Recommended Tyre Pressures for the heavier rider

[peanut]

at a mere 240 lbs I guess I qualify as a 'heavier rider' ...

So a question for all you heavy riders out there ...what tyre pressures do you use and recommend for mostly sub 70mph riding on dry road surfaces?
Most of my riding is on very windy twisty Country roads where sharp turns are often every 100 yds or so .

 

[TwoManyXS1Bs]

I'm not far behind you, peanut.
I run 30psi on my tubed K-70s.
It's probably best to run at the marked/posted pressures.

XSLeo has written a lot about setting tire pressures, interesting perspectives on hot/cold settings.

Do a forum search on "tire pressure" posted by "xsleo"...

 

[peanut]

Hi 2M I have read quite a lot about tyre pressures and I haven't found any definitive recommendations from any of the 4x manuals I have or online sources out there.
like cars , recommended tyre pressures vary with load and speed but there is also the typical riding pattern and road surfaces to take into consideration as well as the tyre type soft / hard etc .

I'm interested in what tyre pressures heavier riders like me have found to be the best for my sort of riding to see if there is any correlation.

I also have been using 30lbs in the rear tyre but less in the front but as I have some unexplained stability issues in head and crosswinds I thought that I would see what consensus if any there was on tyre pressures

Couldn't find anything in the tech section but I will check out xsleos posts if I can find them thanks for the pointer

 

[TwoManyXS1Bs]

.. I haven't found any definitive recommendations from any of the 4x manuals I have or online sources out there...

Yeah, likely going to be all over the map.
I used to set the ol' Harley FLs at 14 and 16, the Hondas anywhere from 24 to 36. Depends a lot on the bike and the tire brand, type and construction, bias vs radial, tube vs tubeless, stiff/soft, street/track/offroad, ...etc.

What tyres and what are the load ratings and pressures marked on your tyres?

 

[peanut]

The pressure recommendations on the tyres are general guide lines only and are completely dependant on a whole host of factors that i've mentioned which is why I prefer to go by what other heavy riders have found to be advantageous.

I shall probably end up doing some tests at different pressures which will be a ball ache as we only have one local garage and they charge a dollar to pump up tyres and it will take a lot of riding over a set route under the same conditions to get any meaningfull results.

 

[Paul Sutton]

At 180lbs I have been using 24 Front and 28 Rear. I have not noticed any excessive heating of the tyres - just slight warming and a smooth ride.

Perhaps I am too light???

 

[gggGary]

Rode Resto to the Crud with Allison on the back, for sure noticed the rear felt a bit slimy.
Some tire-rim info here. http://www.xs650.com/threads/tire-rim-fitment-load-rating-speed-rating-charts.44471/
In that thread a post about setting tire pressures for YOUR bike, tires, weights...
http://www.xs650.com/threads/tire-rim-fitment-load-rating-speed-rating-charts.44471/#post-448825

 

[Paul Sutton]

Nice method from gggGary in the above Entry 1st Link: Go to Entry 13 regarding the determination of the correct pressure when set cold then remeasured hot. I must attempt this and see where I should be.

 

[peanut]

thanks guys i'll have a read of the threads .

Recommendations from manuals and online sources are frequently related to 30-40 + year old tyre technology which is pretty irrelevant with todays tyre technology which is why I am interested in what experienced heavy riders have discovered works best .

I seem to remember that it was Griz that mentioned something last year about some instability he had with his bike which he cured but I cannot remember now whether it was tyre pressure or hard tyres ? maybe it will be in the thread that G linked to.

 

[5twins]

Today's tires seem to take a bit more air than the old 28-32 recommendations from the '70s and '80s. I usually go about 32-36 on mine now.

 

[gggGary]

Thing is most rider weight is on back wouldn't bump front near as much.

 

[5twins]

An exception would be Moto Guzzis. That forward mounted big V twin heavily loads the front end. You run near 40 in those front tires.

 

[peanut]

Today's tires seem to take a bit more air than the old 28-32 recommendations from the '70s and '80s. I usually go about 32-36 on mine now.

wow thats a bit of a surprise . I have almost certainly been running mine way too low at F28-R30

next time I inflate my tires I'll try 30-34 and see if there is any improvement thanks for the feedback

 

[XSLeo]

On my 83 with Shinko 712 tires and using the 3 lb. method I found 22F-25 R works well. The 75 has a Bridgestone Spit Fire on the front with a Shinko 712 on the rear. Same pressures as the 83. The 81 has Pirelli Route MT66. When I get that one ready I'll start with the same pressure and adjust from there.
On my Harley the manual suggests 30F-35R. Running the Dunlop D401 as came on it. Using the 3lb method those pressures are right on.
I use this method on all my road tires. The van, boat trailer, the flat bed trailer. My truck when I had it. On the truck they took a bit more air. Larger heavier tires. Ran 40 on them, so I had to use 4lbs.
Leo+

 

[Superjet]

28f 30r on my XS. My Roadstar 38f 40r loaded up bags and trunk. Handles and runs good.