Tubes or Tubeless Wheels for Long Motorcycle Trips? 

Great video Pavlin, I carry a repair kit for tubes and tubeless tyres, even though all my bikes now have tubes. One ride I can across a bloke who had a flat tyre that was tubeless, and he was rather worried on how he could fix the problem, simple as I put in a string plug and used my air compressor, 10 minutes later he was back on the road. Tubes however take a little more time and skill, I always change my own tyres at home using the same levers and tools I carry on the bike. For long remote trips in the outback I carry two spare tubes for the front and rear as well as a patch kit, hand pump and mini air compressor.

I would like tubeless spoked wheels and would carry spare tubes. If patching does not work or if I damage a rim, I always can try the tube. Just gives me more options.

I think it depends on your personal experience. I had five flats in my motorcycle career so far. Three with tubeless tires, where I was able to fix just one of them. And two with tubes, where I was able to fix them all. So I stick to tubes! Even though tubeless “seems” to be easier!

Depends on the riding. I was a tyre fitter in my early life. Many problems came from old, badly inflated tyres of both kinds. For Offroad tubed may be better for low pressure without breaking the bead. BUT in UK, motorways have no escape route. So better to have good quality tubeless tyres as they deflate (usually) more slowly in heavy traffic at high speed giving more chance of reaching safe place to stop. Many would say Mousse, but not always legal for road use. 👍👍

I was wearing your “another day another adventure” shirt when I had a rear tire blow a tube out quick. The tube split! A big nail went it. I was going 68mph on a highway on the way back from a 2000 mile adventure ride doing the NE BDR. I changed the tube on the side of the road.. that shirt is now my lucky shirt. I wear it every Sunday riding enduro. True story!

Great video Pavlin, as always and my thanks. My Super Tenere has tubeless tires (spokes don't go into air chamber). On really long remote trips I carry a spare front tube. I always carry plugs, a patch kit (yes, tubeless tires can be patched on the inside), tire levers/breaker and a small compressor. Like you and others have said, the best precaution is knowledge and experience fixing both with the tools you carry.

Recently I trired tire fix foam for bicycles - it worked like a charm. Friend was able to drive 80km with punctured tube and I personally about 20 (and it was really big hole in tube). So, now I am not going anyhwhere without it, since it gives me opportunity to reach more comfortable place to fix tire instead of doing it by the road.

I also have the T7. I immediately changed my OEM tubes to ultra heavy duty tubes and carry the OEM tubes as spares. The UHD tubes add security and the OEM tubes are lighter to carry as spares, along with a comprehensive repair kit/levers. As with other responders to this post I also change and balance all my own tyres at home, tubed and tubeless (SuperTenere). It is a good skill to practice and become comfortable with.

Generally speaking, tubeless tires are considered the better option due to their puncture resistance, weight, and safety benefits. However, if you often work on your scooter yourself and don’t want to invest in special tubeless tools, tubed tires can be a practical choice. Thanks Pavlin for your considerations. You should be able to repair both on a long trip, tubeless and tubed tires, at least practice with both before you go on the road. A motorcycle shop friend called me up to come over a few times when they received a flat tire, as did my butcher who taught me how to slaughter a chicken. Thanks Pavlin again.

