Preparing for adventure Pre-trip servicing

Adventure Rider Issue #9

• Reader’s bike
• Wish you were here
• Luxury Holiday
• Karen Ramsay
• Dual Sports
• Ol mate
• Touratech
• Reader’s Ride
• John Hudson
• Preparing for adventure Pre-trip servicing
• Cuba
• Tankbags
• It’s what we do
• Simpson

A lot of adventure bikes have tubeless tyres, and tubeless plugs are an essential toolkit item. The tyres are repaired from the outside, and the plugs are very easy to use. Google it and you’ll see how easy it is. I’ve fixed cuts up to around 15mm in length – using about eight plugs – and if you get to the repair quickly you can even save some of the air in the tyre.

Even if you have tubeless tyres, it’s important to carry spare tubes as you won’t get the bead to re-seat properly without adequate air pressure, such as from a compressor at a service station.

It’s also a good idea to carry a couple of stick-on sleeves, which are like a heavy-duty patch in case there’s a split in the tyre. As it flexes on each rotation, the split can pinch the tube and cause another failure.