• Welcome, Guest! We hope you enjoy the excellent technical knowledge, event information and discussions that the BMW MOA forum provides. Some forum content will be hidden from you if you remain logged out. If you want to view all content, please click the 'Log in' button above and enter your BMW MOA username and password.

    If you are not an MOA member, why not take the time to join the club, so you can enjoy posting on the forum, the BMW Owners News magazine, and all of the discounts and benefits the BMW MOA offers?

Tubeless Tire Question

L

LONERANGER

Guest
I am looking to buy a used F650GS, G650GS or F800GS. Could anyone give me some insight on how hard it is to repair a flat in the field? These bikes do not have tubeless tires so I would have to carry a spare inter tube and make a field repair. Any insight would be appreciated. I am 63 years old and not real agile anymore so the tubed tires might present a problem.
 
Last edited:
changing the tires on my F8GS in my garage, with good quality tools, was not an especially fun nor easy task. i am not well experienced with tire changing, so my experience may not reflect the effort required of others.
 
1. Remove wheel
2. Break (loosen) bead on one side.
3. Use tire irons to lever that side of the tire over the rim.
4. Extract tube.
5. Insert new tube.
6. Use tire irons to lever the tire back over the rim.
7. Inflate tube/tire.
8. Install wheel

Even if you carry a spare tube, carry a patch kit too just in case you pinch and tear the new tube.

Every time I have done this beside the road I have loudly declared that tube-type tires will be a deal killer for me on any additional bike I ever buy. After a while I rethink that in my mind, but I gotta say, tubes are very 19th century, or early 20th century.

BMW has the technology and patents to build and install tubeless spoked wheels. They have cheaped out and not used it on the "little" bikes. Shame on them.
 
i too am disappointed that BMW chose not to install the tubeless spoked rims used on the big GS. i suspect it was done to reach the price point of ~$10,000. (not that you can find a $10K F8GS, as they all seem to come with OBC, hot grips, ABS, c-stand, etc.)
 
I am looking to buy a used F650GS, G650GS or F800GS. Could anyone give me some insight on how hard it is to repair a flat in the field? These bikes do not have tubeless tires so I would have to carry a spare inter tube and make a field repair. Any insight would be appreciated. I am 63 years old and not real agile anymore so the tubed tires might present a problem.

Good news, the F650GS Twin does have tubeless tires.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top