Tire Air Pump Poll

[akbeemer]

I told this story once before but I am repeating it here. About 35 years ago Voni and I were headed to the Houston Club rally in Texas from our home in Topeka, Kansas. We made it 74 miles before Voni pulled to the shoulder just as we were entering a small Kansas town. Her rear tire was flat. I looked across the highway and saw a restaurant with an empty parking lot and several trees along the edge. Shade!!

We rolled her bike across the highway and into the shade. I proceeded to repair the tire. I had a BMW plug kit and we each had three CO2 cartridges in our bikes. I used one cartridge but couldn't find the leak. Then cartridge #2. Still couldn't find the leak. Then #3.

I muttered half-way to myself "if this $h!t keeps up I am going to buy an electric pump." Voni replied, "Ok, I'll go next door and buy one." I had failed to notice we were next door to an Alco Store. She came back with a 12v pump. Since at that time I was a heavy smoker I had a cigarette lighter on the handlebar of my bike.

I attached the pump to the tire and promptly broke the little plastic handle on the head of the hose. She took it back and replaced the pump. I then attached the hose and turned on the pump. With a steady flow of air into the tire I could rather easily locate the hole in the tire. I plugged the tire, inflated it with my new pump and we proceeded to south Texas, and later back home again. I still have that pump. It lives in our camper van.

My point with this story is that I don't believe that three CO2 cartridges is a sufficient safety net if a person gets a flat tire on the road. Unless a nail or screw is immediately obvious it will take at least one cartridge to find the leak. The remaining two will get a rear tire up to maybe 20 pounds or so, at which time it is necessary to limp at relatively slow speed to wherever a source of air can be found. I can't vouch for the eastern half of the US or Canada but in the plains and mountain west, sources of air are few and far between. A pump is also a lot more useful if a person wishes to add a little air while on a trip.

Paul, you had me believing that story right up until you alluded to shade trees in Kansas.