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RE: BT020 tire pressure



Don,

I have been running 34lbs front and 42lbs rear.  Previous bike had bias ply
tires and worn suspension, so my perception of harsh may be a bit tainted.
The front was dropped from 36 psi to help avoid standing up in mid corner.
I had been avoiding hwy's and the like so my wear, front and back, is very
even across the tire.

  Your 3rd idea got me thinking (scary.)  By lowering the pressure the
contact patch is widened so, all else constant, you should slow down the
rate wear, because the weight is spread out.  But when you lower it, it
creates more friction and thus heats the rubber (good in the twisties) and
thus increases the rate at which the tires wear.  So there has to be a given
point that the increased heat and thus increased wear will off set the
benefits of the lower pressure.

  As an extreme example I had to ride 20 or so miles on a flat tire on my
old Katana.  When I finally found a shop willing to help me the tire was to
hot to touch and was missing nearly all the rubber from the center section
of the tire.  Needless to say that tire was scrapped once I got home.

Thanks for your wishes for the bike.  I pick up the bike tommorrow and begin
ordering parts.

David "Lost Dawg" Gaske
'00 Sprint RS (Yellow)
Fredericksburg, Va. USA


- -----Original Message-----
From: owner-st@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:owner-st@xxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Jan
Draper
Sent: Sunday, July 16, 2000 1:17 PM
To: ST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Cc: Jan
Subject: BT020 tire pressure


These days I'm running 32 lbs front 36 lbs rear.  Earlier I ran
34 lbs front 38 lbs rear (cold pressures).

I do very little highway riding.  I do a lot of slightly aggressively
riding in the mountains and take advantage of the RS's engine
braking a lot.  I suspect that may be eating up the rear tire some.

The owner's manual recommends 36 lbs front/42 lbs rear for
one up or two up.  I'd be willing to try those pressures bu
haven't because-

(1) I've never heard such high pressures recommended for radial
      motorcyle tires anywhere else, ever.  For instance Reg Pridmore,
      in his class school, recommends no more than 32/34 lbs.

(2) Such stiff tires would make for a punishing ride.  I suppose I
      could help that somewhat by adjusting the suspension.  But
      on my Nighthawk I notices that stiffer tires meant sorer wrists.

(3) The worst wear is in the center of the rear tire.  On my cars,
      higher pressure accelerates wear in the center and saves the
      edges.  Would it be different for a bike?

(4) I do a lot of riding on twisty, dirty, bumpy, and sometimes damp
      roads where I need the tires to stick as well as possible.  My
      impression is that lower tire pressures work better for road
      holding.

I'm open to ideas and suggestions.

- -Don

P.S. Hope your Sprint gets well soon!

- ----- Original Message ----- | Date: Sat, 15 Jul 2000 22:25:50 -0400
| From: "Kelley & David" <kdgaske@xxxxxxxxx>
| Subject: RE: st-digest V2000 #345
|
| What pressure are you running on the BT020's.  When I wrecked the bike I
was
| up to 5k miles and tread wear was not noticeable.  Do you do alot of high
| speed hwy?
|
| David "Lost Dawg" Gaske
| '00 Sprint RS (Yellow) (Hospitalized)
| Fredericksburg, Va. USA



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