Always check your tire pressure!

[so1102]

So it had been a while since I last rode my bike (I don't fancy riding in ATGATT when it is 100F + outside -- here in the desert my offseason is the summer).  Last week I took her out for a spin.  Took a quick glance at the tires before I took off and they "looked fine" but when I got out on the road the bike was acting a bit squirrely.  This morning went out again, but made sure to actually put a tire gauge on and check the tires (as it has been a little colder recently -- down into the 60s and 70s).  I'm thinking "ah, the weather couldn't make them lose that much air".  LOL I guess I was wrong.  Both tires read a whopping 20psi.  I'm just glad nothing bad happened the last time I was out.
 
Bottom line for you new riders:  don't be lazy like me.  Check your tire pressure regularly (before each ride, if possible -- just make it part of your pre-ride checklist).

[kakusaizou]

You might have a bigger problem if you're losing that much air. I've only lost 3-4psi since I bought my bike May of this year.
 

[GAZ]

Down to 20 psi seems low even for 3 months of sitting. I agree with you though checking for proper tire pressure is key.

[stefano225]

Was that your first time checking tire pressure? That sounds pretty low,not busting cause it's the one thing I usually skip on checking every ride myself,but when I do it's usually between 2 to 4 psi difference using a digital gauge.

[sane]

Thanks for posting this. 
 
I checked my tire pressure after reading the thread and found both to be woefully low (20 and 22 psi). 
No wonder it was wiggly around slower corners.
 
Back up to spec now. :-)

[fzonly1]

That does seem to be a big loss in pressure. Had my bike for almost a year and never been down more than a pound or 2. And that's thru some fairly cold nights (mid 30's). For Houston that's cold.

[redharris]

Ya' All are missing the OP's point.......He may or may not have a Problem that is causing low tire pressure. If He does,,,,,,he'll figure it out.
 
His real POINT is that Tire Pressure is Critical to the proper handling of your Motorcycle.
My own experience with that was scary. I went into a sharp radius curve in a canyon, with a passenger. The Bike WOULD NOT turn sharply enough to keep me in my lane and I drifted across the double yellow into on-comming traffic. A car had to swerve to avoid me. I made the adjustment and got back in my lane unharmed.
It was Scary and of course it was all totally my fault. The problem was very low rear tire pressure. It was not apparent when riding on the straight, but nearly got me killed when I entered that first tight sweeper.
 
Your Tire pressure SHOULDNT change drastically if all is well......But maybe All is NOT well. How will you know if you dont Check?

[suspiciouspackage]

I knew I had to check mine and I was surprised at the front. 22 PSI and the rear was at 33 which isn't too bad. But when I was filling the front, I would overinflate and get to 36. Let air out and somehow I went all the way down to 26. I didn't know the tires are so sensitive like that.

[Beemer]

Thanks, the message I got wasn't just about checking your tire pressure every day! ("don't be lazy like me.") I just checked my tires and the rear was down 2 lbs. but noticed my gut looked a little on the soft side so now I'm also riding my bicycle in the mornings once again and doing my crunches/push-ups like I used to do. Thanks for the kick in the pants!

[xdr]

Just checked mine, and they were low also (low/mid 20s).. Thanks for the reminder.

[forcefed86]

My bike is only 2+ weeks old. I checked my front yeaterday and said 24lbs. What the hell that fast

[sorkyah]

My bike is only 2+ weeks old. I checked my front yeaterday and said 24lbs. What the hell that fast

 
 
My guess is the dealer was cheap and didnt spend the time looking over the bike.
checked mine the morning after I bought it found pressures about 15 psi below spec.
This is an AZ summer night mind you.(85-90°F)

[noltz]

my buddy just got his last week and the dealer had them at 41 and 45

[forcefed86]

My bike is only 2+ weeks old. I checked my front yeaterday and said 24lbs. What the hell that fast

My guess is the dealer was cheap and didnt spend the time looking over the bike.
checked mine the morning after I bought it found pressures about 15 psi below spec.
This is an AZ summer night mind you.(85-90°F)

Yup, and also they had the chain on the loose side a bit.

[bikergeek]

Anyone have any experience with nitrogen or helium? Being from a climate that could have huge temp changes, nitrogen is suppose to provide a much more stable pressure and leak about 30% less.

[mjh937]

I have had nitrogen in my car tires. I have never heard of using helium. I check my bike tires every few days and before every long ride. It is not a big deal to add a pound or two of air every now and then so I cannot see the advantage in using nitrogen. To me it does not seem to be worth the cost.

[sorkyah]

I have had nitrogen in my car tires. I have never heard of using helium. I check my bike tires every few days and before every long ride. It is not a big deal to add a pound or two of air every now and then so I cannot see the advantage in using nitrogen. To me it does not seem to be worth the cost.

