Hello and welcome to 30 Minute Motorcycling – the podcast where we’re talking two-wheelers – from motorcycles, to scooters, and other things on two wheels – in under 30 minutes.
Today, we're going to talk about something that's made from plastic and small, but that is as overlooked as it is small: the tire valve cap.
You might think it's not that important, but losing one can be a bigger deal than you think. I know from experience - I once lost one during a simple maintenance task. But don't worry, I'll share what I learned from that experience and what you can do if you find yourself in a similar situation.
Now, the tire valve cap sits on top of the tire valve on both of your tires. The tire valve itself is like a floodgate, controlling the amount of pressurized air going into or out of your tire.
But while the tire valve itself is important, the cap itself is just as important. It protects the valve from dirt and debris that can get inside and compromise its function. Without the cap, the valve is vulnerable to the elements, and that can cause problems.
So, why not just leave it on at all times? Well, unfortunately, there are a few times when you have no other option to take it off, such as when you’re:
- Checking your tire pressure (which you should do regularly, by the way)
- Inflating the tire
- Deflating the tire
And sadly, because it’s so tiny, losing that cap is not that difficult - as I discovered once…
What happened was that I discovered one day that the tire pressure was lower than it should be (particularly for the front tire).
And since I didn’t have a canister of pressurized air accessible, I had to go to my local fuel station, where I knew they had a special machine I could use.
Even though the machine had a reading in “bar” (metric system) and the instruction manual for my scooter was in PSi (Imperial system), I managed to figure out how much pressure my tires needed.
So, I unscrew and remove the tire valve cap for my front tire. I put the nozzle for the tire inflation machine over the tire valve. I inflate the front tire to the correct pressure rating.
Then, I repeat the same thing for the rear tire. And just to make absolutely sure, I double check my tire pressure with my pressure gauge. It checks out.
I put the tire cap back on the rear tire. Job done, right? Unfortunately, just as I was getting ready to leave, a question popped up in my head:
“Wait - where’s the front tire cap?”
And you should have seen what happened next - I rummaged through all of my pockets. I searched everywhere around my scooter. I searched all around the fuel station forecourt area where I had been, but it all amounted to nothing more than a wild goose chase.
I had to face facts - that tire cap for my front tire was GONE.
In the end, I had no other choice but to ride back with the tire valve for my front tire exposed. Fortunately, it wasn’t a long ride, but it certainly wasn’t what I’d consider a “job done.”
Perhaps it seems like I was being a bit melodramatic about this and that my wild goose chase around the forecourt was just my anxiety playing tricks on my mind.
Are tire valve caps really necessary?
Yes, they are – if you remember earlier, without that tire valve cap, your tire valve is now vulnerable to dirt, water, and debris getting into it.
If that happens, the valve is no longer leak proof, and since your tires are constantly exposed to all kinds of dirt and debris, it’s not that unlikely that it will happen.
So if you should lose one, is it worth risking riding without one?
Yes – at least for a short distance – I had to do just that on that fateful day at the fuel station.
Even so, I must emphasize the term “short distance.” Once your bike it back in the garage or wherever you normally park it, make sure you get the tire cap replaced ASAP - or at least before you take it out on the road again.
And finally, let’s address the pressing question - “what do you do if you lose a tire valve cap?”
First of all, don’t fret – after all, it happened to me, and from that experience, I discovered something that you’ll be happy to hear.
Although tire valve caps are easy to lose, they’re also easy and cheap to replace. You can get small boxes of them from places like Amazon, XLMoto or any automotive parts store.
And for the most part, these replacement tire caps are universal. So in other words, they will usually fit most motorcycles and scooters - from a small 50cc Kymco Agility, to a 125 KTM Duke to a 750 Suzuki GSX.
Hell, I’m sure that they’ll fit a huge Triumph Rocket 3 or a Harley Davidson Road Glide too.
So that’s the essentials on tire valve caps – they’re small, vital, but they’re also as easy to replace as they are small and vital.
So if you’ve tuned in to this episode because you made the same mistake I did, you know what to do. And even if you haven’t, you’ll be ready for when it does happen.
Either way, thank you for tuning in, and until next time – happy trails – no matter what or where you ride!