Topic: tyre pressures any ideas?

[mattd]

just a thought which occured to me tonight when doing a quick check over. im running the tyre pressures as on the sticker on the chain guard in the owners manual and workshop manual (all say the same 25psi front 28psi rear 550 f). some advice i saw on  here the other night concerning 750k2 pressures made me think. as im running modern avon roadrunners (albeit in stock sizes) should the pressures i use now be differant to take into account the more modern rubber? any advice from other 550f owners would be greatly appreciated!! whilst im on i've a nice new set of airbox to carb rubbers. can i fit these without removing the carbs?

[motocyconomad]

put what the tire says it needs (on the tire wall)
and
no

[mattd]

ok i'll do that. and oh bugger

[BobbyR]

Many times what is written on the side of the tire is the Max pressure which is not always a good idea. If you hot a pothole the tube and the tire will not absorb the impact well.

The new tires are much more flexible than the old style tires. I would go up 5 lbs over the sticker as a starting point and see how the bike feels to you. Go up a 2 lbs and see how that feels. At some point you will find where the bike feels best.

With these bikes there are so many variables due to wear and tear, it is hard to have absolutes.

[dave500]

36 psi.,ive wrangled the rubbers on with type one carbs.

[mattd]

ta everyone i like the idea of going up a couple of lbs a time nice and progressive. for the rubbers its varying between il have a do and no il give it to my friendly bike mender!

[mick750F]

   From "The Thoughts of Hondaman" in the FAQ section...


"A trick to remember from Continental Tire's motorcycle tire engineer: measure your tire pressure cold, then ride for at least 10 miles until the tire is well warmed, then measure the pressure again. If it rises 2 PSI: you're spot on your required pressure. If it rises more than 2 PSI, your PSI is too low. If it does not rise 2 PSI, your PSI is too high, and your tire patch size will be reduced. When riding 2-up or heavily loaded, add 2 PSI to your "normal" PSI as a start, but check again when warmed up."

   Try it, it works.

Mike

[dave500]

different tyres have different friction and materials,id take that with a grain of salt or two,how big the contact patch changes will depend on a heap of variables,tread pattern comes to mind.

[BobbyR]

   From "The Thoughts of Hondaman" in the FAQ section...


"A trick to remember from Continental Tire's motorcycle tire engineer: measure your tire pressure cold, then ride for at least 10 miles until the tire is well warmed, then measure the pressure again. If it rises 2 PSI: you're spot on your required pressure. If it rises more than 2 PSI, your PSI is too low. If it does not rise 2 PSI, your PSI is too high, and your tire patch size will be reduced. When riding 2-up or heavily loaded, add 2 PSI to your "normal" PSI as a start, but check again when warmed up."

   Try it, it works.

Mike

Sounds like a great plan. Today's tires like the Battleaxe BT-45s have a sport type tread which goes up the sidewall. These new tires need a new way of thinking.

[dave500]

the bt-45 is getting old now,its become the "default tyre" for even high powered old suzukis like the 750 gsx.

[Bankerdanny]

I refit the rubbers with the box and carbs in place, but it was a pain in the ass to do

[BobbyR]

the bt-45 is getting old now,its become the "default tyre" for even high powered old suzukis like the 750 gsx.

Probably true, but it is all the tire these old bikes need. Most of the long distance riders here use them.