I took the bike on a 150 mile road trip this past Sunday and I pumped the shocks up to 30psi before I left. I was riding two up and I think I should have gone to 40psi.... anyways, I went to check the pressure tonight and it was down to 25psi which meant I lost 5PSI on the road trip - should I lose that much air on a short trip?

 

No. Do you have a Harley pump that doesn't lose air when removed?

 

Honestly I bump mine up for long two up rides and when I get back I let all the air out since I'm only 175lbs. I do hook the pump up and use the release to let the air out and I'm pretty sure I never lost any air while riding........ I'll have to keep an eye on it next weekend.

 

Yes, I went out and bought the harley pump prior to the trip and pumped it up to 30psi, I also made sure that I replaced the cap and it too was tight

I used the pump tonight to check the shock pressure and I was a little surprised it was 25psi. I checked it twice and again with another guage - I surely lost 5psi on this trip.

 

I don't know why everyone says the Harley pump doesn't lose air. Mine does. It puffs when you unscrew it and loses 3 to 5 psi every time I use it.

I'd try pumping it up, removing the pump and then reconnecting to see what it reads.

 

I did exactly what you said tonight - you are right it looses about a pound of pressure with each release (at least with my experiments tonight - thought the same thing and tried to justify the 5 psi lose).

 

My '08 was losing air when I first got it. I determined it was where the lines connect to the air valve so I had the stealer order a new one. Before the part came in I was playing with the hose connections trying to determine how hard it would be to disconnect the lines. I found out the line wasn't pressed into the air valve fitting all the way and that was why it leaked. Simple fix - I cancelled the order. You might want to check yours.

 

While you are checking your air line connections you could cut 1/8" off the lines using a new razor blade - cut as square as you can (perpendicular to the line).

 

My Harley air pump does the same thing.

 

I had a similar experience the first time I experimented but since then it has been fairly stable - certainly more stable than in your case.

Couple of points:

1. My HD pump loses very little air on disconnect, certainly 1psi or less
2. Remember to measure gas pressure at the same temp. If you have been on a long ride the gas will be hot, so let it all cool down first. temp will have a significant impact on pressure - Higher temp = Higher pressure