Can anyone tell me the correct tyre pressures for the Pirelli Scorpions fitted to the Multi 1200 ABS. Amazingly the owner's handbook doesn't seem to supply this information.
I make that F-R: 36-36 solo, and 42:42 loaded/pillion Personally, I run them at F-R: 36-42 whatever the capacity. That seems to work well for me.
Unfortunately the tyre pressures are only recommendations and are based on a level that will safely support the machine and rider but certainly not to provide optimal handling in all conditions. In the initial design calculations the motorcycle industry uses 72kg as the value of the mass of the rider, combined with the mass of the machine, they then apportion the load to the front and rear axle. The tyre manufacturers refers to static load deflection pressure graph data which when a calculated tyre load is provided, the tyre manufacturer will give the pressure that corresponds with the optimal deflection, which in turn gives the optimal contact patch area. The manufacturer will then adjust the calculated pressures during road testing. The problem is that we all weigh differently and can have a massive effect on the handling and being a heavy guy can cause the rear to squirm as it overdeflects. I weigh 110kg, so bike at 230kg and rider in my case is 340kg, the theoretical values were 302kg 230+72 means that my conditions are increasing the load on the tyres by +12%. For me I use 2.7 front and 2.9 rear and high preload and damping settings to give the best handling and tyre wear pattern. I certainly would not recommend lower pressures than those recommended by the manufacturer unless you are on off-road or soft ground. Motorcycles are perhaps the most tyre pressure dependent vehicles and like the suspension settings (preload, damping and rebound) tyre pressures are adjustable to suit the needs of the rider.
