[WhiskeyTangoFox]

Originally Posted by aviator1101

The hue and cry about spoked tubeless tyres IMHO is what is called much ado about nothing

You obviously won't buy a bike to travel only in Ladakh, Spiti and Arunachal. 90% of the balance distance one would be using these bikes in and around cities where even if you encounter a puncture, repair shops are available almost every one km.

I would respectfully disagree. The tubed setup is a major pain to fix even in the city due to two reasons. Firstly because Its unlikely that I'll be able to fix it myself because removing the wheel and the tube is easier said than done, as compared to carrying around a small puncture kit for tubeless tyres.

Secondly, a lot of rides, for most, involve travelling across different types of places such as forest roads, ghat sections, trails and so forth. RSA is not particularly of much use always (I penned down a post about my experience in the heart of the city when no puncture shops were open at 8:00 a.m, and the disappointing experience with RE RSA) and isn't always available readily. Imagine you being stuck on the roads of the Bandipur Forest Reserve, waiting for hours on end for RSA?

Thirdly, one thing with RE bikes is that Alloys don't always compliment the looks of the bikes, and a Himalayan with Alloys may or may not be to everyone's taste. But spoked wheels look gorgeous IMO, and hence, tubeless spokes preserve that timeless look with the added convenience of not worrying too much about a puncture.

[Sebring]

There is a puncture mafia in Bengaluru, who spread nails near flyovers especially. This makes it a dread

Originally Posted by aviator1101

The hue and cry about spoked tubeless tyres IMHO is what is called much ado about nothingYou obviously won't buy a bike to travel only in Ladakh, Spiti and Arunachal. 90% of the balance distance one would be using these bikes in and around cities where even if you encounter a puncture, repair shops are available almost every one km.

[Shubhendra]

Originally Posted by aviator1101

The hue and cry about spoked tubeless tyres IMHO is what is called much ado about nothing

You obviously won't buy a bike to travel only in Ladakh, Spiti and Arunachal. 90% of the balance distance one would be using these bikes in and around cities where even if you encounter a puncture, repair shops are available almost every one km.

I don't know about others but it's a major major deal breaker for me. Forget Ladakh, Arunachal, etc. You go out of city limit and puncture wala don't want to touch Himalayan, Pulse etc. They expect you to remove and fit the tyre and they would only repair the puncture. With most of the current gen 2 wheelers being shod with tubeless tyres, they don't want to get into the hassle of opening/fitting tyres.
Coming to remote hilly regions, recently I had to spend almost 5-6 hrs after Anini (Arunachal Pradesh) to get the puncture repaired. last year spent almost half day before Kibithu (Arunachal) , 15 days back spent 2-3 hrs thrice in remote coastal Maharashtra and Karnataka and list goes on. I won't mind paying 20K extra for tubeless spoke tyre. Carry small inflator (I have slime bike inflator) and puncture repair kit and your are sorted.

[prakash_ajp]

IMO, the convenience of tubeless tyres are hard to dispute. The guy who is employed in my neighbourhood petrol pump has the kit and skill to fix the flat tubeless tyres. A few times when I went to check air, found small punctures/leaks and he was able to fix them in about 3 to 4 mins. Seeing him do it so effortlessly gives me the confidence that I can carry such a kit and do it myself, if required, during my long rides.

[bblost]

Originally Posted by aviator1101

It is good to be cautious but one does not always ride a bike thinking of punctures at the back of the mind. If so be the case, Scram is the way, 19 inch front and 17 inch rear alloys are good enough.

I completely agree with you.

My 2018 Himalayan has been on a lot of cross country runs including trips to Nepal, Nathula, Assam, Spiti, Chennai, Udaipur, Davangere etc. All trips from Hyderabad.

The ONLY time I have been stuck with a flat was on my recent 5k trip. When I replaced my front tire, a new tube was not available. So I had the old tube in it. The mouth of this 5 year old tube gave up in Ambala.

The puncture guy did not even remove the tire, He patched up the mouth without removing the wheel.

I took it to the nearby RE service center, who removed the wheel and I got a new tube installed.

This is frankly not such a big deal.

[aviator1101]

New video by Itchy Boots atop her Himalayan 452 when she rides to Turtuk and via Aghom Shyok to Pangong Tso, one of the toughest stretches in Ladakh.

https://youtu.be/yvZlTzCNi6w?si=EI7v2CpCtDTliCF1

Notice how she mentions at 14:00 that despite almost twice as much power than the first generation Himalayan, there is no wheel spin. She even goes on to compare it with the Ducati Desert X.

[aviator1101]

Originally Posted by WhiskeyTangoFox

I would respectfully disagree. The tubed setup is a major pain to fix even in the city.

