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Motopressor Pocket Pump By Ron Davis #111820
NO ONE WANTS TO GET A FLAT tire, but it happens, and if Murphy was right, it will happen at the worst possible time. Luckily, of the three flats I’ve had, two were discovered in the morning before I got on the road (slow leaks, drywall screws both), and the other suddenly occurred just as I was pulling into a parking lot and the bike started to slew sideways (nail). I’m not too handy mechanically, but I fig- ure I probably could do a plug if I had to and usually carry a kit; however, up until lately my plan was to rely on CO2 cartridges or the kindness of strangers when it came to re-inflating a tire, until, that is, I got a Motopressor Pocket Pump. There are more than a few por-
table air compressors suitable for carrying on a motorcycle on the market, but one thing that puts the Motopressor in the five final- ists’ category is its economy of size. Stripped down to the bare essentials, the unit only weighs about a pound and is roughly the size of your hand. Despite its small size, the
Motopressor seems pretty effi- cient. In my own test, the pump took a 140/80 R17 rear tire from 5 to 40 psi in about three minutes. Rocky Creek Designs, which designed and markets the pump, claims the diminutive wonder took an R 1200 GS rear to 28 psi in two minutes and will inflate anything to over 100 psi. The pump draws about five amps at startup, and I found the rate of inflation did not vary, whether the bike’s motor was running or not. Hooking up and operating the
Pocket Pump is easy. I already had a power cord with an SAE plug wired
28 BMW OWNERS NEWS August 2016
The Motopressor Pocket Pump can re-inflate a typical motorcycle tire in about three minutes.
tems don’t like powering devices like the Motopressor from the stock power outlet. The fused, SAE-fitted cord from the unit itself is about six feet long, so there’s plenty of reach to any wheel. The business end of the two foot air hose screws to the wheel’s valve stem, making this a hands-free opera- tion, which is a good thing since the pump quickly gets too hot to hold. I used my trusty MOA carabiner to hang the pump while it was running. You will need to let the pump cool down before stowing it in its
directly to my battery for a trickle charger, so it was easy to plug in and power up the Motopressor, but an SAE power cord is included with the unit. As most BMW owners are probably aware, CAN bus sys-
included neoprene pouch and returning it to your tank bag. The Motopressor does not have its own pressure gauge, so I’d advise also purchasing Rocky Creek’s inline Tire Gauge, which allows you to monitor pres- sure and, if necessary, adjust it with a bleed button. The pouch included with the pump is big enough to hold the pump, gauge, and a small plug kit.
The Motopressor Pocket Pump is
CE approved, carries a five-year war- ranty, and is available from a host of vendors including Altrider, ebay, and of course Rocky Creek Designs for $40-50, and the optional, inline gauge goes for around $18. More information is available at rocky-
creekdesigns.com, and videos show- ing it in operation can be found on YouTube.
PROS: Tiny, powerful
CONS: No pressure gauge on unit itself, too hot to handle
The $40-50 Motopressor Pocket Pump (shown with optional, inline tire gauge, $18) includes a neoprene pouch, battery cord with SAE plug, and six foot, fused power cord.
member tested
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