Tire Air Question

[Fred W]

I always check tires cold. the other information is good to be reminded of. I also went through three gauges that gave me all different PSI readings before I bought a new one. And that is the one I am using. It is an interesting note that the manual recommends those lower Pressure at high speed. Their most be a reason. Why!

The same reason that they call out ridiculous torque values for the drain plugs and overly short replacement intervals for the spark plugs. They are/were quite often clueless.

Do yourself a favor and do not run the tire with that low a pressure at high speeds, regardless of the fact it is in the manual and that you think it is more "comfortable".

The enemy of a tire is heat. Running that much weight on that those tires at those pressures is going to generate a lot of heat. Heat will cause the tread to melt away faster and also provide the conditions that could result in a blowout. Under inflation and high speed is a very dangerous mixture.

 

[RaYzerman19]

Crap, I just realized I haven't been following the maintenance schedule suggested here. I've only been changing the air in my tires whenever I change the tires....... and I'm using that crap 78 nitrogen 21 oxygen junk.

+1 on what Fred said..... running high speeds with 36 is just playing with fire..

 

[HotRodZilla]

Crap, I just realized I haven't been following the maintenance schedule suggested here. I've only been changing the air in my tires whenever I change the tires....... and I'm using that crap 78 nitrogen 21 oxygen junk.
+1 on what Fred said..... running high speeds with 36 is just playing with fire..

If you pansies would just put pure oxygen in your tires instead of that crappy mixed stuff, those fires being played with, would be spectacular!!

 

[Old Guy]

Tire pressure specs are different for Gen I and Gen II/III. Gen I recommends 36psi front and rear, Gen II/III recommends 39/42 (although as noted above many run with higher, especially in the front, which prone to premature cupping wear if the pressure is too low.

Gen III is back to 36 in the front. I haven't a clue why.

 

[blueman]

I rarely ride at those speeds or run the lower air pressure . Just found it interesting the manual went to the extent to mention that.

 

[CrabbyJack]

Don't forget that altitude plays an important factor in tire pressures. I think it is something like 1 psi per thousand feet of altitude. As you go up a hill, you need to bleed off air, 1 psi per thousand feet. And you have to put more air in as you go lower in altitude...

CrabbyJack

 

[900gc]

I noticed at high speeds the bike feels much more comfortable less road vibes with 36 front and back. This was also mentioned in other bike forums a busa forum comes to mind. You would think they put it in the manual for a reason . I have been told the additional heat at high speed is the reason. Would nitrogen be an option then???

Higher tire pressure equals a harder ride.

You'll get more life out of the tire at 42-44 rear and 42 front but the ride is harder AND if you like to lean it over a lot in the twisties I'd run lower pressure.

I ride 40 rear and 39 front kind of the best of both worlds

Same here. @ 175# and riding solo 98% of the time, the slightly lower pressure is a good compromise.

 

[900gc]

Isn't the easy rule of thumb a 10% increase in pressure elevated by heat? So a tire that's 40psi cold should be around 44psi hot. Of course this could depend on changes in ambient temp I guess.
I think I'm gonna a just start filling tires with beer.

If you had a Rokon you could fill the rims with beer. At 2.5 gal. per, don't know if you'd run out of gas or beer first.

 

[900gc]

Now that I'm all tire pressure edumacated, I figured that if I end up on Mt.Evans (14,000 ft.) having ridden from Death Valley (300 ft. below sea level) starting with 42 psi at 120 deg. f, my tires should explode.

I want my bike lighter so I'm going to put helium in the tires, or for a spectacular finish to the Death Valley ride; Hydrogen.

 

[jacko]

Dunno if you blokes have heard of the 4psi rule , I'm into 4x4's here in Aussie and a lot of blokes on 4x4 forums swear by the 4psi rule .

If you start with a cold tire pressure of xxpsi and after a hour or so check the pressure if it has risen by 4psi , it was correct to start with , if it has increased less , it was to high cold , if it has risen by more than 4psi it was to low and the tire has been flexing too much causing too much heat .

They say its applicable to 4x4's , cars , bikes and dirt as well as sealed roads .

I have tried it on a couple of long trips , never with the FJR , I say its Bull **** .

 

[gazza]

Down here in New Zealand we run southern hemisphere air. Bit different than that northern hemisphere stuff.

Gazza

 

[palerider]

All this talk about whether I'm doing it correctly is making me anxious. I just can't take the pressure.

 

[Old Guy]

All this talk about whether I'm doing it correctly is making me anxious. I just can't take the pressure.

Ah. Nicely played.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

When I first had questions about tire pressure in Dad's FJR and my Honda ST1300, I searched the forums. The overwhelming consensus on the ST forums and this FJR forum was around 41-42 psi. I was able to find this through a simple search, and it did not take me long to find it. By reading the information and some trivial, semi-amusing garbage, I avoided getting insulted and fussed at by the good folks who had already done all the work for me.

But now, after reading all this New Information, now that I know we have all these different types of air/gas/beer we can put in our tires I am no longer certain I am doing the right thing. Now I want to experiment with pressures. Now I want to see if running a lower pressure will really decrease tire life.

But, I am scared. I don't want to buy new tires. I don't want to compromise safety. I don't want to suffer if you guys are wrong.

So, I just let the air out of Dad's tires. And, I stole his air pressure gauge. I will report back on what I find.

 

[Bustanut joker]

I don't mind warm beer coming from tyres.. But I think I'm going to experiment with coffee or tea.

Hell maybe some chicken soup might be nice! It's good for what ails ya right?

 

[mcatrophy]

...So, I just let the air out of Dad's tires. And, I stole his air pressure gauge. I will report back on what I find.

Your inheritance?

 

[HotRodZilla]

RFH, you're gonna find your dad's foot in your ass.

 

[radiummadman]

where the heck is SkooterG ?????????????????? He should be able to tell us what Yo MommaHa considers to be

"high speed" for an FJR !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WTF, high speed for a skateboard is 20-30 mph, for a Harley a little less. C'mon

Skooter, what is considered high speed for an FJR ??????????????????????????????????? We gots to know

 

[bluesdog]

I'm developing a method of getting some bacon in my tires.

Should I use regular, or Canadian?

 

[RaYzerman19]

Down here in New Zealand we run southern hemisphere air. Bit different than that northern hemisphere stuff.Gazza

Probably goes counterclockwise with the coriolis effect, but that depends which side of the bike you're standing on..........