Fyi - just had my CB-X’s Rally Raid wheels sealed by BARTubeless in Italy. €80-odd euros. Testing them out for Rally Raid on my CB500X.

Similar to what I did to my Tenere but obviously more professional. Some sort of polymer, not 3M marine mastic.
We found it takes some depth out of the well which makes the final levering harder with some tyres like the GT201 rear I’m trying out. Front K60 went on OK, but as you can see it’s not a TL ‘safety’ rim. Had probs with the Tenere’s similar 21” when I DIY’d, but BARTubeless seemed to approve it providing pressure stays above 26psi. Plus I think wider - less of an issue.

That brand embossing would make fitting an emergency tube a bit problematic. I suppose it could be taped over.

Only available in Italy right now but Rally Raid may become a UK outlet. More on the website. Off to try them out in Morocco.

Update: BARTs worked fine and lost no air in 8000km. Ran them no lower than 1.8 on the front, 1.9 on the back. A bit on the hard side at times but didn't want to take chances.

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Adventure Motorcycling Handbook 8 • Morocco Overland 3 • Overlanders Handbook 2 • Twit

I contacted the guys from Tubliss (TUbliss Motorcycle Dirt Bike Durable Tires | Nuetech) regarding Africa Twin. I am currently building an 18" rear and thought it would be a good opportunity to go tubeliss. They only offered 2.15J in the 18" rear. Not sufficient for an Africa Twin.


http://tubliss.com/tubliss/tubliss-faq

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Squily

I dont see the point in it. When riding tubeless bikes i allways had problems loosing air. First i liked tubeless because you can fix a tire without having to take the wheel out but this only lasts for a few hundered kilometers serios offroad riding. At the end i allways endet up with a tube inside a tubles tire...

Depends how you classify serious off-roading I suppose, but for rallies and the like many turn to mousse for low pressure apps - also a form of 'tubeless' whlle they last.

PS: G'day Esperance - had some nice times there ;-)

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Adventure Motorcycling Handbook 8 • Morocco Overland 3 • Overlanders Handbook 2 • Twit

As this thread has been resurrected, this is what I intend to use, maybe with some 5200 sealant on the spoke nipples as belt and braces!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikKeVNBAmQQ

There's a reasonable chance this lot will be making tubeless wheels for the AT at some point:

Alpina UK | Alpina wheels and conversion kits

Perhaps in severe off road you may have issues? Also depends on the wheels you've got. Some are tough, some not. I was able to seriously POUND my Vstrom's cast wheels in Baja and Mexico on several occasions, I did put a couple dents in them but NEVER lost air or had any problems.

I hit square edged holes and BAD embedded rocks at 70 mph fully loaded several times. Very hard hits where I thought I had broken the frame! No damage to wheel most times. (see below)

But friends with DL650 Vstrom's had different experiences, dented wheel more easily than I did. Maybe DL1000 wheels are tougher? Mine sure where! (even though the Vstrom was never designed to ever go Off Road)

Based on that experience I'd think going tubeless with cast wheels would be worth while. I don't mind a few dents in my wheels ... but I hate flats and having to break down a tire.

One problem I see is putting a PLUG into a Knobby type tire. Could present problems? I never ran knobbies on my Vstrom so never had to do it. How does that go? Anyone?

I tried to seal the wheels up on my Spoke wheel'd DR650. I did something wrong as it would not hold air. I imagine a pro could do it for me no problem.
But next trip, I'm seriously thinking of a Bib Mousse insert. Just have to get schooled on how to get it OFF and ON. It used to take 3 guys and very specialized equipment to do a Bib Mousse .... I hear now it's much easier.


Dented V-Strom DID wheel. A Wheel guy wanted $100 to fix, I had it done in Mexico for $30. They used HEAT, a Jig of sorts and a BIG hammer. Good as new.

Agree- patching a tube sucks big time, especially if its 40C and there's no shade.

As for when you ding a rim- you can still carry a spare tube for that occasion (or when you slash a tyre so bad you can't plug it)

Plugs on a knobbie is the same as on a normal tyre- the grooves are just bit bigger LOL. Never had any issues. With some really big-arse cuts, we sometimes have to put a patch on the inside. It means you still have to pull the tyre of the rim, but it's still faster and easier than a tube.

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Squily

No it was because the mushroom? you can buy to fix a flat tubeles tire did just hold the air for a few days serios riding then the air came out the same way so we had to put a tube in.

Thread Resurrection Alert!

As we know, since this thread started, spoke tubeless wheels have become increasingly common on big advs, often on the more advenduresomely marketed option like F850Gs vs F750GS, etc.
There's a partial list on the HUBB here.
To keep up with that and other options I've updated my Tubeless page:

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Adventure Motorcycling Handbook 8 • Morocco Overland 3 • Overlanders Handbook 2 • Twit