Confirm tire pressure

[HwyRider]

My manual for the 1700 Nomad calls for 28 front and 36 to 40 rear.

[plumber63]

I run 40 psi in front and back on bias tires. Thats what the tire says on it thats what I run. Several years back remember when Ford had all those firestone blowing out on their Explorers, That was cause by setting the pressure to fords recommend low pressure for a smoother ride. My Wife Explorer never had a issue because I inflated them to tire max pressure. I run all my vehicles this way never a issue and never premature were out.

[HwyRider]

The 1500 service manual says for OEM tires 32 front and 40 rear.

[macmac]

It's funny but a change of as little as 0.5 lbs can make a difference if you know the feel of the bike well, and have a very fussy digital air gauge. I see these marked numbers as a in general not written in stone place to start from.

I get to deal with a lot of rain, and want less psi for better traction. I get to deal with steel mesh bridges I call cheese graders, and I get to deal with different dirt and gravel roads sometimes, some have a lot of clay mix in them too.

A pet peeve of mine is pinging rocks off the rounded sides of mc tires into the woods. I just hate the feel of the bike when that happens and in part the rear tire on my bike is a car tire which doesn't do that. However it is the fussier of the 2 tires concerning psi.

The CT is a Dunlop Sp 5000 and for me it really like 35.5 psi That is the top psi that feels good., More and the tire feels hard and the bike hits pot holes to hard and less is good to about 26 psi, but will wear the tire faster. 28 is a fairly soft ride, and can be ok for bad roads in NH.

In the heat if summer I like less fore and aft for better traction on tar snakes, so there isn't just one setting for all seasons and conditions IMO.

[cnc]

Originally Posted by ubernomad

Kawi recommended tire pressures are for bias-ply OE tires, not radial tires like Avon Cobra. Tire pressure on bias-ply tires is critical to ensure proper contact patch and minimize overheating. Over-inflate or under-inflate a bias ply tire and you'll overheat the carcass which kills how long the tire will last and dramatically changes the way it handles. Radial tires are not as "sensitive" to varying pressures so technically you can run higher/or lower pressures depending on load and air temps.

With that said, I use the OE tire pressure as a starting point on my radial Cobras and adjust up/down according to air temp and load.

Yup, I started playing with tire pressure with the bias OEM stones and found the 34 psi for the front to be mushy feeling and much above 40psi to be a bit squirrelly feeling. As I said I settled on 40psi as the best feeling for me and when I started using cobras I used 40 psi in the front as a staring point and after going above and bellow settled on the same 40 psi. To each his own.

[Ridefree]

This is exactly why I joined the VBA . You guys rock with all your info . I call Dunlop and was told 40 psi was the way to go with my tires . My wife and I rode around all day and what a difference . Very smooth , easier around corners and ect . Love it at that . I've just got to monitor them by checking them more frequently , say once or twice a week .

[macmac]

Originally Posted by Ridefree

This is exactly why I joined the VBA . You guys rock with all your info . I call Dunlop and was told 40 psi was the way to go with my tires . My wife and I rode around all day and what a difference . Very smooth , easier around corners and ect . Love it at that . I've just got to monitor them by checking them more frequently , say once or twice a week .

You can loosen the rear tire air valve top nut so far as you like, and then count say 4 full turns of the lower nut with air still at pressure in the tire and swing that valve tube 180 degrees. and count turns again to say 4 and a smidgen to lock that valve back in the new place and re lock the top nut. many of us counting me have and find it easier to check psi there after.

[Ridefree]

Yes my friend , already done . It just so happens that I read one of the threads that you explained the how to . So what the heck , much easier now . Thank-you

[OldSchool]

Originally Posted by macmac

You can loosen the rear tire air valve top nut so far as you like, and then count say 4 full turns of the lower nut with air still at pressure in the tire and swing that valve tube 180 degrees. and count turns again to say 4 and a smidgen to lock that valve back in the new place and re lock the top nut. many of us counting me have and find it easier to check psi there after.

Thanks. I'll have my mechanic do it.

[Ridefree]

My mechanic shaves his head .

[Sabre-t]

FWIW:

The max pressure listed on tires is just that, a max cold pressure, *not* a recommended pressure. Most mfg tell you to use the bike mfg recommended pressures. A few will suggest something else for specific applications, but this is rare. None will recommend routinely having a cold pressure at the listed max.

I've done a lot of online research on tire pressures. I've contacted tire mfgs, talked to "experts", etc. The lack of real and reliable info is amazing and very disappointing. One thing mfgs agree on is what I said in the first paragraph.

I have come up with my own "criteria" for monitoring tire pressure and temperature based on what I have learned from others and also what I know as a chemist about gas pressure, temp, and volume. I use a Tire Pressure Management System (TPMS) to continuously monitor tire temps and pressures. It worked well for my Honda Sabre, but I haven't had the Voyager long enough to see if it holds for a very different bike.

However, a generally recognized rule of thumb that works reasonably well is: check tire pressure cold then ride. After riding long enough for the tires to heat up and stabilize (40 - 45 min or more), check the pressure. If it goes up less than 1 - 2 PSI on the front or 2 - 3 PSI on the rear, you have too much pressure and the tires are not flexing enough. You will wear the centers out faster. If the pressure goes up more than 4 - 5 PSI front or 6 - 7 PSI rear, you have too little pressure and the tires can get too hot. Wear on the outside results. The rear tire is expected to heat up more since it is the propulsion and load bearing tire. Over or under inflated, you loose road contact area and therefore traction.

This is an over simplification as it doesn't take ambient temperatures into account, but it is a good starting point.

[macmac]

Originally Posted by OldSchool

Thanks. I'll have my mechanic do it.

Well you might consider keeping an eye on that mechanic huh ?

[Ridefree]

I could have used a helper yesterday when I was flushing my clutch and brake fluids . All is good now . No more servicing needed , knock on wood