Motorcycle puncture repair kit buying guide | Learn all about the quick-fix every rider needs

Your motorcycle’s tyres are the only part of the bike that touches the tarmac (at least when you’re not busy channelling Rossi), so they’re the only bit that has to take all the road cruft in their wake. Said road cruft is always plotting against you, and it only takes one rogue screw in the road to royally screw with your ride.

That signals the beginning of the end for many of us; an exasperated call to a recovery service, and a long arduous wait by the roadside. But you might be surprised how quick and easy it can be to get back up and running if you ride ready with a puncture repair kit to hand.

Best puncture repair kits at a glance:

• Best complete kit: Oxford CO2 Tyre Repair Kit – View offer on Amazon
• Best budget kit: Tyre Doctor (Ranger Stork) repair kit – View offer on Amazon
• Best quick & dirty fix: Holts Tyreweld – View offer on Amazon
• Best for prevention: Slime Tyre Sealant – View offer on Amazon

If you can plug the tyre yourself, you’ll at least be able to limp back to civilisation, where you can get the tyre repaired or replaced. It’s only a five minute job to plug a tyre yourself, even if you have no idea what you’re doing before whipping the instructions out on the roadside, and after the accomplishment of riding back home you might even have the confidence to change the tyre yourself too.

That’s why we’ve put together our list of the best puncture repair kits for your motorcycle, as rated by MCN. They’re a cheap way of keeping anxiety at bay on the roads less travelled, so every rider should consider grabbing one — just in case.

Jump to:

• The best motorcycle puncture repair kits
• Frequently asked questions
• Puncture repair kits explained
• How MCN tests puncture repair kits

The best motorcycle puncture repair kits

FAQ

How long can you ride on a plugged tyre?

A plugged tyre should always be treated with caution, and you should only ride until you get to the closest tyre specialist to properly repair the puncture, or replace the tyre altogether.

What if you can’t find the puncture?

Sometimes all it takes is a pin-sized hole to puncture your tyre, and that can make it tricky to find where you need to plug it. If the puncture seems invisible at first glance, you can try filling the tyre with air — you might be able to hear hissing sounds, or if you cover the outer surface in soapy water, you might find bubbles forming around the puncture.

Can you use a car tyre repair kit on a motorcycle tyre?

It can be tempting to grab a tyre repair solution that works for both your car and your bike, and there are a lot of products out there that are designed for use with both. This isn’t always the case, however, and just because it’ll work for a car doesn’t guarantee that it will for a motorcycle too. Always check that what you’re buying will work with motorbikes before trusting life and limb with it.

Puncture repair kits aren’t to be used anywhere

It goes without saying that these kinds of repairs are only appropriate for certain geographical locations. For example, you shouldn’t try this on the hard shoulder of the motorway with traffic passing you. But if you can get off the motorway into a service station or at a junction to find a safe place to stop, then it’s definitely worth a go.

We’re talking about tubeless tyres only

Note that the majority of the kits we’re looking at here are for tubeless tyres. These are used by the majority of road bikes. Options for tubed tyres, which are used by many adventure or off-road bikes, are different. That goes for those used on the road between off-road forays. We’ll look at them in a separate story.

How puncture repair kits work

Pretty much all the tubeless kits are based on the same idea. When you have removed what caused the puncture, you ream out the hole. Then you insert a plug to fill it using a worm, string, or plug. Afterwards, you re-inflate the tyre and you’re back on your way.

You should also be aware that some kits come equipped to re-inflate your tyre, like a small gas canister. But when they don’t, you will need assistance or to use a mini compressor. If you are mid-way through an off-road trip, you should have one with you. We will also look at that in a separate article.

You can’t just repair any puncture on any tyre

TyreSafe is Britain’s tyre-industry association that raises awareness of tyre safety. They make several recommendations about tyre care and making repairs. For motorcycles, repairs should only be carried out on 50% of the tyre and not the sidewall. Tyres with a speed rating higher than V (149mph) should never be repaired.

Furthermore, for tyres with speed ratings up to J (62mph), no more than two 6mm repairs should be made. With tyres up to and including the V speed rating, a single repair of 3mm is the limit. They say repaired tyres should be inspected by a professional when possible to ascertain their suitability for continued use.

How MCN tests puncture repair kits

At MCN, our team of expert journalists have decades of experience gained over hundreds of thousands of miles. We don’t test our kit to destruction; we use it exactly how you do, in the real world and in all conditions. That means we can deliver impartial buying advice you can rely on.

Each of our writers has an in-depth understanding of the needs of today’s biker… because they are one.

If you can’t see a review against a puncture repair kit on this page, it’s because we haven’t tested it yet. These puncture repair kits will only be included if we think they’re important and relevant in the market, and rest assured, we will be working on bringing you a review as soon as we’ve fixed some flats with them.

To find out more, head to our dedicated page explaining how we test motorcycle products.

- Just so you know, whilst we may receive a commission or other compensation from the links on this page, we never allow this to influence product selections - read why you should trust us.