Chosing a PSI for Pirelli Diablo Rosso Tires

Greetings Wingers. I had recently installed a new set of Pirelli Diablo Rosso tires for my 2012 Swing. I chose these tires for how well they performed on a previously owned 2014 Yamaha FJR1300.

Considering the Swing has nonadjustable front forks and only preload adjustment for the shocks, I consider the PSI in my tires as a top priority. I follow Dave Moss Tuning on YouTube to get a knowledgeable explanation on choosing a proper PSI for my Swing (or any Bike, for that matter.)

In a nutshell, I take my weight (250) plus the weight of the bike, plus the ambient temperature I'm riding in, plus the type of riding I prefer (I'm a bit of a speed freak and love cornering) plus average hiway speeds I drive on the Swing.

If I start on Cold Tires, say at 40 Front / 40 Rear, take the Swing for a 30 minute ride to sufficiently heat up the tires and suspension. Then, perform the same ride on the same road (keep the ride consistent), drop PSI to 38 / 38. Check the PSI upon the end of the ride when they are warm. Keep raising PSI above or below the baseline 40 / 40 and pay attention to how the bike feels at different PSI's.

I lean toward a PSI for better grip which will be a bit lower PSI at the expense of tire wear. I will post what I ultimately end up with at a future date. As you can tell, I threw out the recommended PSI numbers from Pirelli. Let me know how you determined the PSI for your Swing!

Gosh! I'd never thought of all that!

I used to inflate the tyres on my Silverwing to the pressures printed in the handbook; I do the same with my other vehicles.

The only times I do something different in terms of how I 'use' the tyres is when I'm running-in new ones.

You don't have to choose tyre pressures, the recommended tyre pressure for the Silver Wing for solo riding and carrying a passenger are in the Silver Wing Rider Handbook.

I stuck to them when I had a Silver Wing and only increased tyre pressures and the rear shock settings when carrying a passenger, and the tyre brand didn't matter either. The same procedure applied when I had 400 and 650 Suzuki Burgman scooters.

Never had a problem, and averaged the usual 9500 miles I always seem to get from a rear tyre before replacing.

I have Pirelli Diablo tyres on my Forza 300 and very good tyres they are too. They're also inflated to the Forza's Handbook recommended tyre pressure for solo riding. With the added bonus I'm not crawling about on the ground when checking or adjusting tyre pressures.

What is the point of inflating tyres past the pressures that Honda recommends for the Silver Wing, it's increasing tyre wear in the centre by being over inflated, and decreasing the contact area with the road.

I questioned raising tire pressure also. But if I weigh 100 lbs. more than a 150 lb. Rider, the air temperature is hot in the summer and cold in the winter, my style of driving is different from another rider, then I consider what Dave Moss is suggesting. The manufacturers have to recommend a baseline tire pressure. We as individual riders can change those pressures based on factors mentioned. If I can change my suspension settings based on factors, I can change PSI in the tires also.

I suppose it's fair to say that suspension settings and tyre pressures go hand-in -hand but Mr Honda wasn't thinking along those lines when he designed the SW.

I like the handling of the SW as recommended by Mr Honda but I see no harm in tweeking things. I've gotten myself into a few moments of.....'Oooohh...I hope the tyres don't let go before I get out of this bend'! Usually the front one. Tyre pressures really count at times like that.

Swingbatter, I would like to know about your findings on this topic. You may find some information using the search bar above, if you haven't already.

Findings from 2 different Tire pressures. I started with 31 PSI in both front and rear. I made mental notes of how the bike felt.
I added air for the second test, up to 37.5 PSI both front and back. I noticed the front end had quicker turn in, steering felt lighter, and slightly stiffer feel over bumps. I may go up a few pounds to 39 / 39.

I usually run 32 front 32-35 rear on every type of SW tire. Check the max. pressure on sidewall before going to 39 tire might not be rated for that much. 39 will stiffen the ride a little much.

Diablo is a great tire for traction and cornering but tread life not so much but I do have a heavy throttle hand and ride at a good pace most of the time. I've been using Metzeler last few tires and like them. Just mounted a new Roadtec rear and it's going on soon. EDIT Another PA. rider, Welcome here and don't we have some of the best roads here been out that way a few times and WV is great also.

I will check the Sidewall Max pressure. I am currently at 37.5 PSI both front and rear. At 260 pounds, the Swing felt very smooth and quick in the corners, very stable at 70-75 mph on the highway.

Pittsburg I live in Allentown very few PA. SW owners around here I've been out that way and most of the state but not that little corner south of Pitt. Ride ON whatever works for you is fine only making suggestions.

I have an 2005 FJR 47k but don't ride it much needs tires but a great bike.

Hey Mech 1, I'm always open to suggestions. I fell into a great deal acquiring a 2012 Swing with only 330 miles on it! As an Iron Butt Rider, I am convinced the Swing is fully capable of going a long distance. Living in Southwestern PA (Allegheny County), we have the worst roads in the State...so I choose rides far from home. I rode my 2014.FJR1300 to the Tail of the Dragon, and plan to slay the Dragon on my Swing!

Road the Dragon in 2008 on FJR with wife on back that's a workout. SW will be fine I never touched anything to road yet jack up the shocks a bit and have a great time. Got the T-shirt 129 Deals Gap 318 curves in 11 miles never forget those few days in Tenn.

That sounds like a plan!