Tubes or mousse
 

Punctures are just one of those things that can't be predicted. Some people seem to get a lot but I've only ever had 8 that I can remember (amounts to about 1 per 100,000kms) but only two were easily fixed and they were on tubeless tyres.

Reading the Dave Lomax lightweight kit list reminds me just how much stuff you need to carry to cover every eventuality. I've carried a can of slime type product from time to time and used it in the hope that it'll get me or someone else home without all the hassle of repairing/replacing the tube, but the can is usually past its sell by date and has never worked for me except on wheelbarrows. So you need to have the spanners to get the wheel off and undo the security bolts, really good tyre levers, new tubes, puncture repair kit, foot pump or compressor and CO2 as a back up and probably some means of patching the inside of the tyre if it's a bad cut. All this amounts to a lot of extra weight.

So are mousses a fit and forget solution? They're quite expensive, don't last very long and are apparantly a pig to fit but is it worth the effort for long off road trips. What are they like to ride on? Most teams use them for rallyes but then you hear reports that they overheat and are replaced every day which is fine if someone else is doing it (and paying for it)

Anyone used Tireballs?

Colebatch tried Mousses last year for the BAM road.

They were a real struggle to fit - it took 4 heavy Russian tyre fitters to get them on.

They were fine for a couple of weeks (about 1,000 miles from memory, wihout looking it up) of loose and totally off-road, then the rear just went soggy as if punctured.

We struggled hard to remove it so as to put a tube back in.

Significantly, he is now just returned to the Russian Pacific area for more loose riding - with tubes.

No doubt he will add to this information when he catches up with Internet.

Mousses are generally for competition enduro or rallye bikes. I use them in my 400EXC which is used just for trailriding etc. I'd never fit them on a larger, heavier bike that's intended to cover long distances at higher speeds, they'll just overheat & fall to pieces. There's an example of this happening near the end of Boormans Race to Dakar DVD.

They can be exceptionally difficult to fit without the right tools & knowledge, think fitting a solid, fully inflated inner tube & you'll be close. You also need to lube them well to aid fitting & to prolong their life.

I still use rimlocks with Mousses as the tyre can still spin on the rim with mousses fitted.

We contacted Scott Summer Racing, inventors of Tire Balls. Scott's Dad said at that time they could not recommend Tire Balls for any Dual Sport use, only race bikes. That was 5 years ago. They said they were looking to evolve the product so it could be used on highway.

Check on with them and ask.

Also think about doing a Tubeless conversion ... especially for the rear tire.
I'm still working on this on my bike. For now, just have to struggle changing tubes.

Mousses require special equipment and SKILL to change. The Michelin guys
at the Dakar can do one in ten minutes. But they are set up for it. They are also very expensive and don't last on highway at all, especially in hot weather, from what I've read.

Think trying to squeeze an angry, greased pig through a letter-box and that might be closer. (I use mousses and sometimes it's a 10min job and others it's....erm....er.......not)

My mate has just fitted the Tubeliss(sp?) system to the wheels of his Husaberg 570. I'll post some feedback when he has a few thousand miles on them.

As others have stated mousses are for competition purposes. Highly impractical for a road/dualsport trip. Not suited to pavement and or long streches of high speed. You're tires will heat up and disappear rapidly.

Cheers,

Pawlie

these guys make any tire puncher proof
 

Rhinotire - Puncture Proof /Flat Proof Tires: Welcome!

You stop by one of the dealers or send you tires to them and they coat the inside . For a scooter tire it's 20 bucks.
The video shows them driving over nails in board etc.
Does it work? I don't know I ve not used it but if it's half that it's made up to be then it could save you a world of pain . :oops2:

I know of a few people using mousses for general trail riding - no high speed road use (none without issues). Around here the riding is about 90% off road but I was thinking more of using them for long trips away from home which would inevitably involve quite a few miles on the road. I'm still put off by the fact that they are expensive, hard to fit and need changing frequently. Probably best to stick with tubes that have served well up till now, it's just a nuissance having to carry so much stuff to be sure that you can make a 'get you home' repair.

Tubeless are good until you pick up a large cut that can't be fixed with a plug. I've found tubeless versions (TL) of some tyres are a tighter fit on the wheel than the TT version of the same tyre so I fit TT tyres on the GS as there is a chance I can get them off the rim at the roadside if I need to. I've also started carrying car type mushroom plugs to patch up cuts on the inside of the tyre before fitting the new tube. I've not had to use them yet but the last time I had a cut in the tyre, whatever I did it kept puncturing the tube.

As stated earlier, I use mousses in my 400EXC, I did fit them nearly three years ago, I only service them (clean & re-lube) when replacing the tyres and have covered at least 2,500 miles on the same pair.

There are a few nicks in them from tyre changing & one from something that penetrated the tyre itself. They're still in usable shape & expect them to last until next spring at least.

Note that my EXC weighs about 127kg fully fuelled (13 litre tank), there's no way I'd consider fitting them to my 205kg 950SE, it would destroy them & would be a complete waste of money & time.

I have no personal experience of pig greasing, what you do at the weekends is your business...... :rolleyes:

motosyberia guys also used mousses last year when they headed off from Magadan to find a way to Chukotka ... 300 km or so from Magadan they gave up on the mousses and fitted tubes.

I think ultra heavy duty tubes are a better bet.