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1991 K75 RT tires went low over winter

X

xcaret

New member
At the end of last fall I had 2 new tires mounted on rims . I rode maybe 500 km's on them, then parked the bike .Today 6 months later I went for the first ride of the year .right away I felt steering problems . Sure enough the front tire had very little air in it , the rear was down about 10 pounds . Is this normal ?
I only have had the bike since August 2021 . It has stock alloy wheels ,as pictured .
 

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escaping air

My experience says it's normal of have the tire pressure drop when the bike is left sitting for lengthy periods. Air can and does escape from tubed and tubeless tires. That is precisely the reason regular air pressure checks are recommended.
Very cold temps also encourage a drop in tire pressure. (I suspect the air temp was higher when you parked the bike than it was when you last checked it.) Since this is a somewhat new-to-you set of tires, I'd recommend you service them and enjoy the bike. See what they do when you get it out of the garage and on the road. What about the fitting of the tires? Was the technician someone you know and trust? Did he/she clean the rim at the bead area to assure a good seal? Are the wheels otherwise in good condition? There are a bunch of variables to consider here.
Lastly, don't overlook the obvious. Is it possible there are punctures or faulty, old valves?
A can of soapy water and a brush are your friends.
 
I’ve had low tire pressure in the past, once when the rim was not properly cleaned and once when valve stems were not replaced.
 
Any time the motorcycle has been sitting you definitely need to check the tire pressure. Many riders will check the tire pressure every time the go for a ride.

It is not unusual for a tire to lose air pressure.
 
Depends how long it's been sitting - the OP says 6 months, so I'm not at all surprised.
My brother's tires lost that much in less time (he was sick for a while) and I was fighting the machine to get it to a gas station.
Even with perfect rims and rubber, O[SUB]2[/SUB] molecules get past rubber molecules. This is why some people use nitrogen instead (noted by green valve caps, let's NOT start a nitrogen discussion...).
And good point about the valve stems; their seals can degrade too.
 
Last edited:
Paul_F said:
True but it is unusual for to enough to be lost to affect steering.
Click to expand...


In six months? I am not surprised!

Also I wonder what the condition of the sealing area is on the rim? 1991 bike, 30 years old. I would venture the rim's bead area could be cleaned and perhaps painted with some clear Krylon. I would expect a 30 year old motorcycle rim to be less than perfect. Tires don't seal well on corrosion.
 
Thanks for all the advise ,and comments

Yes a BMW shop mounted the tires . Here in Canada the temp dropped to -30 C .around -26F I think the conversion is . Then warmed up a couple of times . After todays ride of 200 km's (120 miles ) the air pressure is the same . I have a shop compressor ,so it was easy to fill the tires .. Thanks , and I will keep checking .
 
Paul_F said:
True but it is unusual for to enough to be lost to affect steering.
Click to expand...

Paul, for the most part that's also been my experience, but I've also had tires loose 5lbs or more over the course of a couple of months. Hard to explain, but I always check my tire pressure before a ride if the bike has been setting for a week or more. An unnoticed nail can from your last ride can put you into the danger zone.
 
GREGFEELER said:
Paul, for the most part that's also been my experience, but I've also had tires loose 5lbs or more over the course of a couple of months. Hard to explain, but I always check my tire pressure before a ride if the bike has been setting for a week or T likely scenario for the tiremore. An unnoticed nail can from your last ride can put you into the danger zone.
Click to expand...

Greg, I read too quickly and missed that the bike sat for six months. Of course that is the most likely reason for the loss of so much air. I make a point of checking and keeping my tires properly inflated when parked over the winter. Even if one didn’t do that, I incorrectly assumed that it was a given to check tire pressure after winter parking before one’s first spring ride.

Of course I should know better than to assume. On a trip from Ontario to Southern California and back, I checked my tires each morning before setting out for the day. My riding partner never checked his bike’s tires once. (When I asked him if him if he had a set of spare keys, he told me “Of course, back home”.)
 
Paul_F said:
Greg, I read too quickly and missed that the bike sat for six months. Of course that is the most likely reason for the loss of so much air. I make a point of checking and keeping my tires properly inflated when parked over the winter. Even if one didn’t do that, I incorrectly assumed that it was a given to check tire pressure after winter parking before one’s first spring ride.

Of course I should know better than to assume. On a trip from Ontario to Southern California and back, I checked my tires each morning before setting out for the day. My riding partner never checked his bike’s tires once. (When I asked him if him if he had a set of spare keys, he told me “Of course, back home”.)
Click to expand...

:thumb
 
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