Homemade portable motorcycle Tire/Tyre inflator.

I decided I really should carry an inflator and puncture repair kit when going on long trips. I have riden with a few people who carry the guts of a Cambell Hausfeld RP1200 inflator in their tank bags. The problem with this setup is that once you remove the fan the inflator runs very hot. I came across this article and decided to assemble something similar.

I did not like the idea of using tie wraps to attach the compressor to the enclosure. There were two holes in the compressor casing that looked ideal for mounting so I got some nuts, bolts and washers from the hardware store. To give more clearance between the inflator and the enclosure I removed some of the ribbing from inside the plastic enclosure and mounted the compressor at a slight angle (this may not be necessary). After bolting the compressor to the metal lid of the enclosure I discovered that I needed to shim one end of it so that the fan would not point up at an angle. I used some self adhesive wheather-stripping for this (you can see the edge of it in the first picture). I decided it was more effort than it was worth to keep the switch so I removed it. The fan sucks air in and blows it over the motor and compressor so I made holes in the appropriate places in the plastic enclosure. Finally I shortened the wire and attached the plug.

I have field tested the pump and it works great. The only downside is that it is rather noisy.

I friend of mine decided this was a good idea and built his own. His technique was quite different and you can see it here.