So, The Himalayan is about to get new tires, 6000+ miles on the bike with OEM tires/tubes. I have new tube for front and rear and have been hauling them around for spares. When the new tires go on, should I put new tubes with them and carry the old tubes for spare, or should I reuse the old tubes and run them till they give trouble then install the new tubes?
Depends on how much you enjoy taking tires off and changing tubes!
I personally hate it so I typically put new (ultra heavy duty) tubes in when I put a new tire on! If it saves me from having to change one tube along the side of the road it is worth it!
Quote from: Fencejumper09 on June 28, 2019, 08:59:15 AM
Depends on how much you enjoy taking tires off and changing tubes!
I personally hate it so I typically put new (ultra heavy duty) tubes in when I put a new tire on! If it saves me from having to change one tube along the side of the road it is worth it!
So then do you take your previous service tube as your spare, or do you buy brand new tube as spare?
I agree with FenceJumper although I haven't ran tubes in a while, I use Tubliss System on my dirty bikes. However before Tubliss. I always ran high quality Heavy Duty or Ultra Heavy Duty tubes. I don't want to mess around with flats on the side of the road. I think it's worth the extra money to install new tubes with new tires. Especially tires that get higher mileage like you have.
Quote from: thinwater on June 28, 2019, 09:25:37 AM
So then do you take your previous service tube as your spare, or do you buy brand new tube as spare?
The OEM tubes are probably average, standard duty tubes. The plus side is they pack up smaller when carried as spares. For light duty offroad and street use I would think those would be just fine. If I'm on a multi-day adventure or dual sport ride in rough terrain, I'm carrying new heavy duty tubes as spares.
I carry standard duty tubes as spares when I go on longer dual sport trips because of the pack size and and weight! I will inspect my old tubes and if they look good with no rubs or questionable areas I will save them for future use when in a pinch.
You can see my spare front tube attached to the fender here haha!
(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-HbLJhfh/0/3fa332e1/L/i-HbLJhfh-L.jpg)
If I were planning to go on a long trip in remote areas I would probably carry replacement heavy duty tubes. I generally just carry the one 21" spare standard duty tube as it will fit in a 18" rear and get me home in a pinch.
Quote from: Fencejumper09 on June 28, 2019, 10:45:37 AM
I carry standard duty tubes as spares when I go on longer dual sport trips because of the pack size and and weight! I will inspect my old tubes and if they look good with no rubs or questionable areas I will save them for future use when in a pinch.
You can see my spare front tube attached to the fender here haha!
(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-HbLJhfh/0/3fa332e1/L/i-HbLJhfh-L.jpg)
If I were planning to go on a long trip in remote areas I would probably carry replacement heavy duty tubes. I generally just carry the one 21" spare standard duty tube as it will fit in a 18" rear and get me home in a pinch.
That is about what I do. Tubless is not available for the A.T. (or the last time I checked it was not) so that's out. On the first tire change I put the standard 21" tube in my front fender bag for a spare and a HD for the front and rear tires I put on. On the next tire change I once again bought HD tubes for the front and rear, then put the old HD 21" tube in my front fender bag then tossed the OEM tube in the garbage. I always change the tubes when a tire change is needed. I always keep a spare or two tubes in the size's I need at the house. On both the old and new tubes I will use a bit of baby powder to coat the inside of the tires... sort of like a dry lube deal. ;)
I wouldn't tell you NOT to put in new tubes every tire change, but I have ran the same tubes in my wr250r for over 25,000 miles and I don't how many sets of tires. Never had a tube fail! Only one flat and that was from a screw. I also don't run low tire pressures. YMMV!
I also should add that I use a liberal amount of talcum powder on the tubes before I mount the tires.