| Author | Message | ||
     Midknyte |
Just seeking opinions on the 03 9R tires (Dunlops). I was thinking of running them about 5 or 6 lbs low in the interest of traction. I don't care about mileage. Would rather have a more forgiving ride. I don't do any limit pushing - I'm happy just being out riding / touring in non-squiddish fashion... If I'm way off base - set me straight. Thanks. | ||
| Daves |
Run them at the recommended pressures. It will affect your handling if you don't. Ride to the edge! Dave daves@h-dappleton.com | ||
| M1combat |
The XB's are VERY sensitive to tire pressure. I don't recommend it. What do you mean by forgiving? Forgiving of mistakes or bumps? | ||
| Yeahcmon |
Buy Metzelers... dunlops suck | ||
| Midknyte |
"The XB's are VERY sensitive to tire pressure..." I found this out the hard way. I believe this is one of the factors in my low side. After having received the bike, I went thru the suspension setup (set to midlines for my weight) and then headed up the road to check the air pressures. Both tires were about 12 lbs under-pressured so I dutifully filled them to the reccommended pressures and about 3 miles later I was on my ass. Subsequent reading (while I wait for repairs) has explained that the front-end wobble I had also been experiencing was because of the very low tire pressures. I don't know how to feel about it. Ultimately it is my responsibility to make sure everything is right, but it was sent out the door with me with grossly under-pressured tires. I seek forgiveness in area of traction. I also plan on setting the suspension up in the softened / touring settings. | ||
| Midknyte |
"Buy Metzelers... dunlops suck" I don't have the money for that this season... Hoping I could make the best of what I have... | ||
| Tpoppa |
if you want to increase traction and make the ride more forgiving. Leave the tires alone...Drop the rear preload 1 notch and soften the rear compression by 1/2 turn. Keep your rebound setting is in the middle of the adjustment range. This should give you enough traction even on bumpy roads. | ||
| M1combat |
Be careful... I have heard that the suspension on these bikes is very sensitive (or at least the bike is very sensitive to change). I have had no trouble what so ever with my suspension setup as it came from Daves at Waterloo (now Appleton) (Thanks Dave). | ||
| Midknyte |
"...I have heard that the suspension on these bikes is very sensitive (or at least the bike is very sensitive to change)..." I can officially vouch for this  | ||
| Captainplanet |
If the harsh ride bothers you, as it does me in town on rough streets, you can do other things rather than mess with tire pressure or suspension. Better seat and better grips go a long way in the ride quality of any bike. Just changing the grips made a big difference in the amount of jarring when on rough streets. I use foam barrel shaped grips now. I love em. | ||
| M1combat |
I won't recommend anything other than the factory setup for your weight but I generally ran my dunlops 2lbs under at both ends. I ran them by the book for the first couple months. After that I dropped two pounds and could feel the difference. I tried running one by the book and one lower by two and every time I could tell the bike just wasn't as stable feeling. | ||
| Wyckedflesh |
Dropping them 1 to 2 pounds will allow the tires to heat up quicker and the 1 to 2 lbs will come back inline while your riding as long as its a long ride. Short rides it won't heat them back up to pressure. | ||
| Xbvictor |
I thought my front suspension was tweaked, it would feel like the bike wanted to pull out in the middle of a turn. When I took the bike to the dealer to check my front suspension, the tech said the front tire was about 14lbs. under pressure. Tire pressure is very critical. | ||
| Fullpower |
yes tire pressure is a bit more critical than 14 pounds. that is rather soft for the street. | ||
| Henrik |
be careful about when and how you check tire pressure. Cold tire pressure is most reproducible - besides it makes sense to check before you go for ride. After riding for a bit, some heat will have accumulated in tire (air, rubber) and pressure will have gone up. As a baseline, tire pressure should go up by about 10 from cold to warm pressure. If you set it low, expecting the heat to bring the pressure up to recommended level, you will technically be running too low a pressure. Just heads up - especially considering an article stating 2 lbs of pressure to either side will adversely affect handling on the XB (can't remember the Mag??) Henrik (oh, and how accurate is your gauge??  ) | ||
