We are fortunate to have sponsors of this forum. If their products are decent and prices reasonable, I believe we should support them, especially if we are in the market for what they have to offer.
Motopumps http://motopumps.com was one of the companies that threw in for the last holiday giveaway. I was lucky to be one of the winners (and I haven’t even owned my ST for a full year!). In order of prioritization (tires and accessory lights already taken) I chose the Motopump. On notifying Rob, the Motopumps contact, I promptly received the basic Motopumps kit with all the connectors. http://motopumps.com/inventory/images/inventory%20pictures/56_3.JPG . Here’s a rough review of what I think of the product (I encourage all winners to do something like this, if you haven’t already).
First of all, I can’t see any serious adventure rider not carrying some version of these pumps. They are extremely useful for refilling your tires up to asphalt pressure after you have let some air out to make off-road conditions more rideable – let alone after repairing a flat (CO2 cartridges not necessary!). They also are useful for effortless filling air mattresses or air-supported tents.
The Motopump kit that I received was extremely compact and came in a handy pouch with nozzles and needles to suit tires and anything else that might need filling. It also came with three ways to connect to your ST power: “ cigarette lighter” socket plug, SAE connector, and battery terminal clips. The basic attachment from the pump is an SAE plug. My ST came with one that was already attached to the battery which hung out from the right side cowling. I could easily just plug the pump right into it and none of the included attachments were needed. However, one of the enclosed attachments could easily be put on the terminals of a battery to give this kind of handy access plug (mine currently sticks out and rests on the ALTRIDER crash bars). One thing to note is that the OEM “Cigarette” lighter socket on the ST is only 3 amp. The pump is 10 amp. Rob says that he puts a 10 amp fuse in that socket in order to use. I am uncomfortable with that, but really didn’t need to do that anyway.
The pump itself is nice and light. It has an off/on switch and easily reaches the front and back tires with both the electrical connection and the filling hose. It IS a wee bit noisy, but that’s the nature of the little beast. It does have an exposed nylon gear. Not sure why it is exposed (maybe to save weight and size that a cover would entail), but it really isn’t any kind of safety issue. The pump can be set on the ground or floor without this being a problem or it can simply be held until filling is done. I haven’t filled a full tire yet, but getting my tire pressure from 28 to 33 psi took literally 5 seconds.
So, in the end, I probably would have bought this pump if I hadn’t won it. Can’t see being without one. The website lists them at $34.99 with just the cigarette lighter plug, or $44.99 with all the connections that I received. That’s a good deal. They also threw in a Slime Tire Tackle repair kit with a key chain pencil tire gauge, valve cores, chrome hex caps, plastic caps, and a 4-Way tool (to remove valves, retap treads, etc.) – a nice touch. Not sure if this is put in with every order, but appreciated the added freebie. I haven’t tried any other compact pumps to compare this with, but I certainly don’t have any reservations about recommending this to any ST owners, or any motorcyclist, for that matter. The site says there is a V.2 soon to be available. Not sure what the updated version will update or be priced at, but the V.1 seems fine. Thank you, Motopumps for the fine product and continued forum sponsorship!
Anyone else purchased one and wants to share some comments and/or experiences?
Motopumps http://motopumps.com was one of the companies that threw in for the last holiday giveaway. I was lucky to be one of the winners (and I haven’t even owned my ST for a full year!). In order of prioritization (tires and accessory lights already taken) I chose the Motopump. On notifying Rob, the Motopumps contact, I promptly received the basic Motopumps kit with all the connectors. http://motopumps.com/inventory/images/inventory%20pictures/56_3.JPG . Here’s a rough review of what I think of the product (I encourage all winners to do something like this, if you haven’t already).
First of all, I can’t see any serious adventure rider not carrying some version of these pumps. They are extremely useful for refilling your tires up to asphalt pressure after you have let some air out to make off-road conditions more rideable – let alone after repairing a flat (CO2 cartridges not necessary!). They also are useful for effortless filling air mattresses or air-supported tents.
The Motopump kit that I received was extremely compact and came in a handy pouch with nozzles and needles to suit tires and anything else that might need filling. It also came with three ways to connect to your ST power: “ cigarette lighter” socket plug, SAE connector, and battery terminal clips. The basic attachment from the pump is an SAE plug. My ST came with one that was already attached to the battery which hung out from the right side cowling. I could easily just plug the pump right into it and none of the included attachments were needed. However, one of the enclosed attachments could easily be put on the terminals of a battery to give this kind of handy access plug (mine currently sticks out and rests on the ALTRIDER crash bars). One thing to note is that the OEM “Cigarette” lighter socket on the ST is only 3 amp. The pump is 10 amp. Rob says that he puts a 10 amp fuse in that socket in order to use. I am uncomfortable with that, but really didn’t need to do that anyway.
The pump itself is nice and light. It has an off/on switch and easily reaches the front and back tires with both the electrical connection and the filling hose. It IS a wee bit noisy, but that’s the nature of the little beast. It does have an exposed nylon gear. Not sure why it is exposed (maybe to save weight and size that a cover would entail), but it really isn’t any kind of safety issue. The pump can be set on the ground or floor without this being a problem or it can simply be held until filling is done. I haven’t filled a full tire yet, but getting my tire pressure from 28 to 33 psi took literally 5 seconds.
So, in the end, I probably would have bought this pump if I hadn’t won it. Can’t see being without one. The website lists them at $34.99 with just the cigarette lighter plug, or $44.99 with all the connections that I received. That’s a good deal. They also threw in a Slime Tire Tackle repair kit with a key chain pencil tire gauge, valve cores, chrome hex caps, plastic caps, and a 4-Way tool (to remove valves, retap treads, etc.) – a nice touch. Not sure if this is put in with every order, but appreciated the added freebie. I haven’t tried any other compact pumps to compare this with, but I certainly don’t have any reservations about recommending this to any ST owners, or any motorcyclist, for that matter. The site says there is a V.2 soon to be available. Not sure what the updated version will update or be priced at, but the V.1 seems fine. Thank you, Motopumps for the fine product and continued forum sponsorship!
Anyone else purchased one and wants to share some comments and/or experiences?