 
 
 
Nitrogen is mostly a scam..
At least 5 of the dealers around mine(Toyota,Nissan,Hyaundai,VW,and Mercedes) use nothing more than industrial hepa filters on an air compressor. And they call it nitrogen, and charge for fillups.
Atmospheric air is ≈80% Nitrogen as it is. Theres no need to run pure nitrogen as far as I'm aware. (Wheres @wickedtwister when you need his tire expertise)
 
As for running helium... that's a bit of a gamble. You might get better fuel econ but the handling may suffer a bit

[wickedtwister]

I have had nitrogen in my car tires. I have never heard of using helium. I check my bike tires every few days and before every long ride. It is not a big deal to add a pound or two of air every now and then so I cannot see the advantage in using nitrogen. To me it does not seem to be worth the cost.

 
Nitrogen is mostly a scam..
At least 5 of the dealers around mine(Toyota,Nissan,Hyaundai,VW,and Mercedes) use nothing more than industrial hepa filters on an air compressor. And they call it nitrogen, and charge for fillups.
Atmospheric air is ≈80% Nitrogen as it is. Theres no need to run pure nitrogen as far as I'm aware. (Wheres @wickedtwister when you need his tire expertise)
 
As for running helium... that's a bit of a gamble. You might get better fuel econ but the handling may suffer a bit

There is advantages that can be had from running pure nitrogen.  The Molecules are bigger and do not penetrate the Butyl rubber "liner" that is on the inside of all our tires.  Butyl quality can have a big influence on how much regular air leaks out of the tires, but there is no DOT leak down requirement for tires (at least not car tires).  Nitrogen is also not as affected by temperature gain like regular air.  All of the race teams i work with run 100% Nitrogen in their tires for these reason.  In a normal air tire you can see about .7 to .8 psi gain per 10 deg of tire temp.  Nitrogen is about .5 to .6 PSI per 10 deg. (again this is in car tires with a lot larger volume of air.)  The shops that use the Hepa filters on their compressors are basically drying ordinary air so that it has a lower moister content.  The Butyl liner should block most of this out of penetrating the carcass of the tire but this is thrown out when you get a puncture.   Moisture content in the air is the reason you should always patch (from the inside) all tires and not plug them if they get a hole.  This moisture gets into the steel belts and causes them to rust which will eventually lead to a failure. 
So to answer your question all of my cars and bikes run 100% pure Nitrogen but I also get it for free from work.  I do not know what shops around here do but they should pull the valve cores until there is no pressure and then fill them from nitrogen tank.  I would ask the shop how they do it before paying the premium to have it done.   You will still have some air in your tires (about 2-3% ordinary air) this way but its better than ordinary air.  I never have to adjust pressures in my cars or bikes from loss of pressure.  They will, however, still change from environmental temperature changes.  Hope this helps.
 

[tanner68]

I cannot get a handle on this tire pressure business. I check mine regularly. At a minimum once a week, and about every three or four rides. My front tire loses pressure more often than my back. And for what it's worth, this is the gauge I use.
 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00404WDUC?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00
 
Sometimes, the tires hold the pressure well. Other times, I am surprised by how much pressure is lost. The best thing I can do is stay on top of it.

[conejo]

My jeep tires are filled with CO2. I air them down to 10 - 12 psi for wheeling, then fill them from a 10lb CO2 tank when I'm done. Its FAST and relatively inexpensive.
 
 
Decreased temp sensitivity is 100% the only reason for running N2, thats why they use it in small volume applications like shocks. For 99% of street driven cars, it makes absolutely no difference.
 
 
I'm undecided about if it makes a difference on a bike. I'll probably just run regular old atmospheric gas on my bike, I'm not racing or even close enough to be pushing it hard enough to make a difference.
 
 

[conejo]

I cannot get a handle on this tire pressure business. I check mine regularly. At a minimum once a week, and about every three or four rides. My front tire loses pressure more often than my back. And for what it's worth, this is the gauge I use. 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00404WDUC?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00
 
Sometimes, the tires hold the pressure well. Other times, I am surprised by how much pressure is lost. The best thing I can do is stay on top of it.

Good call, I need to check the pressure on the bike!

[wickedtwister]

My bike sat for 7+ weeks and at equivalent temp the pressure is .2psi different from my last reading/set with straight nitrogen. I use a Intercomp digital gauge that i use in my race support which is calibrated every year.  I don't have a comparison with ordinary air but i have to say that's pretty damn good.  I can definitely say that not all tires are created equal for air retention.  I know for a fact that the material properties are different from a Michelin to other brands owned by Michelin.   Race tires often use thinner liners to save on weight.  This of course hurts air retention but in race situations where pressure is always check prior to going on track its not a big deal.
 
If you can find a shop that can fill 100% nitrogen I would try it out to see if your pressures stabilize.  If you really want more detail on why i run Nitrogen read this.