Ultraseal the final verdict:

[52blackshadow]

Time to close the Ultraseal story - for me it has been a complete disaster, with different stories from Ultraseals technical department and one of their distributors, and a big unanswered question over its effect on repairs in tubeless tyres which could be seriously dangerous.



My front wheel is still seriously out of balance  - I haven't had time yet to remove it and have the tube replaced with one not containing Ultraseal, but have had no offer of help from Ultraseal.  They first told me to add more Ultraseal and it would improve the balance, the story then changed, and they now say the weight of the Ultraseal is causing fork chatter.



When I first had a puncture with Ultraseal and it didn't stop the tyre deflating I fitted a replacement tube which I had in the garage and which had been patched as a spare due to an earlier puncture. This was fine for a week, but the next weekend I added Ultraseal to this wheel again (I know, I'm a sucker for punishment!).  The following day the patch stripped itself off the tube because of the action of the Ultraseal on the adhesive. I've contacted Ultraseal to ask if their product would have the same effect on a repair plug which had been fitted to a tubeless tyre before Ultraseal was added, or to an emergency get you home plug if Ultraseal didn't prevent a deflation. A week later and they have  sent no reply.



By the time I finally resolve this I'll be about £ 65.00 out of pocket (cost of the Ultraseal plus replacement of inner tubes in both tyres), not to mention the inconvenience of two delayed journeys, and any damage that the wild undulations of my front wheel at speed may have caused my bike.  



The message seems to be:



1.   Don't add Ultraseal to tubed tyres because it doesn't work in a tube.

2.   Don't add Ultraseal to front wheels because it may cause balance problems.

3.   Don't use Ultraseal in Tubed tyres which have been previously plugged, or which you may want to plug in future if they are punctured becase the Ultraseal could cause the seal to fail.



Hope this saves someone else going down the same route as me.



Shadow.

[Brock]

So sorry you've had a shit experience with this stuff. I was considering it myself, but you've saved me a lot of potential hassle.

This is what forums are about. Thanks mate...

[Drofsereb]

I posted earlier on this subject, and would have to say that I've fitted (?) this stuff to my tubeless  back tyre with no problem.  It fixed one puncture and prevented another, no wobble or vibration and no other noticable problems. Given the comments above though, I don't know if I would fit it to a front tyre, and I certainly wouldn't expect it to work on a tubed tyre because of the more instant nature of tubed punctures.



It comes with a recommendation leaflet from some BMW club or other as well.  I think as always there's an element of luck involved with how each bike reacts.

[newmanr19]

I've used Penzoil FixAFlat with good results in a tube tire..

[SIBBO]

newmanr19 said



                 

I've used Penzoil FixAFlat with good results in a tube tire..

could you expand on this a little as i like the sound of this product....



What do you class as good results?



Thanks.

[newmanr19]

well a couple of years ago me and a friend where out riding some fire roads in the mountains and his rear tire picked up a ROOFING nail... 20 miles from the nearest paved road..  (not a roof or building anywhere for miles)



Between the two of us, we didn't have a patch kit or spare inner tube so I rode the 30 miles back to the nearest town and bought a can of FixAFlat and rode back where we pulled the nail, inflated the tire and he rode the entire distance back to his home (some 75miles) without any problems.. and other then the mess he said it worked great.



I now carry a patch kit, tire irons, mini-compressor and a spare innertube on all my rides but I also carry a can of FixAFlat everywhere I go and in most situations, if I were to get a flat; I would use the FixAFlat first; unless I was on a multi-day adventure type ride. Even then, I would think first of using the FixAFlat.  I have changed tires/tubes on a dirt bike; in a garage, but I havn't yet had the need or desire to change the tube of a Tiger along the roadside.. just doesn't sound fun to me.

[52blackshadow]

It comes with a recommendation leaflet from some BMW club or other as well.  I think as always there's an element of luck involved with how each bike reacts.

Just a small point, but the webmaster of the BMW club website is an Ultraseal distributor.  I posted on their (his) site a couple of times asking for advice on how effective Ultraseal was in tubed tyres - Got a couple of messages saying it seemed to work, or someone had used it but hadn't had a puncture - no comments from Greg.  As soon as I posted my bad experience of it I got a reply from Greg accusing me of not researching it before using it.  Perhaps the recommendation leaflet (from the clubs technical advisor, not an official club recommendation!) should be taken with a pinch of salt?



Cheers,



Shadow.

[Guest]

For wot it's worth, My experience over 30 years of riding is ; it depends on what has gone through your tube.



If the nail or whatever has gone through the tube and ripped a big slit in the tube, then NOTHING will seal it. Stoping immediately helps, because riding on a nail will rip the tube.

Most of these products work OK if the hole is round and small. i.e. don't expect miracles!

[roller]

I used Ultraseal in my Ducati ST4S with no problems whatsoever, even at high speed, including track days. I didn't have a puncture (to my knowledge) so I cannot vouch for its effectiveness in sealing these. The only downside I experienced was the mess when the tyre fitter replaced the tyre.

Have not yet used it in my 05 Tiger, but probably will.

Mike