Get on yer spring maintenance. Have a lQQk it could be very much needed.
- Thread starter rubbersidedown
- Start date
Hayabusa Wannabe
Registered
I have the OEM tires. I found that tire makers can be responsive and helpful so I contacted Bridgestone/Firestone for advice. They referred me to a local Bridgestone dealer. (NOT GOOD) I detailed for the dealer that I will ride from 50F up to the hottest summer heat, I do a lot of curvy low-speed riding, and hit the freeway to connect points.
I did not expect the response that I got this time, ergo they advised to run the recommended pressure. As some posted above, in the manual it states 42 front and rear, and also shows the same with or without a pillion. So (rhetorically) if I start out in 50F weather I run 42 and if I start out in 95F weather I run 42, and if I add a pillion I do the same? I do not think so! Those conditions are all just too different and will generate significantly different peak pressures. So this time the manufacturer route was unhelpful.
I am going to make some uneducated statements and take it as personal opinion. Car and truck tires are used for multiple purposes. As you iterated the tire makers do put a maximum pressure on the tire, which is not the recommended cold pressure for that vehicle but the maximum cold pressure to be used under the largest load that particular tire may have to carry. However I have found, at least in my few anecdotal observations, motorcycle tires marked with the pressure that is the same as the cold operating temperature of the particular bike. From this I gather that the motorcycle tire is more purpose-built.
I see that my rear Hayabusa tire is marked with 42 psi, the same as in the bike's manual. Those two manufacturers are clearly working together to help the average person correctly inflate their tires and reduce risk.
I would say if it is cold out start with the recommended pressure. If it is hot out, drop that several pounds. When you arrive home, record the outside temperature and the hot pressure of the tires. As you find differences based on ambient temperature you can adjusted the cold pressure appropriately. But also there is the "feel." Apply 42 psi cold then go riding on a 95F day, and the tires heat up, pressure increases, and they can get pretty hard and begin to slide around. I can easily feel that in my hands and I am not a highly skilled rider.
So, begin with any guideline that you want, note the temperature of your ride, and how hard you are hitting the curves, start feeling the response of the tires, and adjust accordingly. Feel is a tough thing, it is tough for all of us. How many extremely good riders wipe out on a track because they did not take the conditions into consideration, perhaps merely the temperature shift from morning until noon? So do not feel overwhelmed to be an expert because nobody is. Just start to become one with the bike and feel how the various pressures help or hurt you ride under very specific conditions.
Keep your pump handy If the temperature swings a great deal. Do take extra time before each ride to check or adjust the tires. Do not just get on the bike and ride. We should check pressure often in case of tire damage anyways. Do not take your life for granted!
For the first time in life I have tire pressure sensors on my car and am observing the phenomenon of change. On 20F days I see almost no movement in tire pressure as I drive to work. On hot days, the side of the vehicle that is in the sun, those tires have several more psi before I even start driving. Pay attention to this phenomenon and use it as a guide to develop, not just one single pressure, but a small chart of cold inflation pressures for your very particular circumstances.
I did not expect the response that I got this time, ergo they advised to run the recommended pressure. As some posted above, in the manual it states 42 front and rear, and also shows the same with or without a pillion. So (rhetorically) if I start out in 50F weather I run 42 and if I start out in 95F weather I run 42, and if I add a pillion I do the same? I do not think so! Those conditions are all just too different and will generate significantly different peak pressures. So this time the manufacturer route was unhelpful.
I am going to make some uneducated statements and take it as personal opinion. Car and truck tires are used for multiple purposes. As you iterated the tire makers do put a maximum pressure on the tire, which is not the recommended cold pressure for that vehicle but the maximum cold pressure to be used under the largest load that particular tire may have to carry. However I have found, at least in my few anecdotal observations, motorcycle tires marked with the pressure that is the same as the cold operating temperature of the particular bike. From this I gather that the motorcycle tire is more purpose-built.
I see that my rear Hayabusa tire is marked with 42 psi, the same as in the bike's manual. Those two manufacturers are clearly working together to help the average person correctly inflate their tires and reduce risk.
I would say if it is cold out start with the recommended pressure. If it is hot out, drop that several pounds. When you arrive home, record the outside temperature and the hot pressure of the tires. As you find differences based on ambient temperature you can adjusted the cold pressure appropriately. But also there is the "feel." Apply 42 psi cold then go riding on a 95F day, and the tires heat up, pressure increases, and they can get pretty hard and begin to slide around. I can easily feel that in my hands and I am not a highly skilled rider.
So, begin with any guideline that you want, note the temperature of your ride, and how hard you are hitting the curves, start feeling the response of the tires, and adjust accordingly. Feel is a tough thing, it is tough for all of us. How many extremely good riders wipe out on a track because they did not take the conditions into consideration, perhaps merely the temperature shift from morning until noon? So do not feel overwhelmed to be an expert because nobody is. Just start to become one with the bike and feel how the various pressures help or hurt you ride under very specific conditions.
Keep your pump handy If the temperature swings a great deal. Do take extra time before each ride to check or adjust the tires. Do not just get on the bike and ride. We should check pressure often in case of tire damage anyways. Do not take your life for granted!
For the first time in life I have tire pressure sensors on my car and am observing the phenomenon of change. On 20F days I see almost no movement in tire pressure as I drive to work. On hot days, the side of the vehicle that is in the sun, those tires have several more psi before I even start driving. Pay attention to this phenomenon and use it as a guide to develop, not just one single pressure, but a small chart of cold inflation pressures for your very particular circumstances.
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I was figuring the maximum tire pressure would have been indicated on the side of the bike tire as well same as a vehicle...add a passenger or luggage and set the max pressure to take the load...
Obviously not the case here...
I have noticed over the years of adjusting the tire pressure my front tire scallops and deforms over time...usually there's tread left but the tire is deformed which affects it's handling so I change it out...
I am going to try and run the recommended pressure on these Michelin PR5 and see what happens...if it starts sliding around, I'll adjust the tire pressure.
