Tire pressures in the dirt...

[marc11]

For those of you with Dual Sport Tires, are you lowering your pressures when you ride in the loose dirt and mud?  If so, to what?  My KLX calls for 22 PSI F/R but in the loose stuff it gets zero traction.  I am waiting on a set of MX tires, but in the meantime, if I can drop the pressure a few PSI and gain some traction I would be all for it.  (could care less if the tires are destroyed in the process)

[kurtw]

Yep, I run 18-22 on the road and air down to 15 offroad.

[steve.ski]

I run between 12-15 psi depending on conditions. Rocky trails a bit higher, loamy conditions lower.

[kurtw]

I've run down to 7 in the sand with rimlocks installed. But in general offroad riding with the big 640, I worry about pinch flats and/or spinning a valve if I drop the pressure too low. The traction you get from street-biased dualsport tires will always be limited in mud and sand.

[Johnny Monsoon]

Dropping tire pressure is fine, but you need to exercise caution.  If you're going to dramatically drop tire pressures, say by 7psi or more, you should be running rim-locks.  Otherwise, you'll spin your rim in your tire, and nothing good ever comes of that.

[NJFJR]

Well Marc, like I posted somewhere else, I run HD tubes and 13/10 psi frt/rr. Rim locks, of course. My WR250f comes with them. It's not like I would take them off.

After talking to numerous east coast enduro riders, this was the unanimous decision.
BTW, I have NEVER had a flat yet with the HD tubes....even running the lower pressure.

[hig4s]

On dirt I run 12psi rear 15psi front..   If in soft sand I might even go 10psi rear.

[marc11]

Right Randy, but I am not gonna ditch my current tubes for no reason, when I swap tires the HD tubes will make sense.  Today I dropped the pressures down to 14 F/R, the difference in the mud and soft stuff was dramatic.  I still don't love the stock tires, but they worked a lot better with the low pressures.  I was able to maintain forward momentum and actually run some decent speed through the soft stuff not to mention steer the bike more with the gas.  All of which I couldn't come close too when I was running 22 F/R.

How do I know if I have rim locks?  Doubt I do, but there is some sort of rubber thing coming out of the rim.

[Nesbocaj]

  Rim locks will have a bolt, which almost looks like another air valve sticking through the rim, with a nut holding it in the rim, locking the tire to the rim, hence......rim lock.

[marc11]

Ah ha, then the hole is for the rim lock, it just has a bung in it.  I think I should add a set of them with my next tire change.

[hig4s]

Ah ha, then the hole is for the rim lock, it just has a bung in it.  I think I should add a set of them with my next tire change.

Makes it a little harder to change tire, but without them you take a chance of spinning a tire when you gas it,  which usually rips the stem off the tube.

[bluesurf]

I run between 12-15 psi depending on conditions. Rocky trails a bit higher, loamy conditions lower.

Ditto on the DR-Z shod w/mt-21's.  On the KLR with D606's, then three/four pounds more front and rear.  Neither bike has rim locks, without which I'm hesitant to go any less than 12, anyway.  On the 300exc w/millville's & rim locks then usually 12-13psi both front and rear, but those aren't d-s tires.

[T.RexRacing]

If you spend a lot of time at highway speeds rim locks are hard on wheels,bearings,ect.............It'll take 4 ounces at least to balance the wheel.