Tire Pressure
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Road Warrior
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 1,805
Likes: 97
From: Corona, Ca
Tire Pressure
Just curious, What do you guys run for tire pressure? I commute everyday 80+ miles round trip all high way. I noticed that the center contact patch on my rear tire wears significantly more than everywhere else. I am sure this is becuase of the constant highway riding. I was thinking of deflating my rear tire some to make it wear evenly? I dont know....what do you guys run?
Road Captain
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 706
Likes: 28
From: Alaska
Deflating your tire a little might get more even wear but that doesn't mean that you would get more miles out of the tire, and your fuel economy would probably suffer also.
What is the max pressure listed on the tire? I pretty much always run the max.
What is the max pressure listed on the tire? I pretty much always run the max.
Road Master
Joined: Sep 2015
Posts: 1,020
Likes: 130
From: Vancouver
Deflating will make it worse. Your contact patch will get larger and just widen the wear down the middle. People usually run lower pressures to increase the contact patch for better traction when doing track and canyon riding.
If you want to maximize longevity, run higher pressures. You'll always have the center wearing out faster if you are not running curves and mostly straight line ride. There's no real way around it. Reducing weight will help but isn't a huge game changer unless you're dropping like a few hundred pounds.
Personally I never run max, the bike feels like garbage in the twisties. I'm used to track riding and running as low as 28psi tires. For my Hog, a good balance I find is 32-36 PSI. Keep in mind, your PSI does jump up a couple PSI after you warm up your tires. 40+psi just takes out some joy out of the handling of the bike in my opinion, you gotta pay to play.
If you want to maximize longevity, run higher pressures. You'll always have the center wearing out faster if you are not running curves and mostly straight line ride. There's no real way around it. Reducing weight will help but isn't a huge game changer unless you're dropping like a few hundred pounds.
Personally I never run max, the bike feels like garbage in the twisties. I'm used to track riding and running as low as 28psi tires. For my Hog, a good balance I find is 32-36 PSI. Keep in mind, your PSI does jump up a couple PSI after you warm up your tires. 40+psi just takes out some joy out of the handling of the bike in my opinion, you gotta pay to play.
Last edited by bigbadpoppa; Apr 6, 2016 at 04:13 PM.
Road Warrior
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,301
Likes: 24
From: Minden LA
Just curious, What do you guys run for tire pressure? I commute everyday 80+ miles round trip all high way. I noticed that the center contact patch on my rear tire wears significantly more than everywhere else. I am sure this is becuase of the constant highway riding. I was thinking of deflating my rear tire some to make it wear evenly? I dont know....what do you guys run?
Road Captain
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 539
Likes: 5
From: Harleyland, USA
What tires are you running? A lot of people report great wear with Michelin Commander II's. I bought some and am quite happy with them but don't ride enough to comment on their long term mileage.
Go by the psi recommended in the owners manual, not the max psi on the tire sidewall. That's just an indication of what is the safe maximum pressure for the tire, not what's appropriate for the particular bike. I think modern Dynas are 30 front, 36 rear for 1-up riding, but don't quote me on that.
Last edited by Reindeer; Apr 6, 2016 at 05:12 PM.
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Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 7,642
Likes: 4,878
From: Missouri City,TX
Per the owners manual for my Low Rider, the COLD tire pressures are 30 front and 40 rear...I like to run with 30-32 front and 38 rear. I ride solo 100% of the time.
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Road Master
Joined: Sep 2015
Posts: 1,020
Likes: 130
From: Vancouver
Yes to don't run max psi
No to owners manual...
This is just a baseline. If you want maximize performance, you adjust your PSI accordingly to your riding style. If you have no clue what you are doing, go by owners manual, this is a safe benchmark.
If you want to start tweaking from this, it's perfectly fine, cause the perfect match is different compared to your roads , style of riding , and what you want to get out of tire. Tire pressure is a bit of a science. You'll only realize how important this is if you track or have ridden a lot to realize what you prefer. It's like baking...you go by the recipe, but if you want your pie sweeter, you add more sugar. The owners manual is just a start.
No to owners manual...
This is just a baseline. If you want maximize performance, you adjust your PSI accordingly to your riding style. If you have no clue what you are doing, go by owners manual, this is a safe benchmark.
If you want to start tweaking from this, it's perfectly fine, cause the perfect match is different compared to your roads , style of riding , and what you want to get out of tire. Tire pressure is a bit of a science. You'll only realize how important this is if you track or have ridden a lot to realize what you prefer. It's like baking...you go by the recipe, but if you want your pie sweeter, you add more sugar. The owners manual is just a start.
