When it comes time to increase the pressure in your motorcycle’s tires, you have several choices—manual pump (too much work), air compressor (expensive, space-consuming, and not portable), and CO2 cartridges (wasteful). I like the more recent option quite a bit—a portable, rechargeable, electric air pump. The Cycplus A8 air pump may focus on bicycles, but it is versatile enough to use for motorcycle tires and topping off cars and pickup truck tires.Weighing in a 1 pound, 1.1 ounces (with hose) and measuring 6.75 by 1.4 by 2.5 inches (without the hose), it’s a compact and lightweight unit. Although it’s overkill for a dirt bike rider, it should find a place in the pannier of an adventure or touring motorcycle.
Unboxing!The operation of the Cycplus A8 air pump is straightforward, after you charge it for its first use. Hold in the large power button until the bright LED lights up. You’ll be greeted with a PSI (or bar) number, a tiny charge-level indicator, and a tiny pictogram use indicator—bicycle, scooter/motorcycle, automobile/truck, and athletic ball. A left button scrolls you through the uses, and you hold it in to switch between psi (measured to tenths) and bar (measured to hundredths). With that done, you’re ready to go.With a “+” button above and a “—” button below the power button, you select the pressure you want to inflate to. When you screw on the valve, the Cycplus A8 will display the air pressure in the tire (or whatever you’re inflating). If it’s below your target, push the power button, and the electric air compressor goes to work pressurizing your motorcycle’s tire. When the psi reaches the level you’ve selected, it automatically stops. Yep, it’s that simple.This is a no-frills unit, save a nice drawstring carrying bag and the LED next to the valve hose. That LED is worth its weight in gold if you have to inflate a tire in the dark. You turn it on by pushing a button to the right of the power button, and you’ll be able to see the valve stem under any conditions. There are no provisions for charging your smartphone or anything else. The Cycplus A8 is a one-trick pony. Fortunately, it does its trick well.The LED on the top is bright. There’s nothing wrong with the Cycplus A8’s display–it wasn’t getting along with the digital camera sensor while the unit was running.In addition to fine-tuning the tire pressure on a few motorcycles, which took a few minutes, I also used it to top off my Tundra’s tires—a process that takes a bit longer. If you run the A8 for more than five minutes or so, let it cool off for 10 minutes before resuming inflation duties.With all my air pressure checks and adjustments made, the 2600 mAh lithium battery was far from exhausted, so you won’t have to worry about running out of juice if you charge it up before setting out. Cycplus suggests charging the A8 every two months, regardless of use.Charging port at the top. Small red LED to the right lights up when charging.Charging is handled via a USB-C receptacle—a USB-C cable is included. If your motorcycle or any other vehicle can charge your phone, it can charge the Cycplus A8.With an MSRP of $70, you’re buying quite a bit of convenience with the Cycplus A8 air pump, and the more motorcycles and bicycles you own, the better it is.Cycplus A8 Fast Facts
Hello everyone and welcome once again to Ultimate Motorcycling’s weekly Podcast—Motos and Friends.
My name is Arthur Coldwells.
This week’s Podcast is brought to you by Yamaha motorcycles. Discover how the YZF-R7 provides the perfect balance of rider comfort and true supersport performance by checking it out at YamahaMotorsports.com, or see it for yourself at your local dealer.
This week’s episode features Senior Editor Nic de Sena’s impressions of the beautiful new Harley-Davidson Low Rider ST that is loosely based around the original FXRT Sport Glide from the 1980s. Hailing from The Golden State, these cult-status performance machines became known as West Coast style, with sportier suspension, increased horsepower, and niceties including creature comforts such as a tidy fairing and sporty luggage.
In past episodes you might have heard us mention my best friend, Daniel Schoenewald, and in the second segment I chat with him about some of the really special machines in his 170 or so—and growing—motorcycle collection. He’s always said to me that he doesn’t consider himself the owner, merely the curator of the motorcycles for the next generation.
Yet Daniel is not just a collector, but I can attest a really skilled rider. His bikes are not trailer queens, they’re ridden, and they’re ridden pretty hard. Actually, we have had many, many memorable rides on pretty much all of the machines in the collection at one time or another.
From all of us here at Ultimate Motorcycling, we hope you enjoy this episode!
Weighing in a 1 pound, 1.1 ounces (with hose) and measuring 6.75 by 1.4 by 2.5 inches (without the hose), it’s a compact and lightweight unit. Although it’s overkill for a dirt bike rider, it should find a place in the pannier of an adventure or touring motorcycle.
With a “+” button above and a “—” button below the power button, you select the pressure you want to inflate to. When you screw on the valve, the Cycplus A8 will display the air pressure in the tire (or whatever you’re inflating). If it’s below your target, push the power button, and the electric air compressor goes to work pressurizing your motorcycle’s tire. When the psi reaches the level you’ve selected, it automatically stops. Yep, it’s that simple.This is a no-frills unit, save a nice drawstring carrying bag and the LED next to the valve hose. That LED is worth its weight in gold if you have to inflate a tire in the dark. You turn it on by pushing a button to the right of the power button, and you’ll be able to see the valve stem under any conditions. There are no provisions for charging your smartphone or anything else. The Cycplus A8 is a one-trick pony. Fortunately, it does its trick well.
