Leaky wheels/tires?

[Houtman_imp]

I just bought the Motion Pro Digital pressure gauge, not cheap at $100 but very well made and great reviews in regards accuracy.

[Ridem32_imp]

I don't know which one NASCAR uses but they can go up or down 1LB that's a good gauge!

[OldF7Guy_imp]

Funny this topic came up today. I left out on my Nighthawk and didnt make it too the end of the street and knew something didnt feel right. Turned around and came home and the front tire had like 15 lbs of pressure in it. Aired it up and checked thinking I had run over a screw or something. Back tire was low too but not that low. I am guilty of not checking them but I dont understand how they just up and lose air without running over something. I need to do a better job in the future. I need to check this at least once a month and I have not been doing this. This is a good lesson learned for me. I cant tell you how ill handling the Nighthawk was with low air pressure.

Bottom line is that I got lazy and all I want to do is ride and not work on anything. That is going to have to change and I will take this much more serious in the future.

Mate, 15psi is danger territory, unless your riding in loose sand . Once a week, or two at a stretch, is good for tyre checks. Get your own gauge. Don't need a digital, just a good quality stick gauge to back up the service station's gauge. If you get your own then look for one with the range approximately 5 - 50psi. They are generally most accurate in the middle of the gauge range.

Cheers.

Mate, 15psi is danger territory, unless your riding in loose sand . Once a week, or two at a stretch, is good for tyre checks. Get your own gauge. Don't need a digital, just a good quality stick gauge to back up the service station's gauge. If you get your own then look for one with the range approximately 5 - 50psi. They are generally most accurate in the middle of the gauge range.

Cheers.
Im on it now you can count on it. The steering was heavy and the front end had a very vague feeling to it. It was sluggish for a lack of a better term. It was a terrible feeling. I got lazy and honestly didnt realize this happens pretty much with all models and makes no matter the tire brand !!! So you learn something everyday.

[DGShannon_imp]

I check tire pressure at the start of every ride. Pressures can be weird at times and I think humidity and air temperature have much to do with it. My Honda dealer sells all bikes with nitrogen in the tires claiming it eliminates this problem. I've found it makes no difference whatever.

Can't speak for bikes, but it sure was effective in my truck. Ran the tires for a little over 35,000 miles and never touched the tires. Once I got new tires, and they filled them with air, my low tire sensor comes on about every 5 to 6 weeks.

[rboe]

That says more about the remount or "new" valve stems that air vs. nitrogen.

[Papa Weeley_imp]

"I dont understand how they just up and lose air without running over something"

The molecules of air and especially the water vapor component in the air dissipate through the rubber over time.

I understand that air escapes the tire casing through osmosis, as well as the fact that rubber is somewhat porous anyway, that impacts on the tire can affect psi, that temperature affects pressure to the tune of about 1 psi per every 10 degrees, that valve stems and cores can leak, etc., etc.
My concern is that 2-4 lbs. per month - at an even rate front and rear - just seems excessive to me. As I mentioned earlier, I've owned about 50 cars, and around 15 or so bikes, and have only experienced that kind of consistent loss when an actual problem was diagnosed.
It's obviously not a huge problem, and luckily I check them on a semi-regular basis anyway; it just seemed weird to me. From the responses here, it seems like this is fairly common with this bike, though, so I'll reel in the concern a bit.