The Ultimate Comparison: Hand Pumps vs CO2 Pumps vs 12V Adventure Motorcycle Air Pumps

In this video, we'll be comparing hand pumps, CO2 pumps, and 12V motorcycle air pumps to help you determine which one is the best for your needs. We'll discuss the pros and cons of each pump, their suitability for different situations, and factors to consider when making a decision. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced rider, this video will help you choose the best air pump for your motorcycle.
AirShot 2.0www.motopumps.com/
Hand Pump amzn.to/3ZlrYs3
Tusk CO2 Inflator amzn.to/3ISqFeK
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Cardo Packtalk Edge - cardosystems.refr.cc/Ridewithbam
Nemo Sleeping Bag - motocampnerd.com/products/nemo-disco-men-s-down-15-sleeping-bag?_pos=6&_sid=843d2626a&_ss=r&ref=Ng60HaKCRTjkC
Nemo Fillow - motocampnerd.com/products/nemo-disco-men-s-down-15-sleeping-bag?_pos=6&_sid=843d2626a&_ss=r&ref=Ng60HaKCRTjkC
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Baja No Pinch Tire Tool - amzn.to/2PUezpH
Great Tire Inflator - imp.i104546.net/1rrXeg
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Ohlins Rear Shock - imp.i104546.net/OrrkBA
Akrapovic Exhaust - imp.i104546.net/R55AP7
Power Commander - imp.i104546.net/4PPz51
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AltRider Pillion and Luggage racks - imp.i104546.net/rQQ9nG
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AltRider High Fender Kit - imp.i104546.net/VmmJyR
Bark Buster Storm hand guards - imp.i104546.net/zNNAam
IMS Foot pegs - imp.i104546.net/nLLq1x
Camel ADV Windshield Support camel-adv.com
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Camel ADV Aux Fuel Tank
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Motoz Desert HT - amzn.to/3cGyd23
Double take ADV Mirrors - amzn.to/32XJUNq
Touratech luggage racks
Touratech Rear Brake Res Guard
RAM Phone Mount - imp.i104546.net/jrrNrn
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Scotts Performance Steering Stabilizer - imp.i104546.net/xkkekO
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Klim Carlsbad Jacket and pants- imp.i104546.net/GmmxmB
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Sidi Adventure Boots - imp.i104546.net/WqqZqn
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imp.i104546.net/4PPzGG Winter

[@Crittermoto]

Impressed with the results of the hand pump too.

[@twowheeledadventuresuk2739]

Nice vlog. Always carry a hand pump in my daysack, mainly ride a CRF450 so only need 14psi, and as you proved, hand pumps are light, simple but effective. Been experimenting with a Pirelli MT21 in a 140 on my T7 as getting 150 tubeless tyres off the rim on the trail can be a pain. Loving the MT21 on the rear, bags of grip, but now working on a trail puncture setup. Just bought a Rocky Creek V2 12v pump and it's so far been brilliant. It's super compact and light but very effective, comes with bits to connect direct to the battery. No idea why people bother with the Co2 cartridges, waste of time and money - if one cartridge got you up to say 24psi it might be worth it, but as I found out with experimenting you need at least 3 just to get close to my normal 26psi on the T7 rear. Many thanks, from a UK Vet, regards, Mike

[@_stettyboi_]

Awesome detailed video man. I’ve been looking around for options on tire pumps and this video helped a lot.

[@marcoluoma3770]

Thanks for a great real-world review. I never would have guessed the little bicycle pump would be so efficient. So thanks again.

[@backcountryadvmoto]

Thanks for watching! I was pretty surprised as well

[@lightningdemolition1964]

You mentioned using the sae plug that might already be on the bike from a charger. Mine came with a low amp fuse like 3 amps so it would not be able to handle the power draw of an electric compressor. Make sure the wires going to the battery can handle the extra amps then replace rhe fuse with one rated for the compressor load.

[@Advcrazy]

thanks for this comparison! really appreciate it. saved the time and hassle of testing for myself.

[@alanwalls3117]

Great video. Was surprised about the handpump, but glad as it’s what I carry under my seat on the T7

[@ynotjf]

Nice review! I carried CO2 on my bicycle so it was a no-brainer to bring them on the motorcycle until I got a flat and two cartridges didn’t inflate the tire. Hand pumps are very dependable but I’ve got a bad shoulder and pumping them can be painful not to mention tough on the valve stem. My worst fear is to deliberately lower my tire pressure for off-road then have my cheap 12v not function and leave me under-inflated back on the pavement so I bought the MotoPump hoping it would be more dependable, so far so good but just too soon to tell.. it’s ridiculous how many tools and tubes we carry just to fix a flat!

