Confidence gone to shot!....kinda long : Yamaha R6 Forum: R6MessageNet : YZF-R6 Forums

Irdawood · 06-11-2006, 11:22 PM

I dont know if this is normal or not but my confidence on the bike is all gone to pot. i mean i dont feel confident to even ride in a straight line no more

the story is that i had some 6k miles on my OEM tyres before the back one decided to puncture (was old anyways so no problem) then i replaced this back tyre with a Pilot Power had it on for about a week, when i was on the motorway (freeway) going about 60ish and this guy pulls me over and says that my tyre had popped!!!! i mean i noticed the rear of the bike giving me trouble but i had my mrs on board so couldnt tell if it were the bike or her twitching, anyways thank god that cager stopped me or who knows what could have happened.

got the bike to a stop and noticed it was a tiny pin prick of a hole so it was deflating slowly...kinda lucky

anyways let me fast forward to now, i had the bike tyre replaced again (pilot power)! but i feel that the bike is 'not quite right' either that or my confidence. i havent checked the pressure on the rear tyre yet but i mean could low pressure really give this much of a problem to rock your confidence. i keep stopping every few miles whenever i ride my bike to make sure the tyre isnt popped. there is a bit of give in the tyre... so when i push it in with my fingers it does go in ever erver so slight, i just need to purcahse a guage. before i can make sure what the pressure in the tyre really is. also off the top of your heads what are the pressures supposed to be?

cheers and sorry for the long rant

blackonwhite99r6 · 06-11-2006, 11:27 PM

34-40 is what most people run around here I think, anywhere in there works. I run 38 all around cause sometimes I ride with a passenger, get a gauge, check it out, then read the suspension guide on here and use that to set up your suspension. Should help you out a bit as far as confidence goes.

Taos1 · 06-12-2006, 12:22 AM

1st ride of the season, was riding from my parents house to mine (6 miles). I hit some twisties and noticed the the bike going wide into the turns. Checked the tire pressure as soon as I got home. I had 15 psi in the rear and 11 in front. Pumped them up to 36 and it made a huge difference. Now I always carry a pressure gauge and check it once a week.
Stupid me, I forgot to add air before storing it away for the winter.

Rogue6 · 06-12-2006, 01:30 AM

Did you replace both front and rear with Pilot Powers or are you running OEM tire in the front and Pilot Powers in the rear?

Here a cool device(still under development) you might be interested in: tireAlert by Kisan Techologies Inc.

DangerDog · 06-12-2006, 01:39 AM

I learned from the track guys to run 30 up front and 29 in the rear, and I run that pressure on the streets. To high of a pressure will make your tire skip, too low and you'll run wide. You gotta hit that sweet spot where you get the best traction, and I figured if I am runnin 30/29 on the track where I am running harder than I would in the canyon, then that would be a good pressure setting to always have on the street. You need to get a tire pressure gauge with a pressure release valve on it, they make pressure adjustments cake, and they're only like 20 bucks US. They usually come in two pressure ranges, ont for off roaders where it only reads to 30 PSI, and then there's more of a street geared gauge that will run up to 60 PSI, but that depends on the make of gauge too, could be any pressure range really...

Chances are in most cases you are OK with your tires, as long as you keep your pressure routinely in check, and you are just paranoid because of what has happened. I adjust mine every time I plan on riding hard, which is about once a week. I usually notice when I check my pressure I am down 1 PSI from where I need to be at that interval. Just give your tires a once over before you ride, if you got front and rear stands it helps too, just give em a spin to check for damage. And if you are really worried about em, check em right before you hit your run, like at the bottom of the canyon.

Keep the (properly inflated) rubber side down bro! Peace!

Irdawood · 06-12-2006, 01:39 AM

at the moment im running OEM front and pilot power rear,.... i know that they are differant combos but that dont really matter does it?... i mean once the skin is warm its all good to go i thought?

DangerDog · 06-12-2006, 01:44 AM

Most people recommend running the same brand and model of tire for front and back. I don't know if that's mostly gimmick, but to me, the difference in each manufacturer's and tire model's rubber compounds is enough for me to say I better stick with the same make and model front and rear. Some tires are geared for higher mileage, while some are geared for better traction, which can be a dangerous combo if applied incorrectly to a sport bike...

