smedly

Guys we all have our views on what is safe and what is not on public roads, I just happen to have my own thoughts on the matter as do all of us, what might be acceptable to you may not be acceptable to me - that is how it is, every time you take to the road on a bike you put yourself at risk, the risk mostly comes from other road users, I reduce that risk by my riding style and what I am or am not willing to do, each to their own I guess, just be safe out there

I'm not sure how you define the phrase "Pro Driver" I suspect that I would have a very different definition than some on here but that is up to me, when riders I'm with decide to use the public road as a race track - that is where I part company.

agree 100%, I am definetly not saying to anyone here not to wear leathers and a spine protector, it will save you a lot of skin should you be unfortunate to have a spill, it will NOT save your life if you hit a hard object, I choose to limit my risk by not riding like a maniac and inviting disaster on public roads, it's a risk I take by not wearing leather offset by my riding style, that is my choice right now although I am in the market for some gear at the moment but that is my choice and no-one elses. But I am under no illusion that it will magically save me from sudden impact and nobody else should be either.

you made my point for me, tell you what, put on all your gear and go to the 3rd floor of a condo building and jump, write back here and us know how you got on, that would prob equate to about 30kmph, don't worry your magic leather suit will save you from injury.

and my last comment on the subject, this thread is about slippery in roads in Thailand at the moment, if you want to start your own thread about the merits of leathers then feel free to start your own thread mate.

Oh, all you great track riders and all you fast street riders. Cornering with 240kmh on public thai streets. Respect! But i hope i will never meet you guys on the street. And i really hope you will not kill anyone

Since I started doing trackdays I've lost the desire to go fast on public roads. That's why I hardly ride my street blade and I'm waiting to buy a more practical bike for Thailand, a mortard.

very interesting idea, it does have merit

mate trust me when I say this - I would have no problem at all keeping up with you on your 650, the difference here is whether I would choose to put myself at risk to do so and a public road is not a race track - it deserves respect and a lot of caution, I actually prefer seeing you ride well in front of me

as for leather and racing, I come from the home of road racing - yes just like the TT, leathers are good on tracks as there is nothing to hit when you and your ride part company apart from other riders and bikes and if you look back to a recent tragic accident you will notice it was a collision with another bike that caused the fatal injury, tracks are generally safe places to race and if I was on a track here I'd be wearing full gear, now equate that to a public road and you have the picture, leather will not save your life - hitting a solid object at 160kmph or even 50kmph you are not going to survive

agreed mate but racing/track tyres are a completely different animal to road tyres, as I'm sure you know for racing a good tyre specialist can read a tyre and diagnose many setup issues with a racing bike, weight balance - suspension - pressures - temps - brakes indeed almost everything that a bike does on the track can be read through the tyres - it is quite an art, I come from a country where motorbike racing is almost a cult and it's mostly done on public roads

well said mate, it's really down to the individual and the bike, I'm amazed at this thread and how it matured to insults etc, it was a simple topic based on an observation about the current road surfaces and was intended to gauge how other where finding it and to an extent to draw attention to the fact for those that wheren't aware - new bike owners etc.

4) Because I can

5) Testing just how much traction (or lack of) there is as it is something we should all be constantly aware of on every part of our journey

if you're spinning up till 4th... i would look at your riding skills opposed to blaming the roads ... obviously there is a problem between your right wrist and your brain... throttle is not an on/off switch you know

and the brainiest post 2012 goes to..............................

Setting tire pressures i.a.w. the manufacturers handbook is always the best way to ensure performance within their design envelope. Tire pressures should be set when the tire is cool, which means 'not run' for more than 1 mile. If you put in air at 32/33 psi when the tires are cool and the pressure is 42/43 psi when hot the tires are under-inflated by 10 - 20% (depending on gauge accuracy, few are better than +/- 5%) according to the handbook.

You've nailed it, the roads are more slippy at this time of year. I would even say that, this year, the roads I have travelled recently seem more slippy than in previous years.

If I was having traction problems accelerating, I'd be more concerned about the traction available for cornering and stopping, but that's me.

Great post and agree with you 100%, I've been riding here 7 years and never experienced the roads quite as bad as this, and you are correct Re "traction problems accelerating" reducing tyre pressure may enhance straight line grip but all you are doing is masking the issue and creating probably more problems, I actually run 2x types of tyre on my bike, I have a soft compound diablo on the front and the BT23 on the rear, this combo works extremely well for me, Tyres actually have oil in their compound and can make for a very slippery surface if not given the chance to wash away

BBBKK you are relentless and again wrong, you started this and I am no longer going to respond to you, and BTW never once did I insult anyone here, disagreeing with someone is not an insult it is a difference of opinion which don't seem to be able to handle. Comments like som num nah and wingnut are hardly constructive.

