Ask most motorcycle tyre fitters about tyre slime and they’ll give you the evil eye – but it’s not all bad.
Tyre fitters don’t like tyre foam or tyre slime mainly because it makes a hell of a mess when you remove a tyre from a rim. Also a lot of the time a puncture that could have been repaired is rendered irreparable once tyre slime or foam has been used because the liquid diminishes the ability of the glue used in a permanent repair to stick properly.
But it’s not all bad, tyre slime does have its uses but it’s worth noting that tyre slime is not a permanent repair.
However, out of all the puncture-treating liquids, it’s one of the better ones.
A much better bet is to carry a puncture repair kit and if you get a flat tyre you can fix it yourself.
Tyre foam vs Slime
Tyre foam is the one you’ll commonly see on the shelf in your local petrol station, Tyre Weld is a good example. Foam is, in our experience, of limited use when it comes to punctures. It might help you get your flat tyre up to a pressure that enables you to ride it to a motorcycle workshop but in most cases, the white foam will just bubble out of the puncture hole and do little to minimise the air loss.
Slime is a brand of tyre sealant that’s safe to use on motorcycle tyres. It works to help seal a puncture as the liquid is fibrous and will help to seal a puncture hole. As it leaks out of the tyre it builds up a bung that will greatly reduce pressure loss.
When to use tyre slime
Tyre slime is a decent get out of jail free card. If you are touring around Scotland, it’s Sunday and you pick up a puncture, you’re going to be in a spot of bother. But with Slime you can increase your chances of getting up and running.
Some riders like to put Slime in their tyres before they get a puncture, with the logic that it’ll help seal a puncture the moment you pick one up. Others carry a tube of Slime with them and will use it in an emergency to treat the puncture.
The main issue with pre-filling your tyre is that you might not know when you’ve picked up a puncture and therefore you might end up riding at speeds or in conditions that affect your safety. Afterall, if you know you have a temporary puncture repair in your rear tyre, you probably wouldn’t do 120mph along an Autobahn.
When you can’t use tyre slime
Slime won’t work on motorbikes that run inner tubes. If you pick up a puncture with an inner tube, it’s always best to replace it with a new tube and not try and repair the tube or use slime. A repaired tube is highly likely to let you down and it’s a false economy, let alone a headache to have to deal with a failed tube that you’ve previously tried to repair.
Motorcycle tyre slime alternative
An alternative to tyre slime or foam is to carry a motorcycle puncture repair kit. These bungs are pushed through the puncture, sealed with glue and then trimmed up to be true with the outer surface of the tyre. Like slime, they are a temporary repair and should be replaced as soon as possible with a permanent repair but some riders trust a temporary repair to last them as long as the tyre itself.
Permanent repair after slime
Even the manufacturers of Slime state that you should seek a permanent repair (a repair done from the inside of the tyre) or replace the tyre when you have used Slime. Slime is a temporary repair and not a permanent one and while the manufacturers of Slime claim that the Slime can be completely washed off, enabling the use of a permanent bung, we find this isn’t strictly accurate.
If Slime or any other tyre foam has been used we advise the customer to replace the tyre completely as there’s no way of guaranteeing that a permanent repair will hold.
Slime is a useful tool to counter a puncture but not a permanent fix.
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