What the heck, let's talk tire pressure....

[Redfish]

That was a surprisingly enjoyable post by my friend from Midlothian. NTX, you usually don't get quite that verbose. And I agree with you completely.

HOWEVER! We are gonna have to separate those last two off-topic posts from the rest of this thread and create a whole new thread even though we have rules about creating new threads about topics that have been covered before but it's okay to do as long as YOU don't do it... Sorry. Wrong place. As you were...

[gixxerjasen]

The only issue I've found with this twistie's therapy so far, is that it tends to be an addictive venture, requiring many, many follow up treatments.

The only issue I've found, and it applies to you too, is they are too few and too far away.

[baowow]

If you guys ever roll thru Chicago and need a new set of rubbers put on, I've gotten pretty decent now at showing road smart 3s who's the captain.

Sent from my F5121 using Tapatalk

[HotRodZilla]

I have never gotten more than like 7600 miles from a set of tires. Hearing other people, I thought I was doing something wrong. Then I realized this bike is heavy, I'm heavy, and I like to haul ass! I brake hard and pin the throttle coming out of turns. If I couldn't ride it fast, I wouldn't ride it. I'm like pants, and o love leaning it until the legs are scraping and folding. So, tires wear quickly.

I guess I've just accepted it. It costs money to have fun, and a set of tires is less than a case of bullets. I can burn through a case of bullets in a couple of days, so tires are a bargain. Haha...

[silverback]

This phenomenon is due to the Agostini first rule of motircycling:

Tire life is inversely proportional to the sum of right wrist twist and hoonage squared.

[Powerman]

Happiness is new set of tires. Just put some PR5's on today, got to scrub them in before they can be rocked.

[fontanaman]

Pants said, "Arkansas roads are the worst. The grip on that chip seal is incredible."

I ask is Arkansas is all cheap seal? I hate chip seal. God I hate cheap seal. Dam tar and flipping slippery or loose rock. I have been in some pretty slick chip seal even when dry due to high tar content. Chip seal sucks. The surface is not consistent, loose rock especially in right hand turns. If anybody is in Oregon watch out for the right hand turns - full of loose rock. The type of rock can cause varying traction issues.

See I was thinking of going to Arkansas In October. So tell me there are some roads in Arkansas that are not cheap seal and/or there is a forum member with a tire changer. Screw cheap seal. Lord have Mercy.

[Cav47]

Pants said, "Arkansas roads are the worst. The grip on that chip seal is incredible."

I ask is Arkansas is all cheap seal? I hate chip seal. God I hate cheap seal. Dam tar and flipping slippery or loose rock. I have been in some pretty slick chip seal even when dry due to high tar content. Chip seal sucks. The surface is not consistent, loose rock especially in right hand turns. If anybody is in Oregon watch out for the right hand turns - full of loose rock. The type of rock can cause varying traction issues.

See I was thinking of going to Arkansas In October. So tell me there are some roads in Arkansas that are not cheap seal and/or there is a forum member with a tire changer. Screw cheap seal. Lord have Mercy.

Jim, chip seal has various degrees of implementation. Some places are like you describe, but in my small comparative experience, Ark roads are not what you are describing. I have never felt like Ark roads were poor. I can recall only 2 times when we had issues.

The first time was actually my first time in Ark. Allen, Joey, Mark and I all had a pucker moment. It was not due to gravel though. It was cool out and we were heading up in elevation toward a cemetery and a of the sudden most of us lost traction in the rear. I don’t think it was wet, but looking back, I wondered if there was some kind of diesel spill there. The road was well packed and kinda smooth. Just a weird slip. The other time was in the same area about 3 years later. Heading back towards camp that afternoon the road had recently been redone and a little extra rock and/or dust was present. It made the tire feel flat. We just slowed it down some. Picked a different road, which is really easy to do down there, and enjoyed the ride again.

Heading North from Yosemite last year toward Bugs house, we experienced very similar conditions for a few miles. It was sucky for a little bit, but went away.

Don’t let the chip and seal perception turn you off to Arkansas. It must not be the same as your experience with those kind of surfaces. I have been able to push pretty hard through 90% of Ark roads with confidence. Nearly all you described about chip seal is not what is happening there. Others have better knowledge for sure, but that’s my 2cents.

[fontanaman]

Hey thanks very much Josh. Cheap seal in Washington State sucks. My experience is the traction is less than asphalt. Then add that the damn inconsistency of the application making life for motorcyclists difficult. Looking forward to seeing you in Nakups. Tonight I paid admission for my lovely bride Linda. This will be the first FJR rally she has attended.

[wheatonFJR]

Fontanaman...I hear ya regarding chip seal , with you all the way. However, this is Arky...the ONLY state that I know that can make that grip just as hard as asphalt. Really. I would not have thought it possible, except I've ridden on it.

Watch yer tire mileage though...

[raYzerman]

Chip seal varies with geographical region, as does formula of asphalt. Up here our chip seal is with 1/4" stone, and until it's packed and all the loose "dust" gone, it can be an issue. AR roads are a different type, coarser stone, etc. Fresh stuff is always bad, but you can find an alternate road there fairly easily.

