[KLR-Mule]

All good points. I’ll still stick with higher psi in the rear to help prevent melting inner tubes in the summer months. That was an eye opener for me. The previous 30 psi rear number wasn’t working for me, but might work well for others

 

[pdwestman]

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

The previous 30 psi rear number wasn’t working for me, but might work well for others

I'm glad that 34-36 psi in your rear tire works great for you. And I hope that your slightly Soft front tire doesn't scallop too much on asphalt or allow front rim dents when off-highway. A scalloping front tire adds to handlebar vibrations when on paved roads & reduces braking traction when off-highway.

It is your bike and set up to your liking.

 

[KLR-Mule]

I'm glad that 34-36 psi in your rear tire works great for you. And I hope that your slightly Soft front tire doesn't scallop too much on asphalt or allow front rim dents when off-highway. A scalloping front tire adds to handlebar vibrations when on paved roads & reduces braking traction when off-highway.

It is your bike and set up to your liking.

33 psi in the front is more than sufficient to prevent the front wheel from denting when hitting potholes. Never had that issue, nor has it ever worn funny because of it. I’m fairly certain I would’ve ruined a front wheel by now if I followed Kawasaki’s recommendation of 21 psi for the front.
33 psi front, 36 psi rear seems to work good and it’s what I stick with

 

[kurtfriedrich]

Another reason to run higher pressures (its the 5th factor in their list of 5, flexing wears out the sidewalls)

 

[PNWexplorer]

Great thread! I put 25 miles on my bike today and it seemed a little sketchy. Did some gravel and it was definitely wandering all over.

Got home and remembered something about at least 32 psi, so I checked my pressures and they were both at 20 psi. Set them both to 32 psi, but haven't ridden it yet.

Seems like I need to bump up the pressure a bit more. I'm 300 lbs and will have about another 40 lbs of bags and gear for everyday commuting.

So... 34 rear and 36 front?

 

[Reveille]

36 seems a bit high. Maybe try 30 front and see how it feels. Gravel will be sketchy on a klr650 regardless of the tires from my experience. You'll get used to it.

 

[KLR-Mule]

Great thread! I put 25 miles on my bike today and it seemed a little sketchy. Did some gravel and it was definitely wandering all over.

Got home and remembered something about at least 32 psi, so I checked my pressures and they were both at 20 psi. Set them both to 32 psi, but haven't ridden it yet.

Seems like I need to bump up the pressure a bit more. I'm 300 lbs and will have about another 40 lbs of bags and gear for everyday commuting.

So... 34 rear and 36 front?

Based on your weight, something around 35ish psi should be good. I keep my front @ 33psi & the rear @ 36psi which helps prevent the tubes from heat-welding to the innards of the tire in summer months.

You might want to look into upgrading that rear spring. It’ll be too soft for your weight even on the highest pre-load setting. Just slapped a top gun 7.4 spring on my bike and couldn’t be happier with the suspension performance.

 

[pdwestman]

So... 34 rear and 36 front?

For asphalt usage, YES.
For dirt & gravel you could run lower, I don't air down, because I don't like airing back up.
And it is just the nature of 2 wheels on dirt & gravel, it will always feel a little squiggly, totally normal even on a pure dirt bike on Knobby tires. Relax & go with the flow.

 

[daave]

I don't go over 33 because of my tire sidewall ratings. For my motoz gps tires they do well at either 21/26, 28/28, or 32/30. last trip I did 45 miles 72mph 21/26 psi and they did fine nice smooth ride. 32/30 is too bumpy.


My 90/10 off-road I don't drive over 40 on tar and keep them at 21/22 ish

 

[scherf]

I am running per 32/34 on street and feels good, I don't go over 55 mph. Factory settings are good for dirt. Many forget rear tire is much wider and taller vs circumference, will need less air.

 

[TiggerTigger]

I am trying the same pressure I used in the Himalayan.
25 front
34 rear.

 

[pdwestman]

I am trying the same pressure I used in the Himalayan.
25 front
34 rear.

Why??
When so many Long time KLR riders / forum members suggest using more air in the skinny front tires of all these types of bikes than the fatter / larger contact patch rear tires?

The tires support the bikes by the internal psi of the tires spread across the Square Inches of Contact on the ground.
Less square inches on the ground needs more psi to support the weight.
I'll again urge everyone to at least try 34-30psi Front and 32-28psi in the Rear regardless of tire brands/models.

 

[DPelletier]

Why??
When so many Long time KLR riders / forum members suggest using more air in the skinny front tires of all these types of bikes than the fatter / larger contact patch rear tires?

The tires support the bikes by the internal psi of the tires spread across the Square Inches of Contact on the ground.
Less square inches on the ground needs more psi to support the weight.
I'll again urge everyone to at least try 34-30psi Front and 32-28psi in the Rear regardless of tire brands/models.

Agreed though I'd say it's more to do with the volume of air in the tire vs. the contact patch as far as load carrying goes.......and those pressures look fine on pavement but are 5-10 psi too high for offroad IMO.

Dave

 

[KLR-Mule]

Why??
When so many Long time KLR riders / forum members suggest using more air in the skinny front tires of all these types of bikes than the fatter / larger contact patch rear tires?

The tires support the bikes by the internal psi of the tires spread across the Square Inches of Contact on the ground.
Less square inches on the ground needs more psi to support the weight.
I'll again urge everyone to at least try 34-30psi Front and 32-28psi in the Rear regardless of tire brands/models.

Here we go again! I always used to run 33ish psi in the front and 30ish psi in the rear from what I read on the forums years ago. As I’ve previously mentioned, had the rear tube heat-weld to the innards of the rear tire of my 2018 klr. It had gotten so hot that the tube could not be removed from the tire and both had to be disposed of. When this happened, I was also doing lots of 2-up riding during the hot summer months of 2019. Under normal riding conditions, I bet it would’ve been fine.

