[OCL]

Dunlop recommends 22 front and 28 rear for the Trail Max Mission tires. I'm bigger then average and run 25/30.

22/26 F/R on Dunlop's TMM tires did not work for me. The high speed wobble was there whenever I ran over an expansion joint on the freeway between 75-85 mph. Lightly loaded bike. 180 lbs. rider on board.

26/30 F/R seemed to be a good number for me as a minimum for pavement running. Definitely will stay in the 21/21 F/R off road.

 

[pdwestman]

And again I will strongly suggest for all of you guys to run 2 more PSI in the skinny front tires that what you choose to run in the rear tire!
And that goes for all brands & all models of tires that will fit on a KLR or whether you ride dirt, sand, rocks or only paved highways!

Try It, its free.

 

[charleetho]

And again I will strongly suggest for all of you guys to run 2 more PSI in the skinny front tires that what you choose to run in the rear tire!
And that goes for all brands & all models tires that will fit on a KLR or whether you ride dirt, sand, rocks or only paved highways!

Try It, its free.

I will give that a try. Interesting to me, over 42 years of riding and 29 motorcycles I've never seen a motorcycle tire or manufacturer recommend higher pressure in the front vs rear.

 

[KLR-Mule]

And again I will strongly suggest for all of you guys to run 2 more PSI in the skinny front tires that what you choose to run in the rear tire!
And that goes for all brands & all models tires that will fit on a KLR or whether you ride dirt, sand, rocks or only paved highways!

Try It, its free.

Sorry Paul, but not me. Anything at 33psi or below increases wear on the rear tire….at least on my bike. I run 3 psi higher in the rear than in the front.
The rear tire takes most of the load, and needs to be properly aired up for maximum motorcycle support and tire longevity.
This could just be specific to the Shinko 705’s, but that tire wears quick when there’s not enough air in it.
In summer months, the inner tube may also adhere to the inner portion of the tire if not properly inflated. The added friction causes higher tire temps when running lower tire pressure, especially when riding 2-up.
Ask how I know….

 

[DPelletier]

Sorry Paul, but not me. Anything at 33psi or below increases wear on the rear tire….at least on my bike. I run 3 psi higher in the rear than in the front.
The rear tire takes most of the load, and needs to be properly aired up for maximum motorcycle support and tire longevity.
This could just be specific to the Shinko 705’s, but that tire wears quick when there’s not enough air in it.
In summer months, the inner tube may also adhere to the inner portion of the tire if not properly inflated. The added friction causes higher tire temps when running lower tire pressure, especially when riding 2-up.
Ask how I know….

33psi is way too high for what I do and where I ride and I have no experience with Shinko 705's but I agree with Paul on running more pressure in the smaller front; while the rear tire may well take more than 50% of the load, the much larger rear tire can carry far more weight at the same pressure as the smaller, skinnier front. Since the front tire sees additional stresses from doing most of the braking and since it hits obstacles harder making pinch flats more likely, I stick with the 2 PSI higher in the front. The rear just doesn't need the same pressure to carry the load unless you are running 2 up or loaded very heavily......even Kawi agrees.

2 cents,

Dave

 

[Tom Schmitz]

@KLR-Mule, I will wholeheartedly agree that rear tires wear faster if they don't get to 33ish psi. I run either 34 or 36 psi in the rear. I do run the +2 to the front as I have found that it does improve cornering and braking performance.

I don't bother airing down for anything passable by a 4wd vehicle. And, uh, nowadays that means I don't bother airing down...

I can get 9000 miles out of a rear K761 and could run the front to three times that were it not for the shameful aspect of being that cheap. I replace the front every two rears.

 

[KLR-Mule]

After I saw that melted inner tube, my tire installation guy advised that I bump up the psi in the rear. Haven’t had a melted tube since, and I’ve since learned how to mount tires myself.
Those IRC tubes really do hold up to some extreme conditions…let me tell ya!

On a side note, I also do lots of hardcore off-road riding from time to time. High tire pressure really does suck off-road, but I’m too lazy to go back & forth with the pressure. I’ve learned how to handle the klr off-road with high tire psi. It’s made me a better rider, but it didn’t happen overnight lol

To help maximize fuel economy & tire longevity, I run higher psi than most other dual-sport riders probably would. Run what works best for your application and ride on!

 

[pdwestman]

I will strongly suggest to anyone who asks the question about tire pressures to inflate the Skinnier Front tires at least 2 psi Higher (than) whatever you feel the need to run in the Fatter rear tires.
Works on any bike, trials bikes, MX bikes, enduro bikes, dual-sports, cruiser bikes, touring bikes, even road racers.

My 'go-to' base-line pressure for KLR's on asphalt, solo rider is 32 Front / 30 Rear. One can go higher for large riders or 2 up or fully packed or lower for dirt roads only. But keep your front tires 2 psi higher than the fatter rear tire clear up to Maximum pressure, if you think your actually packing that much total weight. There is a maximum weight printed on the sidewalls of your tires.

