I found a nail pretty much dead center of the tire, nowhere near the sidewall. The tire is actually still fully inflated. The tire only has 3200 miles on it, and I cannot afford $300 for a new one with labor. Is it safe to patch the tire? I have read many mixed opinions on this topic. THanks in advance!
I have a heavy sport tourer and I find if I downshift too aggressively, my rear tire wears quickly. I don't do burnouts or any kind of similar stupidity. So I've learned that I need to either downshift at lower speeds, match my engine rpms better, or simply just use my brakes to do most of my stopping. I find brake pads are much cheaper and easier to replace than tires or clutches. I've gone from wearing out a rear tire in 4000 miles to over 10,000 miles just by altering riding technique.
They have what is called a mushroom plug they install from the inside. It actually adheres to the tire and becomes part of it. I had this done on a new tire I'd had about two weeks. I got a nail in the same spot you do and I rode with that tire for 7000 miles, no problems. No way would I do that with a front tire though. Another good suggestion was to put a tube in it.
I have run a plugged rear tire before without problems, but I'm always much more careful riding with a plugged tire. I would ride a plugged front tire very carefully, only as far as I needed to get the bike off the road, replacing the front tire immediately. You do not want to ride a flat front tire down from speed.