My mechanic & tire changer (at the time) advised that I bump up the psi in the rear tire and all has been good. I’ve since gone thru about 8 rear tires and have yet to find a heat-welded tube.
The rear tire takes a good bit of the load since it bears the most weight & drives the bike forward. Try touching the rear tire after a hot summer ride compared to the front.
Makes the most sense to me, and am glad I no longer follow the “advised” tire pressures.
But to each their own! Do what works best for you and your application.

 

[DPelletier]

Here we go again! I always used to run 33ish psi in the front and 30ish psi in the rear from what I read on the forums years ago. As I’ve previously mentioned, had the rear tube heat-weld to the innards of the rear tire of my 2018 klr. It had gotten so hot that the tube could not be removed from the tire and both had to be disposed of. When this happened, I was also doing lots of 2-up riding during the hot summer months of 2019. Under normal riding conditions, I bet it would’ve been fine.

My mechanic & tire changer (at the time) advised that I bump up the psi in the rear tire and all has been good. I’ve since gone thru about 8 rear tires and have yet to find a heat-welded tube.
The rear tire takes a good bit of the load since it bears the most weight & drives the bike forward. Try touching the rear tire after a hot summer ride compared to the front.
Makes the most sense to me, and am glad I no longer follow the “advised” tire pressures.
But to each their own! Do what works best for you and your application.

With all due respect, your situation (heat welding a tube to a tire at 30-ish PSI) is .....uncommon to say the least. Uncommon to the point that I'd suspect something else was going on with the tube, tire, some sort of lube or ???. I'm NOT saying it didn't happen our you aren't being truthful (not at all), but I'd be interested in the brand and type of tube, tire, and if it was put in dry or what else was used. I can't say I've heard anything similar ever and I suspect there are a great many (OK most) KLR's running around with 30PSI or less in the rear tire, including those running 2 up, in the summer, on the highway.

I mean the highest number in the manual is 28 PSI noted at a heavy load (up to 401 lbs) so if running 2 PSI ABOVE this number caused routine catastrophic failure then I'm sure we'd all know it by now. I have to think something else was going on.

.....horse is truly dead, I know!

 

[KLR-Mule]

We may need to cremate that horse!
Shinko 705 with an IRC heavy duty tube. Riding 2-up with loaded panniers and top box was right at 500 lbs. 100+ degree outside temps.

Although I think the owners manual is full of crappola for the most part, I do happen to agree with the listed max-weight rear tire psi recommendation being higher than the front. That’s about the only thing I agree with in that so-called manual….even tho the listed front psi is too low IMO.
Just my .02

 

[DPelletier]

We may need to cremate that horse!
Shinko 705 with an IRC heavy duty tube. Riding 2-up with loaded panniers and top box was right at 500 lbs. 100+ degree outside temps.

Although I think the owners manual is full of crappola for the most part, I do happen to agree with the listed max-weight rear tire psi recommendation being higher than the front. That’s about the only thing I agree with in that so-called manual….even tho the listed front psi is too low IMO.
Just my .02

Tire and tube both have good reputation and are widely used; no clarity there. I still wonder about tire lube.... Sorry, I forgot I was on the 2022 forum when I posted the 28psi factory recommendation which it was up until now. I love how Kawi goes from recommending 21 psi at 215 lbs to 36 psi at 216 lbs!

I will agree on the front: 21PSI is way too low and I run 22 - 24 even offroad.

 

[pdwestman]

And even again I will suggest to EVERYONE riding a KLR650 of any year, whether solo, 2 up or loaded to the absolute MAXIMUM or beyond, to run at least 2 more PSI in the Skinny front tire than what you choose to run in the Fatter, Broader, more square Inches of contact patch REAR TIRE!!

TRY IT for a thousand miles! It is free.

 

[daave]

Not an expert but I think it has more to do with temperature and tire model/brand. If I ride 65 or under I've never seen my tires get more hot than my wife's street bike. This is with a motoz gps hot summer with psi 32/30, 28/26, 21/26.

With my knobby tires the results are way different. The MX32 hard tire 90/100/21 at 21 psi doesn't flatten out as much as the Trakmaster 2 at 21 psi. However if I put these tires at 32-32, and drive street, they burn up fast. Two totally different sets of tires behaving differently. 20/20 with these tires and it's a dirt bike.

Yes, the KLR is a transformer.

(I thought I heard someone say the 255shinkos are a great combo. Might try that next as I think the key to having the best street/off-road tire has everything to do with air management.)

If you want to drive fast interstate speeds all day long with the occasional old man gravel road riding I'd go as high as you can. If you're driving off-road and you are a weekend warrior like me, dang I could probably get away with 16-18psi because I'm not Jarvis.

I think every tire is different.

 

[KLR-Mule]

And even again I will suggest to EVERYONE riding a KLR650 of any year, whether solo, 2 up or loaded to the absolute MAXIMUM or beyond, to run at least 2 more PSI in the Skinny front tire than what you choose to run in the Fatter, Broader, more square Inches of contact patch REAR TIRE!!

TRY IT for a thousand miles! It is free.

I would say this advice might be worth considering for someone that lives in a mild climate well below 100 degrees, and no 2-up riding or heavy loads.
Riders who are heavier (like me ) and/or ride 2-up often in extreme summer temps should really consider bumping up the rear tire psi.
Most motorcycle mechanics I’ve spoke to concerning tires recommend a ~10% increase in rear tire pressure than the front. Seems to be a very common practice, but not to some I suppose.