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Inner Tube Choice - help please!

salty_monk

salty_monk

Forum Guru
Past Site Supporter
TGSR Superstar
Looking for tubes for the 1980 550E.

Going with Avon Roadrider tyres. In my 1000's I run Michelin tubes but on the 550 it seems Michelin don't do one to suit the rear.

This is where I'm getting them... http://www.americanmototire.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=610

I presume one of the Kenda or similar tubes will fit but the sizes are different they seem to be in "old money" rather than simply stating 120/90-18....

Anyone help me out with what I should buy here? Hoping to order online but if not I'll give them a call tomorrow.

Cheers,

Dan :)
 
Tubes

Tubes

Inner tubes interest me. I keep track of what's in all 4 of my bike tires and always have. Your two choices are either latex rubber or butyl which became popular during the rubber shortage of WW2 (that was the 'big one').

Latex is more supple and has better elasticity but is also more porous and needs more attention (air monitoring). They are also more puncture resistant. Butyl tubes hold air better but heat up more.

Tubes seem to vary a lot between manufacturers. Right now, I'm running 3 IRC tubes and 1 Dunlop tube. The Dunlop tube doesn't hold air nearly as well as the IRC tubes. I have no idea why that is.:confused:
 
"Latex" here would mean "natural rubber latex". Natural rubber leaks air something like 50 times as fast as butyl rubber. Natural rubber is also stretchier than butyl. Heat buildup in the butyl tubes won't be any problem if you keep the tires properly inflated.
 
Interesting discussion but I don't think there are any latex tubes on the market since they leak and have poor durability. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Regarding the question at hand, I've never had any trouble with tubes, even cheap ones. Would prefer to use a name brand but not sure how important it is.
 
Nessism said:
Interesting discussion but I don't think there are any latex tubes on the market since they leak and have poor durability. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Regarding the question at hand, I've never had any trouble with tubes, even cheap ones. Would prefer to use a name brand but not sure how important it is.
Click to expand...

I don't know, Ness...you're probably right. I think you could probably find both but I'm not so sure. Lots of the advertisements don't tell which product you're buying.

I digress but.....several years ago, I was riding a rented motorcycle in southern Thailand and stopped in the middle of 'nowhere' in order to check out the little cups hanging on the rubber trees. It was really white and sticky, and not much of it, but I guess it gets us where we're going.!!!!!;)
 
Do you have a Cycle Gear locally? They have a bunch of tubes in stock. I just bought the $12 one and it holds air. :D
 
hehe :D I didn't mean to start a Latex war... What I really wanted was someone to tell me what size tube will fit on this damn 18" wheel with a 120 tyre fitted!!

There is none listed for a 120 90 18. There are lots listed by inch. If someone can give me the inch size I can work out the manufacturer for the tubes for myself.... by the way, the Michelin's seem pretty good & hold air pretty well, I top off about every 6 weeks a couple of PSI.

Dan :)
 
?

?

Try a 4.00/4.25 inch tube. And dont leave the nut done up against the rim, nip it up against the valve cap which should have a rubber seal inside it aswell. If they have them the nut and washer should be done up firm on the actual tube as ive seen them loose and it rips the tube after a bit of use from "movement". Michelins dont have that setup just a nice round nut. If ure real fussy use some talcum powder inside the tyre to let the tube move without wearing.
salty_monk said:
hehe :D I didn't mean to start a Latex war... What I really wanted was someone to tell me what size tube will fit on this damn 18" wheel with a 120 tyre fitted!!

There is none listed for a 120 90 18. There are lots listed by inch. If someone can give me the inch size I can work out the manufacturer for the tubes for myself.... by the way, the Michelin's seem pretty good & hold air pretty well, I top off about every 6 weeks a couple of PSI.

Dan :)
Click to expand...
 
Natural rubber latex tubes were available for "tubular" tires on bicycles. Bicycle tubulars don't have a bead. The casings of the tires are stitched to each other, and the entire assembly is glued to the rim. The tires are also called "sew-ups". People who ride bikes using tubulars know how many grams each part weighs, and are ruthless in cutting weight. Latex tubes are marginally lighter than butyl tubes. Also, the latex tubes are a bit bouncier than butyl tubes. Neither effect would ever be detectable on a motorcycle. Latex tubes lose air fast enough that a bicyclist would add air several times per day.

I'd be surprised if latex tubes have been available for motorcycle tires in recent decades. Adding air would be necessary every couple of days. People would be crashing from underinflated tires.

For tube size, I'd ask the dealer of the tube. They should know what size tires their tubes fit.

I second the use of talc between the tire and tube. Not foot powder, talc. But it's getting hard to find.
 
I made the mistake of buying some latex tubes for my bicycle one time; they were three times more expensive than butyl tubes and the valve stem tore out in a fairly short period of time. Never again.
 
Thanks Sharpy... exactly what I was after. 4.00 4.25 it is.

I've always used Butyl tubes in the mountain bikes, the "superlight" ones barely carry any weight penalty to Latex.
One of my mountain bikes is tubeless these days too... don't hold air as well as a tube though!

Dan :)
 
It appears that butyl tubes are fairly common. I'm not sure about this but I think all of the Cheng Shin tubes are butyl.:-k
 
I thought my Dunlop K491 on back was tubeless but after running over a big screw on sunday it appears theres a tube in there. I tried to limp it home on fix a flat but that didnt work at all. I left a big pool of it on the tow truck flat bed. He can use some of the $130 I gave him for a wash.

So do you think a new tube will fix me up or is that small screw hole dead center on the tire enough to make it junk ?
 
I think that comes down to the type of riding you do and personal choice. Dunlop's website says that some flats can be safely repaired. As long as the hole isn't in the sidewall and isn't too big, you might be OK...but it seems like a screw would make a pretty nasty hole.

Also, you might want to consider how much tread you have left. Personally, I'd get a new tire (but I wouldn't be happy about it). If I didn't, I'm afraid it would just give me something else to worry about while I'm flying down the road.:)
 
Huh?

Huh?

Nessism said:
Hey chucky, took the liberty of fixing your post.:cool: What do you think?
Click to expand...

I don't get it.....:confused: But it seems like a weird thing to do, considering none of that is true and none of that is what I wrote...but, hey, if that's what you want to do, that's cool, I guess.
 
Last edited:
Nessism said:
I made the mistake of buying some latex tubes for my bicycle one time; they were three times more expensive than butyl tubes and the valve stem tore out in a fairly short period of time. Never again.
Click to expand...

I tried urethane tubes once, with similar results.
 
Went with IRC Heavy Duty tubes as recommended by AMT this time. About $20 for a set.

Dan :)
 
Do you need tubes? On my GS 550 with cast wheels I mounted the tires without tubes and they have held air for 5 months no problems. Am I missing something?
 
tcraft128 said:
Do you need tubes? On my GS 550 with cast wheels I mounted the tires without tubes and they have held air for 5 months no problems. Am I missing something?
Click to expand...
I guess you're good. My rims aren't stamped "tubeless" so I run with them.
 
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