Tire Pressure Thread

[John Luciano]

Not enough in the front, and to much in the rear. Suggested pressure is
40 to 41 front( you do not want the tire to twist,trike tires do not lean)
18 to 23 rear ( start at 23 and lower it untill it stops bouncing on every crack in the road ) the rear of the trike can be supported with as little as 12 lb in the. Rear tires, don't ask me how I know this .
When that front tire wears out in 7,000 miles replace it with a rear tire the same size that you are using now. You will have to look for one Michlin Pilot Activ is one, Avon Battleaxe is another and Avon Venom can't remember the size ( help needed here) 130x 70 x18 maybe non radial ( I know you have radials on the rear, but you want Bias ply on the front . There is no room for discution on this subject it has been proven and discussed to death on here.... This is carved in stone
Wow just looking at the map. We are having our 4th annual TT NE Rally in Aug. next year. That should give you some forum time and some riding time. We have 3 people close to you that you coul hook up with for the ride up .TrikerMary in MD , Leo3 wheel
In NJ, and Olbandit in PA. Great time see photos in Rally and Rides section key word TT NE RALLY III. ride safe have fun. Stay on the forum a lot of great people and info on here. These are the people in the trenches that know about the Trikes the other people , like your machanic just read about it.

[Motogordo]

Not enough in the front, and to much in the rear. Suggested pressure is
40 to 41 front( you do not want the tire to twist,trike tires do not lean)
18 to 23 rear ( start at 23 and lower it untill it stops bouncing on every crack in the road ) the rear of the trike can be supported with as little as 12 lb in the. Rear tires, don't ask me how I know this .
When that front tire wears out in 7,000 miles replace it with a rear tire the same size that you are using now. You will have to look for one Michlin Pilot Activ is one, Avon Battleaxe is another and Avon Venom can't remember the size ( help needed here) 130x 70 x18 maybe non radial ( I know you have radials on the rear, but you want Bias ply on the front . There is no room for discution on this subject it has been proven and discussed to death on here.... This is carved in stone
Wow just looking at the map. We are having our 4th annual TT NE Rally in Aug. next year. That should give you some forum time and some riding time. We have 3 people close to you that you coul hook up with for the ride up .TrikerMary in MD , Leo3 wheel
In NJ, and Olbandit in PA. Great time see photos in Rally and Rides section key word TT NE RALLY III. ride safe have fun. Stay on the forum a lot of great people and info on here. These are the people in the trenches that know about the Trikes the other people , like your machanic just read about it.

Sept 12 ,2012
Thank you very much for your advise. I will make the switch tomorrow. I just got back from riding 30 miles and when there is a couple of bumps in the road, the bike jumps around. I thought that would be normal for a trike, but from what you say it doesn't have to be that way. I have the BS 709 radial in the front and I will increase it in the morning. When the front tire wears out, I will replace it with one of the same size in a rear bias ply tire reversed.

Thanks for all your help.
Gordon

[John Luciano]

Until you replace the front tire with a bias ply you are gona still feel the hopping of the front in sharp curves. The hopping will go away with the bias ply . Let me know how the tire pressure works ou for you . I am running 22 rear and 41 front. Some like to run a few more lbs on the right tire to make up for the crown in the road . The bike will always wobble when one rear tire hits a BIG bump that the other rear does not.

[Rosy]

Most New England roads do not have big crowns as some of the southern states do to take care of the massive rains they get. So the offset rear tire pressures are not needed in my opinion.
Rear tire pressures are being set as to how the trike handles the bumps, ruts, and other problems with our roads. I have IRS on my Hannigan so road problems are not as critical as some solid axle rear ends, but lower rear tire pressures, 22 PSI does make it ride better.
Now my brother-in-law has an older GL1500 solid axle trike and he was told to run 70 PSI in the rear shocks because at the lower pressures the trike would "bottom out" when it would hit a bump. My sister-in-law said the ride was night and day when they went up in pressure. Her back would kill after a short time in the saddle with the lower pressures, but when it was raised she said the ride was 100% better. It makes sense, since I believe the trike would not bottom out and the tires at 22 PSI would take some of the shock and not transmit it to the passengers back. She still would wobble in the seat, but I think that is inherent of the solid axle on a trike.
So far, on my new Michelin front tire at 41 PSI and internal beads, for balancing, looks like at 4000 miles, not cupping and looks brand new. I believe the ride is harder at lower speeds with my Michelin, then it was with my Avon Cobra front tire. So, that's why I would like to see what this new Avon trike front tire is all about, will it last, does it give a softer ride and how it will handle the truns.
I guess I am lucky in a way, my mechanic and his shop only works on Goldwings so he tries to stay up with what is best for Goldwings, 2 or 3 wheels.
Another suggestion is: try to sort the tire pressures in the rear to suit you and your passenger's ride. Ask your co-pilot what she/he thinks, because they are there to enjoy the ride with you, and when they don't enjoy the ride, neither will you.
We just got back from DC area and spent 12 hours in the saddle and you BETTER not have any issues with the ride. That's the second time with have done this ride and both times it was a pleasure.
Good luck!

