which had been sealed without her even being aware of them! To cover 20,000 miles on one set of tyres through some of the worst roads in the Middle East and Asia without having to even remove the wheels is sufficient testimony for PunctureSafe. I have used it in my car tyres for almost 20,000 miles, and can also confirm its claims.

A simple vehicle puncture could cost you a full day, and from two to several hundred pounds – can you afford not to use Puncturesafe?!

Mike Fishwick – Technical Officer BMW Club.