flat tires - Page 6

 

blazing laser wrote:

I'm not sure that's completely true.  I took one of the 12v compressors
meant for automotive use, split open the case, and threw away everything
that didn't have anything to do with getting air into a tire (case, trouble
light, air gauge, etc.).  The result was a motor/pump about the size of a
D-cell battery, plus the air hose and cigarette-lighter cord.

Then I cut off the cigarette-lighter plug and replaced it with an SAE plug
that connects where my electric vest does, and the result is so small it
easily fits under the passenger seat of my R6.  Or under the seat of my FJR,
next to the OEM toolkit.  A set of radial tire plugs and tools (rasp and
insertion tool) is also tiny, and easy to pack under a seat.

As a bonus, I connected another SAE connector to the cut-off
cigarette-lighter plug, and I can now wear my Aerostitch vest in the Miata
on cold days, with the top down.  And I made a connector that allows me to
connect my battery charger to the same SAE plug that powers the vest and the
air pump, so I don't need to expose the battery to connect the charger.

After all that preparation, I've never actually *needed* to plug a tire on
the road.  (The only time it ever happened to me, I picked up a roofing nail
in our apartment parking lot.)  But I've used that compressor a dozen times
on multi-day trips to make sure my tires are correctly inflated.  It's nice
to check the cold pressure right at the motel, and being able to correct it
on the spot, instead of needing to find a gas station later.  And if I
didn't have a full-size air compressor at home, I'd use it a lot more here,
too.

You can get a whole lot of use out of one of these little compressors, with
a little soldering, and about $4 worth of SAE connectors.

 

    Very true...they are pretty small once all the visually appealing stuff
is scrapped!

 



No, one buys "puncture cover" with the insurance, so that if you get a flat,
you ring the "man" and he comes along and trailers your bike to "wherever".

And you also ALWAYS carry a puncture repair kit with plugs, glue and
compressed gas bottles (usually 3 bottles per pack) plus a can of "Slime" or
similar to make doubly sure the tyre remains inflated after your
ministrations.


--
Beav

Reply to "beavis dot original at ntlworld dot com" (with the obvious
changes)

 

theres some stuff on the market called green slime its used to plug a
hole when a foreign punctures it upto about an 1/8th inch I believe ,but
there are drawback it does coat the entire inside of the tire and is a
bitch to get it off .
now I seen the other day that this site was expired but I first saw it
last year, on it told of a guy who got a bad leak on his rear tire and
there was no way for him to get a tire for a couple days ,but he had
noticed that the shop had a low pro car tire with the same rim and width
size and asked the tire shop if they could get that on his rim and they
said it will fit back it will void the warranty the rider said do it(I'm
assuming this was a custom) and all they had to remove his rear fender .
I liked that story ,wish I could post the site it had more info and
other roadside stuff to do when your stuck but like I said earlier it
was gone
good luck and good ridding