Question about tire pressure

[fresh rida]

i'm a newbie. got my first bike two weeks ago. an '03 XB9SL. lovin' it! anyway, my boss took it for a spin yesterday and said that i need to let out some air on my front tire! he said that the steering's a lil' stiff. mind you, he's been riding for years. but not familiar with the buell brand, always had the gixxers and the cbr's.

so, i need to know what is the correct tire pressure i should have on my bike? is the steering on the xb a lot different for the jap bikes?

 

[Macbuell]

As far as I know, front and rear should be ~42psi. Never been on a Jap bike so I dont know about that, sorry.

 

[ADAMLEE]

I would think it would be different for each set of tires. What tires are you using?

Personally I would never trust someone's experience for my use. I would find out what the factory reccomends and then find out what the tire is designed for. Don't get me worng, experience is very useful.

I usually run my 2ct's @ 38psi front and rear.

 

[JTAT]

I recently bought my first buell/bike also. I bought it through a dealer, and i have no idea what he was thinking....50 PSI front and back.

I have a 12r and the recomended tire pressure is 38 psi rear, and 36 psi front.

I'm sure your service manual has a recomended tire pressure as well. you can download it at the top of the page.

Freebies are awesome!

 

[Macbuell]

Always printed on side of tires in my experience. Check there. I think I saw 42 on the side of the stock tires on my 2004 xb12s

 

[fresh rida]

thanks for all the input.

 

[Stevenc150]

38 psi rear, and 36 psi front

Just my opinion, but these numbers are pretty common. It's what I run since I like having it slightly to the "softer" side.

 

[03Firebolt9R]

I agree with Steven, thats the pressure I run.

 

[teh Nub]

Always printed on side of tires in my experience.

That is the MAX tire pressure... The XB's have a recommended tire pressure of 34-36 Front and 36-38 Rear. I ran 38F/42R for better tire wear/commuting and lower pressure for hitting the twisties hard keeping rear tire 2-4 psi higher than the front, but I wouldn't go lower than 32psi.

 

[marko138]

I run 37 front and rear on my Corsa III's. If I'm gonna rip hard I'll drop the pressure a little bit.

And btw, the numbers on the sidewall are the maximum cold PSI the tire can handle.

 

[Kole_DeWoody]

Letting air of of the front tire would make it harder to turn....
Also they do feel different then jap bikes you have to force them more into a turn then a jap bike they just sort of fall over...

 

[psittacid]

I agree with others above. 34-36F and 36-38R. My 12S feels different with just a couple PSI difference, so experiment near those ranges, find what you like, and keep it. The numbers on the sides are MAX psi...not good for everyday use.

 

[tuneport67ss]

I agree with most of these guys. 38f and 36r The one thing everyone is missing though is the tuning of the suspension. You need to make sure you adjust out your suspension according to your wieght in the owners manual. You will see a huge difference. After a while of riding and getting used to it you can play with the tuning of the suspension to fit your riding style, but the factory recomended settings are pretty damn good for the majority of riding conditions.
So my advice is to set the tires preasure at 36f and 38r and set the suspension to the recommended tuning and then let your boss give it another whirl. If he still bitches about, you can tell him the suspension is not set up for his wieght, it is set for yours.

 

[tuneport67ss]

Ahhhh!!!! I messed up should have proof read[mad][mad][mad]
I said in the first part 38f and 36r, but IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN 36F and 38R.[smirk]

 

[teh Nub]

Ahhhh!!!! I messed up should have proof read

You could have just edited your post and no one would have known...

 

[fahren]

+1 on manuals. Owner's manual covers suspension adjustment and settings, routine maintenance work, etc. Important to use it. Can be downloaded from Buell.com for your model/year, if you don't have one.
Then, the service manual goes deep into the heart of darkness, once you need/want to really work on the bike.