Tire pressure tire pressure tire pressure tire pressure

This thread is about the importance of tire pressure.

After leaving my VFR at TOES and riding my wifes bike all month, I got my bike back and it was impossible to manuever.
I really couldnt beleive how awful my VFR was to ride after adjusting to my wifes GS500.
Could this really be this horrible? Not enjoying my own bike?
I mean, her bike is considerably lighter, and lower and easier to manuever.

But I really was scared of how my bike was acting now that I got it back.
Too much bike for me? Too heavy? Yikes. It was not a good feeling.

Then I remembered that right before dropping my bike off, TOE CUTTER had replaced my fork seals as well.

So over a few beers I asked TOE, should my bike really be handling this much differantly after a fork seal and oil change?
He said of course it should feel differant, better even.

Better? ( says I ) Its horrifying, I am fighting the corners so hard its gonna kill me.

FIrst thing he asks me is when I checked my tire pressure last.

Well, it was right before I went on the trip , and then dropped it off with him. Not alot of road time had passed while we waited for parts, but the weather certainly had changed. And wow my front tire was less then 20 psi.

Aired up the tires, and I got to say, coupled with the fork oil change, and the really bad two days of riding it with low tire pressure had set the bar pleasantly low. Riding it now,I must admit, I dont want to park. On the way home, I find myself taking the long way home, passing the house for another spin around the block. Lovin life once again.

Just a little reminder for the noobs and the pros, go check your tire pressure :wink:

 

Been there. Pressure is a bigger deal than I ever thought. I killed good tires before cause of low pressure & damn near killed myself ater the CBR wheel swap cause I was under 20psi on the test run.Topped them of it it cut like a razor blade. Go figure.

 

A question for debate: is the bike owner solely responsible for his tyres or is the shop that has done work on it ??

TOE is just about the last man on this site i'd dare criticize because his generosity to other riders and his comprehensive knowledge of our bikes, of all generations, is legendary, and he has my total respect....however.

I believe every shop has the crucial responsibility to test ride every bike out of the shop before turning it over to the owner, and Toe would certainly have noticed and corrected the tyre pressure problem.

AS a matter of fact, i would catagorize any professional shop that failed to verify correct tyre pressure ( standard operating proceedure) as the last step before releasing the bike as an unreliable, slip-shod operation that could be letting itself into serious liability issues and is careless regarding customer safety.

in this case it was a simple detail that was overlooked.

Let the debate begin.....

 

That would be a valid point...but we're talking about toe's garage...and thats exactly what it is...a garage...where cars and bikes are parked...

Also this was a free service...well...maybe cost a bottle of gin and some juice...but monetarily free. If this were a paid service, and in a real shop...then yes...pressure should be checked and topped off

 

I really don't see that TOE did anything wrong..as far as debate goes there aint gonna be one...this is friend 1 helping friend 2 out, friend 2 really appreciates what friend 1 does for him .. like BW said it may have cost some gin and juice but thats about it....

 

Yeah I see where he is coming from but I only test ride when I must as I do not care to ride other peoples bikes.And desides it was monsooning when the lunatic Cundalini rode it home the day I fixed it. Further more everyone can kiss my ass if you think you can come over and make me lube your chain , check your oil, water ,chain tension,and tire pressure, I have my own bikes to care for as well .Blow me!

 

LOL!

So can I come over and leech off you to mount my new rubber. OMG! they're Dunlops I guess I better not say that..

 

Just don't talk about installing an exhaust system ...:sorry: JUST KIDDING! I don't see a debate here either. TOE has preformed many services for his fellow VFRW brothers (and Sisters) with no compensation asked for. General maintenance should be up to the owner. If the bike was coming out of a dealership or repair shop then checking everything should be standard. I've had some bone-headed moves myself thinking that strange noise was time for a valve job... (tighten your freakin' chain noob!):doh:

Now if kissing TOE's ass and blowing him is the only way he'll do work from now on i think his days of working on other people's bikes are numbered...

 

That's a no win situation having the shop ride your bike. Shop takes out bike and crashes. Owner is pissed and sues or cause undo bad mouthing for wrecked bike.
Whether it's was the riders fault, crap on the road or a cager the shop has to bare the expense some what or will thru higher insurance premiums, hospital bills or losing a mechanic. Then they have to raise prices.

Bring the bike in for a tune up and over all check up YES the shop should check the air. Bring it in to change exhaust, seat or what ever(except tires) why should/would they check? Of coarse customer service might be best at this point to check air, because most people don't.

The air in the tires is up to the owner/rider. If your not smart enough to check them then your a dumb ass. Your the one riding it all the time. You should be a responsible enough rider to know the feel of your bike. If you can't or are unwilling to do that, then just stay in your car.

I've had tires that never really lost air and others would be 3-6lbs low in a month or so. I did notice the low tires once out of the driveway. Yes I'm a dumb ass too at times. But I head back in and put air in them and become a smart ass again.:rockon:

 

"To air is human."

 

I would rather not have the shop screw with my air pressures.
1) One, they don't know what pressures I like to run. What kind of riding you are going to do, with what kind of loads.
2) They certainly aren't going to go to every tire manufacturers website, type in the tire and bike they are working on, even to get the manufactures recomendation.
3) I don't know how accurate their gauge is, I actually saw a shop a long time ago using a pencil type gauge! Not real easy to read an exact number on.
4) Ultimately I am responsible for my safety, not the shop. After I have new tires put on, I always check the pressures before remounting the wheels. I don't think they are ever right, they just use the shop air to pop the bead in place.

All that said, I know I don't check mine as often as I should. That is why I recently installed the Kissan tire pressure monitor. I had too many times of taking the bike to work, or wherever, not checking the pressure (like we are all supposed to do before every ride), and on the curvey back roads the bike not feeling right, because of the tire pressure. After one really bad ride, (although not 20 PSI bad) I bought the monitor.

Same thing with car tires, I hate when the shop touches my pressures.

and this wasn't a shop, it was a friends place, BIG difference

 

HOLY SHIT GUYS!!!!!!!!??????????????????

I asked toe if he would help me fix my leaking clutch master cylinder, if I bought the part. I asked if it would be a hard job, he said hell no, its easy.
I ordered the part, and rode the bike over to his house once I got the part. We should have fixed it and had a few beers.

MY DUMB ASS ordered the wrong part. I asked TOE if I could leave it parked at his house until the right part came, which I suspected would have been only a few days. The place that I ordered the part from had difficulty locating the right part for me so it wound up taking almost a month.

MY DUMB ASS should have checked my tire pressure, oil level, etc etc before I rode the bike home. Rules of pre-flight.
I left it at a BUDDIES ( toe ) house for over a month. He was nice enough to let me leave it there, and help me fix it when I got the right part. He was also nice enough to have fixed my fork seals a month earlier. He was smart enough to mention to me that I should check my tire pressure. He was also nice enough to use his compressor to air them up for me, and the rest of the riders ( who hadn't ridden in a while ) did the same.

I do beleive that debating if a shop should mess with your tire pressure is appropriate, but it doesn't apply to this instance. I left my bike at a freinds house for over amonth and I should have checked everything before I left, but I wanted to get her home before the rain came. End of story.

Continue the debate, but leave my story out of it, it doesn't apply.

-C

 

Perfect. That is what I was trying to say in the first place. You just summed up my whole thread, brother.

 

It was Coors Light

 

OK dumb ass I hear ya. Nice to have friends like Toe, eh!? Unless he was the one that let the air out of your tires????

 

DOH! :doh:

 

DOH! :doh:

 

How bout a nice big cup of shut the hell up