Originally Posted by Shubhendra

I don't know about others but it's a major major deal breaker for me. Forget Ladakh, Arunachal, etc. You go out of city limit and puncture wala don't want to touch Himalayan, Pulse etc.

Originally Posted by prakash_ajp

IMO, the convenience of tubeless tyres are hard to dispute.

Sirs, I most respectfully agree with all that you are saying, but give it a thought....as riders that is a calculated risk that we all take or have been taking for the past so many years till tubeless tyres were offered on Indian bikes.

Even today, the only two so-called hard core ADVs available in Indian market, ie the Himalayan and Xpulse are offered with spoked wheels and tubed tyres. And they are quite successful in their own rights even after the 390 ADV was launched.

To add on, I went on a trip to Ladakh recently and believe you me, 90% of the bikes (both personal and rented) plying on those extreme conditions and remote areas are Royal Enfields of all types with tubed tyres.

That does not mean that if tubeless is offered as an option, one should not buy. But that cannot be the sole criteria for buying a ADV. After all the A in ADV stands for adventure.

[gauravdgr8]

Originally Posted by Majumdarda

I follow Noraly and she has uploaded her experience riding "Basantu" in the Leh-Ladakh region. Thought of sharing her experience amongst us. Few noteworthy mentions which caught my attention

I too follow Itchy Boots from Season 1 when she rode the original Himalayan from Delhi to Central Asia and beyond. Her experience then and now is a stark difference of the new Himalayan.

[shyamg28]

Originally Posted by aviator1101

Sirs, I most respectfully agree with all that you are saying, but give it a thought....as riders that is a calculated risk that we all take or have been taking for the past so many years till tubeless tyres were offered on Indian bikes....
That does not mean that if tubeless is offered as an option, one should not buy. But that cannot be the sole criteria for buying a ADV. After all the A in ADV stands for adventure.

I'm not sure if anyone said it out in as many words - that tubeless spokes would be the sole criteria for buying an ADV

In the past we did not have ABS, Traction Control and what nots. No disc brakes and FI or launch control or cooling seats for that matter.
It was because someone tried to solve a problem, that something was eventually invented. So too I believe, with tubeless spoked wheels.

According to me, it's a humongous (*10000) deal that an Indian manufacturer might (since it's still speculation) bring out a motorcycle with tubeless spoke wheels. Massive!

Is it the sole criteria for me? Not necessarily. I have a Himalayan and have had enough punctures both in city & while touring. Would I, given my touring requirements, get a vehicle that is tube type, today? No. Because there are options at the budget that I'm able to afford (think something like a Suzuki V Strom XT for starters, or even a Moto Morini X Cape Adventure).
But are there options for someone with a lower budget? Not yet.
If these RE chaps are getting it done - it's an insanely massive deal. Period.

Will I tour our country if I had a bike with tubed tyres? Yes. I will. And have too, to a decent extent.

I will now even ask this - is it too much to accept that tubeless tyres might be someone's sole criteria for buying a motorcycle? We all have our discomforts, both physical and mental. If this is such a big pain point for someone, why do we find it so difficult to accept it?

Just because I have been from the south pole to the north pole and back (I haven't FYI) without a puncture, or because I was able to navigate the difficulty of a puncture easily the one time it happened, does not guarantee that it might not be the most painful experience of my life, when it does happen again.
And it also does not mean that because someone finds the reward in difficulties as the best way to circumnavigate life even for pleasure, that everyone will.

A pic of the Himalayan for reference since it's being spoken about directly or indirectly lol.

[parrys]

Originally Posted by aviator1101

The hue and cry about spoked tubeless tyres IMHO is what is called much ado about nothing

You obviously won't buy a bike to travel only in Ladakh, Spiti and Arunachal. 90% of the balance distance one would be using these bikes in and around cities where even if you encounter a puncture, repair shops are available almost every one km.

It is good to be cautious but one does not always ride a bike thinking of punctures at the back of the mind. If so be the case, Scram is the way, 19 inch front and 17 inch rear alloys are good enough.

Anybody paranoid about spoked tubed wheels should look only the Scram way.

Time is very important for me.
I get very little time to ride a motorcycle in some months, due to work commitments.

So wasting time on fixing a puncture, is not for me.

In fact would prefer alloy wheels more than tubeless spoke wheels, but if only tube-tyre spoked wheels are on offer, I would completely skip a product from my consideration.

Originally Posted by aviator1101

Sirs, I most respectfully agree with all that you are saying, but give it a thought....as riders that is a calculated risk that we all take or have been taking for the past so many years till tubeless tyres were offered on Indian bikes.

