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First motorcycle dirt ride.

ricerooster

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It was short but this was my first dirt ride on a motorcycle.. Lol. Couldn't be more happier to do it on the NC , although I took it nice and slow. San Diego, Otay Truck trail.
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Very nice!

Looks like you had a great day to try it out.

I've had a few accidental dirt/gravel road rides. Living in a rural area we've found out the hard way that sometimes when going over a hill or around a corner the pavement ends, very unexpectedly, and the road becomes gravel or just a dirt track. I'll admit that I will be changing the tires before mine are totally worn out to something that is a bit more stable with a bit more grip on loose surfaces.
 
As the discussion turns to tire pressure, I will follow...

If I'm running 100% Freeway tires (Conti Motions), ...

1. Is there any advantage to letting pressure out for dirt roads?
2. If so, how much?
 
Nice pics! looks like a great ride. you must be hitting prime riding weather down there. :cool: (It's winter this week in Denver- 2 straight days of clouds rain/snow :()

I run 36f/42r on the street. Mostly commuter miles. If I am doing an extended day on dirt I will drop to 24f/28r. I don't know that there is anything magical about those levels. I do notice the difference but it is also high enough that I don't worry about the tire slipping on the rim or losing pressure altogether. If it is just a couple of miles on a mostly pavement ride I don't bother.

Dropping the pressure will certainly improve your traction in dirt as the tire contact patch will expand and conform more to the surface. I imagine that is true even with 100% street tires like the Conti's.

I did do a training class a few years ago where the instructor, who rode a big GS, said he left his pressure at around 26 psi all the time - pavement or dirt. But he was not commuting, mainly just riding pavement to get to dirt. The other side of the coin of improved traction that lower pressure gives you in the dirt is shorter tire life on pavement. He was willing to make that trade.

Search around on the site there have been a number of threads on tire pressure.
 
Nice pics! looks like a great ride. you must be hitting prime riding weather down there. :cool: (It's winter this week in Denver- 2 straight days of clouds rain/snow :()

I run 36f/42r on the street. Mostly commuter miles. If I am doing an extended day on dirt I will drop to 24f/28r. I don't know that there is anything magical about those levels. I do notice the difference but it is also high enough that I don't worry about the tire slipping on the rim or losing pressure altogether. If it is just a couple of miles on a mostly pavement ride I don't bother.

Dropping the pressure will certainly improve your traction in dirt as the tire contact patch will expand and conform more to the surface. I imagine that is true even with 100% street tires like the Conti's.

I did do a training class a few years ago where the instructor, who rode a big GS, said he left his pressure at around 26 psi all the time - pavement or dirt. But he was not commuting, mainly just riding pavement to get to dirt. The other side of the coin of improved traction that lower pressure gives you in the dirt is shorter tire life on pavement. He was willing to make that trade.

Search around on the site there have been a number of threads on tire pressure.
Thanks for the advise, I commute so I keep mine at 36f/38r on pavement. I do carry a small air compressor in the frunk and it definitely helped.

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Ditto! Yah, what he said! I too run mine 36f/40-42r for street, commuting, touring. When i ride on dirt i'll usually leave them alone until i start hitting a lot of gravel, then i'll drop the pressure to
24-26f/30-34r depending on my load. It seems to make a big difference to me in handling. Then once back to pavement i use the little Slime pump to air them both back up. Makes for an enjoyable day!
:{)
 
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