Check & set your tyre pressures?

Steps

1. 1
   1

   Find your bike's pressures & check them cold

   Your target pressures are on a sticker (swingarm, chain guard or under the seat) or in the manual - not the number moulded into the tyre sidewall, which is the tyre's maximum, not your bike's spec. Always measure cold (bike parked at least a few hours, ridden less than a mile), because riding warms the air and reads several psi high.

   Warning
2. 2
   2

   Measure the current pressure

   Unscrew the valve cap, press the gauge squarely onto the valve in one firm push (a hiss means it's not seated - you're losing air), and read it. Do both wheels; fronts and rears usually differ. Note them against your target figures.

3. 3
   3

   Inflate or bleed to spec

   If low, add air in short bursts and re-check - it's easy to overshoot. If high, press the small pin in the centre of the valve briefly to bleed a little out, then re-measure. Set to the exact front and rear figures; two-up or loaded touring often has a higher rear spec, so use that column if it applies.

4. 4
   4

   Give the tyres a condition check

   While you're there, look the tyres over: tread above the wear indicators (the small raised bars in the grooves) and the legal minimum, no cracking or perishing on the sidewalls, nothing embedded (screws, glass), and even wear across the tread. Cupping, a squared-off centre or a bald edge all tell you something - investigate before it bites.

   Warning
5. 5
   5

   Refit the caps

   Screw the valve caps back on (they keep grit out of the valve and are a last-ditch seal). If you had to check the tyres warm for any reason, remember the reading will be a few psi high - never bleed a warm tyre down to the cold figure, or you'll be riding underinflated once it cools.

Fits these bikes

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