[@bertclement3010]

Just bought the Motopumps Air shot (from your link). Great video.

[@drdoolittle5724]

You are a STAR Sir, great vid, great info, great all round - thank you very much! Regards from the Road Racing Capital of the World.

[@tsh7090]

Thanks for this comparison review. Definitely eye opening. I had similar expectations as you did. Currently carry CO2 & a micro electric pump. But should probably revisit this, since setting a bead on a tubeless tire can take some serious effort (as you guys discussed on the WY-BDR video).

[@stevec-b6214]

Thanks! I only carry a 12v compressor, but now adding the old school manual pump.

[@meinekleineweltreise]

No surprise! I’m on a long term motorcycle journey and just travel with a small hand pump. In almost 50.000 km now I never had a flat tire, but my little hand pump saved the day for tons of other riders from all around the world and even one car driver with a flat spare tire. It’s cheap, light, reliable and doesn’t take any space at all. I don’t need anything else. And to be honest, when you have a flat tire you are so pissed off that you don’t care about what tool you have to use to inflate the tire again. But still nice and interesting video. 👍

[@luctardif8444]

Thanks, very good video 👍 I will go with the hand pump 😊

[@jameswilliams4775]

This is the second great video I've seen from your channel. I don't remember how I found you or when I subscribed but I'm sure glad I did.

[@backcountryadvmoto]

Welcome back! So glad you are enjoying them

[@wildwill1970]

I was just stumbling across KZbin ran into this video while looking for reviews on bike pumps. I think you and I once jumped our bikes over a boat. 😅 Good times were had!

[@davidchampagne464]

Love your video man. I have one like the Walmart pump, it works to get back on road. I like it because of its size. Thanks for the video.

[@backcountryadvmoto]

Yeah it’s hard to justify spending a lot of money on a pump to only save time. I’ve gone through several cheap pumps so haven’t a backup pump or a better quality pump that won’t leave you stranded might be worth it.

[@Jeredsmith]

I just bought a motopumps air pump! My last trip i had some digital battery powered air pump but it got wet when i slipped in a river and my side case cracked open.. I agree with wishing it had a built in gauge with how fast it seems to pump instead of having to pop it on and off to check and add air.

[@rosslangerak8361]

I don't remember seeing a weight on the MotoPump. My motorcycle is my transportation. I ride almost every day. In 15 years I have ridden over 100,000 miles. Perhaps 30,000 of that was longer trips lasting one to two weeks. In that time I have had one flat which was half of a utility knife blade I picked up on the way home from work. I carry a small bicycle pump, because for something that may only happen once every 15 years, I don't care if it takes 10 minutes instead of 5 to fill the tire. I mostly want it to be small, light, and reliable. If I were leading groups, I might want an electric pump, and a backup electric pump. Based on your testing, you should carry at least 6, and probably 9 of the CO2 cartridges. Considering the number of cartridges you would have to carry, it doesn't seem that light or compact. The problem with the CO2 cartridges is that once you are out, you are done. What happens if you have a second flat? What happens if you inflate the tire and the repair fails?

[@backcountryadvmoto]

Shoot! I can’t believe I left that out. It is 1lb 1oz. Yea the CO2 route doesn’t not seem viable. Like you mentioned. If the repair fails you are just wasting them and they take up space and can add up in weight.

[@rosslangerak8361]

@@backcountryadvmoto Thanks. Was that just the pump, or did that include the bag and the extra cables? The extra cables would only be necessary if you were part of a group.

[@backcountryadvmoto]

@@rosslangerak8361 it was the pump only with sae plug

[@trentcomer8790]

Thanks for the review of the Moto Pump. I bought one a couple of weeks ago, mainly cuz it's Made in the USA and I'm gonna run the CABDR in a month and need a reliable pump that is hopefully strong enough to set the bead. I'll be getting a little hand pump too for a back up. Thanks again!

[@RedboneUnincorporated]

Well? How'd the pumps do?!?

[@acp2446]

Great video ! I ended up watching it because I am looking for a hand pump for my 701 enduro. And can’t decide between a high pressure pump or high velocity pump 😊

[@davemcmahon8140]

The bicycle pump has a much longer stroke so your pushing quite a lot of air per. The electric pumps have shorter strokes but the frequency is greater. Personally I've never carried a hand pump but I think I will as a spare. I always find issues with the can bus lol who hadn't. I enjoyed this thx.

