Most people don’t think about their valve cores. We think they’re an essential part of the motorcyclist’s toolkit.

Eventually the rubber gasket will compress, and sometimes the moisture in your tire’s air will corrode them, and sooner, or later they will get stuck in an open position spewing air out. Mine did this last week, and Dachary’s has been sticking open and requiring a tap to get it to stop leaking. Neither is a good thing when correct tire pressure is so essential to keeping you safe on a motorcycle.

Below you can see what became of ours. Be sure to click through to see the full-sized image. On the left is a brand new valve core. Note the way the rubber gasket is bowed out. In the middle is Dachary’s which kept sticking. It’s corroded at the bottom, but even if it wasn’t, the gasket has become flattened over time. On the right is mine, which has a flattened gasket, is bent, and it’s left end has physically broken off, held together only by some internal piece of metal.

Replacement valve cores can be picked up at your local auto-parts store for a couple bucks. They take up essentially no space, and may be exactly what you need to keep moving forward.