How to 1. Determine Optimum Tire Pressures 2. Maximize tire life 3. Avoid uneven wear

How to -    1. Determine Optimum tire pressures 

                  2. Extend tire life 

                  3. Avoid uneven wear

Motorcycle tire wear and longevity is affected by a number of factors, including;

1.  speed, 
2. riding style, 
3. surfaces, 
4. load factors, 
5. correct/incorrect installation methods 
6. and tire pressures.

Obviously the owner/rider is the only one to effectively determine what could be affecting their tire wear.

Heat is the enemy of all tire compounds, and there is a simple method to determine whether you have excessive heat or it’s within acceptable limits. Those limits are also simple to determine if they are being exceeded. Here’s how.

• Start with your tires in a cold state (generally 1st thing in the morning) and using a verified accurate dial type pressure gauge inflate your tire to the manufacturer suggested pressure. Mark both front and rear tire pressures down on a piece of paper with a C-cold.
• Load your motorcycle up for the conditions you will be under. For instance, my wife and I and our loaded luggage were all on the bike.
• Ride like you would normally under those conditions for an hour, at the speeds and road surface conditions you normally do to heat up your tires.
• Stop and immediately take your tire pressures both front and rear and record them on that same piece of paper. Mark them with an H-hot
• Using a calculator determine if your hot tire pressure stayed within a 5-7% variance from cold. If it exceeded the 7% increase your tires are experiencing excessive heat.

Example: 5% variance Cold 41 PSI multiplied by 1.05 =43.05 PSI HOT

                7% variance Cold 41 PSI  X 1.07 = 44 PSI HOT

This is the 5-7% variance method Michelin technicians passed on while we were in Europe.

We ride a Vstrom 1000. Our friends with similar load factors were riding an original Super Tenere 750 running the same size tires front and rear and riding in identical conditions. They had followed the Michelin tech. recommendations. We used their cold tire pressures as a start point

42 PSI front

47 PSI rear.

I thought they were too high but tried it for the test period. I saw 50 PSI/rear after 1 hr. and I smiled and have never looked back. Ride, handling and tire wear all improved.

We no longer experience front tire cupping or premature tire wear. I get 22,000 kms on a rear tire and 38-40,000 kms on a front tire.  

Fuel economy has improved slightly but definitely is more consistent, and there was a noticeable improvement in handling and confidence in leaning the bike through corners. 

Essentially the tire held it's shape better and there was no squirm.

Matter of fact, our front had a bit of cupping that actually raised the initial conversation and the experiment, and actually corrected it’s wear in the next 2,000 kms. after changing.

Of course as stated at the outset you need to analyze all the factors. Reducing load, speed, or correcting a misaligned rear wheel will also impact the variables in the formula.

It’s based on this formula for Volume, Pressure and Temperature.  

PV = nRT  

This link provides much more detail. Table of Thermodynamic Equations

Use a 'verified' dial or digital tire pressure gauge that compares with a tire shops quality tools like this one for accuracy.