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Practice drills in parking lots? Cones?

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this is a case where the bikes manual is far superseded by the tire manufacturers recommendation, as tires are constantly evolving. I'd never put 42 psi cold in any rear high performance street tire, unless you had the bike loaded up with all sorts of luggage i guess.
 
FriendlyFoe said:
this is a case where the bikes manual is far superseded by the tire manufacturers recommendation, as tires are constantly evolving. I'd never put 42 psi cold in any rear high performance street tire, unless you had the bike loaded up with all sorts of luggage i guess.
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What would be a fair recommendation for street use then?
 
You should sign up for the level one if you can this summer. Not sure if there are any spots left in level two.
 
Corsara said:
Bridgestone Battlax BT016 on the front @ 36psi
Bridgestone Battlax BT016 Pro on the rear @ 42psi

I run these pressures normally, they are the recommended ones in the bike's manual. I'm thinking for parking lot cornering, to drop down to 30psi front and 36psi rear, what do you think?
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Holy $h!+! What do you weigh, like 300 pounds?

As already mentioned - forget the manual with this regard. Try 32 front and 34 - 36 rear for starters.You are selling yourself WAY short of the performance that bike is capable of. Those tires are much happier at lower psi.

IF you feel this is too aggressive a step then try a little higher pressures than what I have above, but i'll tell ya right now - if you're starting a thread about practicing in an empty lot with cones then you'll want the lower pressures ... all the time.


Seriously though - what do you weigh?????

And have you adjusted your suspension for you yet? Did you set the sag and such?
 
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When i rode on the street i used to run around 34-36 cold in my 2ct rear and never had any tire wear issues. Motorcycle tires are designed to deform, thats how they work. Too much pressure and they cant do that.

It would matter less on a more touring oriented tire, but for a supersport tire, closer to track temps. I'm also going to hazard a guess that 30 is too low for the front in parking lot drills, track yes but you wont build enough heat doing what you're doing. I think something like 32/32 would be optimal for your parking lot drills, and 32f/36r for street riding, but lets wait for someone more experience to chime in before you take my word on it. I'm not knowledgeable enough for you to be putting your safety in my hands ;)
 
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FriendlyFoe said:
When i rode on the street i used to run around 34-36 cold in my 2ct rear and never had any tire wear issues. Motorcycle tires are designed to deform, thats how they work. Too much pressure and they cant do that.

It would matter less on a more touring oriented tire, but for a supersport tire, closer to track temps. I'm also going to hazard a guess that 30 is too low for the front in parking lot drills, track yes but you wont build enough heat doing what you're doing. I think something like 32/32 would be optimal for your parking lot drills, and 32f/36r for street riding, but lets wait for someone more experience to chime in before you take my word on it. I'm not knowledgeable enough for you to be putting your safety in my hands ;)
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I'd say 30f/30r is good. I know of some guys that used to run this as their "street pressure" (street=track to these guys), but it also depends on what you have for equipment and your own weight. I wouldn't tell someone that weighs 300 pounds to run 30 psi ever. A lightweight like me (okay, featherweight) can run 30 psi all day and it won't hurt none.

The equipment thing can be easily overcome by carefully selecting a location with a gas station nearby (make sure their air pump works and that you have change because air ain't free no more) or by purchasing a small air compressor.
 
I weight under 200lb with gear.

Damnit...when I traded in my previous bike, I was "informed" that I've been running too low pressures, and was told my trade in value decreases because I've ruined the otherwise good tires. I was excited about closing the deal and didn't argue, but asked what is the correct pressure to run, and they told me to always have what the manual says and, I quote, "not look at all that bad advice floating around the Internet". Obviously, I fell a victim of people too greedy to make an extra profit.. I will not name the dealership in question, and please, if you figure it out keep it to yourself, I haven't started this thread to complain.

That said, I did measure the sag and set the preload right, I haven't messed with the rebound and compression settings though. Bike handles well, I've never dragged a knee before, but it must be close on some onramps--I do hang off the bike quite a bit, thus decreasing lean angle of the bike to have more traction reserve, and yet the chicken strips are barely there at the edges. Haven't felt the rear giving in yet on this tire, with 42psi. But I think I should definitely decrease it!

Since I was told to not trust myself in just one pair oh hands, can anyone else confirm 32 front and 36 rear sounds good for street, and 32/32 good for parking lot?

Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using Tapatalk 2
 
Corsara said:
I weight under 200lb with gear.