Regards,

Rosy
From NH

[Motogordo]

Sept 22, 2012

If Honda recommends 36 psi on the front of a GL1800 motorcycle, why should it change on the trike ? Is there more or less wear and weight on the front when converted ? I can see where tire pressure on the rear tires could be varied anywhere from 20-28 psi. I know this would make the ride a little smoother and absorb some of the road bumps. This makes sense to me. I think the tires and the pressures are discussed so much because everyone, including me wants to get long tire life and wear and also enough traction to make the ride safe.

Motogordo

[Gold Rush]

Sept 22, 2012

If Honda recommends 36 psi on the front of a GL1800 motorcycle, why should it change on the trike ? Is there more or less wear and weight on the front when converted ? I can see where tire pressure on the rear tires could be varied anywhere from 20-28 psi. I know this would make the ride a little smoother and absorb some of the road bumps. This makes sense to me. I think the tires and the pressures are discussed so much because everyone, including me wants to get long tire life and wear and also enough traction to make the ride safe.

Motogordo

Honda may recommend 36 psi but way more GL1800 owners run 40 or 41 psi then that recommended number. When converting to the trike you did increase the front end load a lot but going about 41 psi is just not a good idea. You'll find that Bridgestone 709 won't last long (mostly because of tire design) so when it goes replace it with either a Michelin Pilot Activ (MPA) or Bridgestone Battleaxx (BT45). Some guys run these in reverse rotation but that's for another thread. There is lots of info on the board so do a search and you'll get an eye full...

I also hear Avon is coming out with a trike specific front tire. Don't know any more then that about it...

[Rosy]

Sept 22, 2012

If Honda recommends 36 psi on the front of a GL1800 motorcycle, why should it change on the trike ? Is there more or less wear and weight on the front when converted ? I can see where tire pressure on the rear tires could be varied anywhere from 20-28 psi. I know this would make the ride a little smoother and absorb some of the road bumps. This makes sense to me. I think the tires and the pressures are discussed so much because everyone, including me wants to get long tire life and wear and also enough traction to make the ride safe.

Motogordo

Remember you are on a trike, not two wheels. The stress factors are different with a trike front tire than a two wheel Goldwing tire. There is no lean on a trike, whereas there is on two wheels. That's why they suggest putting a rear tire in the front. I covered tire construction in another thread.
If you want I can look at the rear tire construction and show you how is built. Let me know.

Regards,

Rosy
From NH

[skuuter]

Remember: As soon as You make a Trike out of a 2-Wheeler Motorcycle, there is more weight riding on the Front Tire...the Tire, now has to actually "steer" like a Car, stressing the Tire's Carcass and Side Walls much more than in the "Lean to Steer" original fitment on the 2-Wheeler.....adding more air pressure and eventually adding a different Tire becomes a requirement to get increased Tire Life and Less Cupping.....

THERE IS A VERY DETAILED THREAD ON THIS SUBJECT PINNED IN THE HONDA TRIKE FORUM HERE AT TRIKE TALK.com .....

[msocko3]

Remember: As soon as You make a Trike out of a 2-Wheeler Motorcycle, there is more weight riding on the Front Tire...the Tire, now has to actually "steer" like a Car, stressing the Tire's Carcass and Side Walls much more than in the "Lean to Steer" original fitment on the 2-Wheeler.....adding more air pressure and eventually adding a different Tire becomes a requirement to get increased Tire Life and Less Cupping.....

THERE IS A VERY DETAILED THREAD ON THIS SUBJECT PINNED IN THE HONDA TRIKE FORUM HERE AT TRIKE TALK.com .....

I was surprised at how worn and cupped my stock tire became in only 1,000 miles. The tire only had a total of 4,800 miles on it with 90% of them being 2 wheels. I checked tread depth and found I was on the wear bars, and the tire was starting to cup pretty good. I had neglected to bump the pressure up.

Now I'm running an MPA at 41 psi, bet that sucker last a whole lot longer, I know it handles better.

[skuuter]

I finally settled with 42 PSI Front.....20 PSI Rear by myself or in tight twisties / 22/24 PSI Rear 2-up and taking extended all day Trips......main thing is use some of these various pressures as guidelines, and experiment until You find what's "Right/Comfy" for You....I "personally" think 41-42 PSI is about right for Fronts to prevent Excessive Premature Tire Wear and Cupping....."EXPERIMENT-n-ENJOY"......