Having the correct motorcycle tire PSI for your motorcycle is very important. Not having the correct tire PSI affects the suspension, the feel of the ride, the longevity of the tire, and your safety. It is one of those tasks that gets overlooked or skipped due to laziness. I won’t blame you though! For most people having the correct tire PSI means going to a gas station. Finding the air compressor, finding 50 cents to use it, over filling the tire, bleeding out air, and then getting on with your ride. Let’s take the annoyance out of it. Let’s make it easy. If you make it easy you will do it.
Before we begin please remember that you should fill your tires with air when they are cold. Air expands as the tire heats up and you will get an incorrect reading. The best time to put air into your tires is before your ride. If your one of those people that are always late, then schedule it into your phone the night before.
Introducing the bicycle pump. Is there any reason not to use it for a motorcycle tire? I dare you to try it.
Here is the first reason I love using a bicycle pump. It clips to the valve! Begone to trying to hold it at the right angle for the air to flow into the tire. Clip it and move on.
Here is the second reason why I love my bicycle pump. It has a easy to read PSI gauge right on it! No need to find your lost fancy schmancy digital PSI gauge. Looks like I am a little low. I would like 36 PSI in my rear tire. Do you know what the correct PSI you should have in your tire? Consult your motorcycle manual and/or check the swing arm on the motorcycle. It should have a required PSI.
Note that the PSI gauge goes up to 160 PSI. It will never be a good idea to see if you can get it there. I think the same person that put that high number there is also the same person that puts the 280km/h speedometer reading on economy cars.
Here is how the whole setup looks. Now begins the “work” to pump the air into the tire. This is where the skeptics come in and shout from the roof tops that it will take forever! If the tire was completely flat… Yes it would take several pumps for me to fill the tire to 36 PSI. Since we don’t ride around on flat tires, it took me 14 pumps to get the tire up to 36PSI.
There we go! 36PSI. Even in full gear on a hot day I doubt you will break a sweat using a bicycle pump to keep your motorcycle tires the perfect PSI. There is no excuse for you to not have the correct tire PSI anymore.
If you are interested in the specific bicycle tire pump I am using it is available at Canadian Tire for $17.99.
