best motorcycle tire pump?

[2daMax]

I have a manual mini foot pump. A pain to pump up from complete flat but it works. I bring along some tire plugs that looked like worms.

So good thing I brought these with me on a trip and I had a complete flat, tire beads were detached from the rims. I had doubts that my little pump will be fast enough get the tire to inflate but it did its job. Lost a lot of calories in the process.

 

[mebgardner]

I didn't like the flimsy nylon case that came with the Airman so I found a perfect fit case with an inside pocket for a tire plug kit. It is actually made for binoculars and available on amazon.

Nice Case! Sold!

I carry this, and tire plugs. I watched a friend use the rope variety this month, and it was a very fast repair to a side wall puncture. I think I'm gonna carry both, plugs and rope...

 

[Sierra1]

+1 on the airman. I had to used mine about every 1.5 to 2 hours for close to 1500 miles on a recent trip to Arkansas with Silverbullet.

I am assuming that you can use the Tenere's power port for the pump without blowing the fuse?

 

[EricV]

I am assuming that you can use the Tenere's power port for the pump without blowing the fuse?

You assume wrong. No pump can be powered by the factory cig port w/o blowing the fuse. It's only got a 3 amp fuse and it has small wiring. It's intended for electronic devices, not high draw items like heated gear, lights or an air pump.

jmz has a dedicated power port on his bike that is wired strait to the battery. It's intended to both charge the battery by plugging into a maintenance charger or to be used for the air pump. He may have installed a SAE pigtail as well.

For everyone reading this thread. If you have an air pump, make darn sure you have the correct plug to connect it to the bike's power and that YOU have installed a 10 amp or better fused power connection direct to the battery for this purpose.

 

[Stef]

I am assuming that you can use the Tenere's power port for the pump without blowing the fuse?

Nope. I'm putting a 20a fused line to a Powerlet connector for using my pump.

 

[Sierra1]

You assume wrong. No pump can be powered by the factory cig port w/o blowing the fuse. It's only got a 3 amp fuse and it has small wiring. It's intended for electronic devices, not high draw items like heated gear, lights or an air pump.

OK. That's what I was thinking, but nobody had mentioned any alterations/additions, so.... Easy fix though.

 

[ace50]

Yep, I put a 2 wire trailer connector on my air horn under the right cover coming from the battery. (fused)
When I use the air compressor, I just use that power plug.

 

[Checkswrecks]

You assume wrong. No pump can be powered by the factory cig port w/o blowing the fuse. It's only got a 3 amp fuse and it has small wiring. It's intended for electronic devices, not high draw items like heated gear, lights or an air pump.

jmz has a dedicated power port on his bike that is wired strait to the battery. It's intended to both charge the battery by plugging into a maintenance charger or to be used for the air pump. He may have installed a SAE pigtail as well.

For everyone reading this thread. If you have an air pump, make darn sure you have the correct plug to connect it to the bike's power and that YOU have installed a 10 amp or better fused power connection direct to the battery for this purpose.

Totally agree and will add that the diameter of the wiring to the cigarette plug is only big enough for small devices. If you try to run high current by swapping in a bigger fuse, you risk that circuit melting the much more important wires that the thin wire is routed with and destroying the wire harness or frying the very expensive ECU.

 

[Sierra1]

Just to confirm: Battery Tender makes the female "cigarette lighter" pigtail that hooks into the battery side Tender pigtail. That's what you're talking about?

 

[jmz]

I added an SAE plug with a 15 amp fuse staight to the battery. It hangs just underneath the right side cover. It is just for this air pump and a battery charger.

Silverbullet even commented how strong he thought the airman was on our last ride .

Signatures ??? we don't need no stinking signatures !!!

 

[EricV]

Just to confirm: Battery Tender makes the female "cigarette lighter" pigtail that hooks into the battery side Tender pigtail. That's what you're talking about?

Not sure whom you are asking. Yes, that is one way of giving yourself a place to plug in the air pump. It's also fairly common for people that already have a Battery Tender or heated gear SAE style plug to just cut off the male cig plug from the air pump cord and change it to a SAE plug to work with what's on the bike.

On my previous S10 I installed a BMW style power port with a fused connection to the battery to allow charging with my Optimate 3 maintenance charger and I changed the air pump plug to fit that same style. The current S10 has a SAE pigtail for use with the air pump and a portable heat troller.

 

[fac191]

I just orderd this,
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rocky-Creek-Compressor-Fantastic-Compressor/dp/B00S7ZZDEI
I have an SAE optimate lead connected to the battery which i use for heated gear, what size fuse would you recommend to use with the pump ?

 

[EricV]

Typically 10 or 15 amp is just fine.

 

[Stef]

I just orderd this,
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rocky-Creek-Compressor-Fantastic-Compressor/dp/B00S7ZZDEI
I have an SAE optimate lead connected to the battery which i use for heated gear, what size fuse would you recommend to use with the pump ?

Many people use the Battery Tender pigtail for this and I think that comes with a 7.5A fuse. Keeping a 10 or 15 on hand just in case might not be a bad idea in case that pump has a higher draw. The wire gauge in the pigtail should be fine with it.

 

[Sierra1]

It's also fairly common for people that already have a Battery Tender or heated gear SAE style plug to just cut off the male cig plug from the air pump cord and change it to a SAE plug to work with what's on the bike.

Sometimes I scare myself overcomplicating stuff. That would be the easiest way. Thanks.

 

[EricV]

FWIW I have found Napa auto parts stores to carry SAE plugs in mating pairs in the trailer wiring area of the store. Note, if you're only using one end of the SAE plug for your project, that since they are identical plugs, one will have a red wire to the shielded pin, but the other will have the red wire to the exposed pin. Don't wire it with the 12v wire to the exposed pin on the 'hot' side of your connection.

I had a fun short issue when I unplugged a GPS and put it in my pannier, because of rough conditions in Alaska. I had used the left over SAE plug from another project and didn't pay attention to this issue. My plug, with the 12v wired to the exposed pin, would bounce against the metal of the bike and short out, blowing a fuse that powered my other GPS. Took me a couple of fuses before i realized what I had done. Taped over the exposed plug for the rest of the ride and fixed it when I got home.

 

[Stef]

That's what these are for ;D

https://www.amazon.com/MotoBatt-MBRTC-2-Pin-Replacement-Weather/dp/B006B7M5U4

 

[Crew Chief]

The wire gauge of the battery tender harness is quite small and probably shouldn't carry more the the 7.5 amps it comes fused for. You might get away with a bigger load a time or two, but I wouldn't push it. Warm and Safe sells an SAE harness that comes with a 15 amp fuse and has a heavier gauge wire. I'm planning on taking out the Cig adapter that came with my bike and cutting the wires off of it and chucking the device. I'll use the wires for a voltmeter, trigger wire and not much else. I have already installed a larger circuit with a suitable outlet.

 

[fac191]

Thanks for that would you have a part number for that I just looked it up and only saw one with their connection. Thanks.

 

[Crew Chief]

I didn't see it either. I sent him an email to see if he still has them or if he dropped them. I post back when I hear.