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.

Following Us, here is a non motorcycle trip post

Queensland; from Brisbane to Cape Tribulation

Besancon, Moselkern, and Returning to our Roots

The Citadel

Besancon France

Next day we moved on to Besancon since on previous trips we'd see the “Citadel” on a hill over the town. We walked up to it and while it was interesting, and a WHS, we found an ancient gate dating back to approximately 175 AD, built in honor of Marcus Aurelius’ far more intriguing.

Marcus Arelius Gate

To think the Roman Empire extended this far in 175 AD. This is a beautiful town in eastern France we’d highly recommend people visit. We also had one of the best Mussels and Fries we’ve ever had by using Google Maps and Google Plus and following directions to a place that looked deserted but was a very good restaurant.

Moselkern and Roots

On the move again we arrive in Moselkern and hike to Burg Eltz. If you said we’ve been here before you’d be correct. Back in 2004 we visited Moselkern and Burg Eltz and we wanted to get back to funky back country villages and scenery. Here we hike back into the Castle for the picturesque walk that it is, and later go to a nearby winery and purchase an amazing bottle of Riesling wine from this Mosel region. The wine is so good in fact we drive back to the village to purchase another bottle. As we talk later we comment that this has taken us back to our roots of how we have traveled in the past.

Burg Eltz

Our accommodations aren't a 4 star hotel, they are a Gastehof on a back street in Moselkern,owned by Fam. Heirlich with very comfortable beds, and feather comforters that keep you warm, and no noise except for the church bells at 7:00 am. At any moment you can just turn back over and go back to sleep. Travel doesn’t need to be any more comfortable than this! And a typical hearty German breakfast and he explains that what you don't eat to make sandwiches with to 'picnic' later. Hard to argue with that!

As we walk to Burg Eltz , a 7 km round trip and later along the Mosel river in the beautiful Sunday sun Sandra says to me, "You know, we still could have done even this trip with the bike". And you know she is right.

Volendam

As we finish our trip in Volendam we are treated to another spectacular day. We are at a 4 star hotel within easy access to the old town. Weather is still holding at 14C and sunny!

Van Der Valk Hotel view Volendam

Statue of Small boy looking at cats in a window.

What trip to Holland doesn't include a photo of a windmill

Annecy Region

Lacets High in French Alps

Last year we came to the Annecy region for the first time and really enjoyed the beauty of it.  This time it was to use a great hotel we had found to stage a re-visit to the LACETS from the 2015 Tour de France, and have a picnic there at a place we knew. It just so happened a local bike club was riding by at the time we were there.

Popular since Tour De France came through

On the return trip to Annecy we saw a Chateau in the distance, and drove to it. It was Chateau Miolans a chateau that later became a prison for celebrity prisoners like the Marquis de Sade. On the road to Albertville, so interesting when you gunkhole.

Chateau Miolans

ZERMATT and the Matterhorn

The Matterhorn

In all of time we have ridden Europe we have never been to Zermatt and the Matterhorn. Last year we had it scheduled if weather permitted, and it didn’t so this year we followed the weather and a nice window opened at just the right time for us to seize it; so we did.

The drive from Mennagio to Domodossola was extremely difficult since it crosses back and forth between Italy and Switzerland and roads are in many case 1 lane in width for a couple of kms. All the time around some difficult terrain, but we made it to Tasch, the base of getting to Zermatt and the Matterhorn. We arrived just early enough to be able to do our ascent and hike down that afternoon, under crystal clear blue skies, absolutely no cloud and excellent temperatures. The 1 ½ hr descent was a lot tougher than expected though with our calves and thigh muscles burning a lot then and today.

Sandra on the Descent

On our drive to Martigny in southern western Switzerland today we marveled at the orderly way that Swiss have their vineyards. It is almost to the point that if you pick a grape it will have a serial number on it. We finally buy a bottle of Cote du Rhone red wine to enjoy as a salute to this beautiful region.

