Tire Pump

Any recommendations on a tire pump for an Airhead? Looks like the plug style pumps are the standard. I would prefer to buy one with the clips instead of performing plug to to clip surgery. Is some kind of compact tire pump an alternative? Space is at a premium so something not too bulky or heavy is a big plus.

I carry a good quality bicycle pump for just touching up the pressures on the road. I also carry an electrical pump that plugs into the battery with a cigarette lighter adapter. I bought one of the $15-20 DC pumps from Wally World and broke the plastic away to leave the important part of the pump. I carry it all in a small plastic pouch in my saddlebag.

Options galore here, and a BMW rider owns it too.

http://motopumps.com/inventory/pumpkits.htm

I use the $30 Slime 12v Pump too and it's worked great.

Use it a few times in your driveway so you know it's all good before you really need it on the road somewhere. You'll need a pressure gauge too.

20774 said:

I carry a good quality bicycle pump for just touching up the pressures on the road. I also carry an electrical pump that plugs into the battery with a cigarette lighter adapter. I bought one of the $15-20 DC pumps from Wally World and broke the plastic away to leave the important part of the pump. I carry it all in a small plastic pouch in my saddlebag.

Click to expand...

I'm thinking of getting a bicycle pump, one with a locking clip and a built-in pressure gauge. Sure seems like less bother than a powered pump...I might actually use it on the road!

Those little pumps - 8-10" have such a small cylinder that you are making a lot of strokes to move any volume of air. I now carry a slime pump, and fiddled with the wiring so that it fits in the BMW power socket.

Bob_M said:

Those little pumps - 8-10" have such a small cylinder that you are making a lot of strokes to move any volume of air. I now carry a slime pump, and fiddled with the wiring so that it fits in the BMW power socket.

Click to expand...

With a sidecar I have the option of carrying a full-sized version under the dog's bed.

"I carry a good quality bicycle pump for just touching up the pressures on the road."

THE MOST IMPORTANT WORD ABOVE IS "QUALITY"

You only need about 12-15 lb to drive away safely to station air but a cheap plastic Walmart type pump can fail by getting so hot at the discharge end
that the plastic melts and the hose blows out of its threaded hole. Also you can have a heart attack lying on the ground and trying to pump fast
enough long enough to get the job done! Also the plastic pump if held on the bike frame with a rubber strap for a year or more will deform and
no longer remain a cylinder preventing the piston from making useful stroke.

These are all things I learned the hard way with some bitterness - I now use the slime pump - had it for 3 years and lots of miles - like a good luck
charm - only needed it for an on road patch job once.

My favorites

My favorite bicycle pump is the Topeak Road Morph G. It has an aluminum barrel, a built in gauge and pumps like a floor pump. Filling high pressure road bike tires is never a problem. For MC use, I'd get their mountain bike model for it's higher volume per stroke.

For an electric pump, I've been happy with the Cycle Pump