Hey guys my knowledge of tire pressure non-existent and I was wondering what tire pressure I should have in my bike. The Manual says Max Tire Pressure Front 36 Rear 42 psi. So do I actually fill my tires to that or do I bring it down to a lower level? I'm just a regular street rider, not racing or doing stunts. Thanks for your input

2006 CBR1000RR

 

If you are on the track or are really particular about your "feel" of the bike, then you might adjust the pressure to something other than the specs of the tire.

BTW, always go by what the tire manufacturer recommends, not the bike manual....what the h3ll do they know about tires! Sort of like a microwave oven. Do you go by their popcorn button or what the popcorn box says (answer: always the popcorn box).

I ride with my front at 35 and my rear at 40.5 at all times. If the bike "feels" a bit off during riding, I'll go to the local gas station or back to the garage and check the pressure. Go home and take some pressure out of your tires and ride around with them. You will definitely "feel" a difference. When you get the right feeling, check the pressure and make note of it. Some people ride with less air to get less feedback from bumps on the road, however, they lose lifetime off the tires more quickly. Others prefer to top them off so they get the longest lasting tires. Just got to make your preference your own, ya know?

and a quick side note, don't let too much air out of your rear! Easy way to do wheelies. Up you go!

 

What about expansion as the tire temp rises, is there a measurable pressure difference?

 

A typical "hard" street ride will cause, on average, a 10% increase in the front and 20% increase in the rear as the tires heat up. Ambient temperature increases will cause psi increases, but not that significant (unless it was freezing when you started and you rode to the desert LOL).

Some manufacturers give recommendations for both cold and hot pressures; for the street, cold pressure is what you're interested in.

 

For non-aggressive riding, max pressure is probably better. You'll get the benifit of less rolling resistance, which adds up to better mpg and less heat in the tires which can add up to longer tire life. The lower the pressure, the more heat, wear and rolling resistance the tires will have.

 

 

I ride at 36/38 on the street to commute. If you have bags or carry a passenger, then max PSI in the rear is what you want. Here I have to compensate for air temp changes; 1psi for every 10 degrees ambient.

 

Used to run 33/40 on bt016 and scalped really bad. Been running 36/42 on the Diablo Rosso Corsa and feels great and no more scalping.

 

I keep mine at the owner's manual recommended 36F/42R and I like the way things handle at that pressure on the street. I tried lower pressures but the tires would tend to track the rain grooves and generally felt squirrelly around corners. At 6,300 miles both OEM tires look like they can go to at least 10,000 miles before I'll have to replace them.