I had occasion to ride a race track here this year, I found it strange that the surface was quite coarse, which I would have thought bad for traction (surface contact with your contact patch). Apparently not, it is designed that way for traction. Learned something.

[wheatonFJR]

Chip seal varies with geographical region, as does formula of asphalt. Up here our chip seal is with 1/4" stone, and until it's packed and all the loose "dust" gone, it can be an issue. AR roads are a different type, coarser stone, etc. Fresh stuff is always bad, but you can find an alternate road there fairly easily.

I had occasion to ride a race track here this year, I found it strange that the surface was quite coarse, which I would have thought bad for traction (surface contact with your contact patch). Apparently not, it is designed that way for traction. Learned something.

The jagged edge of a coarse surface would give a higher coefficient of friction, if the bond is high enough to adhere the stone aggregate to the rest of the roadway mix.

In Arky, they know something other states don't.

[FJRoss]

Chip seal varies with geographical region, as does formula of asphalt. Up here our chip seal is with 1/4" stone, and until it's packed and all the loose "dust" gone, it can be an issue. AR roads are a different type, coarser stone, etc. Fresh stuff is always bad, but you can find an alternate road there fairly easily.

I had occasion to ride a race track here this year, I found it strange that the surface was quite coarse, which I would have thought bad for traction (surface contact with your contact patch). Apparently not, it is designed that way for traction. Learned something.

The jagged edge of a coarse surface would give a higher coefficient of friction, if the bond is high enough to adhere the stone aggregate to the rest of the roadway mix.

In Arky, they know something other states don't.

The jagged edge of a coarse surface would slice your tires to ribbons like a food grater...


In Arky, the highway department accepts bribes from Michelin.

All fixed!

[Hppants]

To clarify Josh's post, the 1st scenario he described had nothing to do with the road material. We were sliding on a very thin film of patchy ICE. I remember slipping on one patch in a curve, and then looking in my mirror to see Allen, Josh, and John all 3 do the exact same thing. I pulled up and WAY back immediately and 0.3 miles later, at the absolute first opportunity, we stopped to re-insert my hemorrhoid. Here's a picture of that - John is trying to convince us that the ST1300 has better traction control than the FJRs. Allen is being his usual polite self, but clearly he is smelling "bullshit". Mark is thinking about how nice a snort of Templeton's Rye would taste on this frosty morning. And without fail, I got Josh's bad side - you guys are on to something. I've got to do a better job of photographing our beloved Internet sensation.



My one and only time with that particular obstacle and I do NOT care to try that again.

Obviously, as with everywhere, certain conditions can make a road dusty or gritty and that increases the pucker factor. Any time I'm riding and seeing a lot of camper trailers, the right turns automatically gets a line change and I'm pulling back another 10%. We all know that they are cutting that corner short and the right-side trailer tires are grabbing some gravel and slinging it on to the road.

I'm certainly not a road surface expert. Hell, I didn't know to call the AR roads "chip seal" until others told me that is what it is. But this much I know, that stuff in Arkansas GRIPS and it grips very well in dry or wet. And I'll (reluctantly) echo Wheatie - if you are going to spend 5+ days riding the Ozarks, and the weather forecast is good, you BETTER get there with brand new tires. Otherwise, on about day 3-ish, you can get 'em at the Yamaha dealer in Harrison. Bring your credit card and some Vaseline......

[wheatonFJR]

Funny, that's how Allen looks at me ALWAYS.



Edit: What are you talking about? That IS Josh's good side. If I have to explain further, you are beyond help.

[wheatonFJR]

See I was thinking of going to Arkansas In October.

There is a reason some of us make a point of going there EVERY October.

JSNS.

[Redfish]

So now this thread has drifted from the use and interpretation of Tire Pressure Monitors to camper bashing. I can see why Cav47 insults are part of most thread drifts but bashing campers? Really?

When I pull my camper I am pretty conscientious about where the tires go. If I weren't I would be having all sorts of tire problems...Sound familiar?



Honestly, I am always amazed at how many folks that have campers have no clue how to properly pull them or back them. Campgrounds can be almost as much fun as boat ramps. Watching folks try to back and maneuver is great fun. Of course at the boat ramp on Sunday afternoon there are bikinis and alcohol so there's that.

So yeah, I can see how a camper on a twisty mountain road would be a recipe for rocks and debris in the corners. Honestly never thought about it.

[Hppants]

Good point re: thread drift....

Regardless of the tire pressure I try, I have seen no difference in either my tire wear nor the behavior of people pulling campers.

And spending an hour at a very busy boat launch with a couple of cold beers is MOST definitely an hour well spent. JSNS....

[fontanaman]

[philharmonic]

I didn't know what "chip seal" was so I googled it. The scary part was the last paragraph:

"After curing, the loose gravel is swept off the surface. This may take several sweepings"!!

In Florida, they make some of the roads out of thousand-year-old reefs that are crushed up and mixed with asphalt.

When the road is new the shell parts destroy tires, and the surface becomes a slippery mess when the shell parts have worn smooth and water and a little car oil is added.