Tyre pressure?

[Maha]

Would tyre pressure of around 5-6 psi down on what you would normally run at, cause a notable difference on the bikes handling?

[Hitcher]

Would tyre pressure of around 5-6 psi down on what you would normally run at, cause a notable difference on how the bike handling?

Yes. Most certainly.

[SVboy]

Yes. Most certainly.

Too generic an answer. I think with all the variables the answer would be possibly. Think of tyre construction, bike type, road conditions and so on. Dropping 36 to 32f and 38 to 30r on a gsxr on sports tyres[s20 say]for the track would not change things too much on the road.

[Oscar]

Would tyre pressure of around 5-6 psi down on what you would normally run at, cause a notable difference on the bikes handling?

It would depend on the pressure you normally run at.
Tyres have a range of recommended pressures on any particular bike, depending on the load, speed, temp, road surface etc.

[Hitcher]

Tyres have a range of recommended pressures on any particular bike, depending on the load, speed, temp, road surface etc.

Yes. But riders generally seize on preferred settings that suit them best. Trial and error and all of that good stuff.

A 6 psi margin at a recommended tyre pressure of 36 psi is a 17% difference. For most riders that would be discernible. It may not be "dangerous" but it would be noticeable.

But I guess I made the mistake of responding to the first post in this thread.

[5ive]

I reckon it depends on the size of your tyre mostly.

After 10000kms my stock tyres were in need of replacement, so decided to get new ones the same day of heading off on my bike for a holiday. After the new tyres were fitted I noticed a massive difference in handling, cornering was a lot harder as the bike would not 'turn in' as easy on tighter corners. I was taking it easy to scrub the tyres in, and the roads were pretty smooth as well, so I thought maybe it was just the new (better quality) brand of tryes. It did not feel like they would have been safe at higher speeds or in sharper cornering.

So I decided to check the pressure when I got back and found that the person who had fitted them had inflated them more than what my stock ones were: 6psi over on the front, 8 psi over on the rear. Tyres were the exact same size as stock: 110/70 R17 front, 140/70 R17 rear.

I'm guessing they don't pay much attention to tyre pressures when fitting tyres, one psi for all :shit:

I deflated them to the stock pressures listed on the psi chart on my swingarm: 28 front, 32 rear, and handling was immediately improved again.

I don't know for sure what effect being under-inflated by 6psi would have on handling, but on my smaller tyres I'm guessing it would be soft and worse than over-inflation. Bigger bikes with larger tyres would probably be slightly softer, but still manageable.

[Maha]

Yes. But riders generally seize on preferred settings that suit them best. Trial and error and all of that good stuff.

A 6 psi margin at a recommended tyre pressure of 36 psi is a 17% difference. For most riders that would be discernible. It may not be "dangerous" but it would be noticeable.

But I guess I made the mistake of responding to the first post in this thread.

I have always run at 42 rear and 36 front. Checked the psi yesterday and the rear was around the 36 mark front at 32. First time I have checked the tyre pressure since owning the bike, a little remiss of me I know, should have done that the day I go it.

[Oscar]

Yes. But riders generally seize on preferred settings that suit them best. Trial and error and all of that good stuff.

A 6 psi margin at a recommended tyre pressure of 36 psi is a 17% difference. For most riders that would be discernible. It may not be "dangerous" but it would be noticeable.

But I guess I made the mistake of responding to the first post in this thread.

As an adventure/trail/enduro rider I'm used to a wide range of tyre pressures - my 950 runs 32 psi in the rear tyre on the road, but we may reduce that to 15 psi on the trail. Sometimes this means that it gets ridden on the road at the low pressure for a while, and it don't actually feel that much different (obviously it does have a great effect on tyre wear though).

It may be that the recommended tyre pressure has as much to do with tyre life as it does with performance, so maybe that 6psi is in that range...

[Gremlin]

It does depend on the tyre. I would expect most road riders to almost always answer yes. Something like the Pilot Road 3 / 4 is a soft carcass and yes, that kind of difference is going to make a difference in handling (both high and low).

Tyres with a stiff carcass will be less susceptible to adjustments in pressure. I've run a Heidenau K60 front (dual purpose and well known for being hard to fit) at 27-28 PSI and it still felt perfectly fine, which is closer to 10 PSI out.

That all said, I've also sworn that the tyre pressure was off, the bike felt weird, checked, and they were bang on. Suddenly the bike felt fine again. Your mind is a powerful thing.

[Oscar]

It does depend on the tyre. I would expect most road riders to almost always answer yes. Something like the Pilot Road 3 / 4 is a soft carcass and yes, that kind of difference is going to make a difference in handling (both high and low).

