checked my tire pressure today and was running very low....which explains the sluggish turn ins...this was a good reminder to check tire pressure much more regularly


now set it up at 32 front and 34 rear based on advice from my mechanic... just curious what everyone else keeps their tire pressure at ?

 

The manual says something like 36 front/ 41 rear if I remember correctly but I usually try to keep at as close to 40/40 as I can.

Just my preference though.

 

I ride with 36 PSI front and 42 PSI rear as the manual suggests. I check before every ride. Always.

 

Here is the issue the 36/42 is the maximum allowable psi rating which provides good gas mileage and optimal tire life but according to my mechanic (and other sources) who also race this set up will minimize tire contact area and does not optimize handling.

track racers will run 30/30 or 30/32 or even lower .....so he recommended a compromise of 32/34 for the street. Other sources have confirmed this approach re other forum sites I have checked...I will try this out and see how it feels, first impression is that handling is much better.... key lesson for me is check tire pressure regularly regardless

 

Your spot on right there. Usually when im just cruising, im about at max. When i want to take a spirited ride, i drop my pressure down. This way i can have longer tire life, and sticky tires when i need them.

 

It would be helpful when discussing tire pressures to specifiy hot or cold when speaking of street/track applications. OP: Most street pressures are set when the tire is cold. When dealing with track pressures, they're usually set hot or initially set low an established amount in anticipation of heating up. Something else to consider is total weight, but that's a different discussion.

 

We run lower cold pressure at the track partly for more tire flex and partly because tires get much hotter on a track and so will gain more pressure on their own. I run 36/40 f/r on the street at all times. Then again I run pilot pures which are flexible and need a little more pressure in em then most.

 

I keep mine right at stock +-1psi. However I haven't "experimented" so to say.

 

Depends on the tire; (DOT/supersport/sport/touring), flexibility, manufacturer recommendation, compound, temperature, distance to travel, how aggressive I intend to ride and of course the ability of the individual rider to actually get some heat in those tires is a factor as well.

I leave messing with cold/hot temps for the track. I measure my PSI on the street, cold...and of course if I have no choice I'll add a few PSI for heat based on what I know from experience. Also consider that your PSI will change with ambient temps as well.

Generally speaking, for the street, I keep my pressures somewhere in that 32-35 PSI range for local/aggressive riding.
I'll drop to 30/30 when I feel extra frisky and go from there.
I'll bump up to 36/42 or so for long, straight trips but hardly ever go over 35/40.

But what's most important is that I keep a cheap digital gauge with me at all times. Where I live, pretty much the longer the commute, the less turns are involved. So, for long trips, there's nothing wrong with running a high psi and then bumping it down when you get to your destination - it takes less than a minute.

Now if I just rode the bike locally every once in a while or on the weekends I would probably run like 32/32 all the time. Then again most people riding on the street would probably never notice the difference and should probably run a higher psi just to keep the tire from squaring too much.

But yeah start getting into the 20's and teens and you're going to experience some very funky turn-in not to mention overheating and fast tire degradation.

 

^^^ I agree with this Madman !!!