TUbliss on a Dualsport/Adventure Bike?

Has anyone tried the TUbliss set up on a Dualsport/Adventure Bike?
http://www.nuetech.com/index.shtml

Any problems running it on the highway other than it's not DOT approved?

Any pros/cons?

The downside for me is flats - sure, you won't get a pinch flat, but if you get a nail through your tire you're screwed. Can't just throw in a new tube. You'll have to plug the tire, which I don't think is very reliable on a long dirt trip.

Well if you don't trust the plug, you could always put a boot on the inside.

Why wouldn't a plug work? I've plugged car and truck tires with no issues.
After watching the video on the Tubliss site, I don't see why you couldn't also just throw in a tube after you remove the tubliss stuff and you're good to go.

That would defeat the purpose of getting a tubliss, at least for me. If I distrusted the tire plug method enough that I have to take the tire off of the rim anyway, I might as well just use tubes.

I've been kind of interested in this setup for a DSing as well. A couple of months ago, I took a 2,000 mile trip around Ethiopia and the bike I was riding was absolutely plagued with flats. If we had a plug-and-go solution, we would have saved tons of time and hassle from changing flat tires. My main concern, however, is long-term reliability. Can a Tubliss system last 5 or more years of trouble-free, moderate DS use? If so, I'm definitely in.

I have plugged car tires as well, but never tried a bike. I might be way off base, but I don't think a thin off-road tire running very low tire pressure is an optimal situation for a plug, I would think it would start leaking as soon as the roads got rough. And if you're carrying spare tubes with you as a back up you might as well just run tubes to begin with. I have to imagine it's a lot harder to get the tires on and off when using the tubeliss setup.

Interesting product though.

I'd be more apt to run the tire balls solution, or that foam fill product made by _____? Flats don't really exist with those products.

Don't all of the big BMW GS bikes all run on tubless tires ? I ride with a guy
that has a 1200GS he plugs his tires with no problems. A tire plug on a motorcycle probably should be treated as a temporary repair, replace the
tire as soon as you can. I plug the tires on my Jeep all the time, even multiple plugs in same tire, also running them at low pressures off road.

That's the same thing that I was thinking! The large dualsport bikes don't run tubes and they use plugs pretty often. Plugs would be alot quicker repair than replacing the tube and the TUbliss acts as a beadlock itself so you don't have to worry about the tire coming off of the bead.

Only time will tell since it's a fairly new product. I've had it in my 450 EXC for a little over a year now, I'll post up in 4 more years and let you know.

LOL, the last thing I would worry about is plug reliability. Seeings how I could never get more then 1500 miles out of a tire anyway, it would be pointless to worry about a plug going the distance.

I may still be off base here but .....

The large bikes run Tubless-type tires which are heavier duty than a tube-type tire. They also run them at higher air pressures.

My uncertainty comes with running a tube-type tire at 12psi with a plug in it. 1500 miles is a long way for it to last. Correct me if I'm wrong.

I've been running Nuetech for several months now in all kinds of conditions from harsh, rocky off road with cactus and mesquite thorns to decently long pavement sections at speed. No issues. I don't think the construction of non-tubeless motorcycle tires can be described as "thin" compared to tubeless models. The main difference in tubeless construction lies in bead design. The Neutech system addresses this by its unique bead clamping ability. A non-tubeless tire seems every bit as capable of retaining air as a tubeless model, and people have been using plugs with the Nuetech system for some time now. This system isn't that new. I first started seeing it over a year ago on Thumpertalk.

As far as carrying a spare tube for emergencies, I don't care if I was running an actual tubeless tire or not, I would carry a tube. Even if you get a cut that couldn't be sealed by a plug, you can boot the tire if necessary and install the tube. I only carry a tube for big trips when I'm really far out in the boonies. For shorter stints around a dirt riding area, you can ride the Nuetech setup with a flat tire for a long period at slower speeds because of the bead clamping design. Not sure I understand why carrying a spare tube would negate the reason for running tubeless. The tubeless performs better overall and tends to flat a lot less. I'd be carrying a spare tube for those extreme cases to avoid having to walk out if everything else fails...and that's whether I'm running a tubed tire or tubeless. I carry 2 toolkit sized tire irons, and you can remove the Nuetech inner liner the same way you remove a tire so that you can install a tube in those cases when a plug won't work.

