07-30-2014, 09:45 PM
Bike manufacturers, tyre companies and others all recommend using the published OEM pressures. After all their R and D budgets and thousands on man hours of testing are way above our pay grades or resources.
Changing tyre pressure to chase suspension issues is not a safe way to go. Both high or low pressures may change or even diminish the contact patch and tyre charecteristics which in the case of a motorcycle is all we have to keep us up right. Increased wear, handling, tyre damage are also issues.
Many of us probably dont check tyre pressure often enough. So consider this. A few PSI different doesn't sound like much but is actually a big % change from OEM spec. Eg. Only running 36 PSI in the rear is already 17% too low . Factor in a perhaps a couple of weeks between checks, a cheap guage or pump and another 2 -3 pounds less air and you are already 20% underinflated. The tyre will be too soft, run hotter, wear faster, have less traction etc, etc.
As per the owners manual 36 / 42 works well and Honda have their stamp of approval on the numbers. 1 or 2 up there have been no issues.
There are many online resources that deal with this that try to explain the science in layman's terms. Some are below for reference.
http://motorbikewriter.com/correct-motor...pressures/
http://www.totalmotorcycle.com/maintenan...-tyres.htm
http://motorcycle.michelin.com.au/advice...-pressures
http://rideapart.com/2013/11/5-things-yo...-pressure/
Changing tyre pressure to chase suspension issues is not a safe way to go. Both high or low pressures may change or even diminish the contact patch and tyre charecteristics which in the case of a motorcycle is all we have to keep us up right. Increased wear, handling, tyre damage are also issues.
Many of us probably dont check tyre pressure often enough. So consider this. A few PSI different doesn't sound like much but is actually a big % change from OEM spec. Eg. Only running 36 PSI in the rear is already 17% too low . Factor in a perhaps a couple of weeks between checks, a cheap guage or pump and another 2 -3 pounds less air and you are already 20% underinflated. The tyre will be too soft, run hotter, wear faster, have less traction etc, etc.
As per the owners manual 36 / 42 works well and Honda have their stamp of approval on the numbers. 1 or 2 up there have been no issues.
There are many online resources that deal with this that try to explain the science in layman's terms. Some are below for reference.
http://motorbikewriter.com/correct-motor...pressures/
http://www.totalmotorcycle.com/maintenan...-tyres.htm
http://motorcycle.michelin.com.au/advice...-pressures
http://rideapart.com/2013/11/5-things-yo...-pressure/