Correct Tire Pressure
- Thread starter V-Max 2 Busa
- Start date
dangerous dave
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would'nt hurt to drop 3 lbs to get a little heat going
Zoinks!
Registered
I wasn't trying to say that anything other than 42 PSI is wrong, or that you should never change the pressure. The point I was trying to make was that if 42 is the factory spec, then it is not by any means WAY TOO HIGH for ANY weather. Yes, it may be too high for some people and in some temperatures, but that doesn't mean it's NEVER ok to have that.
I doubt you would notice a change in tire life. Personally, I take traction over tire life. Tires are cheaper than bodywork.As a fairly conservitive street rider who can only get about 3 1/2thou miles from a rear sport touring tire at 42 psi, I shudder to think the about the milage I would get from a sport tire at 36 psi.
cheers
ken
Wow, great discussion...alot of accurate info...my memories from the track are: lower pressure = more contact patch...UNTIL pressure is so low it affects handling (squish, wallow, steering response, etc. It can only be achieved by PERSONAL EXPERIMENTATION. You can't get this stuff from the owners manual..that is only a basic-in the middle starting point.
Why do racers spend hundreds of hours "dialing their bikes in"? Sure, one can spend their whole life on motorcycles that are not properly adjusted for them(I think most do!)but when track riding, hi performance riding, or an emergency comes...the better you'll perform...that includes your tire pressure. I believe that is one of the awesome aspects of this org...hearing from real motorcyclists that spend years always "dialing in" their bikes. I'm 60, have had over 50 bikes, and every time I go for a ride with my Busa brothers, I learn something important! Raydog
Why do racers spend hundreds of hours "dialing their bikes in"? Sure, one can spend their whole life on motorcycles that are not properly adjusted for them(I think most do!)but when track riding, hi performance riding, or an emergency comes...the better you'll perform...that includes your tire pressure. I believe that is one of the awesome aspects of this org...hearing from real motorcyclists that spend years always "dialing in" their bikes. I'm 60, have had over 50 bikes, and every time I go for a ride with my Busa brothers, I learn something important! Raydog
As stated earlier, tire pressure is personal preference. But scolding and belittling someone is not the way to teach. As a former instructor, people learn with an open mind if things are explained to them and not rammed down their throats through belittlement. If someone wants to run what Zuki says, so be it, but if you think they would be better off with something else then explain why that would be. Don't call them stupid or belittle them. Just because the bike will do 1800-200+ mph does not mean you have to ride that fast, So the comment that was posted that if you are worried about tire life then you are on the wrong bike is just wrong.
Just my Two cents worth. Take it or leave.
Just my Two cents worth. Take it or leave.
I got 2300 miles from a d208 3200 from the stock rubber while I get 3500 from diablo stradas to 4800 miles from a z6 roadtec. So I have noticed the difference.I doubt you would notice a change in tire life. Personally, I take traction over tire life. Tires are cheaper than bodywork.As a fairly conservitive street rider who can only get about 3 1/2thou miles from a rear sport touring tire at 42 psi, I shudder to think the about the milage I would get from a sport tire at 36 psi.
cheers
ken
And as to tires being cheaper than body work, that depends on how far you ride and how often you crash.
If your only margin of saftey while riding ON THE STREET is the small amount of increased stick provided by a soft compound tire then, no doubt, you will go through a lot of body work.
An informative read concerning sport touring tires vs. sport tires;
http://www.bikeland.org/article....0Z6.pdf
cheers
ken
Dear Firedog5800, I've read this strand 3 times now and saw no insult in what anyone said. V Max 2 Busa is a friend of mine and I'm sure he's OK with it all. Cosmo simply makes the point that there are "softer" less demanding bikes out there that can exist more readily with "less adjusted" components. With all due respect, use the amount of posts on people's avitar box not to necessarily issue credibility, but to know that there are pre existing relationships on this org that sometimes go back years...and a culture of high acceptance of one another. Meanwhile, welcome to the best, and most diverse motorcycle forum on the net. Raydog
+1!!Yep, it tells me something! It tells me that you are a really well schooled biker who has a 350 pound pantyless woman you ride two up on the rear which indeed does require supstantially more air pressure than the rest of us!
Your suzuki owners manual also recommends you run only Suzuki's dino oil. Would you never run synthetic oil in your scooter? How about your suspension? Would you never change your suspension settings from Suzuki's recommended factory settings?
Run whatever tire pressure you feel good with. Apparently you aren't spanking your busa enough for it to make a difference. However, the more you improve the more you'll understand why proper suspension settings and tire pressure is vitally important.
Here is a little something you can dwell on while your considering what the proper tire pressure should be for your application. Tire pressure is simply a thermostat for controling tire temperature. Every tire has it's optimum temperature to produce maximum grip and performance. At 42psi you will never generate enough heat to reach a performance tires optimum temp. However, you can ride your OEM tire at high speeds (42psi)all day and keep the tire cool which extends life.
I hope this helps you understand why your owners manual recommends 42 psi. If you have no clue how to regulate your tire pressures for different applications, then 42 psi is indeed proper for you.
Thank you Tuff!! Couldn't have said it better. Don't forget that Suzuki also warns against changing the stock exhaust system, or modifying any part of the bike that's not SUZUKI.
Man, riding 42 psi anytime of the year is SUICIDE! If anyone has the gall to ride like we do.
