You may have asked at some point, what air pressure should my motorcycle tires be? Well, let’s answer that question.
Making sure your motorcycle tires have the right air pressure in them will make them last longer and your bike ride better. Motorcycle tires are important for just about everything. Without them, you can’t ride. It doesn’t matter if you ride a Honda or a Harley.
So it’s important that you keep an eye on your air pressure and keep your tires in good shape. Here’s how to check your tire pressure and what to look for when buying new ones.
The Right Tire Pressure Is Crucial
Properly inflated motorcycle tires are essential to safety. They provide better traction and control, as well as reduce wear and tear on your vehicle. Also, properly inflated tires will absorb bumps as the tires were designed, so you’re getting a better experience there too.
You should check your tire pressure at least once every month (I do it more often, and highly recommend you do it too), and keep in mind that if your tires are older, you might want to check them more often than that.
You can even check your tire pressure before each motorcycle ride. Just make it part of your pre-ride check. You should be checking things anyway, and that means you’ll just have two more minor things added to your list.
You Can Easily Test Air Pressure Yourself
Checking tire air pressure is a simple thing. You can get a tire gauge at any big box store or any auto parts store and many gas stations will carry them. Armed with this simple tool, you can check your tire pressure.
However, there are some things you need to keep in mind when checking your tire pressure. First, make sure you use an accurate gauge. If your tire gauge is damaged or old, you might want to check it against a new one to be sure it’s reading accurately.
Second, you need to know exactly how much air is supposed to be in your tires. This info can often be found in your motorcycle owner’s manual, but a better thing to do is to check the sidewall of your actual tire. You’ll see a lot of numbers there. What you’re looking for is a number followed by the letters “psi.” This acronym means pounds per square inch, which is how you measure air pressure in a tire. It’s the same number your tire gauge presents you.
So, you simply match the tire pressure gauge reading to the psi number on the tire wall. If your tire pressure gauge reads 20 psi when your tires clearly list 30 psi as the maximum rating, then you need to add air to your tires.
Note that you shouldn’t over-inflate your tires. The rating on the side of the tire is the maximum air pressure allowed. If you exceed that pressure, you’re more likely to experience a puncture or a blowout, especially at high speeds.
The Right Tire Pressure Can Save You Money
If you’re riding a motorcycle, you need to make sure that your tires are properly inflated. This will help prevent damage to your vehicle and save you money because you’ll spend less money on replacing tires and patching tires. It also helps ensure that you’re getting the best gas mileage too, and the cost of gas is always creeping up.
