Tire Pressure Question '86 K100RS with sidecar

[SGTBILL]

I have a 1986 K100RS with an EML sidecar attached running small car tires after the conversion. Last year I had a Tire Pressure Monitoring System installed so I could get a warning of a sudden tire pressure loss. Now I have access to information that previously was only available at stops. I can see the pressure in each of the three tires while I am riding and this is becoming an obsession. I have the pressure alarm set for 35 PSI. If the pressure gets down to 35 PSI I get an audible and visual alarm. The target pressure for the tires when cold is 38 PSI. The problem is that the pressure fluctuates greatly depending on the outside temperature and road conditions and I think speed. I am searching for the "correct" pressure setting for my tires.

Today when I start with the pressure at 38 PSI, after several miles the pressure rises and in heat (like we are experiencing the past week) the pressure can rise to 42 PSI. Is this normal? Does it indicate an incorrect starting pressure? Is the right pressure a setting that results in less variation when underway? Should I have more or less pressure in the sidecar wheel as it has a lighter load I assume?

Any thoughts on tire pressure would be greatly appreciated.

 

[bikerfish1100]

Can't speak for sidecar setups specifically (i'd contact EML for that), but a nearly 10% rise in psi from cold to warm, which is what your tires did in going form 38 to 42, is exactly what you want to see on bike tires.
until/unless you hear differently regarding sidecar usage, it sounds like you are spot on.

 

[SGTBILL]

Thanks for the feedback. I shouldn't obsess over these things but being able to see the pressure has made me think more about inflation than ever before.

Now, if I can just figure out how to calibrate my pressure gauge....