Whats a good tire pressure to run 28 or 32 or ??

I'm new to riding. My 1979 KZ440 Bike has 28 psi. in both front and rear tires. I weigh around 280 and ride in 60 degree weather give or take 50 average. Bike has small windshield no other extras.

How much does the side wall flex when you mount the bike?
I run 30/30 on all my bikes.
Tire pressure is a matter of preference.
But don't wander to far from manf. specs.
Less = more traction,less weight cap.,shorter tire life
More = less traction(less safe),more weight cap.,longer tire life

28 in the rear sounds low to me. Take a look in the owners manual or at the label on the bottom of the seat pan for you exact bike, but I run 28 up front and 34-36 in the back depending on if my wife is or is not riding with me. Ed

Many tire manufacturers list such info on their website. Much has changed since that decal was glued to the bottom of the seat, so the manuf. recommendations may be a better place to start.

TexasKZ wrote: Many tire manufacturers list such info on their website. Much has changed since that decal was glued to the bottom of the seat, so the manuf. recommendations may be a better place to start.

Interesting thought. I run Pirelli tires and they recommend following the bike manufacturers specs. Other tire makers may differ I guess. Here's what Pirelli says:

www.us.pirelli.com/web/motorcycle/tyres/...e/Tyre_Pressure.page

Recommended tire pressures vary from bike to bike, tire to tire, load range/speeds etc. IMHOP, The BEST way to determine Your exact need, is to check tire pressures before & during typical riding...optimun pressure will reflect a 10% increase in pressure from cold to riding temp. Tires generate heat...both from friction & flex which is disipated to the air, & asphalt. Road racers fiddl e constantly w/pressures trying to maintain the "optimum heat" for traction. for a street rider a 10% increase in presure insures 2 things.. 1st, enough heat to insure good grip, & 2nd enough pressure to maintain good mileage. luck g

that is an okay place to start and work up from there,,,if you are enjoying the ride and feel safe and in control then be aware that you have room to run more air and ad some for long rides -two up rides
i am heavy and my bike is heavy...but even when i was lighter and tires were different than todays small offerings in our sizes,,,,,even back then i always shot for 36 rear 34 front....and still do now....

mzandmz wrote: I'm new to riding. My 1979 KZ440 Bike has 28 psi. in both front and rear tires. I weigh around 280 and ride in 60 degree weather give or take 50 average. Bike has small windshield no other extras.

Depends on tire size, but for a heavier rider I would start at 32 and check tread wear.

Being a new rider, I really dont know how the rear tire is suppose to feel on a corner.With 28 psi it seems too rollie. but too much psi would scare me on a corner. So I'm going to try 32 psi in the rear.

i always go with whats stamped on the side of the tire , i figure they put it there for a reason . and as we might remember from fords 20 psi firestone adventures a few years back seems the tire guys know better than some builders.

btchalice wrote: i always go with whats stamped on the side of the tire , i figure they put it there for a reason . and as we might remember from fords 20 psi firestone adventures a few years back seems the tire guys know better than some builders.

What's stamped on the side of the tire is maximum pressure; not recommended inflation. It is there for a reason - the reason is the tire maker doesn't want the tire to be overinflated, cause a crash, and result in litigation. If you like running at maximum pressure, and that works for you, then enjoy. However, I've never seen a bike that had a recommended pressure that high, and I don't believe that high pressure will provide optimal handling and braking. Ed

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