What PSI do you run

I'm 290 lbs and I'm feeling as if my rear wheel isn't quite as stable laterally as I'd like (often feels underinflated).

The manual recommends 28 pst front and 33 rear (36 psi rear if weight is 200lbs or more inc rider, gear, cargo and accessories). Obviously I am over 200lbs so 36 psi right - or can/should I go higher as I'm darn near 100lbs over that?

I'm going to hit the gas station and put on the 28/36 thing going on front and back, I'm just curious what heavy guys out there do for inflation.

Also - my garage is under .5 miles away, assuming I go in the morning while it's still cold is this a short enough trip to take a "cold" pressure reading or do I need to putz around at the gas station a while and let them cool off.

Yea I know - I don't know a thing about anything mechanical, I find that almost as embarrasing as the fact that I enjoy Glee on TV!

I run 40psi both front and back. I'm somewhere between 275 and 300lbs. I have the shocks on 5 and run Pirelli Diablos. I feel perfectly fine on the Swing with that setup and have done many a twisty on it.

I am also on the hefty side and I run +2 psi on the front and back with Dunlops Hoops.
I have just put on Metzeler Feel Frees and started at +2 psi in them. They feel pretty much spot on.

So feel free to up the PSI to where you get best ride and longevity. Up to the max psi listed on the sidewall.

(Mfrs give their PSI #'s to get the best ride, not necessarily the best for wear or handling. (notice the cupping of tires)

this is what I do.YMMV.

MaxB

I weigh about 240 and the tires feel better when I run with about 36 to 38 psi. If you run at too high a pressure you will cause uneven wear on the tires. (more wear right down the middle).

Aquit,

The way to deal with the short ride to the gas station is to check your tire pressure at home before you leave. If it is, for example, 2 psi below what you want, then at the gas station, check the pressure again, and inflate to 2 psi above what the initial gas station reading was. I also hope that you are not using the gas station guage as a way to determine your tire pressure. They are NOTORIOUSLY innacurate. If you don't have one, go out and buy a good guage and use only that to set your pressures.

To answer the question, I am 230 pounds, and run 30 in front, and 36 in the back.

x

GaryL wrote:

...I also hope that you are not using the gas station guage as a way to determine your tire pressure. They are NOTORIOUSLY innacurate. ...

I've seen gas station gauges off by as much as 9 psi.

Chris

bigbird wrote:

I weigh about 220 and run 30 psi front and 36 psi rear with rear shock preload on #5 and HyperPro front springs. I tried higher pressure ( 34 front and 40 rear) but the cornering at higher speeds with lots of bank angle became way too squirelly. It felt like the tires were about to slip at any time.

Good thing you said that, bigbird. I always run 34-36 front and 38-40 rear and feel the same way banking turns quickly (like trying to make a green or yellow arrow before it changes). And I only weigh 180 lbs! Apparently, I need to seriously rethink the amount of air (nitrogen in my case) I have in the tires. I always thought the poor grip was because Hoop tires are so stiff, almost wooden; now I see I've been running too much dag gummin' pressure in them.

While there is a weight difference between a Silverwing and a Burgman 400 as I have, the tires are the same.

I run about 25 psi in the front with the Bridgestone Hoop and 28 psi when using the Pirelli Diablo. The reason for the difference is simply for cornering "feel". It seems like the Pirelli grips better than the Hoop.

As you go up in psi, you're lowering the amount of contact area on the road. Riding with anything over 30 psi in the front seems like it would give you less traction.

The local dealership (Honda and Suzuki) puts 40 psi in all the rear tires simply to get better wear for the owners. They don't consider the rider's weight either when deciding how much pressure to put in.

I would stay with Honda's recommendation for the front tire, but move towards the max on the tire sidewall, or that 40 psi the local Honda dealer recommends...whichever you feel comfortable with.

Chris

So, does road temperature have anything to do with how high or low you should make your pressure? I would think the roads in Grand Coulee, Washington where Acquit lives don't heat up nearly as much as the ones here in Las Vegas, Nevada would. Should that have an effect pressure and handling?

I put in 30 in the front, 38 in the rear and moved the pre-load to 5. It seemed noticeably diferent on the short 1/2 mile ride back - pretty amazing just a few pounds change (it was 27/32) fees so diferent.

I think there is a cheap air compressor in my future, lying down on the ground at a gas station is not my cup of tea - though I did take one of those kneeling pads (for gardening) with me.

EDIT - back from a 120 mile ride and what a diference. Thanks for the tips.