Crisper handling, longer tread life, less prone to inner tube chaffing, less prone to tire slippage on the front rim tearing the valve stem, less prone to wobbles, less scalloping of the front tire tread, less chance of front rim dents.

Try it, ITS FREE.

And again I will strongly suggest for all of you guys to run 2 more PSI in the skinny front tires that what you choose to run in the rear tire!
And that goes for all brands & all models of tires that will fit on a KLR or whether you ride dirt, sand, rocks or only paved highways!

Try It, its free.

33psi is way too high for what I do and where I ride and I have no experience with Shinko 705's but I agree with Paul on running more pressure in the smaller front; while the rear tire may well take more than 50% of the load, the much larger rear tire can carry far more weight at the same pressure as the smaller, skinnier front. Since the front tire sees additional stresses from doing most of the braking and since it hits obstacles harder making pinch flats more likely, I stick with the 2 PSI higher in the front. The rear just doesn't need the same pressure to carry the load unless you are running 2 up or loaded very heavily......even Kawi agrees.

2 cents,

Dave

At least Tom S., Dave P., PeteK and many other long term KLR riders agree with me. 2 psi higher in the skinny front tire than in the fatter rear tires.

One can lead a horse to water, but one can not make them drink.

After reading your recommendations I tried the higher pressures today and all I can say is what a difference. I took a 150 mile trip (~33%dirt, 66% asphalt) and feel like a fool for running the OM suggested pressure. Thanks for the tips

Thank you for testing.

 

[DPelletier]

@KLR-Mule, I will wholeheartedly agree that rear tires wear faster if they don't get to 33ish psi. I run either 34 or 36 psi in the rear. I do run the +2 to the front as I have found that it does improve cornering and braking performance.

I don't bother airing down for anything passable by a 4wd vehicle. And, uh, nowadays that means I don't bother airing down...

I can get 9000 miles out of a rear K761 and could run the front to three times that were it not for the shameful aspect of being that cheap. I replace the front every two rears.

And, as usual, our usage and experiences dictate our preferences; I ride mostly offroad or at low speeds for short distances around town. My tire selection and pressures are geared to offroad traction as the primary metric and since my high speed pavement use is limited and I'm lazy, I don't bother airing up for a short highway jaunt. .....so while our tire choices and pressure ranges vary widely as one would expect, I still agree and maintain that there is no reason to run MORE pressure in the rear tire unless you have a passenger or a weeks' worth of gear......neither of which I do. I only get 2,000 - 3,000 out of my D606 rears, but that's still a season for me given the two bikes.

cheers,
Dave

 

[KLR-Mule]

@KLR-Mule
I can get 9000 miles out of a rear K761 and could run the front to three times that were it not for the shameful aspect of being that cheap. I replace the front every two rears.

Ive never been able to get more than 4,000mi out of a rear tire, even with a K761 mounted on my previous gen 1…..that I would never buy again lol. Man that’s an awful tire on both dry and especially wet pavement. I call that along with the Dunlop K750, “widow-maker tires”.

Everyone else seems to get 8,000mi with the Shinko 705 rear, while mines completely bald at half the mileage. What gives?

 

[KLR-Mule]

One can lead a horse to water, but one can not make them drink.

That comment goes both ways. I’ve found something that works for me, that contradicts your opinion on the tire pressure topic.
Run what works best for you and let others do the same!

 

[Tom Schmitz]

@DPelletier, I think you have hit at the core of the issue, but it's not what you think it is. You say our tire pressures are based upon our environment and intended use. That sounds all well and good, noble and all that, but it is later in your post that you discover the true, underlying cause.

Laziness. That is the fundamental truth I can relate to.

My BMW runs 42/42. Right now the TPMS are off by 4 pounds, which happens over time. All I have to do to fix it is completely deflate the tires so that the TPMS sensors reset to zero, then re-inflate the tires. It takes 10 minutes, but I haven't done it. Do you know why?

Yes, that is correct!

<insert Deep Purple video here>

 

[OCL]

Everyone else seems to get 8,000mi with the Shinko 705 rear, while mines completely bald at half the mileage. What gives?

California.

6k was the most I saw on my rear Shinko 705's (two sets) on the DR650. Lots of highway 75-80 mph.

 

[pdwestman]

I used to get 8,500 - 11,000 miles out of rear Avon Gripsters. I think that is why Avon quit making them. They lasted too long.

 

[KLR-Mule]

I used to get 8,500 - 11,000 miles out of rear Avon Gripsters. I think that is why Avon quit making them. They lasted too long.

