General topics » Working Tire Pressure

Without getting into TPMS what tire pressures do you find provide the best handling and feel for the OEM Z8’s? 42/36 book is for best wear and lawyers. I’m not talking track use but just spirited riding. Pirelli gives nice charts for different pressures based on usage. I found dropping the pressure by a point in front and 1.5 rear is already an improvement. Just curious what others have experienced

If you check many bikes, all manufacturers, different tyres makes, it is often a 36 front/42 rear starting point. (my Kawasaki ZRX1100/1200)

Whether this is bike manufacturers making it easy for all of us to swop tyre makes or their bike tester having standard tyre settings we can only guess.

I think also that the ESA gave the same setting for tyres in all situations, allowing the suspension to update for one/two/loaded bikes.

The owners manual for the RS just states 2.5 front (36psi) and 2.9 rear (42psi) with no reference to loading on bikes, standard or esa

The older R1200 oil cooled etc had 32f/36r for solo and 36f/42r on a loaded bike

No doubt there will be as many views on this as there are riders, hot day/cold check pre-ride/too low/add for speed/loaded bikes etc

How much do you weigh? Do you carry luggage? Pillion? How hot are the roads? Dry? Wet? Are your tyres new or worn? Do you load up the front end into a turn? Trail brake? Do you tuck it into a late apex, open it up and the traction control do it’s thing? Do you want grip or mileage? Accuracy or comfort?

I’ve had three RS (2 x1200 and now 1250) ridden several others, done a lot of miles and worn out a few sets of tyres. I have found that the standard 36 front and 42 rear work very well and is probably the best compromise FOR ME! Depends on the tyre as well. While many get on ok with the Z8 (an old tyre nowadays) I never have, finding them wooden and uncommunicative. Michelins (reassuringly expensive) make me happy and the 36/42 set up seems to suit them in my clumsy hands.

I’m sure you will get many opinions, but ultimately it’s what works for you. Sticking close to the recommended pressures is a good starting point.

I think you nailed it on the wooden feeling old tech Z8’s.
Especially noticeable compared to the Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa 2’s I have on another bike. Not so concerned with mileage as getting best grip and accuracy or lessening the wooden feeling - I suppose I should just bite the bullet and get better tires but hate to waste a perfectly good set of new rubber

If you don’t like them, change them. Don’t spoil the first 8000 miles on your £18,000 new toy for the sake of £350. You might even be able to sell the z8’s if fairly new.
My 1250 had Z8s on it in the showroom, but Road 5s mounted before it left the dealer. Best £50 I’ve spent on the bike as the dealer took them back into stock!

Zitat von Oscarguitar im Beitrag #5

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If you don’t like them, change them. Don’t spoil the first 8000 miles on your £18,000 new toy for the sake of £350. You might even be able to sell the z8’s if fairly new.
My 1250 had Z8s on it in the showroom, but Road 5s mounted before it left the dealer. Best £50 I’ve spent on the bike as the dealer took them back into stock!

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I’ve never played with pressures.

36/42 all day every day.

Always ride solo. Sometimes with panniers.

I’ve happily run on the rear deflating to zero with a puncture. So I know I don’t have to worry about minor fluctuations in pressure.

Anyone who plays with pressures is kidding themselves.

I’m 2,000 miles on to a Euro trip and have never thought about “Oooh should I be adjusting my tyres”.

I just ride the bike. The bike and the tyres will out-perform me every day.

Zitat von Boxerboy55 im Beitrag #7

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Anyone who plays with pressures is kidding themselves.

I’m 2,000 miles on to a Euro trip and have never thought about “Oooh should I be adjusting my tyres”.

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I'm a lightweight (145 without clothing). I have found OEM pressure (42/36) gives too hard a ride for my liking, so I drop it a little, to 41/35. Not enough to really accelerate wear, but enough to take off some of the firmness.

In order to maintain consistency in my tire pressures, I take advantage of the onboard ambient temp gauge on the TFT, and use the recommended "standard temperature" of 68F to set my pressures. I turn on the ignition and check what the ambient temp is, then set my tire pressures by gauge, correcting for deviations from 68F. By doing this, my onboard PSI readings are always 41/35, no matter what the outside air temperature is.

If it's 78 in the garage when I check my cold pressures, I set the tires to 42/36. When the TMPS makes the temperature compensated reading once the bike is in motion, the TFT will display 41/35, since 42/36 corrected to 68F will be the desired 41/35. While all this sounds like a lot of extra work, it becomes routine after a few times.

If you just set your tires to 42/36, no matter what the ambient temperature is, your TFT display will often read something different than what you set, if your garage wasn't 68F when you set the pressure in the tire. I get it...no biggie...what you really care about is whether, on the road, your tires are holding pressure.

To each his own.

Can you actually tell the difference of 1 psi per tyre (tire for US)?

Zitat von Ray im Beitrag #10

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Can you actually tell the difference of 1 psi per tyre (tire for US)?

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Zitat von Nm2far im Beitrag #1

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Without getting into TPMS what tire pressures do you find provide the best handling and feel for the OEM Z8’s? 42/36 book is for best wear and lawyers. I’m not talking track use but just spirited riding. Pirelli gives nice charts for different pressures based on usage. I found dropping the pressure by a point in front and 1.5 rear is already an improvement. Just curious what others have experienced

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I think the key is consistency. Whatever method you use, to get consistently repeatable (and rideable) tire pressures, using the same method every time is good practice. Filling your tires with a gauge to 42/36 is fine, but if one day you do it when it's 60 degrees out, and another day when it's 90 degrees out, your tire pressures will not produce the same ride effects.

Ideally, if you could regularly set your pressures on a morning when it's 70 degrees out, you'd be golden.

I bumped mine to 44/38 and it made a strong improvement, but I run over 250 likely ....