Tyre pressures

[Chriswright03 1,257]

Did a search for 'tyre pressures' and not on thread came up which surprised me.  Anyway when I had the Tiger Explorer I always ran the tyres a couple of psi less than they recommended because to me it wasn't as bumpy like that and handled far better.  So I was wondering what others are doing with the pressures on the NC?  Obviously keeping to within 10% of the manufacturers recommendation as required by law so no massive changes but what is the general consensus to be the best or does everyone just stick to what it says in the book?

[GerJ 209]

F 2.5 bar, R 2.9 bar.

[Chriswright03 1,257]

So is that as recommended or not? 

 

[GerJ 209]

Yes, as far as I know. I always think that the manufacturer has a reason for recommending specific values and is more knowledgeable than I am.

Edited May 10, 2019 by GerJ

[Andywills77 433]

Mine has the tyre pressures on a label that can be found on the underside frunk/froot/whatever you want to call it....looks like an official honda label so might be worth checking to see if it's there on yours?

[outrunner 4,457]

The standard pressures of 36psi front and 42psi rear are in my opinion just a tad too hard for me, I run 34 front and 38 rear and this works for me as the ride/feel is better. Other opinions may differ, play with them and see what you think.

 

 

Andy.

[Chriswright03 1,257]

11 minutes ago, GerJ said:

Yes, as far as I know. I always think that the manufacturer has a reason for recommending specific values and is more knowledgeable than I am.

I agree in principle to a point but as with the Tiger it was far better a couple of psi down from what they recommended.  Bearing in mind that they recommend the same for every tyre manufacturer and don't take into account the weight of the rider there must be some element of compromise in there.

1 minute ago, Andywills77 said:

Mine has the tyre pressures on a label that can be found on the underside frunk/froot/whatever you want to call it....looks like an official honda label so might be worth checking to see if it's there on yours?

I know what the manufacturer says and I know where it tells me on the label.  Perhaps I have not been explisitive enough in the question.  I am asking do people stick to what they know to be the recommended or do they change it to suit themselves?

Thank you Outrunner that was what I was getting at.

[arengle 449]

but the big questions is, how do you measure the tire pressure, do you use a calibrated gauge ... I used to lower mine because were to hard then I changed the pressure gauge and discover the so called lowered pressure was effectively more than recommended. I have 3 different pressure gauges and all 3 shows different numbers, more then 10%.

[Grumpy old man 4,670]

1 hour ago, arengle said:

but the big questions is, how do you measure the tire pressure, do you use a calibrated gauge ... I used to lower mine because were to hard then I changed the pressure gauge and discover the so called lowered pressure was effectively more than recommended. I have 3 different pressure gauges and all 3 shows different numbers, more then 10%.

Kick it! Doh!

[Chriswright03 1,257]

Well yes indeed.  That is an age old problem and having experienced the same I know exactly what you mean but don't have an answer.  Same when you use an airline at the petrol station really as you have no idea how accurate it it.  Hence I tend to use the same source all the time and adjust it accordingly to actual feel when ridden.  Living out here I decided to purchase a decent gauge and use that continually then find what I think is right for me within what I 'think' is within the 10%. 

 

Not an exact science I know but having said that once when I was instructing I had a group of riders and not one of them had checked their tyres prior to going on a riding course that included some laps around Cadwell Park!  In fact not many of them even knew what they should be so obviously didn't check them at all.  So the fact that I am considering lowering the psi a little to suit my riding taking into account legal parameters is probably far more responsible than many who never check theirs.

 

It i alright kicking them Grumpy but you need to make sure you have your riding boots on and not flip flops!

[Bart Stilgo 428]

Changed my recently as the rear tyre has flattened off so dropped from 2.9 to 2.8 on the rear (cant tell any difference)

Front 2.5 and wearing well and cant really say anything is wrong

I just ride the bl**dy thing.  There are so many factors that can change as long as the tyre is inflated to what looks normal and it gets a pressure check each week  I'm happy

 

I use a digital pressure gauge but that is not a guarantee of accuracy

The suspension is lacking so its difficult to say what improvements tyre pressures can make when all the other variables are thrown in the pot.

