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I know I'm going to sound like a complete a**, but I am confused with the appropriate PSI for my '87 Virago 535. I'm familiar with PSI readings on my vehicle, but why would my Haynes manual (no owners manual available) indicate PSI for the front tire of 26(ish) and the rear 31(ish), when the tires themselves are indicated 42 front and 44 rear?? Please help my ignorance! Thanks, all!

There's a couple of possibilities that spring to mind, your bike is older, so rubber compounds when it was made might not have been able to support 42psi. It's possible that the wheels themselves are not engineered to handle that much air pressure, and finally the bike might just handle better with 32psi.

Honestly I don't know if it's better to go with the manual or the tire ratings though, I THINK that the 42psi on the tire is the max possible, while the 32 in the manual is the best for the bike.

Don't quote me on that though.

99% of the time the tire says MAX PSI and then gives you a number value in PSI. If the bike has the correct settings on a sticker or in a manual I would go by those and adjust accordingly

Thanks a bunch for the response. I've been riding with the lower recommended pressure for fear of overinflation. There hasn't been any trouble with handling/steering/etc, so I'm assuming this is best.

Thanks again, buddy.

Glad to lend a hand, make sure to keep posting

Stick with the pressure from the manual. Bike factory recommendations are arrived at by taking into account the bike's suspension design and weight capabilities. The tire manufacturer has no idea what kind of bike that tire will be used on. That's why the tire manufacturer only puts the max pressure on the sidewall. That has no relationship to what the ideal tire pressure might be for a specific bike. Pumping the tire up to the tire mfgrs. max pressure value will leave you with a very squirrely, bumpy ride.

I would call a Yamaha dealer and ask them what they recommend for the particular tires on that bike. Tire construction has changed quite a bit over the last few years so what the manual says is most likely wrong. The correct tire pressure is more determined by how the tire is built vs. what kind of bike you ride. It also depends upon whether you plan to do most of your riding one-up or two-up, your weight and how much additional gear you're carrying.

Hey I've got the same bike.

My Chlymer manual says 28 front.. rear is 32 for <198lbs, 36 for >198lbs... I split the difference and keep it at 34.

My manual calls for 21psi front, 28psi rear.

given that those pressures are ridiculously low and would cause me to burn through tires on a bi-monthly basis, I keep my pressures at 30psi front and 32psi rear.