[@Cabritostube]

Great comparison! I bet that hand pump got pretty hot, and your arm got pretty tired after five minutes. I'm probably only good for a few minutes at a time. If I'm airing up 4-5lbs I'll just use the hand pump because it's faster than getting the electric one out. We destroyed a hand pump trying to get a tire mounted this past summer possibly due to overheating it. The old MotoPump had a valve to check the pressure with a gauge without removing the pump, and I miss that on the new version. I've never been happy with the Co2 pumps.

[@clvrswine]

I think a cigarette lighter type pump has the added bonus of being able to inflate your truck tire when camping / hauling your bike. I put it in a hat or beanie as they bounce around like crazy when inflating. I put a 12v cig lighter on my bike for my Slime brand pump. I guess I could charge my phone there too, with an adapter. Great video.

[@backcountryadvmoto]

Having the options like on the motopumps pump is a great thing 👍🏻

[@pieterm99]

With the bicycle pump, you used a road bike pump. They are designed for low volume and high pressure (80-120psi). Ask at the bike shop for a MTB bicycle pump. Much better for bigger volume and 25-35psi. And even then there are pumps and pumps. I always carry a big volume bicycle pump.

[@backcountryadvmoto]

Oh I know there’s better pumps out there. This was just your standard off the shelf at Walmart or other big box store pumps. I think I paid $10 for it.

[@tbillyjoeroth]

Excellent points!! Thanks for the input. I'll try to get one of those. 😊

[@fallinginthed33p]

You could also use small foot pumps if you have space on an ADV or dirtbike. Your legs are a lot stronger than your forearms.

[@ilikebacon247]

I knew I could trust your sense of quality when I saw the Blenders on your head.

[@backcountryadvmoto]

Not sure why I’m even responding to this judgmental nonsense, but I buy cheap sunglasses because I know I’m hard on glasses and I’m not going to waist my money on ones that are higher quality.

[@ilikebacon247]

@@backcountryadvmoto Re-read my comment. That was a compliment. I have several pairs of Blenders, and I also use them for work.

[@user-ck4tq2di6p]

fat bike pump for me. Never fails!

[@3RDOOR]

Love the maintenance aspect. Manual pumps must have different ratings also 👍🏻🎃

[@DF4Trap]

Great comparison, I carry the hand pump due to light weight and it hangs out with my tire irons. The cartridges I found as you put it can be finicky, and at times for me ended up in complete failure. I yet to get a 12v airpump, I not sure I want give up the room, and weight penalty. I'm sure they'll be a time I will wish I had. Thanks for sharing

[@backcountryadvmoto]

The electric pump is a luxury for sure; but I will carry the hand pump as a buck up from now on

[@bwnco]

Time nor decibels I could not care less about. Reliability when im 50 miles in back country is my concern. Ill take hand pump any day of the week.

[@riderinsanjose337]

When using the manual or bicycle pump, from the road it looks like you are having too much fun with your motorcycle.

[@backcountryadvmoto]

Lol! It took everything in me to not do some type of cameo with that pump 😂

[@xzouix]

What about pocket sized automatic air compressor? I got mine from Xiaomi (Mi) for 35 euros , it has a built in tire pressure gauge and does its job withing a few minutes. It has a compact size that fits in a tool roll.

[@user-xx6gi5zo6p]

You got a T7 Outstanding! I was hoping you would go the low tech option. Rocky creek design's make awesome pump's

[@backcountryadvmoto]

It’s actually not mine. It’s a project bike I’m doing for Fieldcraft Survival 👍🏻

[@user-xx6gi5zo6p]

@@backcountryadvmoto I couldn't think of a better bloke to be running a project like that.

[@greatscot9597]

I'd be interested to see what the differences would be if the tire was off the bead for each different inflation type, simulating an actual in the field flat repair.

[@backcountryadvmoto]

I can guarantee you that none of these would set the bead. 🙁 We had this issue in Wyoming and ended up having to put a tube in on the BMW.

[@damipopo5724]

But when tube is in then it's possible u say?

[@TimMonk1911]

Next time, get a decent MTB hand pump. That $10 cheapie from walmart is a single action pump, while the good ones are double action. Which means they move air with both in and out movement of the pump handle.

[@TimMonk1911]

I will say this, the one he links to on Amazon is a better model then the one he used in the video. It claims to be double action.

[@backcountryadvmoto]

The pump used in this video is a single action pump and I paid $10 for it at Walmart while on the Wyoming trip. I couldnt find the link of the one I used so thought the double action one would perform even better.