A guy on this site named metaljockey has a great trip report through Africa, and he swears by Nuetech.

The biggest advantage to the tubliss is that in the event of a flat tire you can still ride the tire at a slow pace to a convenient stopping place without fear of chucking the tire off the rim. That means running the tire at 0 psi which is not recommended on a rear wheel even with dual bead locks as it will try to de-bead and move around causing alot of issues. I've ridden 15+ miles on a front flat in Primm, NV chasing JLewis and reaching speeds of 70mph on a conventional set-up, but it destroyed the tube and most likely the tire to do so. With a Tubliss the tire will stay on the bead as long as the inner tube maintains 40-50 or more PSI, but you're supposed to maintain 100-110 psi for best results.

As for plugging a tube type tire with a tubeless type plug, it's all in technique. If you insert the plug, put a twist or two in it and then pull the end back through, you'll have a plug that will typically last the life of the tire, street or dirt.

Biggest disadvantage to the Tubliss set-up is if you have an innertube failure, but they are just a bicycle tube, nothing that unique and you can find a replacement at any bicycle store. The liner however is very unique (the full circumfrential bead locking device) and would be hard to replace or repair in the event of any damage, but if you damage that there's a good probability the wheels is also completely trashed.

I've been running Tubliss on all my thumpers, dirt and dual sport for a couple thousand miles now. No issues other then learning the tricks of installation and that the Tubliss system really only works best with fresh tires and good straight rims. I have one rim with some subtle bends and it leaks down on me to 8psi daily,........but holds 8 psi. However 8psi in the front is too low IMHO unless you're running in sand or nasty ass muck.

So you're saying that if one were to get a hole in the inner tube, you could replace it with a standard bicycle tube and it'd be fine? I haven't laid eyes on one of these tubliss tubes, but it doesn't seem like it'd work. How would you inflate the tire if the inner tube didn't have a secondary valve integrated into it to allow air to pass through the inner tube and into the tire? I figured the tubliss came as one unit, not a multi-part tube.

I've been wanting to get a set for sometime now, but the website says the 18" type only goes to a 2.15" rim width. Has anybody tried it on a 2.5" rim, or know when Nuetech will have one available?

Check out their website and video to see the actual system.

There is a special liner, in which you place a thin high pressure inner tube. AFAIK they used to use road bicycle inner tubes.

BMW Atlanta, do you know which tube is a direct replacement for the Nuetech? I work part time at a bicycle shop, and while the pneumatic tube in the inner liner looks quite similar to a heavy duty tube at the bike shop, the size seems a bit unique. One other issue is that most of the bicycle tubes in this diameter...tube material diameter, not the rim diameter...use a presta valve not a schrader valve. I'm not saying there's nothing out there for a replacement, but I'm not sure it's a direct replacement.

I don't think the inner liner high pressure tube is in a very hazardous position. You've got the supplied heavy duty rim tape on one side and the hard shell plastic bead clamp on the other. A very long nail at just the right angle could/might penetrate the hard shell and then puncture the tube, but it's not a likely scenario. I don't think there's much question that about the only time the inner liner tube is punctured is during improper installation or the pressure isn't checked in a timely manner.

Tusker, on the composition of the hard shell, the air valve, and the inner liner tube, the inner liner tube actually just "snakes" around the valve that inflates the air chamber of the tire itself. Sounds odd but not a problem.

I actually did look at their website and they list replacement inner tubes, so they're obviously replaceable. I wasn't so much questioning BMW Atlanta's statement as just confirming, with some of my thoughts thrown in for the heck of it. Glad to see I was proven wrong.

I am following this thread - but a few thoughts on some of the questions/reservations:

1) Whether the Tubliss tube is a bicycle inner tube or not, those tubes are a lot lighter, smaller and easier to carry as a spare than a conventional motorcycle tube. If I was going somewhere in BFE, I would carry that spare as it would not be that big of a deal. Yeah, bicycle inner tubes may actually be easier to find in the third world because there are a lot more bicycles there actually being used as transportation, but ROI on carrying such a small light spare would make it worth it.

2) Bicycle inner tubes come in 'heavy duty' too.

3) There are valve adapters.

A question: since the Tubliss system seals the tire to the rim, are rimlocks still needed?