Tire Pressure ?

[wpennington]

Min. tire pressure ?

My 2003 V-Strom still has the stock Bridgestone Trailwing 152 tires. The recommended pressure for a maximum load is:

Front. 110/80 R19M/C 59H = 36 psi
Rear. 150/71 R17M/C 69H = 41 psi

I got onto a "large chunky" crushed rock road and scared the hell out of myself. I'm about 180 pounds. What do you recommend for a minimum tire pressure to maximize traction in a situation like this?

Bill Pennington

[azsidewalker]

The service manual page 2.26 shows cold inflation tire PSI as:
..........solo riding.........Dual riding
Front.......36..................36
Rear........36..................41

Therefore you could savely go down to 36 if your riding solo.

[bruhed]

I routinely run 20-22lbs front and rear when doing long stretches of gravel. On my previous BMW GS, they specifically recommended pressures as low as 16lbs for off road. I assume by they meant slow going.

When doing the Dalton in Alaska and the Old Denaly Highway, I ran the 22 lb set up. Worked great. Didn;t travel much faster than 45-50 and it makes a large difference in stability compared to stock pressures used on the highway.

Of course, I carry a tire inflation device with me and air up before picking up speed on pavement.

Give it a try, you will find it makes off roading much more pleasurable.

[RDJEff]

Hhhhmmmm! I run 36/36 all the time. Ran across the Denali Highway, no problem. My commute includes 7 miles of gravel road each way. You get used to the way the bike squirms, and it becomes second nature. Sometimes the bike feels like it is rolling across a bunch of marbles that someone spilled on the road, but if you just ride through it, its no big deal.

[RDJEff]

Another idea is to lose the death grip. Many handling problems can be cured by relaxing your grip on the bars. Try it sometime!

[wpennington]

Another idea is to lose the death grip. Many handling problems can be cured by relaxing your grip on the bars. Try it sometime!

RDJeff: Thanks for the reminder. Once I got used to steel bridge gratings, (and we have a lot of them here in Seattle), I don't even think about them anymore.