That would be the bees knees!
Just ordered 3 Mitas E-08 tires on eBay for $60 apiece with free shipping. Normal price was $160 apiece, so we will give them a try. We are in a recession here, so anything helps nowadays.
Shinko’s used to be the cheapest tire @ $65 for a rear. Now they are at least $90

 

[Rees Fullmer]

This for 2022 KLR's.

Kawasaki says 21 psi cold F&R with light load. That's one average weight rider with light cargo.

This has always been suspicious to me. That's off road tire pressure in my book. Though I never had issues with the OEM tires, aside from the rear lasting less than 2k miles. But I recently replaced my tires with Dunlop Trailmax Mission tires. At 21/26 psi F/R, the bike would occasionally wobble at high speed when it went over expansion joints, or any big uneven surface that was parallel to my line of travel. The wobble lasted only a few moments before the bike recovers. But I just didn't get it because this never happened with the OEM tires. I checked all axle bolts, pinch bolts, chain alignment, suspension bolts, all were in spec. Still....I also noticed when moving the bike in the garage, there seems to be too much resistance at the tire contact patch. It felt like the tires were flat spotted and needed extra effort to get the bike to roll forward or backwards.

Today, I pumped up the tire pressures to something more normal to me with a bike this heavy. I used my VStrom 650 XT as a baseline, which called for 33/36 psi cold F/R, with a light load. The VStrom is a good 30 lbs. heavier than my KLR. Close enough for government work. I proceeded to pump up my KLR's pressure to 26/30 psi F/R.

What a difference! The wobbling is completely gone! I went out on a highway and found a few expansion joints and rode along the length of them at 80 mph. The bike tracked straight and true. The bike feels significantly more planted now.

An old dirt track racer told me to raise my pressure to 26/35. It helped at higher KLR speeds (above 60mph and pushing 70 downhill).

 

[pdwestman]

An old dirt track racer told me to raise my pressure to 26/35.

And I think that you remembering those numbers Backwards.
Yeah, 26 in the front is better than 21 but, I don't know a single dirt rider of any type that would recommend less pressure in the skinny Front than the wider Rear. When on the brakes, or worse downhill & on the brakes 70-90 % of the entire load can be on the skinny front tire.

 

[KLR-Mule]

And I think that you remembering those numbers Backwards.
Yeah, 26 in the front is better than 21 but, I don't know a single dirt rider of any type that would recommend less pressure in the skinny Front than the wider Rear. When on the brakes, or worse downhill & on the brakes 70-90 % of the entire load can be on the skinny front tire.

Most of the load & weight is on the rear. Another reason why the rear tire is much wider than the front…to help accommodate those additional stresses.
Think of it like this. When you tow a large trailer with a pickup, it’s recommended that you add more air pressure in the rear tires to accommodate the extra load stress, not vise versa. Less air pressure on the “load tires” will increase tire temps and create more drag.
The next time you take your bike out on a long hot summer ride, put your hand on the rear tire vs the front. I bet you won’t be able to touch the rear tire for very long. I’ve never heard of the front needing more pressure than the rear drive wheel, especially in commercial & agricultural settings.
Its also recommended in the manual to add more psi in the rear tire when loads get above a certain threshold. It’s the only thing I agree with in that poorly-written manual .
To add, Kawi’s front tire psi recommendation is waaaay too low in my opinion….and should be increased for better riding stability.

 

[DPelletier]

Most of the load & weight is on the rear. Another reason why the rear tire is much wider than the front…to help accommodate those additional stresses.
Think of it like this. When you tow a large trailer with a pickup, it’s recommended that you add more air pressure in the rear tires to accommodate the extra load stress, not vise versa. Less air pressure on the “load tires” will increase tire temps and create more drag.
The next time you take your bike out on a long hot summer ride, put your hand on the rear tire vs the front. I bet you won’t be able to touch the rear tire for very long. I’ve never heard of the front needing more pressure than the rear drive wheel, especially in commercial & agricultural settings.
Its also recommended in the manual to add more psi in the rear tire when loads get above a certain threshold. It’s the only thing I agree with in that poorly-written manual .
To add, Kawi’s front tire psi recommendation is waaaay too low in my opinion….and should be increased for better riding stability.

What you are missing is that the much larger (by air volume) rear tire can carry a heavier load at the same tire pressure compared to the smaller front. For eg. a 285/70/16 tire can carry twice the load at the same PSI as a 215/75/15 tire.....or the same load at half the pressure.

Dave

 

[Tom Schmitz]

@KLR-Mule, you missed a key point and then focused on non-sequitur examples that don't relate to the KLR (and all bikes with a small diameter rear tire and skinny, tall, front).

The issue is weight transfer to the front during braking (especially steepish downhill braking), as well as impact loading of the front tire during off-road. That requires a higher pressure at the front for the reasons that @DPelletier points out.

The load is not analogous to a vehicle pulling a trailer, nor is it analogous to farm implements (not sure where that came from ).