The Best Flat Tire Solutions For The Honda Pioneer And Honda Talon

Although some riders have had good luck with the stock Honda Pioneer and Honda Talon tires, most folks are less fortunate. To put it bluntly, the factory tires that come with Honda UTVs are about as durable as over-inflated balloons. Be that as it may, however, many pinch flats and sidewall punctures can be attributed to poor driving skills rather than subpar tires. But regardless of both how you drive and where you drive, there are many solutions that can get you back up and running after a flat tire. From patch kits and sidewall plugs to tire sealants and spare tires, here are the best flat tire solutions for the Honda Pioneer and Honda Talon.

Causes Of Flat Tires

Things like puncture flats and sidewall slices are pretty self explanatory, but there are other types of flat tires that can arise seemingly out of nowhere. The most common example of this is a pinch flat. Pinch flats occur when you hit an object with enough force that the tire fully compresses between the object and the wheel. This typically leads to two holes: one from the object you hit, and one from the wheel. Inflating your tires more to increase the PSI will help to prevent pinch flats, but higher tire pressures can both reduce the ride quality and decrease traction. Luckily, however, pinch flats are easy to repair with everyday patch kits. So if you've got the goods, just plug it and keep truckin’!

Another tire-related issue that is common while off-roading is a phenomenon known as separation. Separation happens when something smacks the sidewall of your tire, causing the internal belts to move or break. When this occurs, it allows air to get between the layers of rubber, and this air can sometimes escape at the bead. Tires with layers that have separated are considered unrepairable by dealers and tire shops, but their negative effects can be mitigated with the right UTV tire repair kit!

Honda UTV Tire Repair Kits

Universal flat tire repair kits like the ones by Hromee and Smittybilt come with everything you need to patch a tire on your Honda Talon or Honda Pioneer. But if all you require are the patches themselves, you can’t get any better or cheaper than the Honda Pioneer/Talon External Tire Patch Kits by Glue Tread. This tire patch kit will work to repair sidewall damage, gashed tires, and punctured tires, and it can also be applied preemptively to worn areas, cracked areas, or bulging areas to prevent future flat tires.

Honda UTV Tire Sealants

UTV tire sealants like Slime, Liquid Tube, Super Seal, and FlatOut are amazingly-strong options to either repair flats or prevent tires from running flat in the first place. Riders like Slime and FlatOut because they’re imbued with Kevlar, while others prefer products like Tireject because it’s a liquid instead of a high-viscosity goo. Some tire sealants require you to remove the valve core to pump the fluid into the tire, while others can be applied with the valve stem in place. But despite the benefits that tire sealants provide, they do come with a few drawbacks.

If you’re running steel rims, you should avoid water-based tire sealants like Slime because they can cause your wheels to rust. Furthermore, some tire sealant products for Honda UTVs are known to make a huge mess inside the tire, and they can sometimes be a pain to clean out. And if the tire sealant doesn’t dry uniformly, it can throw off the balance of your tires and cause them to shake at higher speeds. So when applying sealant, make sure to roll your tires slowly so that the product coats the inside of your tires in an even and uniform manner!

Upgrading Your Honda UTV Tires

One way to fix flat tires in the Honda Talon or Honda Pioneer is to thwart them before they ever get a chance to ruin your day. And to do this, you’re going to need some thicker, stronger, and bulier aftermarket tires! The stock tires on the Honda Pioneer are only 4-ply, and the Maxxis tires that come stock on the Honda Talon aren't the thickest either. So if you ride in rocky areas replete with sharp shards of granite, quartz, or obsidian, running a higher-ply tire is highly advised.

The Aramid Terrabite tires by Tusk are 10-ply, making them thick enough to resist punctures, slices, and slashes on the roughest of trails. Kanati Mongrel tires by GBC Motorsports are also 10-ply, and on top of that, they are DOT approved, making them great for trail riding and road riding.

Carrying A Spare Honda UTV Tire

No matter how thick your tires are, if you’re riding out in the boonies, we’d recommend carrying a spare tire and wheel. All it takes is a rock to get lodged between the caliper and the rim to blow a hole in your wheel, and there’s no patch or plug kit that'll be able to fix that, no matter how reinforced it is! Wheel issues aside, it’s not uncommon for riders to experience blowouts that are far too severe to fix in the field. Therefore, carrying a spare tire is a smart move no matter where the trail takes you. You can use cage-mounted spare tire carriers that attach to your ROPS, or spare tire holders that go on the roof / in the bed of your UTV. Although they do add weight and occupy space, the pros of toting a spare tire will vastly outweigh the cons!

Helpful Tire-Related Accessories To Carry During Rides

No matter how good your patch kit is, if you don’t have anything to inflate your tire, it’s all for naught. Some riders opt for hand pumps, while others go the easy route and pack 12v compressors. To save space, you can get CO2 cartridges that are able to inflate tires, but they run out quickly and don’t put much air in there.

Most tire repair kits for the Honda Talon and Honda Pioneer will come with every tool you’ll need for the job, such as a spiral rasp, an insert needle, and a T-handle puncture repair tool. Not all of these tools will be required every time, but it’s nice to have them at the ready just in case!

Concluding Remarks

Regardless of whether you’re in the deep woods or right next to your house, getting a flat tire is never fun. While some riders equip themselves with the tools and supplies to fix flats in the field, others choose to apply tire sealant or upgrade their tires so they can avoid flat tires altogether. But no matter what your preferences may be, don’t get stuck in the middle of nowhere and get a spare tire or a patch kit at the very least!