A word of warning: The integrated guages at the gas station are fine for checking your 4-wheeled vehicle's tire pressures, but they're too out of whack to be used for motorcycle tires.
Last weekend I checked my tires at home before riding and they were a bit low so I inflated them at the gas station and used the pressure guage that was built into the hose. According to that, I had 36 in the rear and 34 in the front, which was what I wanted. Off I went, and the bike felt just fine.
However, I checked them with my own guage today before heading out and I got a reading of 41 in the front and 45 in the rear! Holy :bs: !
Grab one of your own - they're worth the investment!
Did you check your tires right after your ride because as the tire heats up the PSI increases which means a 36 cold tire could be a 41 hot tire. Thats why most guages say to check tires cold. i dont trust the gas station pumps i have an electric pressure guage. Jimmy
How do you know your guage isn't messed up? ;)
I won't even use those crappy stick guages at the gas stations on my cars. I always use my own.
If she put air into a hot tire at 34psi and after it cooled down to 41, it must have been close to 45 at the gas station. I have noticed a 4-5 psi increase in cold to hot tires.
I never trust any guage that I can not confirm its accuracy.
Last time I got tires mounted, I had Derek check several of my gauges against his high end digital gauge. They were off by about 5 psi and these were good gauges. I had them for several years and did not handle them too good. I bought a new one which measures correctly. 5psi is really big deal for me.
I have several digital gauges but do not like them as much as the analog gauge. The digital reads in 0.5 psi increments but the analog is displays the exact reading. They are small enough to carry on the bike if I need it and I keep one in my truck. I normally only use one gauge.
Best to always handle them with care and not absuse them. Droping them is very bad and a rubber cover is a good idea.
I carry an old fashioned gauge in my toolkit and use my own footpump. I also fitted some of those colour-coded valve caps which may not be 100% accurate but are a good early-warning device, especially to slow loss of air as i discovered recently when I picked-up a nail.
I know to check them when the tires are cold...you'll notice that I specifically said I checked them before riding both times. ;)
you should use the same air guage every time... as there is always some variance between guages...
That's good advice as well...thanks.
First thing I bought... They're only a few bucks...
I have an air compressor at home, but had no gauge. How else are you suppose to check the "cold tire" pressure? :P