And
Here's my recommendations (for Michelin Power Race: yup race tires):
F: 31 R: 21
street riding for most tires:
F: 36 R: 34-36
cosmo
Registered
Nicely said....you must have defrosted
Excellent discussion guys, "That's why I love this place".....
Just for clarification:
I started on the Bridgestone 056's at 42psi which were very slippery in the winter time, street surface temperature around 40 degrees. This, given the Busa is top heavy, made me lessen the tire pressure for better cold surface traction. I was tired, basically, of the rear end sliding in a medium lean cornering manuever. I did not find very much improvement in even 6 psi changes when the tire was warmed up even on cold surfaces. The warmer surfaces of a summer night of 90 degrees, weren't all that much better.
Enter the Metzlers M-3's (an EXCELLENT tire I might add), and the traction factor increased dramatically. I have still pulled the accidental-ol'-slipper-rear-end manuever, but only when the tire is fresh cold on a 40 degree (or less) surface. I now lauch a little extra throttle, get a slow powerslide going, straighten the machine back to vertical, and let off.
The change in pressure from "anyone's" recommended pressure of 42 psi, is simply my adjustments made for aggressiveness, maximum traction, reasonable wear (as I am a daily commuter), and expected overall performance. I can launch hard, make lane adjustments quickly, stop fast, and I generally find, at no time, any compromise of control. Do I ever feel like the tire is going to wash ?, only when below 40 degrees, just starting out. Can I get best control after a short warmup period, even when cold ?, YOU BET.
Could I get ANY of the quality benefits from a Bridgestone 056....uhhh...NO. I hate to tell you how many miles I've ridden these M-3's....and I nail it ALL the time, I just don't waste rubber doing burnouts. Some drag starts, roll ons
So tire pressure for "maximum performance and control" is subjective to each rider's ability and experience on a Hayabusa. Everyone around here has noticed, from time to time in different situations, that the Hayabusa doesn't ride like any other machine you've ever owned. A little weight in some areas makes her a bit clumsy, so body english is a must at lower speeds. Dead quiet at triple-digits, reasons for weight. I little overly-powerful at the bottom end, simply demands concentration and control. Especially when I jump out into traffic and traffic immediately comes to a screeching halt and ol' Spudley is STILL on the throttle..
Okay, "who's next
I don't know the #'s day to day,I go by what feels right for where and the way I ride, but in winter I do run softer on the rear, but not to the point that it feels unsafe ( I love her too much) and keep the front enough not to feel heavy. before long trips or 2-up, I set them at 40 even on both. no noticeable abnormal wear to speak of. to each his/ her own... safety combined with personal comfort is key.
sorry Raydog, did not mean to offend anyone. I understand tyhat there are relationships here. I misunderstood what was being said. When I read the comments I was in a bad frame of mind (lack of riding does that) So I mistook what was being said as belittlement. That is my fault. I did not mean any bad will towards anybody. I am sorry if I offended anyone here. I enjoy this board and it has become a great source of information for me as I just got back into rockets.
Again sorry if I offended anyone, that was not my intention. I just don't like fighting any more.
yes.
32 - cold weather - I'll ride down to about 30 degrees, then wind chill gets to be too much
30 - road course race track days
34 - general streets
42 - long boring highway touring trips [NEVER on high speed turning roads]
and, as usual, +1 for tufbusa and gtrpinp76's info
OK!
In your response to my post it was not clear that you were referring to the difference in mileage due to tire pressure and not the difference between brands. I apologize for interpreting your post incorrectly. I have not run two identical tire to the cords while keeping one tire at 36 and another at 42 to empirically validate the claim that tire pressure it in direct proportion to tire life. Although in every other application the relationship remains true.
As a sport touring rider who rides 12 to 15 thou a year and buys tire in bulk and keeps the receipts I can assure you that body work is less expensive than tires. Over the last four year I've spent thousands of dollars on tire and zero dollars on bodywork.
Here's a pic of a stack of rubber I keep on hand. All z6 roadtecs.
cheers
ken
I should add I don't run my tires "to the cords" only to the wear bars!
Ok, let me rephrase then. I'll run my tires at lower than factory specs. I will sacrifice some tire life for stick. Hate to have to buy bodywork because I ran higher pressures in an attemp to increase tire life. If I had more time to ride, I would be burning up a lot more tires myself. Track days, I get maybe 500 miles out of a brand new tire (rear, 750cc bike). While I could probaly run the front longer, I still mount them in pairs. Love the feel of brand new rubber after they have been 'scrubbed in'. I find that metzeler tires seem to wear out together. Where other brands, its 2 rears for one front tire.OK!
In your response to my post it was not clear that you were referring to the difference in mileage due to tire pressure and not the difference between brands. I apologize for interpreting your post incorrectly. I have not run two identical tire to the cords while keeping one tire at 36 and another at 42 to empirically validate the claim that tire pressure it in direct proportion to tire life. Although in every other application the relationship remains true.
As a sport touring rider who rides 12 to 15 thou a year and buys tire in bulk and keeps the receipts I can assure you that body work is less expensive than tires. Over the last four year I've spent thousands of dollars on tire and zero dollars on bodywork.
Here's a pic of a stack of rubber I keep on hand. All z6 roadtecs.
cheers
ken
I should add I don't run my tires "to the cords" only to the wear bars!
Ps: @2300 miles, my bt56 is near its end of life. And this was very mild riding IMO, some of it 2up. It may make it to 3k, but doubtfull. Front looks great.
