Motorcycle Tubes

Unless your motorcycle is equipped with tubeless rims and tires, you cannot get on the road without a pair of proper inner tubes. Bike tubes are designed to work as air cushions inflated inside your tires to provide you with a smooth and comfortable ride. It is always a good idea to take spare motorcycle tubes with you on your journey even if your bike is running on tubeless tires since an inner tube can provide a temporary fix for a heavily damaged tubeless tire. In our online store, you can find a wide range of motorcycle tubes for both front and rear tires that can satisfy the needs of any rider.

Before acquiring a set of new inner tubes for your motorcycle, it is good to know some basic facts about these products and recommendations about their proper use. Usually, bike tubes are made of a mixture of synthetic and natural rubber. Premium-quality tubes have a higher percentage of natural rubber as it is more pliable and less susceptible to punctures helping to prevent flat tires. That is why racing teams choose to equip their bikes with such tubes. On the other hand, synthetic rubber is more affordable. To eliminate flats completely, you can use so-called mousse tubes. They use solid foam inserts that simulate air pressure.

If your motorcycle is equipped with spoked wheels, before installing new tubes, don’t forget to change rim strips to prevent punctures caused by contacts with spoke nipples. The thicker the tube, the better it is protected from flats. Note that motorcycle manufacturers tend to save money on tubes releasing their new machines with thinner, mostly synthetic rubber inner tubes, so you may want to change them to avoid unpleasant surprises on the road. Professional racers prevent flats by using heavy-duty tubes, but installing too heavy inner tubes is not a very good idea either since it increases unsprung weight while reducing grip.

Always use inner tubes of a proper size. A too large tube gets pinched easily, and if it is too small for your tire, it needs to be overinflated making the tube more susceptible to damage. Inflate your tires with pressure recommended by the manufacturer. Don’t forget that internal pressure can increase during operation. You can reduce heat expansion by filling your tubes with nitrogen. By using baby powder or corn starch on your inner tube before installation, you may reduce friction between the tube and tire increasing its service life. To prevent pinches during installation, shape your inner tube by adding a small portion of air.

The weakest point of an inner tube is its valve stem. It can easily get damaged and even torn off completely if the tire spins on the rim. That is why we recommend to never tighten the nut on a valve stem. Leave it loose so that when your tire spins a little, your valve stem may get tilted without suffering any damage. When you see that your valve stem is at an angle, readjust your inner tube so that the stem gets perfectly centered. While fitting new tires, always use new inner tubes. Even though a patched motorcycle tube may work perfectly well, we recommend replacing it with a new one, since the patch becomes another weak point of your tube.