Feb 13, 2015, 01:41 PM
Last edit by: IB Advertising
Everything Breakout! Find out everything you need to know! Some topics include:
• Customizing you bike
• Seats
• Risers
• And much more!
For more information check out these threads:More Threads
• Customizing you bike
• Seats
• Risers
• And much more!
For more information check out these threads:More Threads
The Everything Breakout Thread
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 2,710
Likes: 528
From: Lethbridge, Alberta Canada
Sorry this topic has been discussed through and through, but I wanted to bring it up in the Breakout thread since most in here are riding the same bike.
Currently, I'm running my 2014 with stock Dunlop tires at PSI of 36F/40R cold. They have a little more than 4500 miles on them. 40 splits the difference between the manual recommended 42 and the general rider opinion of 38. I did ride at 42 on rear for a bit just to see if there would be any noticeable difference in the ride and there wasn't. I rarely ride 2-up and for that reason, don't generally use the max 42 on rear (correct me if I'm wrong).
Observing the wear, the front seems fine, but the rear may be starting to have disproportionate center line wear. Since it's made to be somewhat of a drag bike, wouldn't it make sense to lower the rear tire PSI somewhat for more tread and contact? I'm considering riding at 36F/38R.
What are your experiences on this matter? I don't drag or burn out, and I'm looking for a ballpark number of miles to expect for the life of these as well as to know if anyone has noticeable difference on tread life or ride handling at different settings.
Thanks in advance. In keeping with the spirit of the thread, I'll also share a pic of my steel horse.
Currently, I'm running my 2014 with stock Dunlop tires at PSI of 36F/40R cold. They have a little more than 4500 miles on them. 40 splits the difference between the manual recommended 42 and the general rider opinion of 38. I did ride at 42 on rear for a bit just to see if there would be any noticeable difference in the ride and there wasn't. I rarely ride 2-up and for that reason, don't generally use the max 42 on rear (correct me if I'm wrong).
Observing the wear, the front seems fine, but the rear may be starting to have disproportionate center line wear. Since it's made to be somewhat of a drag bike, wouldn't it make sense to lower the rear tire PSI somewhat for more tread and contact? I'm considering riding at 36F/38R.
What are your experiences on this matter? I don't drag or burn out, and I'm looking for a ballpark number of miles to expect for the life of these as well as to know if anyone has noticeable difference on tread life or ride handling at different settings.
Thanks in advance. In keeping with the spirit of the thread, I'll also share a pic of my steel horse.
Yes, the rear tire psi recommended by HD is too high - for ANY brand of 240 rear tire on the Breakout. 38 psi works fine. I can vouch for it since I have run 2 Pirelli Diablo 240 tires at 38 psi for a long time each.
Rear tire tread life depends a LOT on (a) how you ride and (b) how sporty and sticky the tire is. I value stickiness for safety reasons a LOT, so I buy the Pirelli, which handles incredibly well and never seems to lose traction unless you apply throttle on gravel or slick painted concrete. Since the tire is very sticky and sport, and weighs only about 75% of what the stock Dunlop weighed, I get only about 4000 miles, but for me 4000 miles is 1-1/3 seasons, AND for rain safety reasons I also consider a motorcycle tire "worn out" when the tread depth hits 3/32", so YMMV.
Jim G
Advanced
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 94
Likes: 13
From: SW Region
The stock Dunlop tire is, as everyone has already repeated many times, just about the very worst tire you can select for the Breakout. Why persist in using one? It doesn't want to let the bike turn tight corners in the city, and once I took mine off and put on a Pirelli, it felt like the bike lost a pair of cement overshoes.
Yes, the rear tire psi recommended by HD is too high - for ANY brand of 240 rear tire on the Breakout. 38 psi works fine. I can vouch for it since I have run 2 Pirelli Diablo 240 tires at 38 psi for a long time each.
Rear tire tread life depends a LOT on (a) how you ride and (b) how sporty and sticky the tire is. I value stickiness for safety reasons a LOT, so I buy the Pirelli, which handles incredibly well and never seems to lose traction unless you apply throttle on gravel or slick painted concrete. Since the tire is very sticky and sport, and weighs only about 75% of what the stock Dunlop weighed, I get only about 4000 miles, but for me 4000 miles is 1-1/3 seasons, AND for rain safety reasons I also consider a motorcycle tire "worn out" when the tread depth hits 3/32", so YMMV.
