the first part of your suspension is the air in the tires. i run mine at the specs in the owners manual. it works for me.

 

For those running a tire's max pressure, some thing you may want to consider without getting into a complete analysis of the suspension system of your bike.

First of all, where does that maximum pressure come from? It is NOT the actual maximum for the tire but rather about 50% of what the tire can stand before bursting. This maximum number is not determined through some engineering calculation, but rather from the marketing and legal departments of the tire company. Its just an arbitrary number with no real meaning except in court.

Increased tire pressure decreases the coefficient of rolling friction (CRF). This is why using higher tire pressures increases your gas mileage, but it also reduces the friction between the tire an the road. There are three things that affect how much force it takes to push the tire down the road which are the weight on the tires, the speed you drive and the CRF.

An overinflated tires is also more prone to puncture from sharp objects and other road hazards.

An overinflated tire can bounce on rough surfaces. This can cause dangerous interruptions in traction, particularly if it happens during cornering or braking.

How much traction are you willing to give away for a few extra mpg?

 

I don't use stock tyres on my bike and haven't done since changing the originals, so I use my preferred tyre brand as my guide. However I also know from decades of riding that just adding a couple of pounds does not properly compensate for adding a passenger and a full load of luggage.

So I have three pressure settings for my Avon Venoms. Solo 38F/44R, duo 42F/48R, World Tour (!) 44F/50R. 50psi is max for Venoms. I have never weighed the bike, but my best guess is we run close to max weight for our bike of around 1200 pounds.

 

Yeah, you have to figure in the contact area with the load as well, not just arbitrary pressures. The load (over 1300 on mine, 2 up) pushes the tire into the road, increasing the contact patch. While I run the pressures recommended by my tire guy (a Christian man who wants repeat business - AND our safety) for longevity - I think yours are a bit high for the tour pressure in the rear.
One way to check this is to ride through a wet spot in your garage and look at the track width compared to track width done with it solo at solo pressures. If it matches, your air is correct. I'm still waiting for our tent and gear to get here to try this out myself, since the ol' lady wants to bring the bedroom closet along.
I heard of a bootmaker who used to have you walk through water and he'd measure your footprints to make you boots. Made sense to me.

 

I try to keep the garage dry! We've done plenty of miles on the bike with those pressures on all manner of roads and weather. Toured from our home in the UK last June through Holland and Germany to the Czech and Slovak Republics, even popped into Poland, and we're doing a similar trip in a few weeks time. I have a 150/80 on the rear now, so will check handling and ride before finalising pressures, but I expect them to be the same.

 

You're probably just fine, but my thinking comes from old school racers and such. I doubt that the rules for tire wear are the same for bike tires now as was for cars and pressure - where they said the pressure was too high if the center of the tire wore out and too low if the sides wore out. The bike tires are round now, so contact patch is pretty much everything, grip being the most important.
Some of these guys who live in front of the refrigerator probably need to run 60 lbs to get a good patch...