Tire Pressure

[Xyzzy_imp]

Okay thanks everyone.
Are most of you running one up 36/42?

I have owned 15 Hondas and the majority of them recommend 36F/42R, which seems odd to me because the bikes I have owned have weighed as much as 900# and as little as 440#. Plus, I always ride solo, so I think I would need less pressure, especially in the rear. I think that 36F/42R recommendation might be for the best fuel economy and tire life but I don't think it is the best for performance. (That said, some of my heavier bikes killed tires *very* quickly even at 36F/42R!)

I am not a scientist but I imagine that proper tire inflation would result in the tire being flexible enough to heat up the carcass to the proper temperature thus yielding maximum traction, along with enough air to protect the wheels from pot holes and to keep the bead in place.

I have been playing around with an IR camera. After a little trial and error, I have the tire pressures set so that both the front and the back are equal in temperature. At the pressure I have now (36F/38R) I have no issues with pot holes and the bead has not gone AWOL yet. The ambient temperature when I took these pictures was 65°F and the tires were measured after a 30 minute ride on the back roads near my home. I'd feel better if the tires were 15°F warmer but I guess that where they are now provides room for higher ambient temperatures, which can top 100°F easily, not counting the road surface temperature which I have measured at 160°F at times. On my other bikes I have measured tire temperatures over 140°F. Those tires did not last long. I suspect the sweet spot is maybe 125°F +- 10°F?



[url=http://motorcycle.michelinman.com/advice/safety/precautions-for-race-and-hypersport-tires]Fun trivia: Tires that must not be handled *at all* when temperatures are < 5°C.