Cargol Turn & Go Flat Repair Kit Review

Along with better handling, cooler running and longer tread life, one of the less-appreciated advantages of tubeless tires is that if you get a flat, you can put in a temporary plug without even taking the wheel off the bike and ride slowly to a shop to have a permanent plug installed. Of all the emergency flat-repair kits I’ve seen, the Cargol Turn & Go is the simplest and easiest to use.

The Cargol insert is made of hard nylon and shaped like a key, but with a spiral shaft like a sheet-metal screw. To plug a hole, use the included needle-nose pliers to remove whatever punctured the tire, immediately push the Cargol’s spiral tip into the hole, and turn it as if you’re threading it in. When it reaches the specified depth in the tread, just break off the round handle and you’re done.

The Turn & Go kit comes with four CO2 cartridges and an adapter for the tire’s valve stem. The speed with which you can plug the hole minimizes air loss, which is good because all four cartridges inflated the totally flat rear tire of my GL1800 to just 26 psi. I had a pump handy, so I aired up the tire and rode 30 miles to a repair shop at the recommended maximum 50 mph with no loss of air along the way.

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The Turn & Go kit sells for $55 and includes the pliers, four CO2 cartridges, a valve-stem adapter, a piece of chalk to mark the hole’s location, two valve-stem caps, a carry bag and four Cargol inserts. But the inserts aren’t available separately—they come only in the complete kit—so after your fourth flat you have to pony up another $55. I look forward to when the inserts are sold separately so I can put a couple in the pocket of every jacket I own.

For more information: Contact Ventura Motorcycle Accessories at (800) 688-6439, or visit ventura-mca.com.

(This Gearlab article was published in the November 2012 issue of Rider magazine.)

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