lets talk street tire pressure

hitjohn

hitjohn

Lea goes to Slovakia
its been years, i just got another bike. what the heck tire pressure do you folks run on the street?

right now im doing 32 front and rear but the other day i took it out and as i was getting on the freeway the rear broke loose a bit.

i have a 190 rear and i was not on the gas that much and maybe i hit a slippery spot, so i think maybe a little less air in the rear to increase the contact patch?

what do you all run for street use and what bike do you run it on?

thanks!
john
 
afm199

afm199

Well-known member
32 is a good street pressure, I don't usually go lower because of the danger of bending rims on a pothole. If you broke loose I would be looking at your suspension, and, as you mention, you never know what kind of splooge is going to be on the freeway.
 
paroxysm

paroxysm

576cc PieGP world champ.
I hardly "break th end loose" on trackdays running at 32 cold. I wouldn't want to go any lower on the street because like Erinie said you run the risk of majorly fuxing your rims. I'd think that your tires must've been cold (I don't know how long you had been riding prior to getting on the freeway), but with a 190 I hardly think you need to worry about lack of contact patch.
 
07chuck

07chuck

POOP!!!
For most middle-weight bikes low-mid 30's is a good general tire pressure.

I'm partial to 33psi front and 35psi rear.

A little more pressure for heavy bikes, a little less pressure for lightweight bikes.
 
ALANRIDER7

ALANRIDER7

MeowMeowMeow
yody said:
because those don't necessarily work the best for different types of riding
Click to expand...

Please post a link to your facts or test data. How is it that you can claim to know things the tire engineers don't and your opinion trumps that of the tire makers and the motorcycle manufacturers?

The manufacturer recommends running a certain tire poressure, You say not to listen to that and run something different.

If you don't have the testing data to support your claims, why are you posting such a statement?
 
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Hoologan

Hoologan

Well-known member
LOL you guys are fucking funny. When people post that they run the recommended pressure of 36F, 42R (max load) they get told to drop the pressures to like 32-36. Now that the guy is saying he runs his shit at 32, you're saying run the recommended pressure? WTF? I'm convince you guys are fucking crazy.
 
hitjohn

hitjohn

Lea goes to Slovakia
i think i'll check the rear suspension settings. the bike is all new to me so i need to learn about it. i tried the recommended pressures and it felt weird. i think i'll go to aftershocks and have my friend paul do some adustments since the rider before me was probably lots bigger.

thanks for the advice guys!

john
 
afm199

afm199

Well-known member
ALANRIDER7 said:
Please post a link to your facts or test data. How is it that you can claim to know things the tire engineers don't and your opinion trumps that of the tire makers and the motorcycle manufacturers?

The manufacturer recommends running a certain tire poressure, You say not to listen to that and run something different.

If you don't have the testing data to support your claims, why are you posting such a statement?
Click to expand...


The manufacturer recommends high pressures to cover all and every possibility of liability.

If you run a tire at 42 psi you can pretty much count on it working fine when a 220 pound rider has a 220 pound passenger on a hayabusa.

A tire at 32 psi will not.

I have never heard a dealer (like Terry at Sporttire or anyone at Pirelli) recommend high pressures for the street.

The manufacturer ALSO SUGGESTS that you shift out of first gear on a 1000rr at 15 mph, second gear at 25 mph, etc.

I am sure you follow those suggestions. :laughing
 
faz

faz

Sexiest Ex-Mod around!™
I used to run 36/42 recommended by Honda on F4i. It worked fine for me and saved my tires too, until another barfer took it upon himself to change my tire pressure for me on one of the rides after swapping bikes.... brought it down to 32/36. The bike handled a lot softer, not as harsh on sharp bumps, less prone to sliding on gravel... I liked it more.

I now run 32/36 or around there all of the time, and works for me.
 
J

JimE

Rider
I would be more inclined to run the tire manufacturers recommended pressure than the bike manufacturer. As already pointed out, the manufacturers recommendations tend to be fairly high probably due to liability issues. Just "asking around" is probably going to confuse you with a lot of different answers. Run the tire manufacturers pressure and then play around a pound at a time to dial it in for your wieght and style.
 
Hooli

Hooli

Big Ugly
35/35 F/R on my G1K using BT014's; 34/34 on the R6 for the street, and lowered for track duty (D208GP's)
 
hitjohn

hitjohn

Lea goes to Slovakia
cool, thanks for the input folks. i spent a couple of hours adjusting tire pressures and taking the bike out on a stretch of road. i think 32-33 is ideal for my case. i also played with the suspension settings.

i dont know if the recommended pressures would be ideal in my case but i know with automobile tires people generally air up to higher pressures when carrying a load. if not under load they usually run lower pressure. i don't know if its the same with mc tires though.

so i am wondering, when you air up, does that also reduce the contact patch of rubber on pavement? i have a 190 rear and am thinking of going to a 180 rear since i have found a small cut in the tread of the tire. i know lower pressure tire also means your tires warm up quicker as wel which is nice at the track. i think i was running 27lbs in my rs125. i dont remember for sure though.

im gonna spend a little more time on all this when i get a chance. its been a while since i have had a bike so i'll need to learn about it more.

thanks guys!

john
 
clutchslip

clutchslip

Not as fast as I look.
The recommended tire presssure is put on the same sticker as the MAX Gross Vehicle Weight. Those pressures are for a FULLY LOADED vehicle, whether it is a car or a motorcycle or a trailer. That's DOT rules.

The 36/42 pressure you commonly see is for the MAX your bike can carry.
 
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