ASK THE MXPERTS: WHAT EXACTLY IS MOUSSE? OR IS THAT MICE? MOUSE?

The biggest plus of a mousse is that it can never go flat. For lots of racers that is very important.

Dear MXA,

What is a mousse? I’m not new to the sport. I’ve been riding for five years, and I’ve heard people at the track talk about running a mousse, but I don’t know exactly what one is. Help?

A mousse (mousse is French for “foam”) is a foam tube-shaped insert that replaces the conventional pneumatic tube inside your tire. The big plus of a mousse is that it can’t go flat. It eliminates pulled stems, punctures and pinched tubes. Once broken in, a solid foam mousse delivers the same feel as a pneumatic tube with 12 psi in it. The mousse will maintain its feel for many motos, but will eventually get softer the more you ride on it. The lifespan of a mousse depends on how you use it. MXA typically runs a mousse for three rear tire changes.Nitromousse’s come in a wide variety of sizes to fit every possible tire combination.

The downsides of a mousse are: (1) Mousses are incredibly hard to install. (2) Many long-time mousse users speed up the process of making the mousse feel softer by using a spade-type drill bit to bore holes in the foam before installation. (3) Mousses deliver a deader feel than a pneumatic tube. (4) Mousses are heavier than air-filled tubes and thus increase unsprung weight. (5) Mousses must be ordered in the same size as the tire they go in. (6) Mousses are expensive—a 110/90-19 Nitromousse costs $120. For more information on mousse tubes, go to www.nitromousse.com.