Maybe good, maybe money thrown away.

When we left in 1999, we used a product in our tyres to "prevent them from going flat after a puncture". A specified amount of this thick, liquid "kind-of-rubber" is squeezed into a tyre upon installing --so before any punctures occur-- and remains there during the entire life of the tyre.


Our own results so far:

• Belgium to Pakistan: 1 rear tyre puncture between two XT500's, so 2 x 10.000 kms (due to a long, slicing nail in Turkye).
  Tyres on both bikes: Metzeler Enduro 1 (F), Enduro 2 (R), heavy duty enduro innertubes.
  
• Belgium to Finland (via Russia): no punctures on a DR650SE and a BMW R80G/S, so 2 x 8.400 kms.
  Tyres: DR: Bridgestone Trailwing (F+R), normal inner tubes; BMW: Metzeler Enduro 1 (F), Enduro 2 (R), heavy duty enduro innertubes.

I know very well this can be SHEER luck from riding JUST between the nails or metal scrap.
(I did however remove 2 small nails from two of the Metzeler rear tyres, without the tyre "suffering")

But, my point is, that even if these type of products only prevent 1 in 2 punctures, I still go for it.
Who loves repairing tubes: ALWAYS in the middle of the day (OR middle of the night like I had once here in Belgium), ALWAYS in an area where there's not a single tree for shade, ALWAYS when you absolutely want to reach a certain place by a certain time...???


Other "tests":

- it seems the Turkish army uses an extra-heavyduty version of the thing (sealing holes up to 12 mm!!?), as to prevent equipment with tyres that have been shot at, to become immobile. (if they do, I guess all armies use simular products?)

- one of the Belgian bike magazines has (very briefly) tested AirSeal and another product (can't find the article any more), riding with two average bikes over a 'fakir'type of board. Measuring the air before and after showed that the product had indeed stopped the punctures after an initial loss of air - and the boards were full of nails! Unfortunately they did not do anything more with the test, just this. I wished they would've reopened the subject after a few months with the same tyres, tested tubeless and tube-tyres, heat and speed conditions, etc. (but then, most riders can just call a service to come and fix their tyres if they ever get stranded...)


Important note:

I reverified with the importer (of AirSeal): it works best with tubeless tyres (i.e. 'solid' rubbers), less so with innertubes - bummer! The product is forced out through the puncture along with the (inside) air. It then fills the hole because of its 'thick viscosity'. Innertubes can still move about a bit and are not so stiff, re-opening the hole, so the product again has to fill it, loosing some air in the process. The liquid can thus never close the puncture quite so permanently as with tubeless tyres.


Practical info:

We bought one product in the UK (for our journey in 1999):
from M&P, called OKO, looks green, cost 12,75 £ for 2 enduro tyres in 1998. They claim a hole up to 5 mm can be 'filled'.
(coordinates M&P: tel. +44 1792 22.44.66 fax: +44 1792 22.44.11)

Since two years, a simular product is for sale here in Belgium:
AirSeal, white, costs about 15,5 euro for 2 enduro tyres. They claim a hole up to 6.35 mm (1/4 of an inch) can be 'filled', "permanently and reliably".
(coordinates: importer Belprotect, tel. +32 3 844.68.19 fax +32 3 888.53.82; locally sold by Gericke in Gent, 09 245.14.76)

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It would be great to have some more experiences from long trips with these products, so all of us can start to see what they're worth: something or nothing??
Has anyone used these already?


Happy repairing ;-)
Trui

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Iris and Trui
2 belgian women, usually travelling on bikes (now on DR650SE's)

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Iris and Trui
2 belgian women, often travelling on motorbikes (now on DR650SE\'s)
2nd overland from home to Northern India and back, April-October 2002