[@zekester63]

Thanks for the comparison. I was a bit surprised as well with the poor performance of three CO2 cartridges. I carry a cheapie unit myself, but have been looking at something better lately, especially now that I'm planning a trip to Big Bend in March. I'll probably carry CO2 as well tbh. Do you think the CO2 would have been strong enough to seat the bead on your friend's GS on the WYBDR? Keep up the good work and interesting videos!

[@backcountryadvmoto]

No I dont think the 16g CO2 would have been enough. We did end up making a solution for that though. We basically copied the Cycle Pumps air transfer hose but made it better. I'll do a video on it in the future. bestrestproducts.com/shop/tire-repair-accy/donor-hose/

[@hogwildmotorcycleadventures]

You need a CO2 cartridges when running tubeless tires if the bead broke. Otherwise, you cannot get enough air into the tire quick enough with hand or mini pumps to reseat the bead. I was surprised by the hand pump. That was a lot of pressure for only five minutes of effort. Have you considered trying one of the rechargeable wireless battery powered units that are smaller than the wired units like your Walmart/Stop&Go or the Motopumps? There are number of them on the market now for less than $50 that take a lot less space. Most are focused on the bicycle market, but seem to do the trick.

[@ioandragulescu6063]

don't know how it is for motorcycle tubes but with bicycle tubes, CO2 is pretty temporary, as it permeates throught the rubber. Maybe less through a tubeless tire since it's thicker?

[@Darkralos]

I don't think the CO2 cartridges are inconsistent. They hold a quantity of CO2 (proportional to its volume and pressure) and they discharge it into your wheel. When the wheel is empty, you fill in all the CO2, but since the wheel inflates and increases its volume, the CO2 only produces volume and the pressure does not increse. So first cartridge gives you volume and only 5 psi. Then the next one, once the rubber does not increase much volume (because the threads are rigid and resist) give you pressure. To 16 psi. The last one gives you pressure inseatd of volume. If you are familiar with airsprings, if you dont resist their expansion loading them with weight they increase in size (volume) but the pressure does not increase. In the tire, if you dont have a resisting force, you fill in the gas and you get volume but not pressure. The moment the tire resists the filling (because the rubber supported by the internal metal threads) you increase pressure and slight volume increase. Do the tests! And its the same with the hand pump. At the begining all the air is used to fill in the tyre, not much effort because the pressure is not increasing. As you are getting more and more pressure, the strokes get harder.

[@backcountryadvmoto]

I think you misunderstood what I was saying. Sorry to make you type all that, but I totally understand the physics of it all. By inconsistent I mean, some of them will work, no problem and some of them leak out before they seal. It all depends on the valve that comes with the CO2 cartridges. The quality is sometimes pretty poor.

[@TheIdlesurfer]

I've got a small floor pump with a gauge from Amazon in Europe, €30, so about $30 US/Cdn. Pumps up my Tubliss to 100 psi. Pumps my main tyre up to 26 psi [Road pressure on my 701] in a few minutes. About 40cm or 15" long so needs to go in a bag. Weighs nothing. But I'm sacking off CO2. I do have a small 12v pump but I used it so rarely, when I needed it, the hoses had perished on a fold in the hose. That was a Rocky Creek and I was disappointed.

[@MrRunner]

Sadly, not available in Canada

[@richardramos9799]

Using hand pump lever should be down once you push it on tire valve, same thing for air pump.

[@backcountryadvmoto]

On this particular hand pump it is the opposite. up locks and down unlocks. On the 12v pump, yes down locks it on the valve stem.

[@ThomasGreer-hn8so]

It was cold...Boyles law...pv=nrt...you couldn't get nearly all of the available co2 from those cartridges at low temperature

[@bobhasworth]

You got a Tenere??

[@backcountryadvmoto]

No, it’s project bike I’m building for Fieldcraft Survival. It’s just on loan 😉

[@bobhasworth]

@@backcountryadvmoto Awesome! Can't wait to see it, and hear your thoughts on it.

[@CageSimons]

Solid Review on these pumps Kyle. Double check your Instagram Link in the bio, doesn't appear to be correct.

[@backcountryadvmoto]

Yeah sorry. It got replaced with the video I released today. Thanks for watching. Glad you enjoyed it.

[@damipopo5724]

This decibel app doesn't work clearly 😅

[@lucimoto2922]

New Bike? Tenere 700?

[@backcountryadvmoto]

No just a project that i'm working on for @fieldcraftsurvival

[@3RDOOR]

Love the maintenance aspect. Manual pumps must have different ratings also 👍🏻🎃