Jim G
Yes, the rear tire psi recommended by HD is too high - for ANY brand of 240 rear tire on the Breakout. 38 psi works fine. I can vouch for it since I have run 2 Pirelli Diablo 240 tires at 38 psi for a long time each.
Rear tire tread life depends a LOT on (a) how you ride and (b) how sporty and sticky the tire is. I value stickiness for safety reasons a LOT, so I buy the Pirelli, which handles incredibly well and never seems to lose traction unless you apply throttle on gravel or slick painted concrete. Since the tire is very sticky and sport, and weighs only about 75% of what the stock Dunlop weighed, I get only about 4000 miles, but for me 4000 miles is 1-1/3 seasons, AND for rain safety reasons I also consider a motorcycle tire "worn out" when the tread depth hits 3/32", so YMMV.
Jim G
I happen to live somewhere I can ride year round, so I'm looking for a compromise of mileage and ride handling.
Cruiser
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 129
Likes: 22
From: Tuscaloosa, AL
Sorry this topic has been discussed through and through, but I wanted to bring it up in the Breakout thread since most in here are riding the same bike.
Currently, I'm running my 2014 with stock Dunlop tires at PSI of 36F/40R cold. They have a little more than 4500 miles on them. 40 splits the difference between the manual recommended 42 and the general rider opinion of 38. I did ride at 42 on rear for a bit just to see if there would be any noticeable difference in the ride and there wasn't. I rarely ride 2-up and for that reason, don't generally use the max 42 on rear (correct me if I'm wrong).
Observing the wear, the front seems fine, but the rear may be starting to have disproportionate center line wear. Since it's made to be somewhat of a drag bike, wouldn't it make sense to lower the rear tire PSI somewhat for more tread and contact? I'm considering riding at 36F/38R.
What are your experiences on this matter? I don't drag or burn out, and I'm looking for a ballpark number of miles to expect for the life of these as well as to know if anyone has noticeable difference on tread life or ride handling at different settings.
Thanks in advance. In keeping with the spirit of the thread, I'll also share a pic of my steel horse.
Currently, I'm running my 2014 with stock Dunlop tires at PSI of 36F/40R cold. They have a little more than 4500 miles on them. 40 splits the difference between the manual recommended 42 and the general rider opinion of 38. I did ride at 42 on rear for a bit just to see if there would be any noticeable difference in the ride and there wasn't. I rarely ride 2-up and for that reason, don't generally use the max 42 on rear (correct me if I'm wrong).
Observing the wear, the front seems fine, but the rear may be starting to have disproportionate center line wear. Since it's made to be somewhat of a drag bike, wouldn't it make sense to lower the rear tire PSI somewhat for more tread and contact? I'm considering riding at 36F/38R.
What are your experiences on this matter? I don't drag or burn out, and I'm looking for a ballpark number of miles to expect for the life of these as well as to know if anyone has noticeable difference on tread life or ride handling at different settings.
Thanks in advance. In keeping with the spirit of the thread, I'll also share a pic of my steel horse.
Road Captain
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 635
Likes: 47
From: North Jersey, USA
Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm not hell bent on the Dunlop tires or anything. Next one will probably be Pirelli Diablo like you're riding since that's been recommended by so many other users.
I happen to live somewhere I can ride year round, so I'm looking for a compromise of mileage and ride handling.
I happen to live somewhere I can ride year round, so I'm looking for a compromise of mileage and ride handling.
I went with a set of the Dunlop Elite III's ... twice. The second set was finally worn out so it was time for something else. I stuck a Metzeler 260 on the back last week. That tire is better than the damn E3 ... nevermind the OE junk. I have a Metz ready for the front as soon as my new front wheel shows up.
So stop playing around with those sh!tty factory Dunlops.
They are UNWORTHY!
Road Captain
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 635
Likes: 47
From: North Jersey, USA
Get rid of those CRAPPY tires ... tomorrow! LOL
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 6,174
Likes: 1,960
From: Great State of Canada
Sorry this topic has been discussed through and through, but I wanted to bring it up in the Breakout thread since most in here are riding the same bike.
Currently, I'm running my 2014 with stock Dunlop tires at PSI of 36F/40R cold. They have a little more than 4500 miles on them. 40 splits the difference between the manual recommended 42 and the general rider opinion of 38. I did ride at 42 on rear for a bit just to see if there would be any noticeable difference in the ride and there wasn't. I rarely ride 2-up and for that reason, don't generally use the max 42 on rear (correct me if I'm wrong).
