anyone know tire pressure f/r for a 96 zx6r. i have no manual, but it is on the way. just got it and dont want to ride if tires arent right.

Look on the tire itself. The manual won't cover specific tire brands. it might give you a general range.

30-46 psi should be fine.

 

Don't worry 'bout it too much. I view the manufacturer's tire pressure recommendations as a starting point only. Look on your tire's sidewalls for pressure recommendations (these are gonna be MAX limits) and run 'em a bit lower than that 'til you get your manual.
BTW...I'm assuming you just got the bike? Got the OEM tires or have the OEM style been replaced with brand X,Y, or Z? If so, just one more reason to view the owner's manual as a starting point only?

 

Re: Re: tire pressure

Look on the tire itself. The manual won't cover specific tire brands. it might give you a general range.

30-46 psi should be fine.

Do NOT go by tire sidewall pressure. That is simply the maximum pressure for that tire and has nothing to do with your bike. If you use those tire pressures on the sidewall you will have no traction what so ever. I know, I made that mistake in my younger years and I have a limp every morning to remind myself of it. From brand to brand the tire pressure should vary that much as long as the tires are the same as the stock size. I find that with D207s, 32 psi front and rear gives a good blend between grip and wear. I ride a little hard so those pressures go up with temperature as I get the tires hot. If you don't ride hard all the time then I would run a little bit higher pressure (34 psi) for longer trend life. The recomended pressure for the stock tires on your bike should be on a sticker on the frame and possibly the swingarm or perhaps under the seat and of course in the manual. Those pressures are always a little on the high side to extend trend life but they aren't best for traction.

 

thanks for the help

 

Factory is 36 front 41 rear. You can find more at buykawasaki.com.

 

Re: Re: Re: tire pressure

Do NOT go by tire sidewall pressure. That is simply the maximum pressure for that tire and has nothing to do with your bike. If you use those tire pressures on the sidewall you will have no traction what so ever.

I agree with Chris on this one. The pressures on the sidewalls are maximum pressures only. I run D207GP on the track, normally 31lb front, 30lb rear (depending on tempurature). Only thing this is relevent for is that at 75 degrees F, after one session, the pressure had risen 5 lbs in both front and rear.

So, if you were running maximum pressure, and heated your tires up, you would be about 5 lbs OVER MAX.

 

The reason your tire pressure went up is that atmospheric pressure went down. Normally tires will lose a little air slowly over time, especially thin race tires.

Factory pressures will get you in the ball park. Unlike cars bikes run lower pressure on the track than on the street. As an example Metzlar recommends 35 front 39 rear for their Rennsports for the street buy 31 front and 28 rear for the track.

 

actually tires are check when cold.
max tires pressure are for specific loads the more weight you have on the tire the closer to max you should run.
Street riding and racing are 2 different things,
Specifications for tires are on the chain guard on kawasaki unless you have stock tires that does you absolutely no good.
I would put them a couple psi below max. see how it feels. depending on your climate and road conditions will also determine what you need for tire psi.
the best thing might be for you to do is just call a local dealer and ask what the recommend for that bike with your particular tire .
most dealers don't mind helping out with simple questions.

 

The reason your tire pressure went up is that atmospheric pressure went down. Normally tires will lose a little air slowly over time, especially thin race tires.

Factory pressures will get you in the ball park. Unlike cars bikes run lower pressure on the track than on the street. As an example Metzlar recommends 35 front 39 rear for their Rennsports for the street buy 31 front and 28 rear for the track.

The reason his tire pressure went up is because he heated up the tires and the air inside the tires, thus the expanding air creates more pressure inside.

 

It is the same as on at least two of my three bikes, based on another fellow's post.

Would recommend you run lower pressures so you can warm up the tires without having to first ride to China. Running OEM and it compromises the warm up in a reasonable time, at least on a DOT tire.

I run, without extra bags or other increased weighting, 37 psi in rear tire, 34-35 psi in front, not more in front, sometimes up to 40 in rear with a lot of extra weight.

ALWAYS check pressure before riding, if at all practical to do so (when would it not be?).

 

He said that at the end of the season his tire pressure had gone up 5 lbs not at the end of the session. Tires that are heated up eventually cool down and the pressure returns to normal. This does not occur with changes in atmospheric pressure.

 

He said that at the end of the season his tire pressure had gone up 5 lbs not at the end of the session. Tires that are heated up eventually cool down and the pressure returns to normal. This does not occur with changes in atmospheric pressure.

Oh doh! season my bad! I can read... Damn, I'm impressed - you were able to understand my lack of comprehension of what I was reading without me having to explain it. Nice shot

With that said I agree only partially because I am assuming that the temperature at the end of the season was higher than at the beginning. I could be wrong in that assumption in which case you are 100% correct.

 

Don't get you panties in a wad. The guy orginally asked what the tire pressure was for a '96 ZR-6R because he didn't have an owners manual. I have a factory service manual for my '95 ZX-6R which includes the tire pressure for the '96 and provided them.

Many people don't realize that not only temperature but also atmospheric pressure effects tire pressure and I mentioned it.

 

I've always run 40- 42 in rear with 38 on front( 207zr's). Maybe I'll try a little less in rear. Traction seems ok.

 

Oh doh! season my bad! I can read... Damn, I'm impressed - you were able to understand my lack of comprehension of what I was reading without me having to explain it. Nice shot

With that said I agree only partially because I am assuming that the temperature at the end of the season was higher than at the beginning. I could be wrong in that assumption in which case you are 100% correct.

Actually, I meant to say *session*, so Chris had it right. My bad. I'll stop drinking now.

 

Don't get you panties in a wad. The guy orginally asked what the tire pressure was for a '96 ZR-6R because he didn't have an owners manual.

That's right, let's not forget the question at hand.

Well, given the bike is a '95, if I remember correctly, they came from the factory with Bridgestone BT-52T? If this bike has been ridden at all, I don't think it has stock tires. If they are, they are probably not any good anymore. So, do the numbers REALLY mean anything, even if you had the owner's manual?

I believe it's more important to find out what pressures are recommended by the tire manufacturer than the bike manufacturer, since every manufacturer has their own technologies.

 

run anywhere from 30-40 IMHO

I run 32 front and rear. Bump it up to 38 for two up. My tread life is a secondary goal to traction but I still get 3-4k out of 207's and 56ss's.

much lower than 32 and steering feel goes to hell as the tire loses some of it's profile, much more and you trade traction for tread life. over 40 is way too high on a sportbike unless you're taking a busa to 160 in the desert in 110 degree heat two up.

 

32 psi in the rear would be too low for me. Especially in the rear, that would be way too low.

 

tyres

32 is about right for front and back, when we are at the track thats the pressure every ones runs at because the tyre being so low in pressure gets hot quicker at sticky giving good grip.Don,t for get 32 when hot can be as high as 38, so a 41 tyre when hot will be like riding in the middle of the tread like an edge.

 

32 psi in the rear would be too low for me. Especially in the rear, that would be way too low.

Just depends on how much traction you want. Up in WA I'd think you'd want tire pressure a bit lower so the tire would warm up well. But it also depends on the roads too, if you're not riding hard in the canyons then there's little point in 32 psi I guess. If you ride in the rain a lot then higher pressure makes sense too as you'll hydroplane less easily.

So many factors, that's why they make it so easy to change I guess. Every ride can call for different pressures.

 

So many factors, that's why they make it so easy to change I guess. Every ride can call for different pressures.

I think that about sums it up.

The only thing you can truly do wrong is to not check tire pressure regularly.