Harley has been using the same 36 psi front tire recommendation for as long as I can remeber. They obviously use the same approach many auto companies use, where they recommend a lower than optimum pressure to help create a better ride. It's cheaper than installing better suspensions. But just cranking everything up to the the max or higher isn't always the best approach either. Tires are designed to be run at a particular pressure that maintains the designed profile, and this is even more important on a motorcycle tire than a flat profile radial on a car. Excessively high pressures reduce the contact patch of a motorcycle tire, so don't get carried away. Check the tire manufacturer's recommendations along with the vehicle manufacturer's recommendations, sometimes you will find they don't agree. In the case of the Dunflops, however, both recommendations do tend to match.
Anyhow, I tend to look at the recommended pressures as the absolute minimums, and usually adjust to somewhere about halfway from the recommended and the sidewall maximum numbers. That applies to my four wheeled vehicles as well. For instance, if the manual says 36 and the sidewall says 40, I set it at 38. It's worked fine for me for a lot of years.
Jerry
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Topic: Road Glide Tire Pressure (Read 27351 times)