A Flatless Future?

A FLATLESS FUTURE?

THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY TO emerge from the deep-thinking minds of the Honda Motor Company is a patented puncture-proof tire tube called "TUFFUP." The idea stemmed from the aftermath of the 1994 Kobe Earthquake, during which motorcycles proved their ability to negotiate debris-covered roads, except for one recurring problem: flat tires. Adding fuel to the fire was the fact that motorcycle sales went through the roof in the days following the quake, increasing the number of potential punctures. Area shops reportedly were kept busy fixing flats, the majority of which were caused by construction materials such as nails and metal fragments.

Honda’s TUFFUP tube addresses this dilemma. The rubber tube is conventional except for one detail: a double wall containing tire-sealing liquid on the contact-patch side. This is nothing new, really; similar tire-sealant liquids have been available for years. The TUFFUP tube’s advantage is significant reductions in reciprocating and unsprung weight, thanks to the fact that the liquid is confined to the outer edge of the tube, rather than filling the entire internal volume. As a result, steering effort and suspension action are less affected.

Though Honda has patented the TUFFUP concept, no plans to produce such tubes have as yet been discussed.

But the concept certainly has its merits, and one can easily envision the benefits that the buying public-dirtbike riders, in particular-may someday enjoy. Yasushi Ichikawa