A brave topic to cover, given how polarised opinions are on this! Everyone's puncture experience is different, leading to different points of view (often fiercely defended) but the reality is, as you say, that there are pluses and minuses for both. I have tubeless on my road/sports bike, and tubes on my 'adventure bikes'. I am not afraid to repair a tubed tyre at the roadside, even though of course it is far more difficult than a tubeless repair. Usually. No-one likes having to put their gloves back on with black hands, just as no-one likes to be stranded, unable to fix their machine. The less straightforward aspects of this choice are the wide variety of situations any puncture can throw up, in either tubed or tubeless. A puncture on a motorcycle is a capricious event, and no one solution suits every circumstance. Tubeless tyres (and one-piece wheels) are usually better made: often 'rounder', better balanced, and suit higher speeds. Lighter and better. But - not in all situations, like the sidewall puncture you mention, or a hole that cannot be repaired with your tubeless repair kit. They are not safe to deflate so much for rougher, muddy or sandy tracks, or creek crossings, and are very difficult to remove (and refit) without a workshop - a bead breaker, high-pressure air, and preferably a fitting machine. Some tubeless rims are very difficult to remove and refit tyres to by hand, with a shallow centre 'well' in the rim form. The front tyre of my (Ducati) road bike a case in point, now on its 27th set of tyres. It is very difficult to 'break the bead' with the old sidestand trick if you are alone, and your bike only has one wheel on it... Tubed tyres allow for roadside repair, albeit with some difficulty, without needing the sort of equipment tubeless tyres might. Tubed tyres can be deflated for difficult terrain, and don't need such high pressure to 'pop the bead' onto the rim during a repair. The bead can usually be broken just with your heel. Being the older solution, they are cheaper to produce, making the bike more affordable. I think the decision re tubeless vs. tubed goes further towards tubes, if you have spoked wheels, and the more off-road riding you do. But there is no doubt that tubeless tyres are better for high-speed road motorcycles. For off-road, not so much. Spoked tubeless 21" front wheels aren't as strong as centre-mounted spokes, and all tubeless spoked wheels are harder to 'true' than conventional spoked wheels. Perhaps that is why the larger Suzuki V-Strom you mentioned has one of each - tubed 21" front, and tubeless rear. Thanks again for your input on these 'thorny' topics. (Thorny - puncture - my little joke)! 😎

Thanks for mentioning different scenarios of flats.good points!

I own two bikes. One tube and the other tubeless. I change my own tires and have fixed flats on both. My kit has what it takes to repair both. I feel it is a skill any serious rider needs to master.

Pavlin, an excellent video and I can understand why you could not commit to one side of the issue. The subject is in itself open to much debate. I have owned 04 Tube Type (TT) and 05 Tube Less (TL) bikes from 1992 till date. I have ridden them all over India from Siachen Base Camp till Kanyakumari and Dwarka to Tawang. Fixing punctures during the 90s era on Indian roads was an absolutely must-have skill without which you were stranded, possible for days. And I have fixed my share of them, about 19, if I recall correctly. 15 of them on the TT bikes, 04 on the TL bikes. 02 were on my old Kawasaki RTZ 125 with my wife sitting by my side sipping tea from a flask while chatting with me and handing me tools. Also, all my motorcycling friends have TT or TL or both types of bikes, depending on their uses. Some ride highly modified KTM 39 Advs with TT wheels on technical trails while others ride the same bikes on highways and soft trails while still others ride only on highways. Their experiences enrich and educate me immensely. The one common thread binding all three types of riders is this: if you are a careful, sensible and informed rider, who does lots of advance prep before riding whatever type of terrain it si that you do, the single most dangerous enemy of TL wheels, namely the rim bend, will almost never, ever happen to you. And the strongest supporting view of this came from a hardcore trails rider who rides his KTM 390 Adv over the most demanding terrain; some of his photos looked like the goat or ibex paths in NatGeo documentaries. He has bent one rim one doing an especially ambitious rutted section and after a jump, the front rim got bent and the tire went flat. After that, he was extra careful about this aspect; the hassle of putting in a tube and limping to the service station to get a new rim was for him, simply not worth the pleasure gained from that adrenaline-fuelled rush over such sections. During my last Gujarat and Rajasthan ride in March this year, I had a small puncture in the rear of my KTM 390 Adv. Minor air loss but I don't ride with the bike injured in this way so halted by the wayside. Coincidentally, there was a Royal Enfield 350 owner who had halted near me with an identical issue. I saw him struggle with the tools - rear wheel bolt spanners, tyre levers, soapy water to check the exact location of the puncture, the adhesive pads, the gum paste and most importantly, the removal and fitment of the wheel and the tyre and tube and back again in reverse. And he was looking longingly at me finishing my job in 15 minutes and getting ready to ride. Of course, I helped him so he saved a lot of time and sweat and blood pressure. This and some similar experiences in the past fortified my decision to have only TL tyres on any bike that I will own and ride in remore areas. Yes, I carry a 19 inch tube for dire emergencies and I am lucky that it has never been used. Do write about your experiences in repairing your T7 TT punctures😀

