Yamaha Starbike Forum banner

Tire pressure

66K views 14 replies 7 participants last post by  Fulltilt1 
#1 · (Edited)
I've read a number of prior postings on tire pressure settings and have weeded out some from these missives.

Figured it's time we chat a little about what works for our bikes' tires and our own riding style.

I'll start with mine:

- 2005 V Star 1100 Classic.

- OEM Tires (less than 1K on rear tire/front at 3K). Dunlop D404 Front 130/90-16 (67H). Dunlop D404 Rear 170/80-15 (77H).

- Solo set-up. No saddle bags.

- Moderate rider. Average 500 miles a month. Highway/secondary roads. Rarely Interstate riding. Average speed 35 MPH.

- Front tire pressure at 36 psi.

- Rear tire pressure at 38 psi.

Both tires seem to hold up well and rides good.

Other inputs? :)
 
See less See more
#2 · (Edited)
I never guessed at an average speed, but I somewhere closer to 1000 miles per month. I run the stock stratoliner tires at the recommended pressures, 36 psi front (130/70-18), 41 psi rear (190/60-17). Tire wear is looking uniform but I fear all the road scarfing of the highways all around me will shorten the tire life faster than what tire pressures can affect. The Strat is a fairly hefty bike so I think I'll be changing rear tires at a 2:1 ratio to the front tire.

I think to keep track of all the tire pressures for this topic, the bike model needs to be considered as part of the input.
 
#3 ·
Recommended tire pressures according to my owner's manual are 33 psi. front and 36 psi. rear. I go a tad more since I think that the bike coming in at a hefty 625 lbs wet plus additional weight added by rider and accessories could use the extra psi well within the tire manufacturer's maximum tire pressure rating.

BTW, these are cold tire pressures.
 
This post has been deleted
#4 ·
Yep, I can see that happening ONLY IF the road resurfacing going on here would just finish. My blood pressure rises exponetially with every flashing highway warning "GROOVED PAVEMENT AHEAD....M'CYCLES USE CAUTION" :mad::mad::mad:

From what I can see right now, I might get 7500 before cords start showing on the rear tire of my 850 pound scoot (weight does not include my fat ass sitiing on it). :D
 
This post has been deleted
#5 ·
I recently adjusted my tires from what they were when I picked the bike up, 45 front and 48 rear. I set them to 33 and 36 per the owners manual. I did see they were wearing heavier in the center of the tread due to the inflation. The front tire, older than Hugh Hefner, has some chopping on the "just outside center" portion and now with the lower pressure I notice the bars jiggle around 30mph if I don't have pressure on them. Nothing serious like a death wobble but disconcerting just the same. I want to ride some grooved roads and see how it feels yet, at the higher pressures it wasn't really as bad as I thought it would be and the parallel tar strip repairs wasn't as bad as I've heard they could be either.
 
#10 ·
I think their selling point is that nitrogen molecule is larger and won't leak out. If that is the case you would have a nitrogen filled tire after about the 4th time you needed to add air. You start off with 78%, the oxygen leaks out and you only add 22% of the air back and only 22% of that is oxygen. Example 40psi, lose 22%, 31.2 psi, add 8.8 psi lose 1.936, add 2 psi, lose 22% and you can't even tell on a tire pressure gauge and your tire is full of nitrogen at 39.58 psi. Oh wait I put 2psi so the tire ends up at 40.248 psi all nitrogen.

Theories are so nice

http://www.getnitrogen.org/pdf/graham.pdf

This explains about nitrogen in tires, in theory. :)
 
#12 ·
Do you think you could pop a wheelie faster if it was full of Helium?

just the front tire maybe.
 
#13 ·
I run stratoliner tires at the recommended pressures, 36 psi front (130/70-18), 41 psi rear (190/60-17). Tire wear is looking uniform but I fear all the road scarfing of the highways all around me will shorten the tire life faster than what tire pressures can affect. The Strat is a fairly hefty bike so I think I'll be changing rear tires at a 2:1 ratio to the front tire.

I think to keep track of all the tire pressures for this topic, the bike model needs to be considered as part of the input.[/QUOTE]

Factory air pressure specs for the liners are too low. I only got 7950 out of the front tire running at 36 psi. The tire cupped real bad and by the time a raised the pressure to 41 it was too late.The rear tire I run at 42psi unless I'm loaded for camping the it's 45psi.I just looked tonight I have 2/32's tread remaining in the center and I have 9433 for miles. I'm running my new front metz at 42 psi like they recommend. Hope this will get more milage than the stock one.

Bike is a stratoliner with reckless fairing full stereo
Saddle bags with tool pouch and a few things in them
My body is 6'2" 210lbs
I ride solo 99% of the time and moderate to somewhat aggressive riding habbit.
By no means do I scape the pegs through the corners.
Hope this is what you guys ment.
 
#15 ·
It still leaks just slower. Nitrogen molecules are larger and don't move thru the rubber as fast as oxygen. The difference is negligble as nitrogen already makes up 80 percent of the air we breath. It's used in aircraft tires because it holds less water vapor than the air we breath so and it's -50 at 30K ft.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top