Even today, the only two so-called hard core ADVs available in Indian market, ie the Himalayan and Xpulse are offered with spoked wheels and tubed tyres. And they are quite successful in their own rights even after the 390 ADV was launched.

To add on, I went on a trip to Ladakh recently and believe you me, 90% of the bikes (both personal and rented) plying on those extreme conditions and remote areas are Royal Enfields of all types with tubed tyres.

That does not mean that if tubeless is offered as an option, one should not buy. But that cannot be the sole criteria for buying a ADV. After all the A in ADV stands for adventure.

Fixing a puncture is not an adventure, to me, and to many more.

The fascination of getting hands dirty or fixing your own motorcycle in the name of being a true motorcycle enthusiast does not make sense to many.

My calculated risk would be to buy a bike with alloy wheels, even though it costs more. And if the alloy breaks or cracks or bends, buy a replacement. That risk, I would take.

Times have changed, pricing has gone up, so convenience also has to be a top priority.

[aviator1101]

At the outset, I'm happy to find so many people are following my posts so closely and going into lot of details, even quoting personal examples where necessary. But, sarcasm unfortunately still remains the lowest form of wit

Originally Posted by shyamg28

According to me, it's a humongous (*10000) deal that an Indian manufacturer might (since it's still speculation) bring out a motorcycle with tubeless spoke wheels.

Sir, it's not a speculation any more. Spoked tubed wheels will be on offer

I have a Himalayan and have had enough punctures both in city & while touring.

I can understand and sympathize with you and wish you better experience and safer miles with the tubeless spoked REH 450 if you end up buying one

Originally Posted by parrys

wasting time on fixing a puncture, is not for me.

Just to put things in perspective Sir, even tubeless tyres are not puncture resistant. That technology is under development and we will have to wait for some more time.

In fact would prefer alloy wheels more than tubeless spoke wheels, but if only tube-tyre spoked wheels are on offer, I would completely skip a product from my consideration.....My calculated risk would be to buy a bike with alloy wheels, even though it costs more. And if the alloy breaks or cracks or bends, buy a replacement. That risk, I would take.

You unfortunately commented on the wrong thread Sir. The Himalayan isn't coming to the market with alloy wheels at all.

Nonetheless, wish you many puncture-free miles with whichever bike you ride so that you can make the most of your precious time.

[Funny]

Looking at all these discussions related to tubeless spoke wheels, I wonder why no one has mentioned about the safety aspect of tubeless spokes compared to tube type spoke wheels in case of a puncture while riding. To me the biggest two advantages of tubeless spoke wheels are the ease of repair and the safety net of tubeless tyres since they do not tend to deflate instantly when punctured.

In case of a tube type setup, if you get a puncture while doing moderate to high speeds then there would be a very high risk of a crash due to imbalance of bike caused by the punctured wheel especially if its the front one since you would loose complete pressure within seconds, leaving no time for the rider to react or slow down the bike leading to a dangerous situation both for the rider and other road users around. In contrast, a tubeless wheel would loose pressure in a relatively slow manner allowing the rider to react quicky and save himself and others from any untoward incident.

[ostrish]

You can ride tubeless tyres at lower pressures without risking a pinch flat. There's a big diff in traction between 32 psi and 25 psi (or lower depending on load).

If you're doing off-road for extended periods on your adv, dropping pressure is the right way to go. Too risky on tubed tyres..

[yoshimitsu]

I was riding inside the city with my Suzuki Gixxer 250 towards HSR layout from BTM stretch, something hit my rear tyre and it hit tyre hugger and I managed to ride and reach a nearby puncture shop around 2kms away without stopping immediately, upon checking mechanic found 10 inches long welding rod got stuck inside tyre which fell from the metro construction, I was thanking my lucky stars and started riding after getting a small fix for 100rs.

In another incident I found a guy with brand new Himalayan pushing his bike trying to find a puncture shop and it was difficult to find nearest puncture shop due to dark hours, especially in outer city areas, moreover, these puncture shops refuse to fix the tube even with a small puncture and go for replacement we end up paying 250 to 300 plus the fixing charge of 100rs total of 400rs to fix the puncture.

Considering both situations I feel tubeless spoke setup is way more useful, i'm thinking of Himalayan upgrade if get a tubeless spoke wheel setup.

[sgmuser]

I am planning to embark on ADV riding after almost 25 years of bike riding. This is going to be my first bike purchase as well. Previously, I had Kinetic Honda. Then I had only cars so, there is going to lots of learning and unlearning to be done. Is this a good choice (being a brand new RE model, infamous for niggles and issues) and how practical for daily use? Otherwise, I need to get a scooty kind of stuff for the local short runs. How manageable this is with its height, weight etc. as single bike? I am really liking the design, the power and my only concern is the refinement which usually lacks in REs.