As I was molesting my new Street Glide the other day, I noticed that each of the valve stems hada metal cap with N2 inscribed on the top of the cap. Is this a dealer thing or is the MOCO recommending nitrogen for filling our tires now?

Yes, I read the manual.

 

How many gas stations have that in tanks to fill your tires up with? Stupid move if they did that. Only time nitrogen is good in tires is if you run them fast enough to actually make the nitrogen expand. 50 or 60 mph on a bike isn't cutting it for that to happen. Scary stuff..

 

Nitrogen in the tires would be acknowledged by a blue valve cap. Must be something else.

 

Is this something to talk to somebody about?

 

Yes, guilty as charged. You know you do it too.

 

Silver cap with blue "N2" inscribed. I know my tires will never see anything but the air that comes out of my craftsman compressor, but just curious and trying to gather some info.

 

and you got this expansion information where? have had nitrogen in my mom's 2004 Grand Prix since new and never had to add. Nitrogen molecules are larger and uniform compared to compressed air. There is nothing in the Army Mil-Spec for nitrogen in aircraft struts and tires that addresses expansion. The reason you find very few dealers with nitrogen generating equipment is that they want to sell tires. Nitrogen filled tires run cooler and last longer.

 

Even out of the air compressor, you are getting close to 80% nitrogen. It is the main component of "our" air.
And in a tar, it is very stable and as stated, they run cooler. Just is not readily available at your local gas station.
For that lighter and more nimble feeling, fill them with helium.

 

What is "scary" about having nitrogen in tires?? One of the advantages of using nitrogen is that it is dry. Fire extinguisher manufacturers and servicers have used nitrogen to provide the propellant for the dry chemical powder fire extinguishers you see in use everywhere for years. And yes, normal air is app. 78 % nitrogen, but the other 22% is partly water.

 

Not to pick on you specifically but where do you guys get your 'scientific data'?
1. "Nitrogen molecules are larger anduniformcompared to compressed air".
Bzzzzzzt!
Nitrogen molecules are SMALLER than oxygen molecules, the next most like gas you'll find in compressed air. Uniform? Sure because it's a single gas and not a mix, but how does that make a difference?. You are comparing apples to oranges.

2. "Nitrogen filled tires run cooler and last longer".
Not cooler, but expansion is more consistant and predictable mostly due to the variable quantity of water vapor in compressed air. This is why it's widely used in F1 and NASCAR.
Last longer? Longer than what? I've never had a tire fail from the inside breaking down, have you? Perhaps slightly more rapid due to oxidation.

It's all hype designed to separate you from your hard-earned dollars...