tire pressures

headheaded · Sep 9, 2015

15 tri-glide and wondering what tire pressures everyone is running in their trikes ? looking for a better ride than i'm getting running 26 rear and 36 front. what about shock pressures ? this thing is kind of harsh right now. my healing broken back is not helping any either. thanks !

Fearless · Sep 9, 2015

36-22-36

headheaded said:
15 tri-glide and wondering what tire pressures everyone is running in their trikes ? looking for a better ride than i'm getting running 26 rear and 36 front. what about shock pressures ? this thing is kind of harsh right now. my healing broken back is not helping any either. thanks !

36 in front tire 22 rear tires 36# lb. in shocks (works for our weight 2 up riding) :Shrug: ride safely fearless

Zammy · Sep 9, 2015

36 in front tire 22 rear tires, still experimenting with the shocks, currently at 35# riding 2 up.

FuzzyWuzHe · Sep 9, 2015

36# Front, 26# Rear, 26# shocks ... one up ... no BoB

AFChief · Sep 10, 2015

#36 front, #22 rear, #35 shock, with BoB. The lift kit really helps with the reduced pressures. Perfect set up for us.

Steve on 3 · Sep 10, 2015

36/24/40. Two up but I am "big boned" as we say in the south

rhino 2 · Sep 10, 2015

11 T/G.....36F... 22R... 35 In the shocks.... And the lift kit....And it still rides hard, Nature of the beast .... But once they raise the gas tax high enough all that extra tax money will fix the roads so they will be smooth as silk........

jwkhd1 · Sep 10, 2015

headheaded said:
15 tri-glide and wondering what tire pressures everyone is running in their trikes ? looking for a better ride than i'm getting running 26 rear and 36 front. what about shock pressures ? this thing is kind of harsh right now. my healing broken back is not helping any either. thanks !

There is an old post here http://www.hdforums.com/forum/tri-g...models/994341-air-pressure-in-rear-tires.html with some good info.

Jerry/MD · Sep 10, 2015

36# front, 22# rear. I typically run 40# on the shocks since the BSR is usually on-board.

Thanks to the helpful info on here I saw a BIG improvement in ride quality when I went from 26# to 22# in the rear tires.

Jerry

55il · Sep 10, 2015

headheaded said:
15 tri-glide and wondering what tire pressures everyone is running in their trikes ? looking for a better ride than i'm getting running 26 rear and 36 front. what about shock pressures ? this thing is kind of harsh right now. my healing broken back is not helping any either. thanks !

I did all the tire pressure ranges and was scolded by my dealerand others, "You will have an accident riding with low pressure".
I bought a 2011 H-D Trike for a lot of reasons bad backs,knees and aging body parts. I rode itfor a year and could not stand the jarring of Illinois pot holes, tar strips,etc. So, began a search for a betterride and found a company that replaces Harley’s solid axel rear end for anindependent suspension.
Last year I put just under 3500 miles and this last month 6910miles in 19 days. This of course is noworld record but for me it is off my bucket list and couldn’t have done itwithout a Trike and or independent suspension.
The company is DFT Trikes located in Addison, Illinois. I have no personal involvement with thecompany except the purchase and installation. I’m sure there are other manufactures/dealers that sell and installindependent suspension but this is the company I went with.
Just my two pennies worth. DJ

HDB0B · Sep 10, 2015

:Agree: 36 front, 22 rears, 38 shocks .... (need 38 due to road conditions ... PA roads are slowly getting better

).

26 psi is the minimum AUTO tire pressure that the Tire & Rim Association publishes ... so that is what Harley Lawyers put in the manual. 22 to 20 psi is a very common rear tire pressure for most of us on stock Dunlop rears. ThumbUp

When I ever wear the Dunlop rears out I will be replacing with Goodyear Comfortreads. They have a softer sidewall and can carry higher pressure for the same soft ride.

Bob

orag:

rwhgme · Sep 10, 2015

I weigh 195, Carolyn...about 12..., we had a bit over 100 lbs of gear. I set the rear at 24, front at 36, and shocks at 35lb. As comfortable as I expect to be. The Air Zeppelin seat helps as well. But I also have Sirius Radio..so I keep myself distracted.

DK Custom Products · Sep 11, 2015

36 front 20-22 rear, shocks are anywhere from 22 to 45, depending on load, speed, road conditions. Ran this way on the '11 and now on the '14.

Also running Comfort Lifts.

Another thing that can help the ride is an Airhawk.

Kevin

BOXX3R · Sep 12, 2015

After reading this thread I realized that I had not yet checked my tire and shock pressures as the Trike is only 3 months old...I know, poor excuse.

Anyway I went to check them, and all three tires and the shocks were well below the recommended pressures. So I first tried a small compressor that I have in a rolling cart. It was kind of a PITA to maneuver it and the trike, plug it in, uncoil the hose, and find the chuck. Then the readings that I got after inflating, adjusting and re-inflating were all over the place and seemed kind of sketchy.

Then I remembered besides the Moto Pump I will carry on the Trike for long rides, I also have an Air Man battery powered hand held digital pump that I have never tried. *According to the directions you can set the pressure that you want, screw the no air loss hose onto the tire valve and pull the trigger. It will pump until it gets up to the the set pressure, and then automatically turn off. To my pleasant surprise...it did just that

easy peasy

Now I am right at 26 on the rears, 36 on the front and about 26 on the shocks, set with a HD hand pump and gauge.

Fearless · Sep 12, 2015

BOXX3R said:
After reading this thread I realized that I had not yet checked my tire and shock pressures as the Trike is only 3 months old...I know, poor excuse.

Anyway I went to check them, and all three tires and the shocks were well below the recommended pressures. So I first tried a small compressor that I have in a rolling cart. It was kind of a PITA to maneuver it and the trike, plug it in, uncoil the hose, and find the chuck. Then the readings that I got after inflating, adjusting and re-inflating were all over the place and seemed kind of sketchy.

Then I remembered besides the Moto Pump I will carry on the Trike for long rides, I also have an Air Man battery powered hand held digital pump that I have never tried. *According to the directions you can set the pressure that you want, screw the no air loss hose onto the tire valve and pull the trigger. It will pump until it gets up to the the set pressure, and then automatically turn off. To my pleasant surprise...it did just that easy peasy

Now I am right at 26 on the rears, 36 on the front and about 26 on the shocks, set with a HD hand pump and gauge.

Any reason rear tires 26# seems high for my thinking? :Shrug: ride safely fearless

BinIdaho · Sep 12, 2015

I run 36# front and 26# rear.....just as the HD manual specifies!!!!!

ThumbUp

BOXX3R · Sep 12, 2015

Fearless said:
Any reason rear tires 26# seems high for my thinking? :Shrug: ride safely fearless

I don't have a passenger, and 26 is what the owners manual recommends.

Fearless · Sep 12, 2015

Lower rear tire pressure

OK there has been volumes about tire pressure I run 36#front tire 22# rear tires 36# in shocks my bride says old shiney has never ridden smoother for us. :Shrug: ride safely fearless

FuzzyWuzHe · Sep 12, 2015

At 26# rear, you will get slightly better pass mileage ... and if you play with shock pressure, you van get a decent ride at 26#.

rwhgme · Sep 12, 2015

Forgot to mention, we too have the Comfort Lifts on our trike. It helps also with the fatigue I used to feel in my shoulders..just made it feel more stable...especially during severe weather!