CO2 Cartridges do they work?

A few years ago I won a CO2 emergence tire filler kit at one of the local bike shops and never had a chance to use it. Has anyone here, had the misfortune to need and use one. How did you like it? Was it easy to use and how many cartidges did it take to fill your tire?

I was just wondering.

I had the misfortune to have to use one. The rear tire on a BMW K1100LT. The plug kit was difficult to use. The cartridges (all 6 that I had) filled the tire to about 20 PSI. I don't reccommend them at all. Spend the $20 or so for one of the really good 12v compressors.

DennisB wrote:

A few years ago I won a CO2 emergence tire filler kit at one of the local bike shops and never had a chance to use it. Has anyone here, had the misfortune to need and use one. How did you like it? Was it easy to use and how many cartidges did it take to fill your tire?

I have not used any CO2 cartridges, but I have used the Stop-n-Go mushroom plug on the side of the road helping a Harley with a flat tire. The tire would not fully inflate with with 12V Cyclepump ... so I checked the plug with saliva and found the plug was leaking air all around the sides of the mushroom plug. We were only about 1.5 miles from a gas station ... which he still could fully inflate the tire so he decided to ride home a couple more miles with the reduced tire pressure.

At least with a 12V pump I could keep filling the tire periodically as needed until I reached spot to handle the tire versus being limited by the number of CO2 cartridges I have.

Jon and Bill,

I have a small air compressor on my scooter and have had it for some time now. Works great.



I was just wondering about the CO2 kit. It doesn't look like an easy thing to mess with.

I haven't tried one either, my Goldwing has an onboard compressor for the suspension which can also be used to pump up a tire. I'd think the CO2 kits ought to work better on a scooter than a car or motorcycle due to the smaller tire size. Have any of you seen the 'redneck' tire bead seating on Youtube? With the tire on the rim spray some flammable fluid into the tire through the gap between the rim and bead and throw a match at it. Bang goes the tire and it's instantly seated on the rim. I'd give that a try if I were out on the road and had a flat that unseated the tire, you wouldn't have to remove the tire to do it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uyANsdO1rI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xwfDEtk-R8

DennisB wrote:

I have a small air compressor on my scooter and have had it for some time now. Works great.

Which air compressor is this Dennis? Looks like a good one.

Hi Mandy,

Got it at Harbor Freight, on sale for 19.99 a few months ago. It's small but a little bit heavy but it works well.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=96068

If you decide to get one, besure to print out the 19.99 online sales ad and take it to your closest HFTools to get the sale price.

NOW ONLY $17.99 FROM 1-4-10 THRU 1-10-10:
http://www.harborfreightusa.com/usa/itemdisplay/displayItem.do?itemid=96068
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Hope you and the family are enjoying the new Ben and Vespa adventure.

Dennis, like exavid I have the built in compressor on the Gwing but am interested in a small compressor for the Swing. Problem is taking up space. To me the cartridges would be better than the can of "fix it flat". I have changed some tires that this stuff actually clogged up the valve stem and letting the air out to change the tire was a challenge.....of course if you have a flat and are on the side of the road most of us will be happy to use what ever we have. I carry a "Stop and Go" repair kit also. Dick
A roadside repair program is a good thing to have also. I use "Rescue Plus" from the GWRRA. Never had to use it on the Bikes but have used the locksmith part when I locked my keys in the car.