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Tube Types

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No. All you would be doing is making a nice clean seat for the tubeless valve - nothing substantial. You quite possibly wouldn't have to do anything. To revert back to a tube you'd just cut off the tubeless valve, stick the tube inside the 'tubeless' tyre and its valve back through the hole.
 
On very similar bikes (gs1000E versuse gs1000G) I got at least 4k miles extra out of the rear Avon on the G which was setup tubeless....

Run cooler tubeless so I don't think it's coincidence. Out of the two the G did more freeway work and was ridden 2 up or fully loaded etc so if anything should have got less miles..
 
5azzmonkey said:
Would doing so prevent me from reverting back to tubes?

-Dave
Click to expand...

Yes

Ignore those anti tube guys - I've used them for the entire 34 years I've had my wire wheel 78 1000 and never (never) had a problem.Some people just can't mount tires correctly

The natural rubber tubes do delflate slowly, had a nail on Wolf Creek Rd and that saved my ass big time
 
Big T said:
Yes

Ignore those anti tube guys - I've used them for the entire 34 years I've had my wire wheel 78 1000 and never (never) had a problem.Some people just can't mount tires correctly

The natural rubber tubes do delflate slowly, had a nail on Wolf Creek Rd and that saved my ass big time
Click to expand...

Good point! :clap:

Eric
 
Butyl versus natural rubber:

"Natural rubber" is a polymer of isoprene. Rubber tree sap has a lot of it. So do milk weeds, and lots of other plants. It is far stretchier than butyl rubber, and a small puncture is less likely to become a big tear. But it holds air very poorly.

Butyl rubber is a polymer of butylene. When made properly, it holds air about 100 times better than natural rubber. Almost all tubes are made of butyl rubber.

Tubelss tires have a thin layer (or two) of butyl rubber (actually cholobutyl or bromobutyl, for the technical folks) on the inside surface. Since it is bonded to the tire body, the chance of it tearing is essentially zero.

If you use a natural rubber tube, you should probably add air at least once per day.

I've never installed a tube in a motorcycle tire, but I've done it countless times on bicycles. I find it very useful to use powedered talc and lots of care to be sure that the tube isn't pinched in any way.
 
Big T said:
Yes

Ignore those anti tube guys - I've used them for the entire 34 years I've had my wire wheel 78 1000 and never (never) had a problem.Some people just can't mount tires correctly

The natural rubber tubes do delflate slowly, had a nail on Wolf Creek Rd and that saved my ass big time
Click to expand...
You don't have a choice, he does.
 
I have been running no tubes for 3 years now and from my understanding, a simple puncture will leak very slowly in a tubeless tire as long as the offending object (nail) stays in place. This is safer than a tube which will most likely tear and release the air more quickly. I don't see any advantage to running a tube unless the rim won't hold air.
 
Big T said:
A cast wheel does not equate to tubeless -of it isn't stamped tubeless, why tempt fate?
Click to expand...
I agree it does not equate to tubeless. A spoke wheel does equate to tubes. I'm just saying.
Not sure about the tempting fate part, though. Many of us run/ran tubeless on those rims, myself included. I never felt that I was tempting fate, I was making it much easier to fix a flat. Dealer's choice.
 
One of the reasons for using tubeless tires, is lower heat buildup. As the tire rotates. a tube wriggles or squirms against the inner surface of the tire. The friction builds heat. Heat built in that region takes a long path to escape to the air.

Another reason to use a tubeless tire is weight. A tube weighs a lot more than the innerliner that replaces it.

Few riding conditions build enough heat to risk tire damage. Speed rating is essentially about designing and manufacturing the tire to minimize heat buildup, and to be able to withstand heat. Most motorcycle tires are rated H or higher. On GSes, we almost never reach speeds that our tires are rated for.

The extra weight extracts only a miniscule performance - and mileage - hit.

Therefore, using a tube in a tubeless tire can make perfect sense to make it easier to get going again after flatting on a ride.
 
What about an instance where the tire is leaking and pressure is getting really low, unbeknownst to the rider. I've had this happen to me; riding along on the freeway, grabbed my exit and as soon as I slowed down noticed the tire was almost flat. So we have a seriously low tire, but with the tube inside it held at least some air. My wondering is what would happen in that instance with a tubeless conversion? My concern is the tire could have easily come away from the bead which would have meant no air, instead of some. Not sure if this is a realistic possibility, but it's the reason I choose to use tubes in my tires as the rim doesn't have the safety bumps to hold the tire in place.
 
Tubeless tires have an inner liner that is designed to hold fast around an object, like a nail, and not lose air quickly. In fact, a tube could indeed rip slightly as the tire continues to rotate in operation, thereby causing a rapid loss of air.
 
Nessism said:
What about an instance where the tire is leaking and pressure is getting really low, unbeknownst to the rider. I've had this happen to me; riding along on the freeway, grabbed my exit and as soon as I slowed down noticed the tire was almost flat. So we have a seriously low tire, but with the tube inside it held at least some air. My wondering is what would happen in that instance with a tubeless conversion? My concern is the tire could have easily come away from the bead which would have meant no air, instead of some. Not sure if this is a realistic possibility, but it's the reason I choose to use tubes in my tires as the rim doesn't have the safety bumps to hold the tire in place.
Click to expand...

If you have rims without the safety bumps, use tubes. Your reasoning is correct.

1980GS1000E said:
Tubeless tires have an inner liner that is designed to hold fast around an object, like a nail, and not lose air quickly. In fact, a tube could indeed rip slightly as the tire continues to rotate in operation, thereby causing a rapid loss of air.
Click to expand...

That is correct. As noted before, butyl rubber compounds tear easily. Because of that, tires that rely on an inner tube to hold pressure deflate rapidly when punctured.

Sometimes, an object that penetrates a tubeless tire will result in a slow leak, slow enough that the tire can be pumped up enough to make it safely to a good place to repair it.
 
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