Dancing the Polka

The world of motorcycle tires can feel pretty byzantine: the more in-depth you look into it, the more depth you uncover.

But before you get into the really complicated stuff of compounds, tread pattern, bias-ply vs radial, and on and on, you have to make a basic decision: tubed or tubeless?

The difference between these types of tires is self-explanatory: a tubed tire has an inner tube, like on your bicycle, whereas a tubeless tire does not, like on your car. 

As with the question of spoked vs alloy rims, the answer to which type of tire is best depends largely on the type of riding you’re doing and where you’re doing it.

The TLDR version

Type of tire	Good for:
Tubed	Middle-of-nowhere repair (if you have the tools)Preferred by off-road ridersOften necessary for old-school looks
Tubeless	Roadside repair (if you have an emergency repair kit)Best for road useLess weight (usually)

Tubed tires: The off-road (and sometimes retro) choice

Many decades ago, tubed tires were a biker’s only choice. These days, they are most commonly seen on off-road bikes and classically styled motorcycles.

The internet tells me that inner tubes were first invented in the 1800s, with cars, trucks, and motorcycles using them to keep tires inflated well into the middle of the 20th century. Four-wheeled vehicles began transitioning to tubeless set-ups in the 1950s, motorcycling didn’t really catch up until about 20 years later.

Use of alloy rims facilitated the change. They’re airtight, whereas traditional spoked wheels let air through the rim. 

Spoked wheels invoke a more classic/heritage feel, so the reason modern classic bikes often have tubed tires really has nothing to do with the benefits or disadvantages of using an inner tube. It’s all about aesthetics. 

Increasingly, manufacturers are equipping modern classic bikes with so-called cross-spoke wheels that can accommodate tubeless tires (see below). The current Harley-Davidson Street Bob is an example: old-school styling, modern-day tire set-up.

Off-road benefits

For people riding off-road, a tubed tire can offer a handful of benefits. Doing so allows you to reduce the pressure in your tires, which increases traction off road, improves ride quality by absorbing bumps, and nominally decreases the risk of puncture. 

You couldn’t do this with a tubeless tire. Decreased pressure would put you at risk of breaking the tire’s airtight seal with the rim. Related to this, a tubed tire can be used with rims that are damaged or have imperfections.

On the whole, repairing a puncture on a tubed tire is a more involved process, but inner tubes are certainly cheaper to replace than a full-on tire. And inner tubes are definitely the word-traveler’s choice; they’re a hell of a lot easier to carry, and there are no air compressors in the middle of nowhere (which is something you need to get the tire bead to seat properly on a tubeless tire). 

Drawbacks

On the whole, since tubed tires tend to go hand in hand with spoked wheels, they tend to add weight. That aside, the biggest drawbacks come when you suffer a puncture. 

First there’s the immediate effect of the puncture: air is much less likely to leak out slowly, as it might with a tubeless tire. Instant deflation is the sort of thing that becomes VERY relevant if you ride over a nail at 80 mph.

Assuming you survive the experience, you’re then left with the colossal ball ache that is patching the inner tube. It is dirty, grunting, hand-hurting, knuckle-busting work. It takes a lot of time and a lot of tools.

To deal with a puncture on a tubed tire, you generally need to: 

1. Remove the wheel (so you’d better have a bike with a center stand or a good, sturdy tree to lean it against).
2. Lever the tire halfway off (or all the way off if you’re a perfectionist).
3. Pull the tube from the tire.
4. Patch or replace the tube.
5. Put the tube back into the tire without any kinks.
6. Partially inflate the tube.
7. Lever the tire fully back onto the wheel.
8. Fully inflate the tube.
9. Put the wheel back onto the bike, making sure that it is properly aligned and – ideally – balanced.

Imagine having to do this on the M6 in a rain storm. It’s the sort of thing that would likely put you off motorcycling for the rest of your life.

Lastly, tubed tires are a little more susceptible to blowout – especially in high-heat situations. This is one of several reasons why you won’t see tubed tires on racing bikes. 

That’s not to say, however, that tires with inner tubes are death traps. Especially in the modern era. If you ride at normal speeds (or even pretty enthusiastic speeds) and replace your tubes regularly – ie, when you replace your tires – there’s nowt to worry about.

Tubeless tires: All the cool kids are doing it

The choice of almost all road and track riders, tubeless tires’ benefits are largely the opposite of a tubed tire’s drawbacks: 

They’re even less likely to suffer blowouts because they’re more tolerant of high-heat situations. They’re usually more puncture-resistant, and punctures (generally) deflate slower. They’re arguably more stable in on-road situations. And, when paired with alloy wheels, they’re lighter and can tolerate a greater load.

For me, the biggest selling point of a tubeless tire is the ability to address punctures quickly and get back on the road. Whereas dealing with a flat on a tubed tire is a nightmare, on a tubeless tire the process goes like this:

1. Plug the tire using the tools in the small tire repair kit that you SHOULD be carrying under your seat.
2. Ride to the nearest petrol station/garage to double-check that your tires are fully inflated.

Again, you really should be carrying an emergency tire repair kit. Over the years, I’ve suffered a number of flats and found that the Gear Gremlin Emergency Tyre Repair Kit has been the easiest and most reliable to use. Buy one, wrap it in a Ziplock-type bag (to protect against moisture), tuck it under your seat, and forget about it. One day in the future, you will be immensely grateful to your past self for doing so.

Side tip: it helps if you also carry a Leatherman multi-tool or the like. The pliers are useful for removing an offending object (eg, a nail) from a tire, and in my experience the knife is a little more effective than the kit’s razorblade when it comes to cutting the plug to size.

Drawbacks

The drawbacks of a tubeless tire are largely addressed in the benefits of a tubed tire. Tubeless tires won’t tolerate rim imperfections, and riding very long at the wrong tire pressure is a bad idea.

Replacing a tubeless tire in the middle of nowhere is nigh impossible. And the plugs in a tubeless emergency tire repair kit aren’t intended as permanent solutions. Kit manufacturers generally advise that you don’t ride more than 100 miles with them. So, even with the tiniest of punctures you’re usually left having to buy a new tire.

Variations on the theme

As mentioned above, manufacturers are increasingly equipping their motorcycles with cross-spoke wheels that give you the authentic look without the authentic roadside pain. Not only are they showing up more and more on cruisers and modern classics, but also on adventure bikes that clearly aren’t intended for intense off-road use. Think the BMW R 1300 GS, or Triumph Tiger 1200 Rally Explorer.

All of the drawbacks of a tubeless tire apply to the tires on these kinds of wheel, of course, so it’s common for people to ask: Can you put a tube in a tubeless tire? The short answer is yes, but you need to be alert to the possibility of heat friction. A number of manufacturers make tires that can be run either tubed or tubeless.

Equally, it’s common for people who don’t have cross-spoke wheels to ask: Can you put a tubeless tire on a (traditionally) spoked wheel? The short answer is no, but the longer answer is, yes, if you have a lot of time and use Peaty’s Holeshot rim tape or the like. Safety is a real concern here, though.

Which one do you need?

To sum up, if you ride exclusively on the road, tubeless tires are the choice for you. Indeed, if the only off-road riding you’re doing is on gravel roads/trails, you should probably be opting for tubeless tires as well.

Really, the only riders who may need to use tubed tires are folks doing enduro stuff or round-the-world individuals who are planning a long stint across the Kazakhstani steppe.

Riders of modern classics (and actual classics) are stuck with tubed tires only by default, unless they want to take the risk on rim tape or invest in cross-spoke wheels.