| Midknyte |
So, just out of curiousity, with normal street riding - what is the typical variance in air pressure between cold and warm for these size tires? If any one knows... | ||
| Henrik |
Midknyte; see that's just the tricky part  . You need to set your tire pressure so that with your type of riding, the pressure will go up about 10%. So that will vary with rider weight, riding style - aggressive, sedate, touring, backroad scratching etc. etc. If the pressure doesn't go up enough, you're running too high a pressure. If it rises too much, you're likely running too low a pressure. Obviously you can't set perfect pressure for all times, but it's a good thing to get an idea of what's happening with your tires - bring a pressure gauge and check occasionally when you stop for a break. Henrik | ||
| Yeahcmon |
Found this great website for tires. www.kneedraggers.com Bought a metzeler m1 sportec 180 rear and had it shipped to my door for $118.00. The dealers want approx $140 for the dunlops. I didn't lioke my 207's, they developed a flat spot with a big hump on each side even with no burnouts. | ||
| Midknyte |
I got to thinking about it "after" I posed this last question... Cold / Warm tire pressure is going to be a subjective slash self-fullfilling problem to boot. The lower (and more incorrect) the pressures, the more and faster a tire may heat up and excaserbate (SP???) its pressure. Bah! I'm goin nuts sitting around not riding... | ||
| 420at145mph |
i got my metzelers from www.kneedraggers.com they got a TON of killer deals still havent got em mounted yet ( plan on burning up my stockers first )but they just look and feel like a superior tire | ||
| Curtyd |
I just put on Metzeler Z6's. I am trying to hit the compromise between good handling and longer life. The stock Dunlops only gave me about 4K. They feel pretty good so far, they're supposed to be better in the rain, so I'll give you the update when the summer thunderstorms start around here. I agree with stock pressures, other than that we have a deformed tire. Tracks are different than street, for one they don't stop and go like we do. Pressure will build up and stay up because of the hard running non-stop. Even pit stops at Daytona or anywhere are only about 10 seconds or so... I got my set for $257 delivered after a short back order wait for the front and the local HD shop actually installed them and didn't give me a hard time about buying them myself. Most won't allow that. | ||
| Brucelee |
Corbin seat!!Leave the pressure alone. | ||
| Xb9er |
Inflate your stock Dunlops to recommended pressures. The D207's are sport tires. You can't turn them into touring tires! They will not grip better if underinflated!!! They were designed specifically for the XB9R for optimum handling and grip at the recommended pressures. Buell sacrificed long wear for performance and handling on the D207's (so they would sell better). To meet Buell's specs, Dunlop used very little rubber to lower unsprung weight as much as possible. Midknyte, I would recommend that you change your tires NOW. You have messed with pressures and ridden them underinflated so the wear patterns are out of whack and it's possible that you have done some damage to them. If you have more than 3500 to 4000 miles on them, the center is probably almost paper thin by now and you could experience sudden tire failure. Check tire pressure before EVERY ride. Ride safely. Mike. | ||
| Xb9er |
When you inflated your tires before the lowside, you had been riding the bike with underinflated tires so they warmed up quickly and when you measured the pressures you got a hot tire pressure. When you brought them up to what you thought was normal, they were probably overinflated. If they were brand new and not yet scrubbed in, the tire mould release residue was still on them. In my opinion, this residue on the tire, combined with overinflation could cause a loss of traction. Try Dunlop's D220 or the equivalent from Metzeler if you are mainly commuting and touring. Mike. | ||
| Prof_stack |
I just had the 220's put on my XB9S and am quite happy with them. My usual riding days are 100+ miles. After 300 miles the tires grip as well as the 207's with my not-so-aggressive riding style. Sport-touring tires make good sense for a lot of, but not all, Buellers. Oh yeah, make sure your tires are inflated properly. | ||
| Leeaw |
When I went from 205's to 220's on my M2, it felt taller and did not want to lean in as fast. That could be because I had already got my 9R by then, and the M2 felt like a top-heavy bus. |