 

[Chriswright03 1,257]

I seem to recall one of the reasons for dropping the pressure on the Tiger was on a forum members were speaking of the rear tyre wearing out the centre tread and hardly touching the edges which is  a sure sign of over inflation. 

 

Whilst the suspension may not be the best it is what it is and you get used to it.  With that in mind with regular riding you should be able to tell the difference and if you can't then there really is no point in changing the pressures unless excess wear is a factor.

[neojynx 722]

I always use recommended pressures, working on the theory that the tyre companies should know best.

[Chriswright03 1,257]

Yes but the recommendation comes from the bike Manufacturer not the tyre one and as I posted above I would have expected there to be a slight variance for optimal performance between different makes of tyres so the recommendation surely has to be general.

[neojynx 722]

4 minutes ago, Chriswright03 said:

Yes but the recommendation comes from the bike Manufacturer not the tyre one and as I posted above 

It does, but that also implies that the bike manufacturer doesnt obtain the info from the tyre manufacturer.  I doubt it...

[Mark8arker 527]

Think tyre pressure is personal thing. The recommended pressure is good starting point. You after then take into account rider weight & extras. Stick to one pressure gauge. 

[listener 11,154]

I've just had a look at the manual (2018 NC750X) and it says ...

 

Front : 36PSI = 2.5 Bar (solo and 2-up)

Rear  : 42PSI = 2.9 Bar (solo and 2-up)

 

So it seems that the pressures are non-critical for a significant change in weight.

Bear in mind that these are the manufacturer's recommended values, and as such they could be held legally responsible if an accident occurred because those values were incorrect.

 

Way back in the 80s I used to check my tyre pressures (tubed and tubeless) on regular basis using a pressure gauge at work (Budenburg ±0.5% accuracy).

I found that there was little change over the year and stopped being so anal. Now I check once in a blue moon and notice that the pressure barely changes - the small variations I do get are probably down to different ambient temperature.

[shiggsy 529]

4 hours ago, Chriswright03 said:

I seem to recall one of the reasons for dropping the pressure on the Tiger was on a forum members were speaking of the rear tyre wearing out the centre tread and hardly touching the edges which is  a sure sign of over inflation. 

 

Not really, that's applies to car tyres because they have a flat profile, whereas bikes are obviously rounded so the sides are only in contact when cornering.

 

There is a thread that discusses tyre pressures but it evolved from a suspension titled topic so it won't show up in a titled search.

I currently run the rear tyre at 36psi as I am using back roads and country lanes a lot, they are pretty rough so a lower tyre pressure makes the journey more comfortable.

[Mark8arker 527]

2 hours ago, listener said:

I've just had a look at the manual (2018 NC750X) and it says ...

 

Front : 36PSI = 2.5 Bar (solo and 2-up)

Rear  : 42PSI = 2.9 Bar (solo and 2-up)

 

So it seems that the pressures are non-critical for a significant change in weight.

Bear in mind that these are the manufacturer's recommended values, and as such they could be held legally responsible if an accident occurred because those values were incorrect.

 

Way back in the 80s I used to check my tyre pressures (tubed and tubeless) on regular basis using a pressure gauge at work (Budenburg ±0.5% accuracy).

I found that there was little change over the year and stopped being so anal. Now I check once in a blue moon and notice that the pressure barely changes - the small variations I do get are probably down to different ambient temperature.

You got thinking about tyre pressure. I ride on ContiRoadAttack3. Real good explanation about tyre pressure on the Conti web site.. Will go back to Manual setting. See how it feels!

[Chriswright03 1,257]

8 hours ago, listener said:

I've just had a look at the manual (2018 NC750X) and it says ...

 

Front : 36PSI = 2.5 Bar (solo and 2-up)

Rear  : 42PSI = 2.9 Bar (solo and 2-up)

 

So it seems that the pressures are non-critical for a significant change in weight.

Bear in mind that these are the manufacturer's recommended values, and as such they could be held legally responsible if an accident occurred because those values were incorrect.

