Is there a method to determine what the correct tire pressure should be?

I'm 6'1 200 pounds and have a '06 Street Glide with 5 pounds in the shocks. I'm usually solo but occasionally let the wife get on. I air the shocks to 25 when she rides.

I've been searching the forums, and I've found everything from 33 to 40 pounds of pressure. I was going to split and put it at 36.

I live in Wisconsin where it is getting cooler now. Does the weather make a difference in the equation?

I appreciate any help in nailing this down.

-Kern

 

I check mine every week in the morning when the tires are cold,look at them every time I ride. I run F-36 and R-40. Got right at 10000 on the rear and it looks like it will go another 2-3000. Up where you live them tires will probably lose more psi being as it gets c-o-l-d there.

 

Stock Dunlops on my '93 ElectraGlide Sport are 36 front/36 rear - solo, 36 front/40 rear - two up. Since I never know when the OL might want to go for a ride, I generally keep it at 36/40.

 

What brought this up was we were getting ready to head down to the Midwest Rally in Chicago yesterday and we noticed another bikes back tire was realllly low. Rolling it around we found a nail in the tire. Two hours later at Racine HD they switched it out and we were on our way. On the way down I was feeling a little loose, I forgot to reduce the rear shocks back to five pounds from the night before. Did that when I got there. On the way back, something still didn't feel right.

Checking the tires this morning at 5am (I woke up thinking about this) revealed that the front was at 23 and the rear was at 22. I havent checked them for probably a month or so. Dumb, I know.

I check everything else atleast once a week. But, the tires are never part of my pretrip.....until now.

Thanks guys.
-Kern

 

One of the problems with running low pressure is the build up of heat inside the tire....Affecting the life span and possibly leading to bad consequences.

 

I'm 6'2" 230 lbs and I run 15 lbs in rear shocks and 38 lbs in both front and back tires on my street glide riding solo...............BG