With tubeless tires, riders have much confusion and myth that doesn’t let them get their ride to the full potential. In this post, I am going to talk about “driving a motorcycle in case of a puncture in the tubeless tire”. So, let’s get straight to the answer to this question.
So, Can you drive with a punctured tubeless tire? You can continue riding with tubeless tires even after the puncture. Because tubeless tires escape air very slowly in case of a puncture, that gives the rider enough time to drive to the next repair shop or to the roadside place to repair it themselves.
There is a benefit of having tubeless tires that you can use sealant inside it. The sealant will help your motorcycle tire puncture to automatically seal letting you drive in the puncture.
It will seal your tire’s punctures automatically. You don’t even need to stop or touch your tubeless motorcycle tires puncture to fix it. The sealant works instantly as soon as the tubeless tires get a puncture hole in it. I forgot to mention that if any nail gets stuck in it, then you will have to remove it first. So, that the sealant can work on that punctured hole.
But if you have not put sealant inside your motorcycle then make sure to let the screw or nails remain stuck in the tire. It will hold the air to its place and provides you time to ride the motorcycle to the repair shop.
How far can you drive with a puncture tubeless tire?
While tubeless motorcycle tires are pretty advance than tube tires but these tires also get puncture, low-pressure, etc.
You can drive upto 30 miles to 35 miles in case of small punctures by nails or screws in the tubeless tires. But with big punctures, it’s better to take it to the repair shop so that further damage to the tire can be prevented.
With the small puncture in the motorcycle tire, the air will escape very slowly which will give you enough time to cover the rest distance. Make sure if the tires got stuck with the nails, then don’t remove it; don’t touch it yet. Because of the nail, the air is not escaping quickly. It is the nail that has stopped the motorcycle tire deflation so don’t touch it until you get to the repair shop. Or, if you have the required kit as I have discussed in this post then you can easily fix the small puncture in the tire by yourself.
The distance you can travel on the motorcycle tubeless tire after puncture will totally depend on the level and type of the puncture.
If the puncture is small, got stuck by nails, etc, then you will get an ample amount of time to drive it to the repair shop. And, if the puncture is big making a big cut, or puncture in the sidewall or in the center then you may need to replace the tires.
Because a new tubeless tire will not get that many big punctures in most cases but even if you got one make sure to take it to the repair shop driving at low-speed.
Thus, make sure to check the puncture and air-pressure level in the tire before getting on it to ride. If you go puncture while riding then you can inflate it with the help of electric air-compressors one or two times that will give you enough miles to reach the next repair shop.
Is it safe to drive on a tubeless puncture motorcycle tire?
Tubeless tires are made to run even in the low-tire pressure without damaging it. So, it’s totally safe to drive on a tubeless motorcycle tire puncture until it’s totally flat, or the air is deflating quickly.
If the air is deflating quickly because of the punctures on the sidewall or a big cut on the tire (which is rare) then don’t ride it for too long. Your tire will become flat and if you ride with a puncture for long distances then it will affect the tire’s life.
Apart from this you can use this general rule of thumb to help you ride even after the puncture in the tubeless motorcycle tire.
That, depending on the type of tire puncture you should decide to travel further or not. Because it’s not safe to travel in puncture where the tire has become flat.
If the object is small such as a nail, screw, etc then leave it in that place don’t remove it. Because these stuck objects will help to hold the air in its place. But if you removed the stuck object without the preparation of repairing the tire then the air will start to deflate quickly and your tire will become flat.
I have already written an article on self-repairing the motorcycle tubeless tire puncture hole anywhere with the help of the least amount of tools. You can read it here.
Should we drive on a flat tubeless tires?
If required you can drive your motorcycle with flat tires upto the repair shop. But, make sure to drive at low speed without leaning the motorcycle much. Driving on a flat tubeless tire can damage the tire internally, which may not be visible from the outside.
But, if possible fill your tires with some air that can help you to save your tires from getting damaged internally. That will enable you to drive freely without thinking about the flat tire upto the repair shop.
You can buy an electric air-compressor online that will not cost much and will help you save your time and money. These electric compressor doesn’t take much space and can be carried anywhere with the motorcycle.
So, next time you get a flat tire on your motorcycle you will be able to inflate your tires with the help of an air compressor that will help you to reach the next repair shop. Or, if you have all the puncture repair kit with you then you can repair the puncture with the help of this visual article.
Here is a youtube video where a guy rides his motorcycle with a flat tire up to the next gas station. It provides us the real data that you can also drive with flat tubeless tires. but the only thing you need to keep in mind is to drive slowly and straight.
If you lean much with less pressure in a tire then the tires will get damage from sidewalls and you may fall because of the less grip.
Conclusion
Getting a big puncture in the tubeless motorcycle tires is very rare if you ride on a paved road. Thus, it already decreases the chance of getting punctures on the motorcycle tires.
With small punctures on the tires, you can drive your motorcycle upto some miles without repairing, only if the tires are not deflating rapidly. If the tire is deflating faster then you may need to repair the puncture or at least inflate it with the help of an electric air compressor. I have shared a step by step process to repair the tubeless tires in this post go and check out the whole process.
FAQs
Do I need a new tire if I got a puncture in tubeless tire?
Depending on the type of puncture you got in the tubeless tire you will need to take certain steps. Like, if you got a small puncture from some screws or nails then these can easily be fixed with the help of rubber strings. You can read a step by step guide shared in this post to repair a tubeless motorcycle tire easily. You should change the motorcycle tubeless tire only when your tires are old and got big on the center or sidewall.
1 thought on “Should you drive on a punctured tubeless motorcycle tire?”
Comments are closed.