How often do you add air to your tires?

[mrlmd1]

That's got to be one of the biggest hypes going, like bottled water. Atmospheric air is 80% nitrogen anyway. Do you really think removing O2, CO2, argon, zenon, etc, etc, at great expense makes the "air" last longer and leak out less and ride smoother? Like it's much more dense or something?
Sounds like a lot of crap to me. And nitrogen coming out of a tank fast as it expands can get REAL cold, (liquid nitrogen is a few hundred degrees below zero as it becomes gaseous), and I would wonder about doing real thermal damage to the rubber in the tube and tire putting it in if they did it too fast.

Don't forget, our bikes have tubes in them, The rim strips prevent the spoke ends from puncturing or abrading the tubes, You would not get a pinhole leak of air if the tube had a hole in it from a spoke. You would not get a pinhole leak of air if the tube had been pinched and torn in inserting it. You would not get a pinhole leak from a nail or screw in the tire puncturing the tube. It would leak pretty fast and go flat if any of those happened, Once you get a hole in a rubber tube, the elasticity or pull of the rubber and the pressure in the tube would make the hole larger and leak faster. It is not the same as a nail in a tire. The most likely place for a slow leak to occur is in the valve - either screw in in tighter or replace it with a new one and the leak should stop. Should be pretty simple.

[music man]

Originally Posted by Sarris

I run nitrogen in mine. They feel more compliant, run cooler, and loose maybe 1 lb. of pressure every three months.

Damn Sarris, so rich you don't even ride on normal air like the rest of us anymore. :neener:

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by music man

Damn Sarris, so rich you don't even ride on normal air like the rest of us anymore. :neener:

Yea he's "rich" alright.......and full of.......nitrogen !! :shocked:

:crackup

[greenhorn]

Originally Posted by mrlmd1

Should be pretty simple.

Famous last words. I am a mechanical idiot. By choice or default depending on how you look at it. :biggrin: Attentive husband of 33 yrs. I'll get to the tires but first:

1) I really appreciate your help & especially your civility & pleasant banter toward one another. I think if my questions regarding FLASH (my GZ) inspired arguing I would not post. I get a heck of a kick out of how you tease one another & I read every word your say... you are my experts!!!

2) Now, a little about myself & FLASH. I bought my GZ for $900 off of E bay last Aug.. It is oh so easy to push that " buy it now" button. It is a 2001 & now has 10, 146 miles on it. I have put 3,000 or so of those on myself this year. Now, considering I am a Minnesotan, that means that those miles were put on in 7 months. I am having a blast. Most of my riding is in the rural area around my place. I have commuted with it but find the whole clothes changing thing detracts from the fun.

* My husband of 33 years was very, very, very pissed off at me when I bought FLASH. This rarely happens (that many very' s) .

* He got over it. This happens all the time.

* At first he refused ( his name is Dan BTW... doesn't ride, probably never will) to even look at FLASH & made it clear to me he would do no maintenance on her. I believed him & have found other resources: this forum & a local bike (motorcycle, atv, snowmobile) shop.

* Last week Dan asked for the manual & last weekend we changed the oil together :2tup:

* Other than knowing that the chain was tightened/ lubed by the guy who owned it ( 3rd owner) I have no knowledge of Flashes maintenance history.

Maybe more than you all want to know, but I have been lurking, have gotten some great advice personally from some of you already & am ready to "come out". Can I say that here????

I want to be safe, want to keep FLASH in good condition & figure who best to ask than you . Soooooooooooooooo. I'll check my tire pressure today ( I mean I WILL... Dan still resists but I understand) & get back to you.

I will drop the pressure ( cold) to front tire 25 pounds/ back 29 which is what is recommended by the manual. I can hardly believe FLASH will handle well. I have been riding on no less than 33 lbs. I'll take it easy ( lower speeds) & get back to you. I may need to take her in to get the tires balanced or whatever. OH. And WTH is pre load? I am not quite sure where the settings are for that. I looked quickly last night at the manual ( on line) but guess will have to look closer.

I have Chin sings. I am positive they are the right size.

Later,

Mary

ps. I normally am not as long winded as this. :whistle: Really. :roll:

[dhgeyer]

If you run nitrous oxide in them, do they feel "funny"?

[Sarris]

As I said, with nitrogen, you can feel the difference in the ride (REALLY, NO SHIT) and they don't loose an pressure for months. I use it in my car and both bikes.

I have a pal with a tire store and get it for free, so why not??

:2tup:

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by Sarris

I have a pal with a tire store and get it for free, so why not??

OK, that statement I can agree with 100%.
The rest of it......not so much.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

I get a heck of a kick out of how you tease one another & I read every word your say... you are my experts!!!

OH. And WTH is pre load? I am not quite sure where the settings are for that.

Most of the time, "we" make a good team. It has not been without a few rough spots, however.

Mature adults can argue without getting mad.

The shock pre-load.....that a lot of people call the rear spring adjustment....is a 5 notch adjustment on the rear springs that, for sake of simplicity, changes how firmly they support the load on the rear shocks. It's in the manual somewhere.

[Water Warrior 2]

Hi Mary. The pressure reduced to the manual specs should make a difference. If the bike still bounces or rides rough the tires probably need balancing. The preload is referring to the settings on the rear shocks. There are little steps built into the ring around the shock. Both should be at the same setting and can be adjusted using the factory tool kit. The non working end of the screw driver shaft is round and fits nicely.

General info: Costco in Canada sell massive amounts of tires and uses nitrogen when installing them. Works for them and all their customers. Proven less leakage by replacing the smaller molecules with the larger nitrogen molecules.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by Water Warrior

General info: Costco in Canada sell massive amounts of tires and uses nitrogen when installing them. Works for them and all their customers. Proven less leakage by replacing the smaller molecules with the larger nitrogen molecules.

Have we had this discussion before on this forum?? :??:

So, what advantage am I theoretically supposed to gain if I have no "leakage" with plain air ??

I have a bike, two cars, a truck and a tractor. Except for the front tires on the tractor, which take some punishment....NONE of my vehicles require ANY air more than once a year and that is accomplished coincident with the seasonal adjustments for temperature. NONE. That has been typical of most of my tires over the years.

I know that you honestly believe that "nitrogen" is better somehow but I think you have been mislead. First plain air is about 78% nitrogen already. Of the remaining 22%, a significant portion of what is left has larger molecules than N.

Moreover, obtaining pure nitrogen is not a simple process; it is somewhat complicated and expensive. I have my doubts that cost conscious Costco or the many tire places in the US that claim it, REALLY go to the expense of getting or making "real" pure nitrogen.

The real advantage to the so-called nitrogen is that it is DRY; almost totally void of water vapor. Air that has lots of water vapor varies in pressure more than dry air. It also tends to make things rust.......like rims where they seal to a tubless tire.

I would like to find someone who really knows what these places actually use and call it nitrogen. Dry air is fairly easy to make and, being 78% nitrogen already, could be called nitrogen without really lying. I suspect that they actually have a dryer attached to the air compressor and that produces their "nitrogen".

Anyhow, to recap, I think it's mostly hype and certainly not worth paying extra for.
And yes, race teams use real dry nitrogen because they need to control their pressures to the tenth of a pound. Consumer vehicles have no such need.