Also remeber that OEM tires may have different compunds than the same model of tire you can buy in the aftermarket...

fjman · 06-12-2006, 02:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DangerDog

I learned from the track guys to run 30 up front and 29 in the rear, and I run that pressure on the streets. To high of a pressure will make your tire skip, too low and you'll run wide. You gotta hit that sweet spot where you get the best traction, and I figured if I am runnin 30/29 on the track where I am running harder than I would in the canyon, then that would be a good pressure setting to always have on the street. You need to get a tire pressure gauge with a pressure release valve on it, they make pressure adjustments cake, and they're only like 20 bucks US. They usually come in two pressure ranges, ont for off roaders where it only reads to 30 PSI, and then there's more of a street geared gauge that will run up to 60 PSI, but that depends on the make of gauge too, could be any pressure range really...

Chances are in most cases you are OK with your tires, as long as you keep your pressure routinely in check, and you are just paranoid because of what has happened. I adjust mine every time I plan on riding hard, which is about once a week. I usually notice when I check my pressure I am down 1 PSI from where I need to be at that interval. Just give your tires a once over before you ride, if you got front and rear stands it helps too, just give em a spin to check for damage. And if you are really worried about em, check em right before you hit your run, like at the bottom of the canyon.

Keep the (properly inflated) rubber side down bro! Peace!

If you know it all, why do you ask?

If you are gaining 10% psi between hot and cold, you've got the pressure right. THIS WILL CHANGE... depending on what tire you have, depending on how you ride it. If you run a D207 with a passenger at 32psi and switch to a pilot sport solo, 32 psi will likely NOT be correct for you. Ditto if you run ANY of the tires available!

As a note, "everyone says run 30/29 psi" welp mac, I run 32/45, and i KNOW that's where my best traction is. Experiment and measure, measure, measure.

Now, onto the meat of the thing... if you are running mismatched front/rear, and you aren't exceptionally familiar with the machine, then yes, it's going to feel twitchy and unstable, more than likely. Match the rubber, set the sag, fiddle the dampers... and THEN you can start worrying about how it feels, yanno?

DangerDog · 06-12-2006, 02:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fjman

If you know it all, why do you ask?

If you are gaining 10% psi between hot and cold, you've got the pressure right. THIS WILL CHANGE... depending on what tire you have, depending on how you ride it. If you run a D207 with a passenger at 32psi and switch to a pilot sport solo, 32 psi will likely NOT be correct for you. Ditto if you run ANY of the tires available!

As a note, "everyone says run 30/29 psi" welp mac, I run 32/45, and i KNOW that's where my best traction is. Experiment and measure, measure, measure.

Now, onto the meat of the thing... if you are running mismatched front/rear, and you aren't exceptionally familiar with the machine, then yes, it's going to feel twitchy and unstable, more than likely. Match the rubber, set the sag, fiddle the dampers... and THEN you can start worrying about how it feels, yanno?

Agreed man. I guess that's just my opinion on the subject, and the place where I run my pressures at. Not sayin I know it all, and I didn't originally post this thread, I was just providing the insight I know of, especially given that there are plenty of doods here that would rip me a new one on the track. I do however know this much, given the temp of the day, and having thought enough to ask about tire pressures during my track day, and gettin the same answers from the majority of the guys in my group, I ran 30/29, and my bike has never felt more planted. And given my riding scenarios are always the same for me personally, meanin I never ride passengers, and I always take a hard canyon run on the weekends, and plan on tossing in occasional trackdays as well. Never do I passenger, and I am always on the same tire make model and size...

windblown · 06-12-2006, 10:53 PM

Tires are everything on a bike. Some folks are good enough that they can get away with running thrashed, mismatched, improperly inflated tires and deal with it. I'm not one of those people.

I see a few issues:

1) You're running a harder compound front (probably) than rear and possibly mis-matched tire profile as well. Bad combination...

2) You haven't a clue what your tire pressure is and tire pressure makes a huge difference in feel and tire life. (I check mine all the time)

3) Unless you rail really hard I would not run track pressures on the street. You'll just toast the tires quicker. For Pilot Powers I'd try 36 rear and 34 front as a start and adjust from there. The PP's have very soft sidewalls and obtain a good tire contact patch easier than some other tires.

4) You've had some really bad luck and probably a little spooked. Natural enough. Get your tires straight, check your suspension settings, and give yourself some time.

YMMV.