I once had a front tube explode on my previous KTM 990 adventure at around 120km/h and I had the "calmness" to immediately sit at the back of the seat to minimize the front contact patch with the road. That helps a lot. The tire had been "warning" me in the previous days. It was slowly losing air but I thought I just had to re-air it back until the tube was fixed or changed. I was wrong and ever since I was taught not to assume the most optimistic scenario. The tire blew in heavy urban traffic (in a main straight) and managed to get to the right lane after passing the middle (I was on the left) but as I was decelerating the front tire got off the rim (probably because I was continuously steering the bike towards the right) and I fell (albeit at a very low speed - around 30-40km/h). Luckily me and the bike came out ok. P.S. That's why enduro bikes use rim locks. I use them on my 500EXC and even though they make the tire vibrate on the street, it's a piece of mind.

2023 KTM Adventure SW. Has spoked wheels that take tubeless tires but require tubes. Kind of the worst of both worlds. But, like you, I chose the bike for me, not the rims, so I use what I got. May try sealing the trough/spokes to use TL tires when I have to change tires anyway. Rode an '82 Suzuki on tubes for 15 years with never a problem.

Very rational and reasonable. Thank you for posting!

Great video Pavlin, indeed it is a very divisive subject and the great thing about it is that there is no right or wrong choice, it comes down to personal preferences and risk evaluation. I am surprised that after your experience you still ride on tubes though lol. I am aware of the pros and cons of both and for my kind of motorcycle usage and travel style (moderate off road at times) my choice is tubeless all the time. A possible solution for motorcycles with tubes would be to convert at least the front rim (there are several kits on the market) to tubeless and carry a repair kit plus front and rear tubes.

Great vid mate and I just had to check my KTM rims, luckily the valves are in the center haha. I take tubes as a backup with tubeless tyres.

Prepparation my friends is the key. I put SLIME in all my tyres, tube or tubless, on or off road. Never had a flat tyre or bang. Since now....!!!!

To me it's very simple thing. Riding in even semi normal conditions, hands down the tubeless. Flat repair is so simple and here's the thing for me. Fast. You can pop normal cheapo fix in within 10 minutes easily and continue riding. Many claim that you tubeless patched tires are dangerous but imo that's bs. Of course one shouldn't ride like 200kmh anymore, that's for sure. Then there's the tube model. It has its use, but to me it's only on heavy conditions like actual Enduro riding where risk of rubbing rim against rocks, twigs etc. happens easily. But I absolutely hate patching them, cause it's always tire off the rim. Tedious patching, couldn't imagine how annoying that would be in rain for instance. Almost impossible. Another thing is that what I've experienced tube tire failures, it's not enough to repair the inner tube. You also usually need to try ti find the damage in the tire too or failure will usually happen soon after again. I'm not BMW guy, but I gotta hand them that their solution about spoked tires while being tubeless is absolutely great idea. Looking how spokes are in them, it's evident that it is very hard to damage rim at its edge cause of the location of spokes. Brilliant idea. All in all. "normal usage" tubeless is by far the best choice.

i have tubeless tyres. i had nail in it. but didn't have repair kit. i used fill air every 100 km at a petrol station and kept right at 80 to 90 kmph. bike felt normal. rode nearly 300 km back home and fixed it at home. 10 minutes plug job. if it was tube you can't do it

Another great video, thank you and greetings from Lithuania.

Always carry tire moose balls when traveling out in the middle of nowhere. Piece of mind 😊

Hi. If i csn give You my advice. Keep the front tube but to prezent front tyre air escaping so fast just seal the spokes with 3D boat silicone. I did that and its much slower loosing air that way.

I ride a sidecar, have had it for 34 years, I run tubes in the front tyre, I had the tubeless front tyre lose pressure in a left had bend (sidecar on the left), so the front was under load, it popped off the rim and I flipped the sidecar at 90km/hr. I survived with a broken back, broken lung and fractured ribs. I recovered and still ride, I've raced classic bikes and vintage motocross, I still ride the sidecar hard, mostly solo, and it is either sliding or in the air when in the mountains, I use a lot of body movement to transfer weight and it had very heavy stearing, requires a lot of strength, but is immense fun to ride. My choice is to run a tube in the front, I have had flats since the crash, but never anything as dramatic. Without the sidecar, I would probably not use tubes.

