I'm back to the dirt bike scene after a 20 year hiatus (new KX 250). Is it OK to use tire sealants such as slime? I'm not racing or anything...just goofin off (2nd childhood probably). I would never use this stuff in my crotch-rocket...but it would seem on the surface that it wouldn't hurt anything and would same me some money (lots of thorn trees where i ride). Whats the good word?
I use Slime in my tires on both my MX and mountain bike and have had good results. As Faded stated it is messy. :) It also throws the balance of your wheels off slightly. I only notice this on big jumps, no big deal, just a feeling you get used to. But after dealing with a couple of flats on the trail I decided to try it and haven't had a flat in 3 years. If the bike sits around for a couple of weeks I need to add air but they hold well once I start riding.
I haven't had a flat since I started using it along with extra heavy duty tubes. That isn't to say that its necessarily the reason but...
If I was only on a track or not going very far from the truck I wouldn't use it but I don't want to patch a tube or change one way out in the middle of nowhere.
If you use slime - make sure you get the type for tires w/tubes. Moose also markets some orange tire goo.
I haven't seen much of a mess, let the air out, pop the valve core back in while taking the tube out and its pretty clean.
Do you inject the slime after the flat on the trail or before you go riding? Sounds like before. I guess I've been lucky so far on the trail with no flats. But it would be a long push back.