Also most bikes have it somewhere on the bike what the pressure should be. Most it's on the swingarm, but I've also seen it on the frame, on the neck of the bike, etc.
At our shop we tend to overfill tires by 1 PSI over the recommended pressures. Helps people who aren't so confident feel a stiffer tire. And of course if someone has a preferred pressure that's what we put it to. The boss rides his dirt bike (KTM 300 XC-W I think, which is recommended 12-14 PSI) at 8 PSI! No wonder he gets so many pinch flats.
Have owned - 2001 Suzuki Volusia
Current bike - 2005 Kawasaki Z750S
MMI Graduation date January 9th, 2009. Factory Certifications in Suzuki and Yamaha
Too low' is sorta dependent on how much the bike/rider combo weigh.
I learned better than to ask what you weigh many years ago..... But you don't want to go much lower than the high 20's on most bikes. But experimentation is a good thing. If the tires feel like they are squirming around in corners, it is too low.
Do your car tires wear in the center more than the edges?... just wonderin'...
Do your car tires wear in the center more than the edges?... just wonderin'...
I've got to admit, I puzzled over that one, Buzz. I'm assuming that edge wear is normal, and only really heavy weight on the springs would cause center wear?
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Civility and democracy both require effort.
Well, Lion Lady rolled in at about 9:30 pm, just about an hour ago. She got a later start than she had thought, and then both traffic and the setting sun played their parts in giving her an 11 hour trip. Her SPOT tracker works well. She only has it turned on when she's actually on the road, though. (I.e., it's off now.)
We leave Columbus in the morning--woo hoo! But we'll have to see about the time table. 'night!
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Civility and democracy both require effort.
I was just curious how your cage tires wore at recomended full load pressures.
If the outer edges wear first, the tire is under inflated for the load they are carrying. If the center wears more than the edges, then it is over inflated for the load.
No big deal, it's not that they are unsafe or anything, and an over inflated tire will wear faster than normal, but give slightly better (1-2 mpg) fuel economy. Depending on how much your tires cost to replace, it may or may not save you money....
Correct (or maybe 'optimum' is a better term) tire pressure is directly related to the load that tire must carry. That means adjusting the pressure every time the load changes any great amount, something most folks won't bother to do.
Bike tires are similar, optimum pressure varies with the load on the bike, 2 identical bikes, one with a 140LB rider and one with a 200LB rider will require different tire pressures. And a bike normally ridden by a 140 pounder will want more air pressure when that same rider throws 100 LBs of gear into the bags for a trip, or has a passenger jump on.
Tire pressure on any vehicle is directly related to the load that tire must support. Pressures listed on the sidewall or on the vehicle are guidelines.... good places to start, but not the final word by any means.
We're here! If you followed Lion Lady's SPOT tracker, you may have noticed a late start on Sunday, with short mileage. Our plan to ride late that day were interrupted by a black sky with lightning strikes. We then made up for lost time courtesy of US-36 in Missouri and Kansas. It was a beautiful, glorious ride. The prairie wasn't flat; it curved and rolled. The word "vast" doesn't describe the prairie, rather, the prairie defines the word "vast." We hauled "O Ring" across it. LL nicknamed us the Hooligan Mamas. Not that we were hooligans, oh no! We sped responsibly, always slowing for the little towns and reduced speed areas. I prefer to think of it as our most effective time management strategy.
Snippets from our journey here:
If she didn't have such long legs, I'm sure LL would have fallen off her bike laughing at me in Hannibal, MO. I was trying to read the street signs, looking for Main St, when I found myself in the cross walk when the light turned red. I lurched to a stop with surprise, my tire past the crosswalk. Nearly dropped my bike.
Long, sweeping turns. Blossom (the Versys) acquitted herself well alongside Gryndel (the R1150). Gryndel has more immediate throttle response at higher revs, noticeable with high speed passing, but downshifting and a little forethought made the difference barely noticeable.
"Haul "O Ring", Pam." That as we turned back to find shelter against the aforementioned sky. We were headed for a little town with a B&B, of all things. ("Who comes out to a Bed & Breakfast in the midst of a cornfield? There should be a vacancy there.") Sorry, no, a quilting circle had rented out the whole place for the week. Sewing machines all over the place.
The chicken wandering around in front of the bank. The dog trotting across Main St. In another town, it was a cat. Hen turkeys off the shoulder of the road. A redtailed hawk. Gas stations with old-fashioned pumps & handles, and fresh cinnamon rolls. The glass-like smoothness of US-36 in Kansas. The decidedly unsmooth US-36 in Colorado. The wind of Colorado, blasting us until I thought my neck would rupture. Eventually, I found I could tuck down on the Versys and peer beside the windscreen with much less effort. Then it became a game of balancing the V from either side while screaming around the sweeping curves.
I love my bike. I love riding.
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Civility and democracy both require effort.
dr_bar wrote:So, where are you staying in Keystone? Wrider wants to hook up with as many of you as possible...
NOT TRUE AT ALL! I just want to meet you...
Yeesh Doc, trying to get me into trouble here!
Anyway can't wait to meet you on Saturday! Sorry for my crazy schedule this week. Got a new roomie/old buddy moving in tomorrow night, huge car/bike show I have to be at on Friday night, and I work Thursday, Friday, and Saturdays!
Have owned - 2001 Suzuki Volusia
Current bike - 2005 Kawasaki Z750S
MMI Graduation date January 9th, 2009. Factory Certifications in Suzuki and Yamaha
No wonder he gets so many pinch flats.
But you don't want to go much lower than the high 20's on most bikes. But experimentation is a good thing. If the tires feel like they are squirming around in corners, it is too low.
I'm assuming that edge wear is normal, and only really heavy weight on the springs would cause center wear? 
'night!
