HarleyTechTalk

I was running 42 in the rear Avon Venom. I replaced it with a Michelin Commander II yesterday, so I was wondering whether 42 is OK for the Commander II also. What are you all running in these tires? Thanks.

42 is correct for my Street Bob while 40 is suggested for the Sporty 48. But this is the Mich Scorcher rear tires

Michelin recommends on their website to run the Harley recommended pressures in the owners manual. Just put a set on my Ultra.

out of curiosity what is the Max pressure shown on the sideall of the tire?

Quote from: wholehog on January 13, 2013, 09:04:25 AM
out of curiosity what is the Max pressure shown on the sideall of the tire?

42psi.

Yes, it says 42 on the sidewall. Maybe I'll start with 40 for break in. Thanks.

 I contacted Michelin about this and they recommended to run the manufacturer specified tire pressure.
Seems to be a good tire, wearing good and good manners in the curves.

Quote from: flhr on January 13, 2013, 05:32:47 PM
I contacted Michelin about this and they recommended to run the manufacturer specified tire pressure.
Seems to be a good tire, wearing good and good manners in the curves.

Thanks. I don't see a recommended pressure in my owner's manual. I'll check the SM tomorrow.

Jim. Check the frame upright in front of the motor.

Quote from: Soft 02 on January 13, 2013, 05:50:12 PM
Jim. Check the frame upright in front of the motor.

OK I found it. It says 40 psi cold.  I should have known that. After all, I've only had the bike for six years. Thanks Soft 02!

I run 3-4psi. over spec. and still have sufficient grip and better wear.  Also if a little time goes by between checking,  they will likely still be close to spec.  Rick

Quote from: 04 SE DEUCE on January 14, 2013, 10:29:00 AM
I run 3-4psi. over spec. and still have sufficient grip and better wear.  Also if a little time goes by between checking,  they will likely still be close to spec.  Rick

OK sounds good. I always ran the Venoms at 42. Thanks.

Hey,,,I have a friend who's a Tire Tech with Goodyear,,,he says ,,,doesn't matter what tire brand or what its mounted on,you should always run what it says on the tire,,,,,,,

Quote from: Jacob1955 on January 16, 2013, 03:24:15 PM
Hey,,,I have a friend who's a Tire Tech with Goodyear,,,he says ,,,doesn't matter what tire brand or what its mounted on,you should always run what it says on the tire,,,,,,,

OK thanks. It seems to run fine with whatever the dealer put in. I'll get around to checking it one of these days. This is only the second rear I've changed myself, so I'm just glad it didn't fall off. 

Whatever you do don't run the Commander II with low pressure. I installed one and was only running 36psi and after about 3000 miles it started feathering on the just off center threads. Still safe to run but now I run it at 40.

Running at 42. No problems so far (~200 mi.)

I've always run my tires at the Max pressure. Makes for better cornering and least likely to give you a high-speed-wooble.

Quote from: Rusty Steel on January 22, 2013, 07:25:24 PM
I've always run my tires at the Max pressure. Makes for better cornering and least likely to give you a high-speed-wooble.

Rusty, I'm with you all the way on this one. Tire wear could be the least of your worries running front tire pressure short of max. Ask me how I know.  effin-A! I think Avon mfg recommends air pressure is around 34-40 psi, but it would be a good idea to go with max. Hell, I recommend going 2psi over spec. I think that'll be 42 psi. Some people don't realize that max front air pressure takes a lot of wobble out of bike. Don't F around with low front tire pressure or else you might find yourself "Potty mouth"tin at high speeds.  Again, ask me how I know. 

CW

Actually, if you run max pressure without needing to, you wear the tire faster in the center of the tread, which is the section of tread that wears fastest anyway.  If you run too low on pressure you wear the outside of the tread faster, plus the additional heat wears the entire tire faster.  So I would go with recommended pressure for your load for maximum safety and mileage.

I'm running 42 rear and 40 front on my ultra..

I attended the Progressive bike show at the IX center in Cleveland yesterday. I saw the Avon rep there and told them I really like the Avon Cobra tires I put on my 09 Ultra this past year. He asked me what pressure I ran in them. I told him 1-2 lbs under max recommended pressure on the side wall. He told me go to the Avon website and use whatever pressure that's recommended for the load I am putting on them. He told me that because of the size of my bike and passenger load, that I should run 42 in the front and 50 in the rear. So I go to the Avon website and I see for heavy touring, I should be at 42-43 on the front and 48-50 on the rear. The point of this is, following this logic, one should go to the manufacturers website and find the correct pressure for you application. And all this time I have been going by what I believed to be max cold pressure as stated on the side wall. I will be making the change in pressure when this effing winter goes away. I tried to find the same kind of information for the Commander II's and had no luck. My summation would be that load and application are what matter most and this will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. I hope this helps.

I'm running between 40 and 42 on Commander II's. They feel good and seem to be wearing nicely.

I say "between" 40 and 42 because I have 3 tire pressure gauges and they all read different. I don't think anyone can know exactly where they're at right down to the pound.