Tire pressure

[Idaho]

This is embarrasing but may save some one some problems so I will deal with it. I have not used a tire guage on my Nomad, even though there is one in tool kit, just because the bike felt fine on the road and the tires did not look like they were low at all. So, when I pulled the wheels off today and had the tool kit out I decided to check for grins and giggles. Both front and rear tires were low, in the range of 20 pounds each!! This may be why I got such lousy mileage out of them at only 8,500 miles.

Yeah I know, I really know better than this but low air pressure is always some one else' problem right? So, grab your tire pressure gauge and check those air pressures. I will bet you that those of you who have not done so will be surprised at what you find.

Now, go ahead and beat up for being a dumb sh*t.

If you pump them up to 40 psi and go ride around, then let them down to 35 psi and ride a little, you will really feel the difference, and you'll know right away whenever your tires are severely low. This is important to know, as you don't want to take off on a ride with a puncture or other leak.

It's possible to ride with the tires very low and not realize it because the carcases of MC tires are so stiff they stand up with virtually no pressure in them.

But handling will suffer horribly. Your first clue is that the bike will want to follow every line and groove on the road. The second clue is that it will handle very badly in the turns. Usually the bike will want to "fall in" too fast.

[macmac]

You got about 1,500 more miles on that junker Bridgestone than just about everbody else!

Mine was dead at 6,000 miles but being cheap I ran it to 9,000, but I won't ride till I get new ft and rears..

My ft is legal still but i have had my fill of these OEM junk, so when I get that off anyone who wants to pay the price of shipping can have it.

New they would be better planters than they are tires. of course that's just my opinon. and that goes for Stones on cars as well..

So far as air goes. Well you won't ruin a rim with 0 psi. The sidewalls are just to stiff. Some Dunlops are that stiff, and one day I ran over road mess rebar, and put a easy 3/8" hole in my rear on ther xs 850. That tire had only 4,000 on it, but it was instant trash.

I had my wife get off, and wait, while I rode it to a wal mart where I boight 2 plug kits and a 12 volt compressor.

I stuffed 8 plugs in that hole, filled the tire and went back for her. The plugs leaked like seives too. So I rode a good 10 miles with the hole empty, and 50 more plugged as best as a i could on a 3 day weekend to get home.

Once the store was open I bought another new tire, and cut the old one so no one else could use it. It looked ok but I knew different and didn't want the dump rats to get killed.

[VulcanE]

I only got abot 8400 miles out of my OEM stones, and the same for my first set of metzlers, and am on metzlers again. I DO check my pressures religiously.

[doctorgski]

I check my tires 1X a week. I run 34# in the front and 43# in the rear. Metzler M880 is my pick, they ride better and last longer.... I get about 22K out the front and about 14K out of the rear. We ride 2-up 95% of the time and we ride 20K + a year for the last 14 yrs.

[azroundboy]

doctorgski would those pressurses work on the stock tires as well, as we two mostly two up most of the time.

[dkdixie]

Originally Posted by doctorgski

I check my tires 1X a week. I run 34# in the front and 43# in the rear. Metzler M880 is my pick, they ride better and last longer.... I get about 22K out the front and about 14K out of the rear. We ride 2-up 95% of the time and we ride 20K + a year for the last 14 yrs.

Wow......That's fantastic mileage, especially with that low front tire pressure.

[Top Cat]

Idaho, I don't know how you could ride with that low of tire pressure and not realize it. The side walls may be stiff but I don't think they are that stiff.
When I got my bike out after winter layup I went for a ride up the road and back ( about a mile). The front end was all over the place. It felt like riding a rut in a dirt road. I had 20 pounds in the front and 25 in the rear. I normaly run 40/42.

[Idaho]

Originally Posted by Top Cat (TC)

Idaho, I don't know how you could ride with that low of tire pressure and not realize it. The side walls may be stiff but I don't think they are that stiff.
When I got my bike out after winter layup I went for a ride up the road and back ( about a mile). The front end was all over the place. It felt like riding a rut in a dirt road. I had 20 pounds in the front and 25 in the rear. I normaly run 40/42.

It is a mystery TC. I can't wait to get the bike back together with properly inflated new tires to see how it handles. Maybe I will fall in love with the bike all over again.

azroundboy, welcome to the forum. Good folks here.

Idaho, you don't mean to tell us you and your mistress had a falling out over tire pressure do you? How could you be so fickle ? LOL.

[ringadingh]

I check my tires every couple weeks at least. Like TC said, with low air the bike is all over the place. Keep them hard.

I check mine at least once a week. It seems that pressure is definitely the number one concern for long mileage.

[doctorgski]

Originally Posted by azroundboy

doctorgski would those pressurses work on the stock tires as well, as we two mostly two up most of the time.

[doctorgski]

I would try this pressure and see. But you will not get the same mileage out of the stock tires. Metzlers are great !