Tyres with a stiff carcass will be less susceptible to adjustments in pressure. I've run a Heidenau K60 front (dual purpose and well known for being hard to fit) at 27-28 PSI and it still felt perfectly fine, which is closer to 10 PSI out.

That all said, I've also sworn that the tyre pressure was off, the bike felt weird, checked, and they were bang on. Suddenly the bike felt fine again. Your mind is a powerful thing.

I shagged about with a new front tyre all day once, checking pressures several times and getting generally pissed off, swearing never to buy that brand again.
My steering head bearings were fucked...

[Ocean1]

It may be that the recommended tyre pressure has as much to do with tyre life as it does with performance, so maybe that 6psi is in that range...

Aye. 6psi down on full comp knobbs on the 525 is good for a quick lap of the neighbourhood and that's about it.
6pis down on my preferred Michelin PS3s on the Buell was certainly very noticeable.
So far the 1290 seems a little less fussy, but the Dunlop's a heavier carcase.

[Crasherfromwayback]

. First time I have checked the tyre pressure since owning the bike, a little remiss of me I know, should have done that the day I go it.

LOl. Lucky you haven't binned it so far then. If they were 46/52 you may well have.

[Big Dog]

I have to agreee with the depends statements.
On the DR I never notice until it is about 10 pound out unless I hit the motorway - then it feels like the icecapades. (I know because I let 10 pound out to try the difference on the gravel... made the deep gravel feel real steady)
On the CB I don't know in 35,000 I have never checked and found them to be more than 1/2 a pound out.
On the Hayabusa the front being out by 2 pound was really noticeable but 6-8 was neccessary to make the back feel weird.
On the GSX100f 4 pound either end was noticable... just.

[mossy1200]

I cant tell the diff between 42 and 36 rear other than loses traction easier at 42.

[Oliver12345]

Had my Rg rear tyre recently changed and they obviously don't do the tyre pressure properly, Noticed the rides were a bit odd and figured id go check the tyre pressure, The tyre had a pressure of 10PSI according the servo reader. QUite surprising how low it was really

[Ocean1]

according the servo reader.

:laugh: Get yourself a good quality gauge and stick it under your seat. Ignore what the servo gauge says, they're all different anyway and some are out by enough to be dangerous.

[Oscar]

:laugh: Get yourself a good quality gauge and stick it under your seat. Ignore what the servo gauge says, they're all different anyway and some are out by enough to be dangerous.

+1 Pay the money for a decent gauge.

[Banditbandit]

I have always run at 42 rear and 36 front. Checked the psi yesterday and the rear was around the 36 mark front at 32. First time I have checked the tyre pressure since owning the bike, a little remiss of me I know, should have done that the day I go it.

And I think that demonstrates the answer I would have given ...

That depends on the rider ... I certainly notice when my tyre pressures are down by that much ... especially on the front end. The handling is just not quite there. but I have seen a rider who's tyres looked soft ... he had no idea it would affect the handling because he hadn't noticed any difference. The tyre pressure on the front of his bike was 15psi. I couldn't believe he could corner with that low a pressure - but he did.

So - that depends on the rider - and probably on the bike .. A cruiser rider might not notice but a sportsbike rider is more likely to ..

[Banditbandit]

I reckon it depends on the size of your tyre mostly.

After 10000kms my stock tyres were in need of replacement, so decided to get new ones the same day of heading off on my bike for a holiday. After the new tyres were fitted I noticed a massive difference in handling, cornering was a lot harder as the bike would not 'turn in' as easy on tighter corners. I was taking it easy to scrub the tyres in, and the roads were pretty smooth as well, so I thought maybe it was just the new (better quality) brand of tryes. It did not feel like they would have been safe at higher speeds or in sharper cornering.

So I decided to check the pressure when I got back and found that the person who had fitted them had inflated them more than what my stock ones were: 6psi over on the front, 8 psi over on the rear. Tyres were the exact same size as stock: 110/70 R17 front, 140/70 R17 rear.

I'm guessing they don't pay much attention to tyre pressures when fitting tyres, one psi for all :shit:

I deflated them to the stock pressures listed on the psi chart on my swingarm: 28 front, 32 rear, and handling was immediately improved again.

I don't know for sure what effect being under-inflated by 6psi would have on handling, but on my smaller tyres I'm guessing it would be soft and worse than over-inflation. Bigger bikes with larger tyres would probably be slightly softer, but still manageable.

Yeah - over-inflating is just as bad as under-inflated .. makes the bike skippy and hoppy (I dunno the proper technical words) ... feels horrid !!! At speed they feel really horrid .. and cornering is scarey ...

[Maha]

+1 Pay the money for a decent gauge.

