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Motorcycle Tire Air Pump
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The search for the perfect motorcycle tire air pump continues.
Our goal? To find a motorcycle tire air pump that has these characteristics:
small, light weight, reliable, easy to stow on the motorcycle and easy to
use.
The correct tire pressure is crucial to the safe operation of a
motorcycle, but many owners do not check the air
pressure of their tires before every ride. This may be in part because checking the
pressure and filling the tire with air is a
chore that just isn't very much fun, no matter how you look at it.
Kneeling down in leathers on the wet
ground, fumbling around trying to attach the tire air pump to the valve stem are all part of the routine.
Any tool that can make the job easier would be welcome. For
example, someday - maybe - all motorcycle manufacturers will use 90-degree
valve stems, or at least design the wheel so that the valve stem is easy to
access. Some motorcycle wheels are configured in a way that makes it a
real struggle just to reach the valve stem, and this will dissuade the owner
from performing the necessary and frequent checks.
In the meantime, at least one thing that could make this job easier would
be to have a tire air pump that meets our goals. Electrically operated tire air
pumps are available for motorcycle use, and some have even been designed
small enough to carry in a tank bag or saddlebag.
But electric pumps are
generally bulky, relatively heavy, and they have the added complication of
the electrical connection, so we haven't really considered them as a
solution that meets enough of our criteria.
Although it can be argued that if the bike's battery is dead the pump
won't work, the flip side is that if the bike's battery is dead you're
probably not going anywhere anyway.
The requirements for a tire air pump that will be kept and used in the
garage is different. If you're lucky, you have a nice, big garage with
a permanently installed air compressor that can store large quantities of
compressed air.
Another good solution is a decent hand-operated floor pump. I've
been using a Zéfal "Double Shot" floor pump for
over 20 years. This pump has two vertical barrels that fill the tire
on both the down stroke and the upstroke, making for a very quick and
efficient process. I even use it on my car's tires, because it can put
out large quantities of air very quickly. Unfortunately, after all
this time, the parts are starting to wear and I haven't been able to find a
replacement pump or parts.
 For
motorcycle touring or for general use around the motorcycle, a manually
operated tire air pump is probably the best bet. Wouldn't it be nice
to have a very small, very light tire air pump that could be stowed almost
anywhere on the motorcycle? Our mission is to find such a device!
When we found the Crank Brothers Dual Piston Mini-Pump, we thought we had
struck gold. This pump is very small, it only weighs 97 grams, and it
carries a lifetime warranty. Perfect! Or so we thought...
The pump is only 144 mm long (~5-1/2") and extends to 213 mm (8-3/8") at
its maximum stroke. It can be flipped over to use either the Presta and Schrader valve stem; the
Schrader is the only stem used on motorcycle tires, so that's the only one that
we tried. The pump also has a knob on the end (right side, photo above)
that allows the device to be switched between a high pressure or high volume
setting.
Unfortunately, try as we might, we could not get this pump to operate. It is very difficult to fit
the valve adapter to the motorcycle's Schrader valve
stem, and we couldn't get the rotating collar to lock over the valve stem to
stop the air from bleeding from the tire. The locking collar is
extremely
difficult to turn, and the small tabs are very hard to grasp, even when the
pump is not attached to a tire. We tried everything we could think of
on 3 different motorcycles, but the result was the same.
This is too bad, because this pump had the potential of meeting all of
our goals for the perfect motorcycle tire air pump!
 We
also tried the Blackburn Mammoth Comp Mountain Pump. This pump weighs
136 grams (4-3/4 oz.), and it is 312 mm long (~12-1/4") compressed and 50 cm
long (19-5/8") with the pump handle extended.
It comes with a holder
that is designed to attach to a bicycle frame, which also has the potential
for use on the frame of a motorcycle. The pump should fit in most tank bags or in the bottom of a saddlebag without
taking up too much room.
The adapter on this pump will also work on either a Presta or Schrader
valve stem by flipping a small adapter inside of the head, but again, for our purposes, only the Schrader adapter was used.
The valve stem adapter has an attached plastic cover that helps to prevent
dirt and grit from entering.
To use this pump, the adapter is fitted over the motorcycle tire's valve
stem. A lever must be pulled upwards to lock the head on to the valve
stem. The piston that operates the pump is then pulled out and a
plastic knob on the end can be rotated to form an L-shaped handle that helps
grip the end of the pump.
The pump has a 190 mm (7-1/2") stroke, which yields approximately 10
strokes per PSI in a 110/80-18 front tire. The Blackburn Mammoth Comp
Mountain Pump is relatively easy to use. We found that it can be
difficult to locate the pump's valve adapter on the motorcycle tire valve
stem, and the length of the pump makes it tricky to keep everything lined up
without leaking air from the tire. This wouldn't be our first choice
for the perfect all-around motorcycle tire air pump, but it would probably
be a decent pump to have on a motorcycle tour.
 We
are also searching for a replacement for our beloved Zéfal Double Shot floor
pump. Figuring that there must have been many advances in pump
technology over the years, we also tried a Joe Blow Sprint floor pump.
This pump has all the right specifications: an air pressure gauge located
near the top of the pump for easy readability; a rotating dial that places a
pointer at the desired tire pressure reading on the gauge; a clip to hold
the hose; a hook to hang the pump on the wall; and it even has a pressure
bleed valve.
Unfortunately, we found a few problems with this pump, so it won't be
replacing our Zéfal any time soon. The steel base is, in our opinion,
over-designed. It looks cool, with a retro-style curve, but we found
it to be unstable. The pump is very easy to tip over as the hose is
moved around while it's being attached to the tire valve stem.
For all its length, the piston seems to have a limited amount of travel,
and it only pressurizes during the down stroke. We only averaged about
5 strokes per PSI in a 110/80-18 front tire. During the first 1/2 to
2/3 or so of travel, the piston travels freely, which makes it feel like nothing is happening, but the rest of the
travel increases the amount of force necessary by a considerable amount.
This gives the user a very detached feeling about whether or not any air is
actually going into the tire.
Also, since the pressure gauge is calibrated up to 160 PSI in increments
of 4 PSI, it's virtually useless on a 35 PSI or so motorcycle tire.
The valve adapter can be flipped over for use on either a Presta or
Schrader valve stem. A metal lever is turned to lock the valve adapter
on to the tire's valve stem. This works fairly well, and it's easier
to move this lever from side to side than it is to pull up a vertical
locking lever. There isn't much access room around the valve stem of
some motorcycle tires, so if the orientation of the locking lever is
important.
The Joe Blow Sprint is acceptable, but we'll still be searching for that
perfect replacement floor pump. We're also on the lookout for our
perfect motorcycle tire air pump: small, light weight, reliable, easy to
stow on the motorcycle and easy to use. We'll report back if we find
one that meets our criteria. In the meantime, however you do it, make
sure your motorcycle's tires are inflated to the manufacturer's
specifications!
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