Last summer I was riding my KTM 390 Adv and hit a pothole while going too fast and dented my rim. It broke the bead and flattened the tire. The people I was with helped me put a tube in and I was back on the road. I carry both kits with me now just in case.

A difficult choice. I have a 22model 1290. Yes the valve is offset. It would be good if manufacturers made provision for a tube valve in a tubeless rim. An air tight plug could be removed if a tube needed to be fitted.?

Hey, I lived in the UK for many years. Have bought GS1200 Adventure on the tubeless tires. Two weeks after the purchase I got a nail in the tire. The tire was almost new but now had a hole in it. Guess what .. the tubeless repair kits are banned in the UK - apparently they are unsafe. The BMW said I have to buy whole new rear tire..

Hello Pavlin. I agree with you BUT modern tubed tyres are very hard to get on and off. How about asking your followers which tyres are the easiest to get on and off. After all the main difference between tubed and tubeless is having to get the tyre off.

besides higherway vs offroad, there is also the question of availability of spare parts for example here in Algeria you can find parts for yamaha and BMW bikes easily in the north of the country, but only chinese bikes rule here in the south (sahara), also contrary to many believes, most chinese bikes here have cast wheels (tubeless), spokes are only on dual sport bikes (which are a minority) i saw sunless tires with spoked wheels on some yamaha 660cc bike here but it's a rare sight

I have tubeless on my bike. But have for backup a spare tube that i can place if i can't repar my tire or bend a rim.

I keep tubeless wheels and tyres. And keep tubes for emergencies and patch kit. Also, a way to inflate them.

Pavlin on top as always

Pavlin 4 prez! I'll vote for him, even though I'm not Bulgarian, but that shouldn't be an issue 🤣 So personally I don't run either tubeless or tubes. I simply installed solid rubber tires...how does that sound? 😉 Greetings from 🇺🇸 Pavlin! Btw, Itchy Boots finally arrived here, any plans for you to make it to America as well?

Tube tires for me but if I have still a good tubeless tires then I'll bring a spare tube and tubeless repair/inflater pressurized can when I travel.

I have tubeless on spoke wheels... cfmoto 800 mt touring

Thanks for the valuable information

3M 4412N

Just bought dsport tube tires they are wider rather replace a tube then have a tear in a tubeless tire and can’t fix it, easier to carry extra tides than a tire on a motorcycle ‼️‼️‼️

Tubeless for me and hopefully I can just plug it and pull out my wee 12 volt compressor out.lately I was up the mountains and it was extremely cold and my hands froze up when I just pulled over to put my wet gear on when some sleet and rain came I would never have been able to pull a wheel out and fix a puncture.

Wow you are riding in the mountains , question do you have a satellite phone or statkink system in case your motorbike stops , because you could be stuck walking in the cold for hours , and possible not make it alive , plus the wild animals running there .

Tubeless tires with repair kit and spare tubes.

Can i use tubeless tyer with tube on spokes wheels to prevent punchers? Bcz i think tube tyers are soft and got punchers all the time. While tubeless comes with metal wires in it. So can wires in tubeless tyers help to prevent punchers with tube on spokes wheels? Thanks.

I ❤tubeless too

Tubes,... maybe less safe when it comes to punctures at speed, but definitely more reliable when you are not able to call for a trailer or bring a new rim

What about low pressure with tubeless or tubetype tyres? Which system is better?

I have a hawk 250 that I bought on Amazon. When it arrived it barely did 60mph. Then I crashed it down a big ass mountain and rebuilt it now it does 73mph and can maintain it. But there is no aftermarket rim for it so I'm stuck with tubes. I want to use it to go from northern Colorado to southeastern Texas but I'm scared something will happen 😕

This is very wise information!