Observing the wear, the front seems fine, but the rear may be starting to have disproportionate center line wear. Since it's made to be somewhat of a drag bike, wouldn't it make sense to lower the rear tire PSI somewhat for more tread and contact? I'm considering riding at 36F/38R.
What are your experiences on this matter? I don't drag or burn out, and I'm looking for a ballpark number of miles to expect for the life of these as well as to know if anyone has noticeable difference on tread life or ride handling at different settings.
Thanks in advance. In keeping with the spirit of the thread, I'll also share a pic of my steel horse.
Currently, I'm running my 2014 with stock Dunlop tires at PSI of 36F/40R cold. They have a little more than 4500 miles on them. 40 splits the difference between the manual recommended 42 and the general rider opinion of 38. I did ride at 42 on rear for a bit just to see if there would be any noticeable difference in the ride and there wasn't. I rarely ride 2-up and for that reason, don't generally use the max 42 on rear (correct me if I'm wrong).
Observing the wear, the front seems fine, but the rear may be starting to have disproportionate center line wear. Since it's made to be somewhat of a drag bike, wouldn't it make sense to lower the rear tire PSI somewhat for more tread and contact? I'm considering riding at 36F/38R.
What are your experiences on this matter? I don't drag or burn out, and I'm looking for a ballpark number of miles to expect for the life of these as well as to know if anyone has noticeable difference on tread life or ride handling at different settings.
Thanks in advance. In keeping with the spirit of the thread, I'll also share a pic of my steel horse.
As I understand it, 36 psi cold is probably as low as you want to go but certainly within the range of 36 psi and up, don't be afraid to experiment. Rule of thumb, Hot tire pressure - low tire pressure should fall within 10-15 % of hot pressure. Obviously, to know this you inflate to say 38 psi cold to start, check hot pressure after riding, calculate, then before next ride adjust cold tire pressure up or down as indicated.
No, its no big deal to do this and once you've got your cold psi established, re-checking the values again during the season, (2-3 times) as ambient temps vary, is all you need to do. I think the effort certainly pays in terms of tire wear, but thats just me.
Last edited by HKMark23; Oct 3, 2017 at 04:13 AM.
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 2,710
Likes: 528
From: Lethbridge, Alberta Canada
FYI & FWIW, & YMMV, etc., I run E3's 250 rear and 120 front with 36 psi in both tires. I weigh about 250 lbs. Handling and tire wear are great and certainly much better than OEM rubber.
As I understand it, 36 psi cold is probably as low as you want to go but certainly within the range of 36 psi and up, don't be afraid to experiment. Rule of thumb, Hot tire pressure - low tire pressure should fall within 10-15 % of hot pressure. Obviously, to know this you inflate to say 38 psi cold to start, check hot pressure after riding, calculate, then before next ride adjust cold tire pressure up or down as indicated.
No, its no big deal to do this and once you've got your cold psi established, re-checking the values again during the season, (2-3 times) as ambient temps vary, is all you need to do. I think the effort certainly pays in terms of tire wear, but thats just me.
As I understand it, 36 psi cold is probably as low as you want to go but certainly within the range of 36 psi and up, don't be afraid to experiment. Rule of thumb, Hot tire pressure - low tire pressure should fall within 10-15 % of hot pressure. Obviously, to know this you inflate to say 38 psi cold to start, check hot pressure after riding, calculate, then before next ride adjust cold tire pressure up or down as indicated.
No, its no big deal to do this and once you've got your cold psi established, re-checking the values again during the season, (2-3 times) as ambient temps vary, is all you need to do. I think the effort certainly pays in terms of tire wear, but thats just me.
Jim G
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Cruiser
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 211
Likes: 1
From: West Sussex, England
I went for the Cobra AV71 120/70-21 68V on the front and a Cobra AV72 250/40 R18 81V on the back. The 120 front, as Jim says makes a massive difference to the handling and the 250 is only millimeters wider than the Dunlop but has more of a radius on the cross section, the bike tips into corners so much easier now.
I'm running the Avon recommended pressures of 36 front and 40 rear which feels fine but the temps here in sunny England are on the chilly side so think these are good for now.
If it's not obvious I recommend the Avon Cobras.