2Wheeltips

One of the simplest bike maintenance things you can do is making sure your tires are properly inflated.

Not only will your bike handle better with properly inflated tires, but you will get better gas milage and your tires will last longer.

You should check your tires when they are cold as the internal pressure increases when the tires heat up. For this reason, you should buy a pump and tire gauge and perform this basic maintenance before you take the bike out for a ride.

Motorcycle tires are small enough to inflate with a hand pump, but a foot pump is easier. Even better, many portable battery chargers come with electric pumps and can inflate a tire to the proper level within minutes.

Finally, do not over inflate your tires. The proper PSI is in your motorcycle manual and on the sidewall of the tire.

It is important to keep your tires properly inflated, and checking the tire pressure should be done when the tires are cold. For this reason, you need to have a tire pump and not drive to the local gas station for air. Below are a few tips we have encountered along the way.


Hand Pumps

A good hand pump can do the job of adding 1 - 3 PSI to a tire. Not very good if you need to add 8 or more PSI. Our high pressure hand pump required between 20 - 25  "pumps" to add 1 PSI.


Foot Pump

A good foot pump can quickly add a good amount of pressure without wearing yourself out. A good one will have a gauge so you can check the pressure as you pump.


Electric Pump

The best option I have come across is an electric pump. Most of the portable battery chargers come with a pump and a built in gauge. They can quicky add 10 or more PSI to a tire in a few minutes.