Tire Pressure

[hittman]

To not hijack the Jimbo thread on tire rotation ….. lots of folks seem to ignore tire pressure; especially on motorcycles.

An experienced rider should be able to identify low pressure by a quick ride but …. That doesn’t seem to be the case.

I just put a rear tire on my 2015 Road Glide. The factory Dunlop went 20k before starting to get into the wear indicators. My front is still plenty good. Often we hear guys complain that their tire is about worn smooth after 5k to 8k miles. That is almost entirely due to running them with probably 20psi instead of the recommended 35 to 40. We commonly see bikes come in with 12 psi in the front when 35 is recommended.



:lol:

 

[Dave P.]

You don't suppose any of that is due to throttle application
or weight distribution.
Dave

 

[hittman]

More likely with the sport bike crowd but the shop I hang out at works only on Harleys. Most of us are age 50 and above ….. usually past the burn out phase.

 

[recumbent]

I check my tire pressure every Saturday. Run 40 psi front and rear. I ride a Suzuki V-Strom 1000.

 

[Slyk Willy]

I agree that ESPECIALLY motorcycle tires should be checked often. When I organized group rides we made it a point to have riders check their pressure and most were light. BTW, I run 40 & 42 in my Valkyrie. Torque plays a huge role in tire wear too.

 

[Dave P.]

Most of us are age 50 and above ….. usually past the burn out phase.

I'm sorry, there may be meds that can help with that.
Dave

 

[vito]

I bought a FOBO2 Bike TPMS system. Via Bluetooth it shows tire pressure on my smartphone. I look at it before every ride to make sure I will not have the problem I used to have with my Honda Goldwing where the TPMS system took a bit to work, so I would pull out of my driveway into the street and get about 100 yards down the road and the low tire pressure light would come on. With the FOBO2 system it gives me the pressure right that moment while still in my garage. I keep the tires about 2 pounds over the recommended level for a firmer ride and better road feel. Especially as I have gotten older it is great to be able to avoid lying flat on my back on the ground to check the tire pressure in the rear tire.

 

[Captain America]

After 35 years of riding I still do pre-flight checks.

 

[hittman]

I just checked the tires on my Road Glide. Been 2 weeks since I checked and pressure only down 3 or 4 pounds in each but …… its quick and easy and cheap “insurance”.

 

[gunzo]

I was a bit complacent about motorcycle tire pressure until I experienced a death wobble at about 80 mph. :shock:

My brother, whom was riding beside me(we might have been drag racing) said it scared the hell out of him. I said; you! You should have been on the doggone thing!!

I check my pressure before a ride now, & I never liked the way that bike handled anyway, it was sold soon after.

 

[Dave P.]

I was a bit complacent about motorcycle tire pressure until I experienced a death wobble at about 80 mph. :shock:

My brother, whom was riding beside me(we might have been drag racing) said it scared the hell out of him. I said; you! You should have been on the doggone thing!!

I check my pressure before a ride now, & I never liked the way that bike handled anyway, it was sold soon after.

Here you go....link is safe, you can watch the pros wobble a bit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvHcNg98fek
Another oldie but goodie...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3OQTU-kE2s
Dave

 

[hittman]

Wobble?

That smells like neck bearings need replaced or adjusted.

 

[Uncle Howie]

I just put a rear tire on my 2015 Road Glide. The factory Dunlop went 20k before starting to get into the wear indicators.

Often we hear guys complain that their tire is about worn smooth after 5k to 8k miles. That is almost entirely due to running them with probably 20psi instead of the recommended 35 to 40. We commonly see bikes come in with 12 psi in the front when 35 is recommended.

First off… 20K on a rear- wow! That’s about double what I’ve ever gotten!

Second, on tire pressure- Dunlop (IIRC) did a pressure-check survey at the Americade (Gold Wing-oriented) rally in NY, a number of years ago. Since participation was voluntary the results aren’t scientific, but they were still eye-opening.

I can’t quote numbers from memory, but a good percentage of riders were running well below where they should have been... confirming your observations. (I’m trying to find the survey results online.)

I ride a BMW R1150GS and an (original) Honda Valkyrie. I’m a big guy, and my riding is almost exclusively high-speed/long distance touring, loaded with camping gear, on my way to rallies. I run my tires at maximum pressure listed on the sidewall.

High speeds, heavy loads, summer temps, and chipseal roads conspire together to eat tires… :mrgreen:

 

[hittman]

A guy stopped in the shop a couple of weeks back. He said his riding buddies think he needs a rear tire on his Super Glide.

Ummm…. The rear tire was literally showing the white stripe and cords. :shock:

They’d rode almost 200 miles to get here, had his wife on the back and were headed to Sturgis. I would not have ridden that bike with that tire around the block!

 

[gunzo]

Wobble?

That smells like neck bearings need replaced or adjusted.

I wasn't real plain in my post, a '96 Dyna Low Rider, under 10,000 miles. Mint in every way.

Next day I found about 19 psi in the front tire. It didn't look low. The low miles Dunlops on it showed plenty of tread, but had a few years on them. Had gotten hard. Maybe not the best tires available in the first place.

The proper pressure cured wobble, a new set of Metzlers that my bud put on it after I sold it to him was said to make the bike act a whole lot better. My loss.

 

[gunzo]

"First off...20K on a rear-wow"

Well, I wondered. I rode a Heritage Softail about 50K. I needed a rear @ 10 or 12K, with no burnouts. The front tire would go double that. I'm a rear brake first rider.

Back braek replacement with a rear tire change. + Services.......................period. No other repairs.

Maybe, the best/most dependable motorcycle/vehicle, I've ever owned.

 

[hittman]

That’s a great looking Heritage!

 

[gunzo]

Thank you,

It got waxed more than a few times.

 

[any ruger]

Worst thing to do is to look at a tire and say it looks low or looks high GET A GAUGE.

 

[Montelores]

https://www.bridgestonemotorcycletires.com/en-us/tips-and-support/bridgestones-guide-for-proper-inflation-of-motorcycle-tires#

Monty

 

[Rick Courtright]

Worst thing to do is to look at a tire and say it looks low or looks high GET A GAUGE.

Hi,

I've gotten several gauges from http://www.getagauge.com They have good quality and a large assortment of gauges. You should find something that will negotiate just about every tire/wheel combo you might have.

Note website is grumpy. You may have to get there thru a search engine and one of the sub-pages. This one seems to be ok: http://getagage.com/Accu-Gage-HSeries.cfm

Rick C