Damnit...when I traded in my previous bike, I was "informed" that I've been running too low pressures, and was told my trade in value decreases because I've ruined the otherwise good tires. I was excited about closing the deal and didn't argue, but asked what is the correct pressure to run, and they told me to always have what the manual says and, I quote, "not look at all that bad advice floating around the Internet".
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Running low pressures and doing a lot of highway miles is going to flat spot the tire in the middle quicker. I got 15k out of a set of 2ct tires before they were really flat spotting, if you're not happy with that kind of mileage you should be on a sport touring tire, not a hypersport tire. The only reason to run 36 rear on the street as opposed to in the 30-32 range is to increase the mileage you get out of the tire. 42 is just too much tho.

EDIT: also, doing a long highway trip bump your pressures up. Going for a hooligan run, drop em to track temps (32f/30r...ish). I can change my tire pressure front and rear in about 30 seconds at the track with a bicycle pump, theres really no reason not to, but i would probably run 32f/36r just for daily commuting and general nonsense. Remember tires are cheaper then falling down, if you have to replace them once a season, so what. Also use a good pressure gauge, those little slide out stick ones can be horribly inaccurate.
 
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Thanks! I think 32 / 32 is going to be the new Me an hour from now. Will bump rear to 36 if going for somewhat more leisurly ride with highway.

Don't really care about mileage. As for pressure gauge, I have a good digital one that I remember read reviews about before I bought some time ago. It goes in 1/2 psi increments.

As for parking lot practice and my wight of ~200lb, what would be the consensus for good pressures?

Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using Tapatalk 2
 
FriendlyFoe said:
There's no reason he cant ride to/from home at the same pressures that he's going to practice on.
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You're right. That is also why I mentioned others running less all the time. There's no hard-and-fast rule to tire pressures on bikes. Just pointed it out as an option he may wish to consider if he wants to play around. I didn't notice yet that someone else had already mentioned it. IMHO, good idea for someone new to playing around with pressures if they're the sensitive type.


Corsara said:
Since I was told to not trust myself in just one pair oh hands, can anyone else confirm 32 front and 36 rear sounds good for street, and 32/32 good for parking lot?
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Good idea! Get numerous opinions and start with a reasonably educated guess. Just keep in mind this will be one of those "ask 10 people get 12 different answers" deals. :)

Myself personally, i'd err on the side of caution since you are new to the concept, and work your way down from what you have now by 3 psi at a time. It's a considerable change that you "should" notice, but not so alarming that you would dump your ride at the first corner. Let's be honest, only you know yourself well enough and i'd really REALLY like to think this is the best (=safest, most logical) advice you can get. Ride to the lot, drop your pressures, play around and see how it feels for an hour or so. Then decide if you want to try more or not. Don't think to just set it somewhere and "it must be good" - when I did this the first time the bike felt VERY different and I didn't like it ... because I wasn't used to it. Within a weekend that changed and now I run 32f/34r ... on MY bike ... with MY butt on the seat.

Let us know what you discover. :)

And sorry about the crap advice you got about too low pressure. Don't worry - now you are learning ... right? ;)
 
I was wondering about using a parking lot where bikes would be expected. Like the one Humber uses for training. Are they left open and are they used Sundays?
 
nobbie48 said:
I was wondering about using a parking lot where bikes would be expected. Like the one Humber uses for training. Are they left open and are they used Sundays?
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The only bike you'll want to be using at Humber right now is a dirt bike (or maybe a mountain bike ;) ) because the lot is under construction right now.

They are left open, but are packed with cars the rest of the week.


I'd suggest somewhere in an industrial area, and make SURE you bring a couple of friends with you for sake of safety. Know the location so you can tell 911 if needed and know the risks (legally and otherwise). There are plenty of industrial lots within 5 minutes ride of Humber and less. Just an option. Been there, done that, never had a problem in my case.
 
I use GO Train parking lots on weekends. They're usually empty.

nobbie48 said:
I was wondering about using a parking lot where bikes would be expected. Like the one Humber uses for training. Are they left open and are they used Sundays?
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Corsara said:
Bridgestone Battlax BT016 on the front @ 36psi
Bridgestone Battlax BT016 Pro on the rear @ 42psi

I run these pressures normally, they are the recommended ones in the bike's manual. I'm thinking for parking lot cornering, to drop down to 30psi front and 36psi rear, what do you think?
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Wow. Thats incredibly high.

Normally when i ride street i ride 31/front 30 rear ..
 
SLIM said:
And sorry about the crap advice you got about too low pressure. Don't worry - now you are learning ... right?
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Yep, learning something new every day :)


Well, got to "test" the new 32/32 psi, I like it :) Few runs through the Kenilworth Access, few ramps...despite asphalt being a bit wet from the rain earlier, bike felt just in place, even under more aggressive lean and corner accelleration.


Thanks everyone for the great advice! One of these days I'll get to try the tennis balls I bought in a parking lot, which I'm yet to find.
 
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