nuclear powered klr

[Jim Hyman]

Don, No expert opinion here, how about but 30+ years of observations gained by wrenching on thousands of bikes. ;>? I haven't ridden long distances with DOT knobbies on the road, but have many miles using 80/20 (road/dirt) tires. Excess heat, usually due to tire under inflation, is a tire killer. The tried & true rule for tire inflation is that the "warm" tire pressure (after riding for 1/2 hour or more) should rise 5 - 10% over the "cold" tire pressure (e.g. after resting overnight or in the shade for several hours). This equates to a 2 - 4 PSI rise. If the tire pressure rises more than this, the tire is under inflated and is building up tremendous heat. Too little pressure rise means that your tire is over inflated and will wear prematurely. Under no circumstances, should the cold tire pressure exceed the maximum tire inflation figure on a tire's sidewall. The KLR650's exhaust location is very close to the rear tire. You will find that the right sidewall is noticeably warmer than the tire's left sidewall. Every DOT road tire has sidewall markings that specify the maximum load capacity at a MAXIMUM inflation pressure. My rear Distanzia markings are: "Max load 640 lb. @ 42 PSI cold (280 kg at 2.8 Bar cold)". [Well, what do you expect from an English made tire?] Tire pressure must be increased when you carry more weight. A 160 lb rider requires less tire pressure than a 250 lb rider. Add 200 lb. of gear and you'll probably need to set the cold tire pressure near the maximum allowable tire setting. In 2000, I did two fully loaded (825 lb. of KLR, rider, & gear) trips for a total of 4700 miles on my Gripsters without any problems. The rear Gripster was replaced after 9000 total miles, and still had about 2000 more usable miles. I did make minor pressure adjustments based on the weather conditions. Crossing the desert at 85 mph for hours on end used different settings than when I was at higher elevations on twisty back roads and temps were near freezing. Around town & highway riding with Gripster or Distanzia tires, I've found 22/26 psi (front/rear) works fine in Seattle's mild climate. If you're riding in a hotter or colder climate, you'll have to use somewhat higher or lower settings. Some listers use 28/35 psi settings. This may firm up the ride, but you'll pay a steep penalty in tire mileage. Ever notice how quickly the center 1/3 of the tread wears much quicker than the sides of the tread? Excessively high pressures will accelerate center tread wear, If your 80/20 tire has a very flexible sidewall, you will probably want to increase the everyday tire pressure settings a bit to help reduce sidewall flex. Aggressive D/S tires or DOT knobbies have noticeably more squirm than 80/20 tires, no matter what pressure you're using. Long distance adventure touring with a heavy load may be possible with aggressive D/S tires if you keep your highway speeds way down and you closely monitor the tire pressure. I check my tire pressure 1st thing each morning and several times throughout the day when I'm on a trip. I've noticed that many listers report their tire mileage and it seems that the many tires seem to "cost" about $10 per 1000 miles of tire life. Factor in labor and/or shipping costs and you may find that "premium" tires cost less in the long run. I won't compromise when it comes to tires, I want the best damn tire that meets my needs. There really aren't any right or wrong answers to the whole tire compromise thing, however, safety rules.!! Professor A9 Federal Way, WA. [USA] ++++++++ Don wrote:

>Been thinking/wondering about the two riders that had >problems on Tues. >Ryan Bock stayed here while on his way from San Francisco >to Prudoe Bay, AK. When he pulled in (KLR650, loaded like >a Winabago) I noticed a couple of his knobs were tearing of >f at their base. After inspecting the whole tire, we found >70% of the tire knobs were tearing off. The tire was a >inexpensive Duro, DOT approved, knobby with only 1000 >miles on it. > >After spending most of the morning looking in vain for a >hiway biased knobby, Dan Paulsen called and offered a new >stock KLR tire. So this got Ryan on his way. > >Then, Dave called explaining his problem. Flat tire, ruined >inexpensive Kenda. Finally got him back on road with a new >Kenda which blew about 30 miles later. > >I know many KLR riders use the Kenda and most all run high >speeds on the hiways. After thinking about it, when someone >says they 'blew' their tire, did the tire fail or was it just >the tube? >When running a heavy loaded bike just how much air can/should >you put in the tires? Also, it may be that the cheaper tires >are just that 'cheap'. When Lady Lisa was riding her DR650 >from B.C. down here and then to Portland for d/s events. She >was always running her loaded bike at 80-85 mph with no >problems. I believe she always bought premium tires though. > >I think many 'inquiring minds' ponder this situation. > Any folks out there have expert testimony from the likes of >MC Consumer News, the Avon reps in Seattle, etc? > thanks, don

[RM]

On Fri, 21 Jun 2002, Jim Hyman wrote:

>I've noticed that many listers report their tire mileage and it seems >that the many tires seem to "cost" about $10 per 1000 miles of tire >life. Factor in labor and/or shipping costs and you may find that >"premium" tires cost less in the long run.

