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KLE Front Tyre Pressure KLE Front Tyre Pressure
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  #1  
Old 6 May 2010
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KLE Front Tyre Pressure
I notice in the manual it suggests 21psi. I have been running mine at 30psi since I got it. Anyone actually keep theirs at 21? Seems very low.
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  #2  
Old 6 May 2010
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I run about 28, 21 is WAY too low.
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  #3  
Old 6 May 2010
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Have been running my 2007 KLE on 21 front & 28 rear for 3 years now without a problem. That's what the owners manual says and I'm no expert on the subject but also have no complaints about tyre performance both on and off-road.
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Old 6 May 2010
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If you have a knobby front (or semi-knobbie) you do not need high pressures. I have run 22psi on front for 15 years of dual sport riding over every type of terrain and on tar, and it always gets the best grip both on and off road and best tyre life. High pressures on a knobbie tyre will just wear the middle of teh tyre quicker and will result in a rougher ride.

I run 22psi front, 24 psi rear using Dunlop D606's and its perfect with gear or without. I may run 26 in the rear and 24 front if it was super loaded with gear. I run the same with Dunlop 605's.

Knobby (or tyres with many blocks of tread) wiggle around alot and generate heat. But a more road like tyre wont generate that extra heat because it has less friction with the road - hence quieter.

That being said, if your tyre looks like a road tyre (eg 80% road) then by all means I would run more pressure. But given the low weight of the kle I still would'nt run any more than 24-26psi on the front.

A good idea is to check the tyre manufacturers website as they often refer to what the tyre was designed for normal operating pressure - but they are not always right as they maybe referring to heavier bikes.

Hope it helps
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  #5  
Old 6 May 2010
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Thats interesting Jimmy, I didn't know that. I'll adjust both front and rear pressures down and see how they go as my bike is still on its original tyres.

cheers
Tracy

Quote:
Originally Posted by jimmy101 View Post
If you have a knobby front (or semi-knobbie) you do not need high pressures. I have run 22psi on front for 15 years of dual sport riding over every type of terrain and on tar, and it always gets the best grip both on and off road and best tyre life. High pressures on a knobbie tyre will just wear the middle of teh tyre quicker and will result in a rougher ride.

I run 22psi front, 24 psi rear using Dunlop D606's and its perfect with gear or without. I may run 26 in the rear and 24 front if it was super loaded with gear. I run the same with Dunlop 605's.

Knobby (or tyres with many blocks of tread) wiggle around alot and generate heat. But a more road like tyre wont generate that extra heat because it has less friction with the road - hence quieter.

That being said, if your tyre looks like a road tyre (eg 80% road) then by all means I would run more pressure. But given the low weight of the kle I still would'nt run any more than 24-26psi on the front.

A good idea is to check the tyre manufacturers website as they often refer to what the tyre was designed for normal operating pressure - but they are not always right as they maybe referring to heavier bikes.

Hope it helps
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  #6  
Old 7 May 2010
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tracyprier View Post
I'll adjust both front and rear pressures down and see how they go
Me too.
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  #7  
Old 20 May 2010
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Hi,
I found 22 to max.of 23 psi for our KLE(2006) for the front tyre best suitable for all the conditions we ride in.
At around 6.000ks we got rid of both original tyres, and replaced them with Michelin Sirac. Not looking back. Very good tyres, suit 80% road use and 20% unsealed road use. Longer lasting and not only better in the dry, but also better in wet conditions (sealed road).
I found if you put more pressure in the front one, it can loose a bit of grip while cornering if road surface is not spot on, so to say on the rough side.
Best thing to do with the KLE is to spend a couple of $ and get her progressive fork springs (eg.Wilbers Racing), in combination with the Michelins very hard to beat and a very cheap solution to make it a safer bike. The bike's ride becomes more predictable, more direct.
Cheers Michael
Last edited by m2catter; 20 May 2010 at 02:16. Reason: ...
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  #8  
Old 21 May 2010
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I've done some leg work on this. The tyre pressure quoted in the manual is for the OE tyres the bike was sold with - in my case Dunlop Trailmax (not necessarily the same as aftermarket Trailmax either). Having run other tyres at 21psi since, I've noticed that I've been getting very low tyre life which on many occasions meant replacing the front before the rear had worn out. I have since run the tyres at the tyre manufacturer's recommended pressure (not always easy to find) and found tyre life much improved.

At the moment, I have Avon Road Riders (a pure road tyre) and they are run at 29psi front and 32psi rear.
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