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[ST] tire pressures



Hi,

I recently participated in a workshop run by a well-respected SF Bay area club racer and suspension guru.

The issue of "correct" tire pressure came up, and he re-iterated that the pressures listed on the tires are maximums and are generally appropriate for a fully loaded motorcycle. On my ST, I therefore run 36 psi front / 42 rear (cold) when I have the bags on and am carrying a passenger.

He also said that tire manufacturer websites and/or the bike owners manual (for stock tires) used to list the recommended pressures for "normal" use (a single rider and no luggage). However, he said that due to our increasingly litigious social environment most manufacturers have stopped this practice and now provide only the maximums. The lawyers were apparently afraid people would use the normal pressures when the bike was fully loaded. He acknowledged that this makes it very difficult to determine the recommended normal pressures. 

As a rule of thumb, he said for 31-34 psi (cold) was generally a good starting point for sporty street bikes. Add a few pounds for better mileage/longer wear/less traction; subtract a few pounds for better grip; use the recommended max psi when the bike is loaded.

Made sense to me...

Colin
00 Sprint ST
01 Guzzi Rosso Mandello

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