In the context of high altitude riding (Ladak) would tubeless be the best option?

i think its not only the tubes and tires for the wheels; but the rims too. With Alloy rims you get a trouble of repairing them (or replacing=costly affair) in case of dents, rim bends etc. which is easier comparatively for a steel rim. So far I have been using tubed tires (due to technology of tubeless is recent) but since last 10 years using tubeless too. Faced issues not with tires but more about the rims only. So rim wise I would prefer tubed tires, But when thinking of trips in remote areas and on adventure rides (Solo) I would still prefer a tubeless. (its another political answer )

My opinion is tubeless with spare tubes. That is what I do.

Tubeless is a much faster fix if there is no other damage. So tubeless and carry a tube for the "bad ones".

Definitely tubeless, I had enough nightmares with the tubes. Ohhh noooo, the new T700 is with tube, dam you Yamaha 😡

I've had tubeless for years but my tiger 800xca has tubed and I'm uncomfortable with it 🙄

so worst situation with tubeless is that you need a tube which is the same situation with a rube tire… all other situations tubeless is more simple to repair…

How come Beer has become Drink!! it's beer for me!😅

Very good, you can now join a politic partie😉! Joke you are right!

Tubeless spoked rims should become affordable on all ADVs

Invest in quality tires and check inflation on a regular basis.

I also want to have a RU-vid channel making money and never providing a real answer!

Tubeless is beter.

Pavlin sell that Tenere crap and buy Aprilia Tuareg660...

Confusing vdo...

nobody that got a blowout on motorcycle is alive to talk about it! murdercycles

Having had many punctures with tubeless tyres and experienced slow deflation that I can plug easily at the side of the road, and seen/experienced nasty crashes/rapid loss of control with tubed tyres - on safety grounds - tubeless every time. It's not black and with though. Solid video, Pavlin.👍

Great video. I've ridden nearly 400,000km on motorcycles both on and offroad, and of the maybe 10 flats I've had, not once did I have tubeless tires and wished I had tubes, but every flat tire I had with tube tires, I wished I had a tubeless (as they all could have been plugged in 5 minutes. If I was to travel to very remote areas with a tubeless wheels, I'd carry tools and tubes just in case. I've seen a guy on facebook who got a flat front tire on his Tenere 700, and he ended up in the opposite lane, it all happened in under 3 seconds, lucky him there was no cars coming and he could stop safely, otherwise he'd probably be dead. For a tubeless tire to do that you need to ride on a knife or something and even then the safety beads on the rim will help keep the tire in place, something tube rims do not have so tire can be ripped off the rim pretty fast if your at an angle. In terms of safety, I'd give the tubeless a much higher rate (though nothing is 100% safe). I have a DR650 and I'm trying to find a manufacturer that will make true tubeless wheels for it, with the safety bead (until then, I use tire sealant in the tubes). When it's 35C, no shade, and mosquito infested, I'll prefer plugging a tire than removing the wheel, every single time :) Personally pure dirt bikes are the only bikes that should still use tubes, cause you run them at lower PSI, and generally speaking you're never 10h from home when you ride a dirt bike.

Nice video Pavlin. As you highlight both have positives and negatives. I think for Europe tarmac / light off roading tubeless wins for me just because it's easier to plug a puncture and get going.... I have never ventured outside the EU but in more remote countries I can see some benefits for tubed tyres especially for off road riding where, as you highlight, spares can be hard to find. The main advantage for me of tubeless is I can carry a small repair kit and know in 90% of cases I can fix a puncture quickly and get going again without needing tools to remove the wheel and tyre etc. Ride safe ✌🇬🇧

This is a well-debated subject. The bent rim risk is next to nil unless you air it down. Repairing a tubed tire in mud on the road is not a great experience. Stopping for a repair that takes at least 1 hour or more vs. 10 minutes is no comparison. I rewatched this video and have decided to get tubeless wheels for my Tenere 700.

A conundrum indeed, it is what it is, you have what you have. You just have to try and mitigate the problems as best you can. After that it's in the lap of the gods. That's life. Cheers!! Pavlin all the best 👍👍👍

In 30 years of driving on tubeless tires, it happened only one time that I had to stop to change tire. In those 30 years, I had ten or more nails, screws and other sharp objects that got stuck in my tires and I kept driving for days or weeks before noticing. That includes two motorcycle tires. So, I would without hesitation clam that tubeless tires are better. Not to mention that Tenere 700 was big turn off for me with tubeless tired. At least not for $12k USD on the road.