I've noticed this too. It seems like the best tire bargains are the K270 ($35 for 5k miles) and the Distanzia ($110 for 10k miles).

[judjonzz]

--- In DSN_klr650@y..., Jim Hyman wrote:

> Don, > > Around town & highway riding with Gripster or Distanzia tires, > I've found 22/26 psi (front/rear) works fine in Seattle's mild > climate. If you're riding in a hotter or colder climate, you'll > have to use somewhat higher or lower settings. Some listers use > 28/35 psi settings. This may firm up the ride, but you'll pay a > steep penalty in tire mileage. Ever notice how quickly the > center 1/3 of the tread wears much quicker than the sides of > the tread? Excessively high pressures will accelerate center > tread wear, >

An excellent post (not quoted in its entirety), but I have to take issue with this paragraph. There is no doubt a point at which "excessively" high pressures will accelerate center tread wear, by the concentration of pressure, scrubbing, etc. on a reduced contact patch. In my experience, though, pressures above recommended levels tend to reduce wear. I like to run high pressures on the street, and although I fret somewhat over the threat of accelerated tread wear, my tires seem to be lasting longer at 35-38psi rear, than they did at lower pressures. I'm guessing that the reduced heat in a stiffer tire saves more wear than the reduced contact patch contributes. The jury's still out on my Kenda 270, but it is still going to last 4500-5000 miles, which seems to be the going rate on this tire.

[kcuf_oohay_666]

WOW, 9000 on a gripster. I have 1000 on mine and theyre half used. Of course every down shift I make leaves rubber on the street.

--- In DSN_klr650@y..., Jim Hyman wrote: > > In 2000, I did two fully loaded (825 lb. of KLR, rider, & gear) > trips for a total of 4700 miles on my Gripsters without any > problems. The rear Gripster was replaced after 9000 total > miles, and still had about 2000 more usable miles

[btlynx]

running with stock tires whats the optimal pressure for street use. ive seen a lot of differant posts on this which seem to range from 31-f/r to 21 f/r (as per maunal) feels like the tires run a little soft at the latter? whats the pros and cons for higher pressure in stock tires? lowered bike with pr springs & k9 on front stock set up rear with set 1 peload and set 1 rebound (im only about 150lbs no real luggage on bike as yet) thanks paul A16

[david gay]

I have read the manual which recommends 21psi in the stock front tire. I have a Pirelli MT 80 on the front and do 95% street riding. I have been running about 28psi. Does that sound about right? I run 30psi in the rear, also a Pirelli. I'd be thankful for some advice. Dave --------------------------------- Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Finance - Get real-time stock quotes [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[lbauer@cs.princeton.edu]

I don't know if it's worth anything, but I normally run low 30s, with about 2 psi more in the rear than in the front. Right now I have a Trailwing 21/22 combo, but I run those pressures in pretty much anything.... -Lujo

> I have read the manual which recommends 21psi in the stock front tire. I > have a Pirelli MT 80 on the front and do 95% street riding. I have been > running about 28psi. Does that sound about right? I run 30psi in the rear, > also a Pirelli. I'd be thankful for some advice. Dave

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[wayne adamson]

Look on the side wall of the tire. It will tell you the max psi cold. I have always run max psi on all my bikes because I think I will get the best tire life. It works for me? Wayne KLR650A14-1976 R60/6-ABC 6461 MOA-71007

----- Original Message ----- From: "david gay" To: DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Sunday, September 01, 2002 6:43 PM Subject: [DSN_klr650] Tire pressure > I have read the manual which recommends 21psi in the stock front tire. I have a Pirelli MT 80 on the front and do 95% street riding. I have been running about 28psi. Does that sound about right? I run 30psi in the rear, also a Pirelli. I'd be thankful for some advice. Dave >

[kj48ak2088]

Just put Avon Gripsters on my KLR. Any suggestions for best tire pressures for commuting and off road use?

[klr6501995]

My favorite tire! I happen to run 32-33psi rear and 32-34psi daily commuting and 18-16 rear and 16-14psi off road in sandy florida. I could go lower maybe but really hate changing pinched tubes in the field. Get a small electric or foot or mtb pump and take it on ride and play with the psi. I'm not anal about checking the tire pressure but do notice accelerated wear with any thing less than 27 psi and the tires dont feel right for aggressive survial city banging.I usually have to add air to the rear 2-3 weeks and maybe the front. If my riding will involve a good bit of roads and dirt I'll settle for 22psi. I find airing up off road a pain in the heat and my riding gear so a lot of times I just leave the psi at 30+ in the sand. Talk about fun.

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "kj48ak2088" wrote: > Just put Avon Gripsters on my KLR. Any suggestions for best tire > pressures for commuting and off road use?