Tire Pressure on my bike?

Kotku

Kotku

Member
So when I got my bike I was told by the guy to run the tires at around 30PSI. It runs ok and feels fine I guess. I just picked up a manual on my bike and in it, it says to set them at 36 for the front and 42 for the rear. I looked on the tires and cant seem to find anything that says what I should do for them specifically. Should I just set them to the 36/42 or might that hurt the tires if that is wrong or should I just play it safe and go in between at around 33/36?
 
36/42 is the MAX pressure you should run the tires at from the OEM.

The ideal pressure will vary from one tire to another. It's best to contact the tire manufacturer to get their suggestions. Most people will set theres between 30 and 36.

34/34 is probably a safe starting point.
 
Ok thanks, should have mentioned they are Bridgestone battlax tires if that helps any. Will put some air in and see if it actually makes a difference.
 
What about Dunlop Sportmax Q2's?? and difference between street ridign and track days?
 
Fili-mac said:
What about Dunlop Sportmax Q2's?? and difference between street ridign and track days?
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Dunlop would be Pro 6 Cycle.

Link is in my sig, give them a call or send an email and ask what they suggest. Sorry I have no experience with the Q2s.

Heylerds said:
Sent an email and got a response from Dave pretty quick.

01 F4i
Battlax 023
I weigh around 145

Current
33 front
34 rear

Recommended:
31 front
30 rear

I'll put in his recommendation and see how it handles.
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Dave is good people. Start with what he suggests, play around with it a bit if you feel like it to see what suits you best. Generally lower pressure means better grip but shorter tire life. I'm pretty easy on tires on the street so I find i can run a higher pressure in the rear while still maintaining a suitable grip and feel level.
 
Tried the tire pressure and I find it kinda low for my taste, I like 33F 34R better but I'll start with his recommendation and play with the pressure. I also tried Honda's pressure (36F 42R) and did not like it at all, too hard for me.



caboose483 said:
Dave is good people. Start with what he suggests, play around with it a bit if you feel like it to see what suits you best. Generally lower pressure means better grip but shorter tire life. I'm pretty easy on tires on the street so I find i can run a higher pressure in the rear while still maintaining a suitable grip and feel level.
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For normal street riding, I have found 32 front / 32 rear to work well on a supersport bike, for any tires that I've tried. That includes the newfangled Dunlop Sportmax Ntecs that are on it now, which have a crazy low pressure recommended for the rear tire for track use. 32 still seems better for road use. (Did Deals Gap on those tires last year)
 
Heylerds said:
Tried the tire pressure and I find it kinda low for my taste, I like 33F 34R better but I'll start with his recommendation and play with the pressure. I also tried Honda's pressure (36F 42R) and did not like it at all, too hard for me.
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what part of your riding taste feels the 31/30psi "TOO LOW"

what do you feel is incorrect or not to your liking?

the tires will work fine mechanically at this pressure, ie they will grib and will not fold off the rim.
 
Kotku said:
Ok thanks, should have mentioned they are Bridgestone battlax tires if that helps any. Will put some air in and see if it actually makes a difference.
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I have ran a few sets of of BT016's and I found the best for me was 30 in the front and 32 in the back. You get good grip from them

I do a lot of 2up riding and even then they are fine
 
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I should re-phrase my post, I should say a ‘a tad low’ to my liking. I didn't mean that it's very low.

There’s nothing wrong with the tire pressure, just don’t like it. For lack of better description – for me the bike feels a bit heavy.


reciprocity said:
what part of your riding taste feels the 31/30psi "TOO LOW"

what do you feel is incorrect or not to your liking?

the tires will work fine mechanically at this pressure, ie they will grib and will not fold off the rim.
Click to expand...
 
Running pressures lower than the owner's manual suggests is OK for the track, but you are compromising the protection your tires offer for the rims, especially the front. The street is a lot more unpredictable than the track, part of the reason the manufacturers set the pressures where they do. Not saying that you should run any pressure in particular, just be aware of the tradeoffs.
 
The load is also important. Some people weigh in at 150 pounds, normal sized people weigh in at 275. They require different air pressures in the tires.
 
It was my understanding that Bike makers always ask for "over inflation" of tires for their a(ss) protection.

They don't know how much you weigh, if you are two upping, loading up luggage, etc.

So the "safe" general recommendation, is usually around 42R, 36F. Keeps the litigation happy people away.

One of the better British bike mags that I like to read, says that for solo sport riding on the street, you would be best to start with 36R, 34F.



EDIT : who can I contact for Pirelli DRC recommended tire pressures? I do 30/30 for the track and seems fine, but run higher for the street. I'd like to know what Pirelli recommends.
.
 
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SunnY S said:
It was my understanding that Bike makers always ask for "over inflation" of tires for their a(ss) protection.

They don't know how much you weigh, if you are two upping, loading up luggage, etc.

So the "safe" general recommendation, is usually around 42R, 36F. Keeps the litigation happy people away.

One of the better British bike mags that I like to read, says that for solo sport riding on the street, you would be best to start with 36R, 34F.



EDIT : who can I contact for Pirelli DRC recommended tire pressures? I do 30/30 for the track and seems fine, but run higher for the street. I'd like to know what Pirelli recommends.
.
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http://www.orionmotorsports.ca/2010ws/techInfo.htm

For more info contact either Kevin Graham @ Orion Motorsports or Mark Van Dongen @ Uber Racing.
 
SunnY S said:
Thanks Teal!

Just what I was looking for!

http://www.orionmotorsports.ca/2010ws/pdfs/Pirelli Tire Pressures.pdf
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Thanks to Pirelli for making this information readily available. I still recommend speaking with Mark for further guidance though... in your case I'd probably ask him which cold pressure is recommended to start with and what type of pressure gains he'd like to see when coming off track. The pressure gain will likely dictate what cold pressures to start with, depending on track/ambient temp and condition, track, riding style/aggressiveness, etc.
 
Here is what Metzeler says:

Always inflate tires to the correct tire pressures as indicated in the owner's manual.
However Metzeler North America has found the air pressure suggestions listed below will improve mileage and customer satisfaction.
Correct tire pressure is crucial for safe handling.
Insufficient air pressure will result in poor handling and cause a tendency for the motorcycle to 'wander'.
Over inflation may impair ride comfort and reduce the contact patch between the tire and the driving surface.
In addition, improper and insufficient tire pressure will cause accelerated tire wear, increased fuel consumption, less control and the possibilities for tire failure due to an overloaded / under inflated operating situation.

FRONT:
Solo 32-34
2up 34-36
2up w/load 36-42

REAR:
Solo 36-38
2up 38-40
2up w/load 40-42

So it seems they are looking for more pressure than people are typically using...
However this is for Supersport street-riding, not racetrack.
 
bear22099 said:
The load is also important. Some people weigh in at 150 pounds, normal sized people weigh in at 275. They require different air pressures in the tires.
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To be a healthy weight at 275, youd have to be just shy of 8 feet tall, so i wouldnt go so far as to call that "normal". Maybe "normal" for the american south west...
 
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