As soon as I get my T700 Ténére I'm going to order Alpina tubeless wheels for it. I travel a lot solo in Latin America during the winters, and don't want to be stuck trying to lever a heavy sidewall 50/50 ADV tire off a rim 100KM from Ciudad de Nowhere. For me personally a plug kit and compressor are the way to go. Also it saves the weight of all those extra tools you have to bring. Yes, you could bend a rim and end up unseating a tubeless tire, but in my experience that's rare. I bent a rim on my Goldwing in Baja California pretty badly and it still held air only losing 1 psi per day. Only my humble opinion.

Choose your bike and prepare it accordingly. Perhaps the most important thing is to practice with your repair solution before you go, and not have to effect your first repair in the middle of nowhere. There is always a way, though. Excellent topic Happy travels 👍

Very good video Pavlin!! My choice is Tubes 😊. Seen to many issues with TL guys haven’t been able to pop the tire out in the field, and also the bent rim issues. If I had to go TL, and on a long trip, I would carry at least a front tube 😊

I can fix a tubeless tire most of the time. I can't fix a tubed tire most of the time. Tubeless it is.

Ok, I say to you a question like this; If you had to ride all around the mountains of Nepal, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, India &, you had to ride every road & track & you had to finish otherwise they cut off your hands, what would you use then?

Thanks Pavlin for your video. IMHO The best option is spoked rim with tubeless tyre. Greater safety, lower tyre temperature resulting in longer life, easy repair. If the rim is bent, you can fit an inner tube and continue your journey.

I've had good experience with a tube but taking the core of the valve out and filling in 100 to 150 cc of MTB tubeless sauce. In the tubes the sauce lasts a long time without drying out and it seals flats very reliably because it dries between tube and tyre. Not saying this is better or worse but has worked well for me kind of combining the 2 systems. Another tip with tubes is that you can sometimes patch them by just pulling off one side bead with the wheel still installed and the bike laid down. Careful with tank or carb leaks so that the rig dosen't burn down. Just another option that some people like and others don't. Greetings from England, AndyB

Seems to me that tubeless tires are the best if you also carry a spare innertube and tyre levers for that 10% emergencie when the tubeless cant be fixed. You should always be covered then!

Can tubed tyres heat up the inner tube and then it fails? That’s what I was told, so tubed tyres and long fast tarmac journeys are not the best mix - this type of journey suits tubeless?

I think the 2 different views on tube or tubeless comes from your background in riding, road riders prefer tubeless and more off road prefer tubes. Tubeless is great until you have a more complicated situation than just a hole from a nail or a screw, a cut in the tread or even worse the sidewall becomes more of an issue or a dented rim. The easy solution is to just put a tube in that is true but a tubeless tyre is not easy to break the bead of the tyre from the rim and not all that easy to pop back onto the rim, plus you have to carry the tools and spare tubes to do the job , defeating the point of tubeless tyres. Tube type tyres are easier to break the bead and pop back on the bead and you tend to carry the tools and spare tubes to do the job anyway with a bike with tubed tyres. If you want a quick easy repair on a tube tyre care a bottle or can of tyre sealant, it has saved me a few times, gets you out of trouble until you can replace the tube.

I think the 2 different views on tube or tubeless comes from your background in riding, road riders prefer tubeless and more off road prefer tubes. Tubeless is great until you have a more complicated situation than just a hole from a nail or a screw, a cut in the tread or even worse the sidewall becomes more of an issue or a dented rim. The easy solution is to just put a tube in that is true but a tubeless tyre is not easy to break the bead of the tyre from the rim and not all that easy to pop back onto the rim, plus you have to carry the tools and spare tubes to do the job , defeating the point of tubeless tyres. Tube type tyres are easier to break the bead and pop back on the bead and you tend to carry the tools and spare tubes to do the job anyway with a bike with tubed tyres. If you want a quick easy repair on a tube tyre care a bottle or can of tyre sealant, it has saved me a few times, gets you out of trouble until you can replace the tube.