Yip. I have an air gauge that connects to my compressor to add air, but I use a pen gauge for the reading. The two are always different but I trust the pen gauge over the inflation one.

[Asher]

I can tell right away if my tyres are a couple of psi out. I run quite low pressures on the road ~30psi cold front and rear (tyre depending). So even 6 psi equates to a 20% pressure change.
I recently put on a pilot power 3 on the rear and was constantly searching for a preferred tyre pressure, a couple of psi lower would cause the bike to squirm and wallow around. A couple of psi higher would cause it's to skip easily on slightly uneven road and cause really annoying chatter

[mouldy]

Skipping is set up not rubber , it will slide if its too hard not bounce . Gas station guages can differ by up to 15 psi , Recommended tyre pressures are ball park only , the softer ,the hotter therefore grippier but too soft they wallow and wear quicker .The oppisite for harder . Get your own guage and find what works for what your riding and how your riding it .

[Reckless]

imho yes greatly

But personally I have always been quite sensitive to tyre pressure especially the front. Has a large effect on handling imho.

I remember jumping on my mates 996 once the fucken thing was a pig and that was after he had ridden it 400k on a trip.
Sluggish, fell into corners, wouldn't turn well.
Stopped at Turangi to pump it the extra 5 psi it should have had, completely different bike, bloody nice handling actually :)

Same thing with another mates new VFR800

Also Maha you may remember my SV1000 when it was delivered to your place.
Felt like a pig to me till I stopped at the first gas station, same problem tyre pressures quite low.
Thats no slight on who rode it there from Hastings, but just the difference in rider feel.
It took new tyres, fork revalve and a bit of time fucking round with the fork heights to get that right.

Even if the old Z1R is a few psi down annoys the hell out of me. I always check my pressures with my gauge before I leave for every ride even on the shitbox handling Bonnie.

So I guess some dont mind, some do??

[Ocean1]

Worth noting that modern tubeless bike tyres can lose pressure through the tyre carcase quite quickly.

A couple of psi per month isn't unusual.

[boman]

Would tyre pressure of around 5-6 psi down on what you would normally run at, cause a notable difference on the bikes handling?

From my own seat of my pants trials.

Yes most definitely.

My bike does not tip in as easily, it walks around the tyre carcass more readily, and generally feels spongy, not sharp and crisp.

[eldog]

Yeah - over-inflating is just as bad as under-inflated .. makes the bike skippy and hoppy (I dunno the proper technical words) ... feels horrid !!! At speed they feel really horrid .. and cornering is scarey ...

I am interested in what tyres and pressure you run on the bandit.
I have the PR3 GT? Suzuki book says 42 seems way higher than what everyone is saying here.
any suggestions?

[pritch]

I am interested in what tyres and pressure you run on the bandit.
I have the PR3 GT? Suzuki book says 42 seems way higher than what everyone is saying here.
any suggestions?

36 & 42 is pretty much the universal recommendation. If I was touring that's what I'd run.

Triumph say 34 (tyre manufacturer says 36) in the front so if I check the tyre and it says 34 and I'm staying local that's OK.

The Ducati manual went lower, 32 or even 30 in the front, I can't remember now, but there was a warning. if the roads were rough you could damage your rims. NZ roads are rough, so I didn't go below 34.

I'll run as low as 38 rear locally. Apart from handling considerations, if your pressures are down you are accelerating tyre wear and costing yourself money. Tyres are expensive enough as is.

[Banditbandit]

I am interested in what tyres and pressure you run on the bandit.
I have the PR3 GT? Suzuki book says 42 seems way higher than what everyone is saying here.
any suggestions?

On my 650 Bandit I run Continental Road Attacks - at 38 and 42 psi ... (psi as suggested by Conti - Suzuki recommendation is less - and they work at that psi) I love them .. very grippy .. most fun tyres I had on it.

On the 1250 I run Pilot Roads (currently 4 on the front, probably 3 on the back tomorrow as they don't have a 4) . Same PSI - 38 and 42. Anything less and I can notice the difference ..

I ride for my own safety (well, sometimes and fun) - and I don't care what anyone else is saying - the tyres work at those pressures, on these bikes, the way I ride them ..

[caseye]

On my 650 Bandit I run Continental Road Attacks - at 38 and 42 psi ... (psi as suggested by Conti - Suzuki recommendation is less - and they work at that psi) I love them .. very grippy .. most fun tyres I had on it.

On the 1250 I run Pilot Roads (currently 4 on the front, probably 3 on the back tomorrow as they don't have a 4) . Same PSI - 38 and 42. Anything less and I can notice the difference ..

I ride for my own safety (well, sometimes and fun - and I don't care what anyone else is saying - the tyres work at those pressures, on these bikes, the way I ride them ..

