Question for the Avon Roadrider users

[Qckslvr]

what tire pressure are you running? When I read my owners manual on Bikecliff's web site the pressure seemed a bit low. But for those old dinosaur tires I could see why, what a pain to get off. So MC expert here at work says go by what the tire says, which the rear says 42 psi max. Even my GSXR1000 wasn't that high. So what are you guys running, right now I have 38 in the rear and plan on 34 front. Was thinking 32-36 (this is what my GSXR ran).

Thanks
Q

[koolaid_kid]

I recommend the 10% rule. Your pressure should rise 10% hot from cold. This means that if you run 32 psi cold, they should be ~35-36 psi hot. This allows for different riding styles, rider weight, bike weight, etc.

[Octain]

I run whatever the sidewalls tell me to.
Oddly enough I treat the tires on my autos the same.
Why do otherwise?

Have I been doing something wrong for the last 30 years?

[bonanzadave]

Anymore sidewall cracking reports ? Mine got a few hundred miles on em and are looking and feeling good. Im down with 36psi.

[tkent02]

I run whatever the sidewalls tell me to.

Why do otherwise?

That pressure is correct when at the maximum rated weight.
For less weight, use less air. Too much air is a lot better than too little, so going to the max on the tire is plenty safe, just maybe a harsh ride and a little less traction.
And modern street motorcycle tires need a lot more air to work correctly than the tires in use when these bikes were made, so the manual numbers are bogus.

The ten percent rule is the best.

At least step on the rim before every ride, if you can squish the tire at all it is too low.

[twr1776]

Today, 09:58 PM bonanzadave Anymore sidewall cracking reports ?
Mine got a few hundred miles on em and are looking and feeling good. Im down with 36psi.

Dave, I have not heard of any recent reports on cracking.

I also run 36/36 but double checked with the 10% rule to be sure. I am on my second rear tire and will do both next time. Ended up with close to 7K on the rear, tire still had excellent grip and no evil handling to the wear bars.

[Dunger King]

got 36/38 on my EF for winter, go down to 34/36 when summer kicks in, any lower and I'd be asking for trouble with the 16 inch front hoop, first set of roadriders went 12,000km on the rear and still had some to go, the new set have 5000km and may not go quite so far as i am giving it a little bit more stick out of corners as I gat more at home on the bike.

[bwringer]

I'm an enormous galoot on a heavy GS850G and I run 36 front/40 rear. The 10% rule seems to check out fairly close.

The cracking seemed to affect a small batch of 18" tires, and these tires should be long gone from the system by now. I've never seen a cracked Avon in person.



They seem to pretty much stick to the road OK under us galoots...

Moi:



Wazz:

[Octain]

Anymore sidewall cracking reports ? Mine got a few hundred miles on em and are looking and feeling good. Im down with 36psi.

I have about 1k on mine with no issues. I check pressure almost everytime I get on it.

[Flyboy]

And modern street motorcycle tires need a lot more air to work correctly than the tires in use when these bikes were made, so the manual numbers are bogus.

The ten percent rule is the best.

Can someone please explain this 10% rule to me?????
I have always used book figures, and run an Avon Road Runner on the back and a Metzler ME33 Lazer on front, I doubt you can even get these tires anymore, so now I am worried about what I should use when I put "new" tires on.

[koolaid_kid]

Moi:



Wazz:

Showoff.

[bwringer]

Can someone please explain this 10% rule to me?????
I have always used book figures, and run an Avon Road Runner on the back and a Metzler ME33 Lazer on front, I doubt you can even get these tires anymore, so now I am worried about what I should use when I put "new" tires on.

Simple -- your "hot" tire pressure should be about 10% higher than your cold pressure. This should strike a decent balance between tire life and grip.

Check your tire pressure cold. Go ride for a while on a warm day with your usual loading -- 10 miles of interstate should do the trick. Get your tires good and hot. Then check your tire pressure again.

So, if you start off with, say, 33psi, your hot pressure should be about 36.5 -37 psi. (most electronic gauges read to the nearest .5 psi)

If you start off with 40psi cold, your hot pressure should be about 44psi.

If the difference is more than 10%, you need more pressure -- the tire is flexing and heating up too much. If the difference is less than 10%, you might try a bit less pressure.

This is only a rule of thumb, of course. Adjust from there according to your preferences, loading, etc.

And make sure you use a good gauge. Also, make sure you understand that you're losing a bit of air with each pressure check. With motorcycle tires, you get three or four checks before the pressure changes by 0.5 to 1.0 psi.

[koolaid_kid]

You should also have a dedicated gauge, using the same one every time. Gauges will vary a pound or two also.

[Flyboy]

Thank a million, you learn something new everyday, makes perfect sense, this will be my statergy from here on.

[Qckslvr]

So the 78 GS750 is about 500 pounds as I read, I am 6'2" 250 pounds. I shall go from my 32/36 up to 34/38 and start with that and see how it rides.


On a sour note, I noticed last night that I pinched the rear tube on install So I had to re-use my original IRC tube which is fine.

I am itching to get my bike back on the road. I got my 530 chain conversion and dropped a tooth on the drive sprocket from stock. Plus I just got done rebuiling the carbs, and new intake boots.

So far I have $1200 invested in the bike and that is including the bike. New tires, chain, sprockets, carb kits, boots, bars, body parts, headlight, brake pads, rebuild kits, misc nuts, and bolts, and so forth.