[ST] Ride-On tire sealant puncture report (long)

[Blake Sobiloff <sobiloff@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

As most of you are probably aware from my previous posts, I've been 
trying a new tire sealant called Ride-On. It claims a couple of 
advantages over other sealants:

	* It doesn't use a flammable propellant to inject it,
	  unlike "fix-a-flat" products. Also, it's in the
	  tire before you get a puncture, so in theory you
	  won't get a flat in the first place.
	* It washes out with water, so it doesn't leave a
	  gooey mess for your tire changer to deal with,
	  unlike Slime and others.

I first learned about the product from a positive review in "Rider" 
magazine earlier this year. After my previous experience of getting a 
screw in a new rear tire two days after mounting it, I was eager to 
avoid that situation again. So, I ordered the sealant directly from 
Innovex, the manufacturer, and injected it when I got another new 
Michelin Pilot Sport installed on the rear of my ST at the 18K mile service.

As Rude pointed out in an earlier post, it's my responsibility as TSRA 
VP to risk life and limb testing out new products for you folks. Taking 
his advice to heart, last Tuesday I took the opportunity to ride my ST 
through the debris left behind after a couple of cages had collided 
several blocks from my home. (OK, OK, I was following too closely in 
heavy traffic and couldn't avoid it.)

I successfully punctured the rear tire and was rewarded with a loud "ker 
PLAT" as a sharp piece of chrome trim went all the way through the rear 
tire near the center of the tread. I stopped briefly at my apartment to 
take a picture of the puncture and the sealant slowly bubbling out. (See 
the uploads section of the web site.) Remembering that the sealant 
relies on centrifugal force to fully plug a puncture, I hopped back on 
the bike and went for a quick 15 mile loop at mostly highway speeds.

Examining the tire again at the end of the ride, the sealant was still 
oozing and bubbling out of the puncture a little. The next morning, 
however, the bubbling had stopped and after my ride to work there was no 
further evidence of leakage.

Over the next four days I measured the air pressure in the rear tire 
each morning before riding. As of this morning (the fifth day after the 
puncture) the tire pressure is down from 42 PSI to 41 PSI. I attribute 
this to the initial loss at the time of the puncture, the slight leakage 
while the sealant formed into a plug, and my repeated checks of the 
pressure.

All in all I have to say that I'm very satisfied with the product's 
performance. I spent $30 (including S&H) on enough product to treat both 
front and rear tires, and within the first application it has saved me 
from having to purchase a new rear tire ($155 + tax or S&H + mounting). 
Furthermore, it saved me the hassle of dealing with any vehicle down 
time, removing the rear wheel and carting it to the tire shop for 
replacement, etc.

Most importantly, IMHO, I think the product is a real safety advance for 
motorcycles. We're all aware of the danger that a sudden loss of tire 
pressure presents to a motorcyclist. This product seems capable of 
preventing such sudden losses in many common situations. It's not going 
to help you if you somehow manage to puncture the sidewall or tear a 
chunk out of the tread, but I believe that these events happen much less 
frequently than your common screw, nail, or sharp debris puncture that 
Ride-On seems to handle well.

Ride-On also does a good job of eliminating the slow air leaks that most 
motorcycle tires/rims suffer from. I know I've seen some recent posts 
from folks who've experienced dramatically shortened tire life because 
they've let the tire pressure slowly drop. Ride-On seems like a quick 
and easy fix to that problem, too.

With so many upsides, are there any downsides to using the product? I 
can think of two. First, Innovex usually deals directly with tire shops 
and fleet maintenance organizations. (The product was originally 
developed for long haul trucks and construction equipment.) Selling 
directly to the end consumer is a little new to them and it shows -- it 
took almost three weeks for Innovex to get the product to my doorstep 
after I ordered it. Fortunately they warned me about this up front so it 
wasn't nearly as annoying as it might have otherwise been. Also, they're 
actively trying to get motorcycle dealerships to carry the product and 
offer the sealant installation service. If the product continues to 
perform well I expect that eventually you'll be able to have your tire 
dealer install the product for a small fee whenever you get a new set of 
tires mounted.

The second potential downside is that the product does add to the 
unsprung weight of the wheel and tire; approximately 2/3 of a pound at 
the rear, 2/5 of a pound at the front. This is probably the worst place 
to add weight on a motorcycle since increased unsprung weight slows 
turn-in and makes the suspension work harder. Motorcycle manufacturers 
spend a lot of time working with wheel and tire suppliers to develop the 
lightest components possible, and this product does reverse some of that 
hard work. However, as a practical matter most folks probably aren't 
going to be able to feel a significant difference on the street. I 
couldn't feel a difference at the rear, but I expect that I might notice 
it slightly when I install it at the front.

In summary, the product seems to work as advertised, and in my opinion 
the benefits clearly outweigh the minor drawbacks. (Disclaimer: I'm 
nothing more than a satisfied customer.)

Ride-On Tire Protection System (TPS)
by Innovex Industries, Inc.
45681 Oakbrook Court
Unit 102
Sterling, Virginia 20166 USA
Tel: 703-421-9778       Fax: 703-421-1967
Toll Free in the USA: 1-888-374-3366
http://www.ride-on.com/  <-- WARNING: The site is currently infected 
with the Nimda virus. I've sent the hostmaster an email notifying him of 
this, along with directions on how to get rid of it and prevent future 
re-infections. However, until he has a chance to correct this problem I 
wouldn't recommend visiting the site if you use Windows unless you're 
confident that your anti-virus software can intercept the virus.
- -- 
Blake "Dawgbert" Sobiloff <sobiloff@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Burlingame, CA, USA


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