Tyre Pressure ZZR

[LilSel]

Went out last night for a ride with pillion (learning to pillion) and things felt a bit 'squishy'... put some more air in tyres, and it got better... but still a lil squishy...

What would an ideal tyre pressure be for Kawasaki ZZR250 ?
and with a pillion ?
(on tyres it says max 40psi... is this what I should run at?)

Help & advice appreciated

[Cajun]

i use to run 32/32 on my zzr but i was also running a 130 rear instead of standard 140, most of the time.

[rookie]

you'll prob need to stiffen up the rear shock too for taking a pillion.

[mynameis]

From memory your tyres should be 100 and 130 front and rear and run on 30 and 32 front and rear.

[LilSel]

i use to run 32/32 on my zzr but i was also running a 130 rear instead of standard 140, most of the time.

When I put more air in, the back was @ 27 ...
I put it up to 34... lol... pretty close to 32... you think this should be ok?

Will look at suspension setup for pillioning now thats been suggested also.

When I got my last warrant (a few weeks ago) the testing guy said there was a little bit of play in the monoshock... but not enough to fail a warrant but that I may want to have it looked at in the near future... could this have contributed to the squishy feeling?? with the extra weight from the pillion as well?... (she's only little lol, but more weight is more weight)

[LilSel]

From memory your tyres should be 100 and 130 front and rear and run on 30 and 32 front and rear.

Would that be any diff if taking a pillion? or just the same regardless of if one or two up?

[LilSel]

you'll prob need to stiffen up the rear shock too for taking a pillion.

I thought about that... If I get that adjusted/stiffened up... will it be much diff for normal riding without a pillion?? I dont find it 'squishy' when im riding alone

[Disco Dan]

I usually click my rear shock adjustment round a notch (or 2) when taking a pillion.

You should check your manual for correct pressures, but I would increase the pressure by a couple of psi when taking a pillion.

[mynameis]

Would that be any diff if taking a pillion? or just the same regardless of if one or two up?

There is no right or wrong answer, but whatever you're really comfortable with. You will have to play around a bit and you'll notice the difference yourself.

For my ZXR 250 I had, 2 psi more or less, either front or rear and I would feel the difference and knew it straight away. If your bike has done more than 30 000 km's it's more than likely the springs are shagged, so in my case I maxed the suspension out. Also depends on your weight.

With tyre pressure I generally keep it the same with pillion or by myself because you get the feel of the right pressure. As a guide check your tyre pressure every two weeks, especially the front one you'll notice goes down faster. Go to BP they have a digital gauge.

[rookie]

There is no right or wrong answer, but whatever you're really comfortable with. You will have to play around a bit and you'll notice the difference yourself.

For my ZXR 250 I had, 2 psi more or less, either front or rear and I would feel the difference and knew it straight away. If your bike has done more than 30 000 km's it's more than likely the springs are shagged, so in my case I maxed the suspension out. Also depends on your weight.

With tyre pressure I generally keep it the same with pillion or by myself because you get the feel of the right pressure. As a guide check your tyre pressure every two weeks, especially the front one you'll notice goes down faster. Go to BP they have a digital gauge.

Nope...shocks will be shagged before springs.

32 sounds a bit low...even when riding solo...I mean for the track that would be borderline high (from what others say)....but for commuting that would definately be on the low side.

When carrying a pillion, my friend stiffens up the rear preload a couple of clicks and increases the rear psi by a couple...his pillion would be around the 50kg mark...he notices the difference when going back to riding solo as the rear of the bike rides quite hard.

Nothing wrong with trial and error.

[mynameis]

Nope...shocks will be shagged before springs.

32 sounds a bit low...even when riding solo...I mean for the track that would be borderline high (from what others say)....but for commuting that would definately be on the low side.

When carrying a pillion, my friend stiffens up the rear preload a couple of clicks and increases the rear psi by a couple...his pillion would be around the 50kg mark...he notices the difference when going back to riding solo as the rear of the bike rides quite hard.

Nothing wrong with trial and error.

If 32 on a ZZR with 130 tyres is low, what is the right psi then ?? I used to have 34 on my ZXR 250 with 140 rear tyres, track, road and pillion, worked perfect for me.

Read the manual it will tell you when you need to work on the springs and shocks.

The problem with pissing around with suspension setup is most don't know how to do it properly. When you change the rear you also need to adjust the front preload bounce, that's why it's simple to use one suspension setup and one set of psi and get used to that.

Get it done properly, professionally and don't mess around with it is my advice.

[Laxi]

appoligies for the dredge, but anybody know what size tyres the zzr 250s came with from the factory? I've got a '93 that's got a 140/70/17 on the back, been told it's too low profile and putting higher tyres on will help stop me scraping my pegs! sound right?