What the manual says for my Limited...
Tire Pressure
Thread Starter
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Cruiser
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 202
Likes: 5
From: Branchburg, NJ
Tire Pressure
What tire pressure do you guys run at? When I first picked up my 2014 SGS from the dealer they had the front at 42 and the rear at 45 cold, which I thought was very high. But since the ride on these new SGS's is so rough, I lowered both tires down by 10 lbs and have been running at 32/35 for the first 1500 miles and it has made a huge difference. FYI I weigh 160 lbs.
However, when I had the bike in for service last weekend, the ride home was very rough again and a there was a lot of rattling going on, which had me very concerned since I just had new head pipes installed. After she cooled down overnight, I took a look at he tire pressure and the were both back at in the 45 lbs range, which I immediately dropped by 10 lbs.
In my experience, I have found that lower tire pressure is a good way to soften up the ride, provide better road feedback, and stickier handling. Wat do you guys typically run at for both one-up and pillion riding?
However, when I had the bike in for service last weekend, the ride home was very rough again and a there was a lot of rattling going on, which had me very concerned since I just had new head pipes installed. After she cooled down overnight, I took a look at he tire pressure and the were both back at in the 45 lbs range, which I immediately dropped by 10 lbs.
In my experience, I have found that lower tire pressure is a good way to soften up the ride, provide better road feedback, and stickier handling. Wat do you guys typically run at for both one-up and pillion riding?
Road Captain
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 648
Likes: 24
From: New Jersey
Short answer: 36 front, 40 rear, per the manual for my SG.
Longer story: After my 1,000 mile service last month, I noticed on the work order that they indicated my tire pressure was at least 10 psi lower than I knew it was on both tires and my shocks. I thought perhaps my gauge was wrong or they were mistaken, since I am pretty **** about checking my tire pressure and the tires have been incredibly stable. On the ride home, my bike was riding rough. The next day, I checked the pressure cold and the dealer had inflated both tires at and slightly above the maximum levels.
I cross-checked my gauge and it's accurate. This is the first (and last) time I had this particular dealer (close to my job) do work on my bike. The commute home was 52 miles primarily on the slab and I am lucky I didn't have a blowout. I called the dealer and the service manager never called back but one of his employees said thanks for the heads up. WTF!
Longer story: After my 1,000 mile service last month, I noticed on the work order that they indicated my tire pressure was at least 10 psi lower than I knew it was on both tires and my shocks. I thought perhaps my gauge was wrong or they were mistaken, since I am pretty **** about checking my tire pressure and the tires have been incredibly stable. On the ride home, my bike was riding rough. The next day, I checked the pressure cold and the dealer had inflated both tires at and slightly above the maximum levels.
I cross-checked my gauge and it's accurate. This is the first (and last) time I had this particular dealer (close to my job) do work on my bike. The commute home was 52 miles primarily on the slab and I am lucky I didn't have a blowout. I called the dealer and the service manager never called back but one of his employees said thanks for the heads up. WTF!
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 7,138
Likes: 26
From: Southern Oregon
I usually stay within 10% of the reccomended setting and as already mentioned be sure and use a reliable guage. Running your tires too low can have its concenqueces. Might want to think about upgrading your suspension
Thread Starter
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Cruiser
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 202
Likes: 5
From: Branchburg, NJ
I use a high quality dial gauge that goes to 50 lbs in half-pound increment. I've had it cross checked for accuracy and it's spot on.
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Tourer
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 404
Likes: 2
From: Virginia
As the manual recommends, 36 front and 40 rear. Smooth ride, good grip and always get lots of mileage from the stock Dunlops.
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Guess I need to check the manual because the tire says 41 Front and 42 Rear on my SG. Doubt Harley would recommend otherwise but from responses it appears that is exactly what they are doing. Of course that could be just responses from Ultra owners which have larger sidewalls so can run a bit lower pressure.
Road Master
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 752
Likes: 23
From: Acton, CA
Be careful running your tires too low... it may make for a softer ride, but it also makes the tire run hotter, and heat is a major cause for tire failures/blowouts. It can also make for squirrelly and potentially unsafe handling. I would run at minimum the recommended pressures.