The manual says 17psi FR 21psi RE.I thing my bike is more stable on road with less pressure on the tyres.Off road im lowering the pressure anyway.So how many psi do you use for off road and on road?
with stock Karoo's: On road - 25/28 Off road - 15/18 only have had bike for two weeks so still dialing it in some. _
Higher pressures on road will reduce wear, higher pressure for heavily loaded, less for lightly loaded. Higher pressures can lead to more skitterish behavior in hard cornering and lower traction conditions like wet, sand, or high heat. Some softer compounds can get really squirelly in high heat. Straight knobbies can do the same in any conditions on road. Lower pressures offroad will improve traction, however the lower you go the greater risk there is of a pinch flat, bent rim, and spun tire. Certainly rim locks are suggested for anything under the factory recommendation. Different tires warrant differing pressures as well. A softer tire may require a bit more air than a harder or stiffer side-wall tire. I run a MT43 on the back of my 250 and generally run about 6-8lbs for forest trails, and 9-10 for dez. For a normal knobby, 11-13 rear and 13-15 front. I have never had a pinch flat and very rarely bend a rim. In fact, I have never had a flat offroad. I rode trials for a few years and I think it helped me to be able to pick a line and avoid hazards. I am also not the fastest rider, nor the slowest, usually in the middle of the pack. So generally I don't unintentionally hit stuff. I'm still playing with the 630 as well, but find the factory numbers good for on-road. I like to run a little lower pressure off and want some better tires than the karoos, so I'm replacing them and installing rim locks and balance up the assemblies. I got a Pirelli Scorpion Rally front last night and it's a fantastic looking tire. Nice tall knobs, good profile, and the rubber seems pretty firm compared to an MX knobby. I know they'll work better offroad, if they just hold on for tar good enough I think I'll have a winner here. The stock karoo on the back is pretty worn at 700 miles. I have an extra Karoo (old style) so will probably run that 'till it gets worn down. Been looking at the Motoz and Mefo tires as a replacement. My intention would be to run these things at around 12-13lbs for offroad. They will have rim locks to keep them from spinning the valve stems out. If I'm carrying cargo (camping gear) then 15-18 for offroad would probably make more sense. Some of the big bike riders (500lbs bikes) will run street pressures offroad because they bend rims and get pinch flats otherwise. Go ahead and experiment a little based on your riding style, conditions, and the tires and load you have.
