Having recently been in receipt of a flat tire, and since my ‘old’ plug kit is not usable on the tube type tires of my 2006 Suzuki DR-Z400SM, I had an opportunity to try out a new roadside tire kit: Slime.

Slime is a sealant goo that you inject into the tire, or tube in this case, through the Schrader valve stem. Slime, unlike “Fix-a-Flat”, does not contain compressed air and therefore will not pump up the tire on its own. This is fine if you either carry your own inflation solution or are near enough to a service station to pump the tire up. By the time I was in possession of the Slime I was at home where I could use my air compressor.

For tube type tires Slime claims to fill a hole up to 1/8th of an inch. I encountered differing recommendations as to whether eight (8) or 16 ounces should be used for motorcycle tires. I only had an 8oz bottle, so that is what I used.

It was quickly obvious that the Slime was working as the tire was actually holding the air I pumped into it. However, the puncture is not completely sealed and continues to leak, but at a much slower rate.

It’s been a week or more since the original Sliming and the tire continues to loose air. This means that I will need to get the tube addressed in a more permanent manner. Even though Slime didn’t fully stop my leak it slowed the loss of air down significantly enough to enable me to ride. Because of this I have purchased another bottle of Slime and a small hand pump to carry with me at all times.

I used to carry a tire plug kit and now I carry Slime.