What type of compressor is used for filling air in a motorcycle?

May 4, 2022May 15, 2022 admin

If you own a bike and you are a DIY person then owning a bike tire inflator becomes important as you’ll be repairing tyres by yourself. Regular checking and maintaining proper air pressure in the tires is important for the best performance of our bikes.

Types of compressors for filling air:

Mainly there are two types of machines which are used for inflating tires of motorcycles and cars. They are- air compressors and tire inflators.

Air compressors

Air compressors are high-performance adamantine tire inflating machines that have a tank attached to them to store air. An air compressor cannot fill tires directly by taking air from the atmosphere.

Air compressors first compress the atmospheric air and then store it in the tank and that is used to fill the air in a motorcycle or car tyres, footballs, or any other thing that needs air. This inflating device can fill the air with more pressure and so can be used to fill up things like footballs etc.

Air compressors are used by repair shops and garages and fuel station pumps. These heavy-duty machines cost much more but can fill fast within one minute whereas a tyre inflator will take more than 4-5 mins to fill the air to a flat tire. Furthermore, air compressors can also be used to paint cars.

In the majority of the air compressors, you cannot set predefined air pressure. Only air compressors in fuel stations are automated and can be set with a predefined pressure and have an auto cut-off feature. So, if you are handling an air compressor, remember to check the air pressure with an air pressure gauge constantly, otherwise, you may end up bursting your tire.

Tiyre inflators

Tire inflators are for people like you and me who are gonna use inflating machines for use at home. This takes time and that makes it non-ideal for use in professional places. Filling each tire may take 5 mins.

Unlike its counterpart air compressor, tire inflators have no other use than inflating tires of cars and bikes. Along with these, you can certainly fill a football, etc with the given extra nozzles.

Tire inflators are further of two types: manual pumps and electronic automatic inflators. The majority of car owners use an electronic automatic inflator because of its convenience.

Automatic inflators

These work with the car charging socket and will work with 12V only. Automatic inflators can be set with predefined air pressure reaching which the air transfer will stop. This type of tyre inflator can deliver a max air pressure of 150 PSI which is more than enough for any normal user.

The in-built tyre pressure gauge in automatic inflators may be analog or digital. Try to buy an automatic inflator with a digital gauge as digital gauges are more accurate. Though it won’t make much difference still you can get the digital one if you are a skeptic.

Nowadays, automatic inflators also have features like a built-in flashlight so that you can locate the nozzle in the tyre for easier access when you are caught up on the side of a highway. Also, the auto cut-off feature is an important feature that makes automatic inflators popular and as soon as the set air pressure is reached, the air filling will stop, unlike the air compressors which can burst your tyre.

AC input can be seen in many automatic tyre inflators. These can be plugged into 220V normal home electricity sockets and can be used to fill the air in bikes. Many of these tyre inflators have dual input AC and DC so, you can use in-car sockets as well as home power sockets.

Manual inflators

Manual inflators are also known as foot pumps. But you need a separate tyre pressure gauge to check the tyre pressure with it as sometimes an in-built pressure gauge is missing or is very inaccurate.

These inflators can work up to some extent for small vehicles like cycles and rickshaws. But it is not ideal for bikes as it will need high manual effort. It is not easy as the air will continue escaping. Believe me, I’ve tried it.

So, if you plan to fill the tyres of your bicycle then manual inflators are fine, or maybe if you want to fill air into your football.

Manual inflators are the cheapest form of tyre inflator which is available on the market. The built-in tyre pressure gauge (if present) is always analog and not digital. This tyre pressure gauge is quite inaccurate. So, you should consider buying a good tyre pressure gauge if you plan on using this kind of tyre inflator. Michelin is famous for tyre pressure gauges. In a nutshell, automatic tyre inflators will be good for filling the air in motorcycles. It is used for domestic purposes. Along with various bike accessories, you can buy car accessories online with us just with your phone. Yes, it is that easy!