Compact tire inflater

firefly

Well-Known Member
I bought this inflater a while back, it fits under the gen-1 seat very nicely, I never used it until today when I saw my neighbor standing in front of his car with an almost flat tire, he was trying to pump it with a bicycle hand pump, so I offered to help & got the pump out, hooked it to his car cigarette lighter, then attached it to the tire stem (this pump has a threaded fitting that fits the threads of the stem, once attached it does not leak & I didn't have to hold it constantly to inflate the tire) the best feature ever! the pump itself worked great & is worth every penny.
 
Last edited:
I used to have a 12v pump like that, it took like 25 minutes to air up a car tire. It put just enough air in so you could roll to a real compressor and fill it.
Is that one any better?
 
Yep, thats the only drawback from the smaller, compact air compressors. But I will say that the newer models make quick work of even car tires. The one I use on my bike will inflate a car tire to spec PSI in 8 minutes. That's not bad at all. As technology progresses, you'll see quicker fill-up times by these smaller units.
 
I have seen that one before and seems small enough to carry in your tank bag. I guess the only other alternative are the small inflators w/ CO2 cartridges.
 
Take care not to set the compressor in the dry dirt where it can pick up lots of dust while running as dust will kill these units real quick.

I used mine to air up a friends bike when we noticed his front was low, he only had 22#'s. I gave him grief about his pre-ride inspection.
 
Take care not to set the compressor in the dry dirt where it can pick up lots of dust while running as dust will kill these units real quick.

I used mine to air up a friends bike when we noticed his front was low, he only had 22#'s. I gave him grief about his pre-ride inspection.

Have a bunch of harley guys at work, we got on this discussion a few weeks ago. Always check mine and they said they just bump theirs before they leave. Tried to explain to them that just a few pounds off will change the shape of a tire when loaded and totally change the handling characteristics. Think i may have got one of them on board, said he was going to get a small air gauge to carry on his bike.
 
So you would need a cigarette outlet on your bike to use this pump (unless it comes with alligator clips, which I don't see). Does the battery have enough juice for this, or do you need to have the engine running which I don't think these units tolerate too well. Just not sure how useful a unit like this would be out in the boonies. I have an Ultraflate inflator + 10-12 CO2 cartridges in my tank bag which probably take up a similar space to an inflator like this, I've used the CO2 system once and it worked fine, a half dozen cartridges inflates a rear tire to about 30 lbs so you can easily ride safely home.
 
I would personally leave the bike running, this is my power outlet, great for charging cellphones or anything else.

DSC00435.jpg

DSC00434.jpg
 
I considered Co2 inflater but this pump is a much better deal, it fully inflates to desired psi, having a cigarette lighter outlet now a days is a practical mod for all the gadgets we have.
a good point was made in a previous post to keep the pump away from dusty environment when using it, (don't put it on a dusty road surface) since it sucks the outside air from its vents & dust will damage the pump, but that goes for any pump. I would keep the bike running and rev it a little so not to drain the battery.
to me a pump is way better than a CO2 inflater, its threaded nozzle is brilliant, imagine having to hold the nozzle for 10 min, also having a separate pressure gauge is a good idea. its not the smallest but at this price and size it sure beats the $120.00 cycle pump which is much smaller but has no threaded nozzle.
 
This is what's not found in other compact tire inflaters. I wonder if these connectors are sold separately & where to get them?

Thanks
 
Back
Top