Prefer tubeless but always carry spare tubes and a way to repair. Remote locations require preparation.

I'm a tubes man, My Triumph has tubed tyres and I wouldn't want to buy a kit to change them. but can see your point in this

I don’t even know how to fix a motorbike tire. So I’m fucked either way! 😆

The BIGGEST Disadvantage of Tube type tyre is that it can Explode at any Moment at High speed.... On the Streets I have seen many Fatal Accident of Riders Exploding their Front Tires.... Whereas Tubeless tyres Never Explode....Leave All the other Reasons aside, this is the biggest disadvantage of a tubetype tyre.... & now I am actually afraid of riding on A tube type tire

taking off at high way speed cuz of tyre exploding on front wheel...well, lets just say that changing the tyres is the least of my worries. id go tubeless any second of a day

you talking about tubeless problems but showing in picture tube type wheels.... didnt make sense

What is your opinion of the Tubliss system? Downside is that it must be kept up to 100 psi which is maybe not always practical in high altitude, upside is that because it forces the rim out at 100 psi there is much less chance of a rim being distorted in contact with a rock, also tyre runs cooler and lasts longer. They are not technically approved for road use but I think that has more to do with US Department of Transport bureaucracy than reality and there are plenty of people riding with them on bikes like KTM690 etc. The risk "balance" is a personal decision but personally I would take that risk any day over a tube blow out at speed and intend to fit them on my 690 before my next big adventure. What are your thoughts?

Tubeless spoked wheels with a kit and a pump or co2 inflators

The trick is to run tubeless and carry tubes. One of the biggest issues is running a stiff adv tire and not be able to seat the bead. Its easy to make a rim tubeless with 3M tape but I wouldn't do it without the safety lip for the bead which usually you won't find on front rims.

Thank you for this video. Has given me some more clue about the differences between the two types of tires.

They make run flat tires for high end cars so why don't they make them for bikes . Perhaps a tire with more plies for off road use in rocky conditions. If used plugs on tubeless tires for an emergency and have put tubes in tubeless tire applications as the tire had a damaged spot in it in the rear of the motorcycle.

What is that black big part on the wall?

I run a mousse on my Enduro, it is not an adventure bike, but man,, no more problems! Go with Tubeless and bring a plug kit and if it is not repairable you can have a spare tube to put in there.

Car tyres can be used until they are getting worn out without a puncture. I think this it because they are very thick compared particularly the tyres on small capacity motorcycles. Tube tyres are even thinner since they not expected to support the bike on their own. I have given up on riding my Honda C70 small capacity tubed bike due to frequent punctures. Chinese tubes are all that is available and they are rubbish. Michelin Air Stop is no longer made in France. Only a Polish version is available on Ebay. These are not spiral formed like the old air stop and of poor quality

Simple answer is to use tubeless tyre but carry a spare tube as well as a tubeless repair kit. I have a Ktm and still managed to use a normal tube in this situation

Seems like most people are leaning to spoked tubeless wheel (with center straight valve) with a spare tube in case of emergency. For me its worth converting on my DR650. Changing a tube was a pita last trip and conversions seem fairly easy with the kits now. effort installing a TL kit in my garage to < effort required to install a tube on the trail in 90% of cases.

The vast majority of on-road punctures occur in the rear tire. Not sure why, but the data supports that the rear is most vulnerable. The front wheel is more apt to get a dented rim. So, the natural solution is a tubed front wheel, and tubeless rear wheel, and carry a tube that will work in both the front and the rear, just in case, as well as plugs for the rear. And a pump. And tire irons. And patches. And a cell phone and a credit card.

I only have one bike has go to work, dates, travel and play. I don't have time to find a place to where I can pull my wheel off, take my tire off, and patch a tube. Going to work, no time, on a date no time, tubeless just plug it all good, off road can always put a tube on a tubeless rim and tire if you tear the tire. In 40 years I have never torn a tire though.

I have motorcycle with tubeless for the freeway and if I do Dirt I have a verys 300 with tube and heavy duty Tubes they thiker