Pretty much where I run the 1250 too, and yes the handling is noticably sluggish and wallowie if they go under, specially the front.

[eldog]

On my 650 Bandit I run Continental Road Attacks - at 38 and 42 psi ... (psi as suggested by Conti - Suzuki recommendation is less - and they work at that psi) I love them .. very grippy .. most fun tyres I had on it.

On the 1250 I run Pilot Roads (currently 4 on the front, probably 3 on the back tomorrow as they don't have a 4) . Same PSI - 38 and 42. Anything less and I can notice the difference ..

I ride for my own safety (well, sometimes and fun - and I don't care what anyone else is saying - the tyres work at those pressures, on these bikes, the way I ride them ..


and Caseye - exactly the info i need.
Been wondering about fork brace as the front seems to me to twist about, wondered if this would help too. Yeah I know I got to get the sag adjusted for me first. and maybe the suspension too.
thanks for that :clap:

[eldog]

36 & 42 is pretty much the universal recommendation. If I was touring that's what I'd run.

Triumph say 34 (tyre manufacturer says 36) in the front so if I check the tyre and it says 34 and I'm staying local that's OK.

The Ducati manual went lower, 32 or even 30 in the front, I can't remember now, but there was a warning. if the roads were rough you could damage your rims. NZ roads are rough, so I didn't go below 34.

I'll run as low as 38 rear locally. Apart from handling considerations, if your pressures are down you are accelerating tyre wear and costing yourself money. Tyres are expensive enough as is.

will try 38F and 42R and see what happens thanks :niceone:

[Madness]

will try 38F and 42R and see what happens thanks :niceone:

On a Yamaha Scorpio?

[nzspokes]

On my 650 Bandit I run Continental Road Attacks - at 38 and 42 psi ... (psi as suggested by Conti - Suzuki recommendation is less - and they work at that psi) I love them .. very grippy .. most fun tyres I had on it.

On the 1250 I run Pilot Roads (currently 4 on the front, probably 3 on the back tomorrow as they don't have a 4) . Same PSI - 38 and 42. Anything less and I can notice the difference ..

I ride for my own safety (well, sometimes and fun - and I don't care what anyone else is saying - the tyres work at those pressures, on these bikes, the way I ride them ..

I run PR2s on mine, not a fan of the later ones. Solo im 36/40 on the Bandit 12, two up I go 38/42. I found dropping the clamps on the forks help for 2 up as she can be a bit of a workout on the twisties.

[eldog]

On a Yamaha Scorpio?

youd be surprised what you can do on a 225, which includes waving:not:

[Madness]

youd be surprised what you can do on a 225, which includes waving:not:

I doubt I'd be surprised at all to be honest.

Most bikes running 38F 42R will have a degree of both weight and power to put heat into the tyre. If you want to ride your Scorpio around on hard, cold tyres coming into winter please, be my guest.

:facepalm:

[eldog]

I doubt I'd be surprised at all to be honest.

Most bikes running 38F 42R will have a degree of both weight and power to put heat into the tyre. If you want to ride your Scorpio around on hard, cold tyres coming into winter please, be my guest.

:facepalm:

then when we met next year you will be surprised. But not till next year at least.

and oh yeah forgot to add some people say i am a fat bastard

[eldog]

I doubt I'd be surprised at all to be honest.

Most bikes running 38F 42R will have a degree of both weight and power to put heat into the tyre. If you want to ride your Scorpio around on hard, cold tyres coming into winter please, be my guest.

:facepalm:

congradulations you have given me my FIRST negative rep

your comment 'FUCK OFF NODDY' made my day:killingme

[Banditbandit]

Been wondering about fork brace as the front seems to me to twist about, wondered if this would help too. Yeah I know I got to get the sag adjusted for me first. and maybe the suspension too.


I haven't found that issue - but on both bikes I have the front ends a little tighter than the factory standard settings and that made a big difference. I have the rear shocks on standard settings - but I'm thinking of moving to an Ohlins shock ... money is the issue right now - which also means the wife ....

But if you are serious about a fork brace .. try these people - Almost all my aftermarket parts have come from them .. good service. http://www.justbandits.com/fork-brace-later-bandits.html

[eldog]

I haven't found that issue - but on both bikes I have the front ends a little tighter than the factory standard settings and that made a big difference. I have the rear shocks on standard settings - but I'm thinking of moving to an Ohlins shock ... money is the issue right now - which also means the wife ....

But if you are serious about a fork brace .. try these people - Almost all my aftermarket parts have come from them .. good service. http://www.justbandits.com/fork-brace-later-bandits.html

Now I goto save..... Thanks