Pirelli Self Inflating Motorcycle Tire System

[jhugh]

Details

[kwebbel]

Oh man, I was just thinking I was coming at the end of my list of mods!

[SweetLou]

That would be pretty darn niffty, but I bet it will not be cheap!

[OldandReallySlow]

Plus, how much weight will it really put on the wheels?? Seems like it would increase the gyroscopic effect causing it to be harder to turn the bike.

[The CyberPoet]

That would be pretty darn niffty, but I bet it will not be cheap!

You're talking not just about a tire, but a wheel and tire system -- yes, it's gonna be painfully expensive. On the other hand, there is nothing new under the sun... something like this already existed thirty years ago, just wasn't electronic or temperature-sensitive the way this one is.

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[jhugh]

I wonder why they went with this system rather than a 'run flat' tire like the Corvette? The only advantage Pirelli has is that it will automatically compensate for the normal air loss - but the owner should already be on top of that.
I would prefer the run flat system. Why? If you get a flat and are loosing air, just how long will this thing keep your tire inflated before it runs out?
I'll guess at the answer: The innermost layer of a radial tire tends to seal around whatever punctured it, air loss is usually very slow so it's not a problem.

[Mojoe]

That would be pretty darn niffty, but I bet it will not be cheap!

exactly..not cheap. the main reason I would have no interest. That, and the fact that I had a tire lose all air on a cbr600 hurricane about 12-13 years ago on the highway. It happend just as I let off the throttle at about 80mph. It was the rear tire and the only thing that freaked me out was that it wanted to pull me to the ditch cuz of the slant in the road. It took a while to stop, but I stopped fine by not freaking out and hitting the brakes...or some dumb move like that. Not sure though how it would have panned out in traffic.

So with 20+ yrs of riding and only one flat while moving....I will stick to the plain ol' ordinary tire. But it may be a great thing for the novice riders who have yet to experience a tire deflating at high speeds and lack the "keep it cool" mentality that can only come from 1st hand experience.

question though....it says good for 9-12 months, so how much does it cost to keep that system when you are lucky to get 6 months out of a tire? I just changed mine 4 months ago and I am due for a new one already. One smoker decided that.

[kwebbel]

The PIRELLI SAFETY WHEEL SYSTEM comprises three elements: a special rim with an internal tube containing compressed air; a valve that regulates the passage of pressure between the tube and the tyre; and the Pirelli Bike X-PRESSURE™ system, which monitors the pressure and temperature of tyres.

That won't be a problem I think, I can only imagine you'd be "condemned" to use a special type of Pirelli tyre designed for this system, not sure however it's not stated in the article it's a safety wheel system..

[WildKat]

I The only advantage Pirelli has is that it will automatically compensate for the normal air loss - but the owner should already be on top of that.

This caters to the not-so-ontop-of-my-bike maint. & safety issues kinda guy!

[SlytlyDeranged]

I tend to agree with most other posts here. Checking your tire pressure is just part of riding. The price is much too high, and how long will it be before there is another system, that works better, and is much cheaper marketed by a competitor? I like the concept, just not sure of the practicality.

[The CyberPoet]

It wouldn't be hard to build a system that had a weight-based sliding air pump in the spokes and a blow-off valve in the rim to shed excess pressure... every time you stopped, the spokes at the top would slide the pump down, and when they spun back up to speed, they'd slide the other way to pump into the system. It wouldn't fix flats at speed, but it would be more than enough to keep uncompromised tires pressurized correctly for life (or for the life of the valve that controls the blow-off anyway).

The main advatange I see for Pirelli's system is a weight savings by comparison. There still has to be some sort of electrical generation system built into the wheel to run the controllers, I'd suspect...

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[Mojoe]

I have a filing system for new ideas I see. Gotta have, Maybe and Gimmik/waste of $ .

This falls under the latter. If anyone here installs this on their kat, I want your job, because it must be nice to spend money on something that frivilous (spelling).