Which tyre pressure??

[Simon UK]

Just got the bike back from the shop after crashing it 3 weeks ago, i've just reset the tyre pressure to what is printed on the swing arm but decided to see what bridgestone suggest for my pressure setting and they suggest something very different to suzuki. which setting should we actually be using, i've always used what suzuki recommend but now this has thrown some doubt.

Any ideas?

[jbo197]

Go with the tire manufacturers recommended settings.

[scottynoface]

Go with what the tire says, not the bike. Those are for the oem tires only

[BareKat]

I set my tires (tyres for you guys in the land of UK) to 3psi over the swing arm pressures.

...from the late great CP

Although Metzeler makes softer compound tires in this design (from the race track soft ME Z1 through the street-sport-touring ME Z4), the power and weight bias of the Katana doesn't really get served by any softer compounds than the ME Z4/Z6. What about the new ME 330/550 tires? Well, they might be good, but they are designed for a lighter weight bike than the Katana is when wet (fueled, oiled) and loaded with an adult rider & possible passenger: stick to the ME Z6. Also remember to keep the tire pressures up - a 200lb rider with gear should be running about 35 psi in front and 38 psi in rear (the Suzuki recommended tire pressures are based on the stock tire and a 140lb rider load!).

[scottynoface]

I set my tires (tyres for you guys in the land of UK) to 3psi over the swing arm pressures.

...from the late great CP

You need to be setting pressure based on the actual tire type and manufacturer's rec.

That is the only info that is correct, what the people who MADE the tire say. Not what it says on the swingarm.

[DClark]

I'd try what the tire company recommends and take it from there. I got some different brand tires for my '06 and called up BFG. GM recommends 33/36 and to my surprise, BFG said that was too high, they rec 31 all around. He did some calculations and said that the much higher weight might be ok if I was carrying brinks in my trunk, but the higher pressure will cause rougher ride and lack of traction by virtue of decreased contact area. He said try31 all around, at most bump up to 32lbs. If I wanted to further explore it, find an empty parking lot, draw stripes with a crayon across the tread and check it after driving. This all sounded pretty sensible to me. I now run 31lbs and car is smoother and handles better.
I contacted Avon about their radials and they recomended the same pressure as Suzuki. go figure.

[hardlydangerous]

always ask the mfg what they recommend.
conti recommended about 38-40psi for the atacks depending on riding conditions. I run 38

[niqbales]

I asked a question similar on a thread and got no reply... This is some great info... I'm gonna have to spend some time looking into this some more.

[JasonChen]

always go with suggested pressure by the tyre manufacturer. the swing arm sticker is for oem tires and is really geared around commuter riding and optimum tread life, not performance. also check if the tyre manufacturer suggested pressure measures cold or hot... that makes a huge difference as well.

[Simon UK]

Well i've finally gotten round to changing the pressures to what bridgestone suggested, at 36psi front and 42 rear. wow it has transformed the bike, feels very planted from before, wish i'd done it sooner.

[EEEMB]

For the conti tires I found their website.

http://www.conti-online.com/generator/www/de/en/continental/motorcycle/general/home/index_en.html

If you click on the fitment guide, and find the tires for your specific bike, and then the size you have, it will tell you the recommended pressure.

Example: I have conti attack tires on, stock sizes. So when I look it up, the manufacturer recommends for the 2000 katana 600 2,5 bar for rear and 2,3 bar for the front. ( in europe they don't use decimal points and the pressures are in bar) Convert bar to psi and you get roughly 36 psi rear and 33 psi front.. I usually run 40 rear and 37 in the front. So I will be lowering that a tad, closer to recommended pressures. Probably about 2 psi a piece.