 

Way back in the 80s I used to check my tyre pressures (tubed and tubeless) on regular basis using a pressure gauge at work (Budenburg ±0.5% accuracy).

I found that there was little change over the year and stopped being so anal. Now I check once in a blue moon and notice that the pressure barely changes - the small variations I do get are probably down to different ambient temperature.

Interesting that.  I have just looked at the owner's manual and there is no mention of solo or two up.  It just gives Front 36psi and Rear 42 psi, incidentally the same as the Tiger Explorer which I would have thought was a much heavier bike but then I guess it goes more on the actual size of the tyre.

 

It is easy to be complacent about tyre pressures especially when as you say each time you check them they are the same.  I would like to think that as experienced riders we would notice if a tyre had lost a lot of pressure just by riding it but then again we are not all experienced.  As I posted above on a course I ran not one had checked theirs and hardly any knew what they should be in the first place so I seriously doubt that many would realise they had lost a few pounds or indeed if they were over inflated.

 

When I was last working it was in the funeral industry and the Company insisted that we checked the tyre pressures daily.  We shared a hearse with a neighbouring branch and the driver checked them and put some extra in one of the front tyres and he knew it lost a bit!  It had been losing a bit for some while and I suspect the tyre needed to be reseated on a cleaned rim but the Company used a contracted tyre company for the tyres and they wouldn't do it.  Anyway as I knew the driver who put a little more in I checked it and instead of it being 34psi it was 55psi!  Common sense is not common.

[Tex 36,816]

The 36/42 was adopted as an ‘industry standard’ some years back. It’s nuts. Back when I could afford a BMW they came with three tyre pressure recommendations. Solo, with pillion and fully loaded (pillion + luggage). It was common sense to increase pressures a wee bit if carrying a passenger for any distance. Somewhere along the line it became ‘easier’ for the manufacturers to just recommend the highest pressures and it’s probably buried in a complex set of ‘construction and use’ regulations somewhere.

 

A case in point - the Street Triple is a Daytona without the fairing and with a pillion pad. The ST uses 36/42 the Daytona much lower (I can’t remember exactly and can’t be arsed to look it up). Street Triple owners who don’t carry passengers regularly use Daytona pressures and reap the benefits.

 

My current Triumph bucks the trend with a recommendation of 32F and 36R. And I have never bothered to experiment with it because it ‘feels’ spot on. 

 

Chris, if you regularly ride with a passenger I would suggest sticking to the recommendations. If you ride mostly solo I think a small  drop would benefit you. 34/38 worked well for me on the Integra (any lower than 34 in the front and the steering reacts badly - although the Integra has heavy bodywork which may explain that). Good luck.

[Chriswright03 1,257]

Tex interesting that about the industry standard as I hadn't heard that mentioned before.  Crazy!

 

Yes I will be riding with Jane on the back virtually all the time apart from when I go and fill up with fuel.  Always do that before we go out for a ride rather than when we come back as the heat here would expand the fuel and more than likely cause it to overflow.  I will keep them as per for now and see how we get on but the suspension does feel a little bit harsh and whilst I know that is maybe how it is I do wonder if lowering a couple of psi would make any difference.

 

I was more curious than anything as on the Tiger Explorer forum it was fairly universal that everyone ran slightly lower than recommended and yet here not seen it mentioned.

 

Thanks everyone for the comments though and some have been surprising.

[Tex 36,816]

Chris, ah, the old ‘harsh suspension’ complaint! Yes, sadly, I think most people find that. Some have gone so far as to make radical changes (and spent big money!) but most just learn to live with it.  

[Hickky 3,131]

OK, just to throw another spanner in the melting pot, what about make of tyres? It is known that some tyre manufacturers have a stiffer carcass than others. Pirelli are known to be fairly flexible in the middle of the tread, whereas Dunlop are stiffer. Consequently they need different pressures. I am running 32 front and 34 back on the Z900RS with Dunlop Sportsmart 3. These are 2 psi higher than a Dunlop tech guy guessed at on my Cadwell Park trackday. Don't even know what the owners manual says!

[Tex 36,816]

Kawasaki will recommend the same 36/42 as everyone recommends for everything!