Hi Folks

I bought this pump from Hein Gericke yesterday - £20 GBP, weighs 250g, pumps upto 10bar/140psi, 15cm x 9.5cm x 7.5cm. It comes with a selection of fittings, bag and the hose screws off.

It's compact, but looks a bit flimsy as it's made of heavy duty plastic. I reckon it will do the job - as long as it's treated with care... I'm told it'll be OK for tubeless - I'll update this post when I've changed the tyres again

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Fuzzy Duck
(I'm quackers about bikes)

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Fuzzy Duck
(I\'m quackers about bikes)

Tyre-repair specialists,


A few months later now. I am wondering wich outcomes you can report on the BikersDream pump. It seems ideal for the job: light, comes with nanometer, compact, operated by feet/leg. In the Netherlands for 31 Euros
Will it last for multiple use? I am considering to buy the mentioned pump. Wise choice? Anything better availible?

Curious on any reply,

Guido Bijsterbosch
Groningen
The Netherlands

Build one of these for cheap. No need for "foot work" to get some air.

http://www.nohorizons.net/Micropump.htm

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Kevin

http://www.nohorizons.net

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http://www.nohorizons.net

To be honest I've not used the footpump yet - but I have also built my own air compressor as Kevin has suggested. I will take both - just in case one or the other fails.

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Fuzzy Duck
(I'm quackers about bikes)

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Fuzzy Duck
(I\'m quackers about bikes)

Dear Kevin and Fuzzy Duck,

Charmed by the idea of taking both the luxary of an electrical pump and the reliability of and muscle supported pump, I keep in mind the suggestion of light travels. So, for me the option of taking two repair tools for the same purpose seems to be overdone.
While doing the Atlantic route by car the use of budget aircompressors turned out to be stressfull(would it fullfill the job?) because of the intense heat the fragile tools generated. We took a spare one. The backup cheap footpump died after mild abuse on soft sandy surface.
On a motorbike, with every weight counting I would go for the reliable muscle operated pump. Has anyone experiance with the mentioned BikerDream pump?

"Do not drive faster than your guardian angel can fly"

Bijsterbosch
Groningen
The Netherlands

Yep, we have experience with the Bikers Dream... definately NOT a dream.
As Fuzzy Duck wrote: "looks a bit flimsy as it's made of heavy duty plastic", well... it IS flimsy !
Before leaving on our 7 months trip, I spent a few hours wrapping the main body and other flimsy-looking areas of the pump in softish rubber, tightened with zipties. The pump worked well, and got a nice --protected-by-other-soft-things-- place in our aluminium panniers.
After some two months and a few rough roads, we wanted to use it for adding some air in our tyres (not a puncture, luckily !). We were in Skardu, Northern Pakistan by then. And what I already suspected at home had happened: there was a tiny crack right where the tube comes out of the main body, making the pump completely useless. (we gave it to a local guy explaining the problem - maybe he managed to use some of it in the end)
The problem with the thing is exactly that: hard plastic and motorbiking does NOT go well together. It might serve for a smooth tour on smooth tarmac, but it's not worth the price, nor can it be relied on.
(besides: the nanometre is crap too - take a good solid item - VERY best one is the tiny bakelite nanometre from Michelin --comes in protective soft-plastic box--, but costs some 50-60 euros)

Solution (on this trip at least): we bought a metal, foldable footpump in Gilgit a few days later. Chinese, but solid, and available in most countries. Works perfect. However it's twice the size of the BD.

The compressor Kevin shows looks like a good alternative too.

And there's one more device that no-one has mentioned so far: the "pump tube" that screws into your sparkplug hole and works on your engine. We used this on a trip with BMWs, but you need a more-then-one cilynder for it (reason why we couldn't take it this time on the DRs). You take out one sparkplug and screw the tube into it. You put the sparkplug back into it's socket (?) and make sure it stays in touch with the mass of the bike - IMPORTANT not to ruin your bike's electrics ! Then you start the engine (making it run on one-less-cilynder) and out comes the compressed air, as much and as long as you need !
Trouble is... I can't recall where I bought the thing. Gericke/Louis/Wunderlich/???
Maybe someone else knows where ?

Happy pumping !

Trui


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Iris and Trui
2 belgian women, often travelling on motorbikes (now on DR650SE's)
2nd overland from home to Northern India and back, April-October 2002

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Iris and Trui
2 belgian women, often travelling on motorbikes (now on DR650SE\'s)
2nd overland from home to Northern India and back, April-October 2002

Oh dear! It seems the 'biker's dream' really is a nightmare - thanks for the tip-off! I've used it a few times for green laning and it's OK - but I guess it just ain't tough enough for a serious trip. The pump that uses the spark-plug hole is available from <a href ="http://www.aerostitch.com">www.aerostitch.com</a> - I'm not sure if you can get it outside the USA.

Ted Simon used something similar - although I seem to remember a thread somewhere on this website that said the version they used fell to pieces - although this might not be the same model as the one from Aerostitch. I notice that Aerostitch are also selling 12V compressors too! I dunno - I guess I'll ditch the biker's nightmare and try and find something a bit more heavy duty! Aerostitch do some nice stuff - but I understand that the import charges to get stuff to the UK can be really high - anyone know any different? Or if they have a UK dealer?

[This message has been edited by Fuzzy Duck (edited 23 March 2003).]

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Fuzzy Duck
(I\'m quackers about bikes)

'Biker's Nightmare', 'You F****** C***', 'Tyre Deflator' are all more accurate names for this useless piece of %&£$.

Fell apart in my hands after a half-dozen pumps. The clear plastic cover on the gauge popped off and the needle flew out, hose leaked more air than the pump could replace. Completely crap. Avoid.


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Barry
3AJ Tenere

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Barry
XT600Z 3AJ Tenere (rebuild in progress)
SRX600

I take a good quality mountain bike pump on my traily. Inflating the tyres takes a bit of effort but, the pump is very lightweight and robust.

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\"Bon Chance\"

My BMW pump broke..surprise surprise.. so I picked up a foot pump in metal for one dollar and strapped it to the crashbars. Works a treat.

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Close to Antarctica and a long way from reality

Yep I've had the 'bikers dream' pump as well. Returned it to Hein Gerricke (brogen) after a couple of uses and got it exchanged for a new one. Didn't even contemplate taking that on my Africa trip. I've seen it being sold in some UK motorcycle accessory catalogues with different colour and different name but still easily identifiable as the 'bikers dream'. You can't disguise that piece of sh*t that easily you little rascals!!

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My website
Africa Trip web journal

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Africa Trips web journal

I second this approach but on our 2 bike trip this time we are also taking a rubberised cased compressor as my arms get tired. Its a michelin one from Halfords I will report on its surviability and usfulness.

Charlie

The Gizmo mentioned in earlier threads above that pumps up tyres from your engine is called an "engineair" pump £19.99 or dollars, im not sure, from www.aerostitch.com, look under pumps.
I would like to see someone use it with an XT600.....as it requires a multicylinder bike like a BMW or a V twin like a Wee Strom. clever bit of kit though.....

Hi,

I use a 12 V mini electric compressor snd satisfied with it.
Why do I need a footpump instead of electric compressor?

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"where the traveller goes, nobody knows ! "