Little back-up inflator

[Stig / Major Tom]

After going on the road this week without a patch kit or means to inflate a flat tire - I hit ebay and amazon for a gummy worm patch kit and, as a back-up to the little pitiful 6AH battery in my Liberty - this simple tire inflator.
It's a little thicker than most to push a bit more air.

Never liked foot inflators, and have a Slime kit that runs off of a battery....and (O2 bottles kit) so this is for "tire's flat and the battery nearly is, too" situations on some cold miserable day miles from home.
Figure the pumping will keep me warm

Made by Lezyne.

It did blow up my daughter's fat bike tire fairly quickly - so....



Stig

[john grinsel]

Bikes/scooters used to come with tire pumps, sometimes.   I always carry small pump---do not like electric ones---once killed battery on SilverWing 600 in Maine----got jump starts to get home to TN---bought new OEM battery when I got there.

[Ernst]

I just picked up a battery operated compressor.
What I like about it is set the pressure and it fills to that and shuts off. Actually 0.5 psi over which covers air leak when taking off the hose.
 Thought to mention this because it is a hassle getting tire pressure just right. Also unit has it's own battery so charge it and stow it.

[Iahawk]

Stig, that's a good idea. I stole the similar sized pump from our old baby jogging stroller from years ago that was there to pump up the tires but not sure if it would work on the scoot or motorcycle. Probably smarter to get a newer one designed for the right purpose. I looked at Amazon, yours has good reviews.

Ernst, also a nice looking pump. My only concern would be getting complacent (me, not you) and eventually not checking the battery and finding it dead when needed.

[Stig / Major Tom]

Stig, that's a good idea. I stole the similar sized pump from our old baby jogging stroller from years ago that was there to pump up the tires but not sure if it would work on the scoot or motorcycle. Probably smarter to get a newer one designed for the right purpose. I looked at Amazon, yours has good reviews.

Ernst, also a nice looking pump. My only concern would be getting complacent (me, not you) and eventually not checking the battery and finding it dead when needed.

Yep the hand pump is back-up for everdamkinda thing that can go wrong on Flat Day.
Been there done that, and once is enough!
My son and grandson showed up in their jammies to bring me everything I'd left in the other scoot.....saved me the humiliation of rolling it back into my coffee village to get help from the Liar's Club at my coffee shop.
Stig

[CROSSBOLT]

Have had a cheapo Walmart bicycle hand pump in the DT300i under seat tub since the beginning. Also with  sticky rope, tools to install same and rubber glue. Have used hand pump a couple of times to top up pressures before the air tank arrived. Lots of work but it works! Not as nice as yours, Tom but I'm stingy! Har, har!

[Ernst]

Yeah, Murphy would say the hand pump is the thing for sure 
Back in my Motorized Bicycle days I just replaced the tube any time it had a problem. Just not worth patching if it got damaged. I put 6K on that bike. Then again I rode it to work so what's a tube here and there vs a paycheck.

[Kansas kymco]

Just curious how many have actually had a flat? In 52 years of riding I never had a flat tire away from home. I have tow insurance through AMA and through my ERS plan. Besides my neighbor and fellow bike rider has the keys to my truck and cycle trailer to come get me if tire failure happens. I would do the same for him.

Maybe just me but if my tire goes flat while riding I don't want to pump it up and head back out on the highway.  If a tire goes flat at home a new tire goes on.

I check the tire pressure  before every long ride as well.

[TBR125]

19,978 scooter miles and over 9,000 cycling miles without a flat. I always carried a spare cycle tube but I can't do much in regards to an inside patch on the scooter.

[Ernst]

On Scooter? No flats but I did get a neighbor who pounded a nail into my sidewall because he was angry at me. After getting to work and sitting all day, it went flat in the heat of the afternoon on the way home. Nail still in sidewall.
 How do i know it was my neighbor? He told me!
I had towing included on my insurance for $98 a year. Progressive lost money that day.
I put flowers on my neighbors grave every year (LOL) That was a joke. They were being evicted at the time. They are in prison now I suspect.
 The nail in the side wall is not a joke.

[Kansas kymco]

Ernst sounds like the neighbors from hades . Another person on the forum had his seat slashed by a neighbor. Sounds like some real nut job's out there.  Glad I have a good neighbors and fellow bike riders next door.

[klaviator]

I have had more flats than I can remember.  Luckily in most cases the tire didn't actually go flat until the bike was in my garage.  I have had 5 flats that I can recall on the road.  The first two where in my early days of riding.  One required a tow and new tire because the hole was in the sidewall.  On another I had a can of fix a flat which got me home but the tire was slinging while slime and needed have air added a couple of times.

Then I got smart and started carrying tools and inflaters.  I had a flat on a BMW and repaired it with the tire repair kit that came with the bike.  I inflated it with a CO2 inflater.

I got another flat on the Highway on my BMW.  I had a really big hole in the rear tire that required two sticky strings to hold.

My son and I were riding on a forest road and he got a flat on the front tire of my DR250.  We ended up changing the tube.

I have been with friends on several occasions when they got flats and helped them out.


As for those back up hand pumps.  I often carry one but you have to check them occasionally because the seals can dry out and then they won't work anymore.

[JJJoseph]

My only concern would be getting complacent (me, not you) and eventually not checking the battery and finding it dead when needed.

I bought a Craftsman version with both a cigar-lighter plug _and_ a 120v plug.  No battery.  Otherwise works the same. VERY useful!

[Kansas kymco]

Just bought a another Ryobi air compressor from Home Depot on sale for $20.  They use the same Lithium battery as my drill and circular saw. It's small enough to fit under the seat.  Very impressed with the performance and use it exclusively for my motorcycles and scooters at home instead of dragging out the air hose to top of the tires.  When cold weather arrives tire pressure can drop a few pounds.

[john grinsel]

With pumps/electric  pumps. check if actually fits on valve....at home, some do not fi/t work!