Tyre pressures

[Polarbear]

[Kawasaki Jimbo]

Stick with what the tyre manufacturers websites recommend for your particular bike (they've mostly standardised at 36psi front, 42 psi rear) unless you're running the exact same tyres recommended by the bike's manual. My 2003 R1 has 36/36 in the manual but if more modern tyre construction relies on a rear pressure of 42psi to get the same profile and sidewall stiffness then running them at 36psi is like having a flat tyre. I stick with 36/42 on both bikes and then adjust the suspension if I don't like the comfort or handling.

Contrary to what you often hear I suspect that lowered pressures are not intended to achieve a larger contact patch. The track riders only do that because they anticipate increased tyre temperatures compared to road riding. Once the tyres on track are super hot they're back up to the same pressure as a road rider's, meaning that the profile, contact patch and sidewall stiffness is the same and is correct. Rossi-aping wannabees using the same low starting point on the road won't get up to a consistently high temperature, and thus won't reach the correct pressure or tyre profile. It's counter-productive.

Regarding tyre gauge accuracy, RIDE magazine occasionally survey the matter. Check on-line for past articles.

Ten years ago petrol station air lines with a bar meter on the nozzle probably were inaccurate. As soon as the nozzle and integral meter was dropped on the floor its accuracy was lost until the next calibration, if indeed it ever was re-calibrated. In this age of Health & Safety things will have changed.

[t121anf]

Any recommendations for a digital gauge, mines recently broke.

[johnsmith222]

[Courier265]

[B0ndy]