Hitchcocks Forum

Any one any thoughts on this: RE recommends tyre pressures for a 500 bullet is front 18psi & rear 28psi. Other bike makers often give tyre pressure to suit a 10st rider and offer a chart to increase psi depending on rider weight. Does RE recomend pressures 18 / 28 irrespective if your 7st rider or a 20st rider.
cheers guys.....

Like what oil should I use? this tyre pressure thing is a regular topic here,. The tyre manufacturers over the years have changed both their construction techniques and materials so most of us have found that gentle (bit by bit) experiment with pressures will eventually produce a setting that suits bike, rider and road conditions. 18PSI on the front always seemed way too low to me as well so after gradual increases I now ride with 30PSI front and 32PSI rear. This works well for me and I seem to recall others settling for similar results in the past. I'm 15 stone, bike is 1992 500 classic and roads are UK pot holed top dressed excuses for hard top. Tyres currently fitted are "skid masters".

I find that 30psi is about right front and back. This is with a solo seat so no chance of a pillion.

I would be worried that the tyre would slip around the rim at 18psi, at best I think the steering would be sloppy. I run mine at around 32psi.

18psi, are you sure that isn't a misprint in the manual. I would have thought based on the numerous makes and models of motorcycles my wife and I have owned over the years it should be around 28psi
(If the misprint were 1.8 bar and not psi, that would be around 26psi.)

The lowest tyre pressures I use are 24psi all around on our Honda CX500 Custom and Velorex 700 sidecar outfit. (It is all my fault folks.) Because it has tyres very different to original specifications.

I run my 500 Classic C5 20psi front 30 psi rear without any problems

The worhshop manual says: Front-32 PSI. Rear-36 PSI.
The small handbook which comes with the bike says: Front- 18 PSI. Rear-20 PSI. With pillion-20 Front. 30-Rear.

As a general rule of thumb, if you don't have any other information, 30psi will "do" for just about any normal size tyre. I've followed this rule on cycles, bikes, trailers, trolleys, cars, wheelbarrows, etc. etc. and have never had a problem.
I ran the tyres on a big LWB Transit at 30 for quite a time before I found out it should be double that. It seemed to work OK and the tyres didn't seem to suffer. Having said that, it did handle better when I got the pressure right.

I can confirm: the handbook that came with my 2014 B5 definitely says 18psi in the front. I was surprised by such a low figure, but it seems to work fine at that. Importantly, the service manual also says 18psi for the front. I don't know which manual Leon has, but the official manual (Part No. 597451 May '09) is the one to use for this bike.

Thanks guys for your help: I think am going to try the pressures as given for my 1972 T120 as it runs on the same tyres (Dunlop K70) Which are as follows (taken from 1972 Triumph 650 workshop manual) Recomended psi is Front 24psi, Rear 25psi (pressures given are for a 10st rider) it goes on to recommend to add - To the Front 1.lb psi for every 28 lb weight in excess of 10st. Rear add 1.lb weight psi for every 14 lb in excess of 10st. Tyre pressures for a 14st rider (total weight inc rider with all the kit on) would be : Front 26psi / Rear 29psi. Thanks again for help.