Lake Como

Almost same picture as 10 years ago Hedges are taller is all

After a great meal at the Locanda de Convento, the very best Gnocchi I have had, though the Hungarian Bistro’s was superb as well, and an overnight stay there, we drove across the top of Italy and headed to Mennagio on Lake Como. A nice lunch on a vista overlooking the lake and then Gelato in Mennagio we headed just west of town to a hotel we had stayed at 10 years earlier. 

That story is so memorable for us since it was truly “a dark and stormy night”. 

We had on that occasion around the 22 May 2006, chosen to ride over the Gotthard Pass from Switzerland into Italy. Rain turned to snow, the Gotthard was closed and we detoured with the rental moto to take a lower pass that snow hadn’t accumulated on. Because of the storm everything had closed down, no gas stations and I was running out. The trek from Lugano to Mennagio I always characterized as driving inside a firehose, super dark and wet. 

Finally we saw the lights of this hotel and before we ran out of gas we pulled off for the night. Soaked, the hotel staff asked if we had eaten since their kitchen was closing and it was about 8:30 pm. They prepared a great meal for us that night and the next day we had a splendid breakfast before seeing Lake Como for the first time. 3 weeks later crossing back over on a more eastern pass we saw snow still piled up on the side of the road. They explained that the snow of 22 May had closed the passes for nearly 3 weeks and they had just re-opened.

The weather was so nice that we sat out at the pool for the remainder of the day and again ate supper there before heading to bed and the Matterhorn the next day.

Budapest

Budapest Parliament Buildings at Dusk

After our visit to Esztergom is our 48 km drive into our hotel in Budapest. We arrive before rush hour and getting settled was pretty easy. Out for a bit of a walk and a nice meal before bed we realize we are really well situated for taking in the sites.

As most already know Buda   Pest is made up of two cities with Buda being the west city (older) and Pest the east city (newer). Buda has the old castle, St Matthias Church

St Matthias at Dusk

and the Fishermans Bastion.

Parliament from Fishermans Bastion

Pest has more modern hotels, restaurants etc.

From our experience now, we would say Pest is much busier, noisier, with Buda being more congested, and slower.

Shoes on the Danube Jewish Memorial

The best treat of our stay was a small restaurant called the Hungarian Bistro. It was so good the first day we ate there after seeing the “Shoes on the Danube”,

about 4 blocks away, that we made a special trip back there a second day . The first day we had Duck, and the 2^nd time Goulash soup, and then an appetizer of Hungarian Gnocchi with sour cream and fried bacon bits. This place was outstanding! And they even give away in a nice folder, a copy of the soup recipe.

From our hotel/apt. we visited the chain Bridge, St Matthias Church, the Bastion, the old Castle, and used the vantage point for taking pictures of the Parliament buildings, the most common picture in Budapest.

Parliament Buildings by Day

Then back over the Chain bridge to the Shoes on the Danube, another reminder of the Nazi era where they had the Jews take off their footwear since it was valuable, before they shot them and pushed them off into the Danube river.

That evening we retraced our steps again to see the city at night and enjoy the night lights and activity.

Chain Bridge at Night

Our 2^nd full day saw us attend the Market hall where we bought spicy paprika and a jar of very hot sauce made from paprika. This was after having sampled it at the Hungarian Bistro. From there after lunch we hiked out to Heroes Square. Originally we were going to go out to the Baths there as well but learned that the outdoor baths had closed the day before. Even though the weather was 25-27C each day we were there the outdoor baths were now considered closed for the winter.

St Matthias at Night

After 3 nights we headed back out toward Esztergom and to cross back into Slovakia to follow the Danube for a while on its way upstream to Bratislava. This was a Saturday morning and everyone in Budapest was heading out there was well. The 48 km drive was bumper to bumper most of the way, but after Esztergom on the Slovakian side it was a nice drive into Bratislava.