Tire pressure at 11lbs, what can happen?

gymrat523 · #1 22nd November 2005

I went out with a buddy this weekend who rires a 10 year old rice burner, went to the dealer so he could check out the 06 sportsters.
He told me he hardly ever checks his tire pressure so I gave him my gage and made him why gassing up, front 10 psi, back 11psi, after air he said his bike seemed much faster, no sh--. What can happen when you run that low?? To be fair I could not tell by looking at the tire or kicking it, could only tell it was that low with the gage.
Can the tire actually break seal with the rim at that pressure?

kjwrad · #2 22nd November 2005

Not sure about breaking bead, I guess it could. I would be more worried about it folding up in a turn and grinding on the rim then a low side. I lost a front tire in a sharp turn once and pretty much looked like a soup sandwich. That was really dangerously low of him. I am one of those guys that really do check my tire press. at leat once a month. I can do it at work. An aircratft hangar has hoses and guages everywhere.

willprevale · #3 22nd November 2005

He may have tubes whuch will leak down at roughly a pound a week. Even a tubless tire tire leak down albeit at a much slower rate.

ALWAYS CHECK TIRE PRESSURES ON A REGULAR BASIS.

RedRider · #4 22nd November 2005

Tires will peel themselves right off the bead of the rim if pressures are low enough and the tire is side-loaded, like in a curve. In addition, there will be excessive tread squirm and sidewall flexing from the low pressures which will negatively affect overall handling.

Not a good scenario....

DM-SC · #5 22nd November 2005

Slow speed handling would be crap at air pressures that low. Hitting bumps could be bad, too (break a bead loose or pinch flat a tube).

TiBaal89 · #6 22nd November 2005

In a good fast turn, its hard to track a line... Its almost like when you're going over one of those bridges that has grates and the wheel is dancing around a little bit. Very unsettling.

Kath · #7 22nd November 2005

The bike handles like crap is definitely true! When I bought that ACE after my wreck, we hauled it home in the bed of the truck and then rode it up to the shop to get the state inspection and what not. The thing was a bear in the turns...it went over ok, but was like wrestling a walrus to get it back up out of the turn LOL Anyway, when we got the shop the took a tire pressure and the front and back were down to 18. I can't even imagine being down to 10....good grief! LOL