Anyway -

ok I didn't right the following but thought it a useful read for everyone, it is copied and pasted from the net and does contain some general info about tyres especially "inflation"

Motorcycle Tire Inflation

CHECKING TIRE PRESSURES IS THE MOST IMPORTANT TIRE MAINTENANCE FUNCTION YOU CAN PERFORM.

Why the capital letters? Because we can't stress this enough. Check your tires' air pressure at least once a week and before long trips. Be sure to use an accurate pressure gauge. Common sense, you say? You'd be surprised.

Incorrect inflation can lead to uneven wear, so use your contact patches as an idicator. And remember, having too much pressure can be just as dangerous as too little.Check air pressure when the tires are cold. Tires are cold when a motorcycle has been ridden less than a mile at moderate speed or after it has been sitting for three or more hours. Never release air from a hot tire in order to reach the recommended cold tire pressure. Normal riding causes tires to run hotter and inflation pressure to increase. If you release air when your tires are hot, you may under-inflate your tires to dangerous levels.

If for some reason your tires are losing more than two psi per month, the tire, valve, or wheel may be damaged. Have your local dealer check it out. Always keep the air pressure in both tires at the manufacturer's recommended psi. Your motorcycle owner's manual will tell you this magic number. On some motorcycles, the recommended front and rear tire pressures differ, and the numbers stamped on the sidewall of the tire are often only for maximum loads. Occasionally, these pressure numbers are the manufacturer's recommended settings as well, but always check your owner's manual first. Having the proper tire pressure improves handling, gas mileage and keeps you safer in the saddle.

Riding on underinflated motorcycle tires is dangerous for several reasons. The tires will build excessive heat and can cause sudden tire failure. Under inflation causes irregular tread wear at the edge of the contact patch and may also damage the tire beyond use. It will affect cornering, cause you to lose precious gas mileage, and can cause fatigue cracking.

Riding on tires with too much air is equally as dangerous. The tires are more likely to be cut, punctured, or broken by sudden impact. Overinflating will cause the bike to ride hard and will cause the tire to wear out quickly in the center of the contact patch. Do not exceed the pressure indicated on the tire sidewall. Consult your owner's manual for the recommended psi and for other useful tidbits of info on your tires.

Oh and one more thing - your single contribution to this thread has been telling people to let their tyres down if they experience wheel spin on the slippery surface we are all experiencing right now (anyone that disagrees with this you sling insults) maybe you think we're all driving snow trucks in Iceland lol, ok I give in - guys everybody let your tyres down this will offer you more grip but your bike will be unrideable - use 5x the fuel and eventually your tyres will explode due to overheating lol

well there you go, absolutly nothiong you posted there is accurate, perhaps that's why people generally ignore you mate, I personally find you rude and ignorant and are right now getting very close to becomming the 2nd person I have ever placed on ignore, anyone that listens to this ---- about bike setup or anything else needs to very careful, just because you throw in the odd trackday doesn't make you an expert by a long shot, like I have already said "I would never advise anyone on how they should be setting up their ride"

Oh and BTW the "old" BB as you mention was produced from 1998 up to 2007 and throws out 164hp (depenent on variations) held the fastest production Bike in the world title taken from Kawasaki, Hyabusa topped it by 5mph then Kawasaki with the 14R and now held by that superb monster the BMW

yes I am mate and can't drop pressure anymore otherwise I'd need power steering lol, I run them slightly down from recommended considering how hot it is here - I've checked the pressure after a good run when they are hot and and they are 43-44psi which is just about what I can get away with any lower and slow speed turn in becomes extreme, sometimes I wish I'd bought a little toy bike like an ER6N or Ninja 650R then I wouldn't have to consider wheelspin but I guess that just comes with having over twice the HP lol

PS and before any ER6N or Ninja owners jump in here with offensive retort - I'm just kidding, I love those bikes and would have one in an instant.

Catch your bus on Pattaya Tai before it turns to Jomtien, or -as already mentioned--walk down a bit and catch another one.

here here, I do this also, walk along a bit and just get one that is on route

I was actually seated on one of these waiting buses and when I saw their attitude I got up and left the bus to a toraid of abuse, I just looked at them and said some words that they where familiar with and walked away with a smile.

truethfully what I would like to know is why some proliffic posters here feel they are qualified to tell people how to set up their bikes - something I would never do, it just seems we have a fair share of closet experts here that when it come down to it - know very little on top of that they freely use abuse and attack tactics to get their point across, it's like kindergarden lol

and the roads are still slippery lol

what is with you guys on here, are your heads so far up your ass you have to challenge and insult people at will...crazy stuff

and by the way - I said production Honda, read my post again...unbelieveable

peace and a happy new year to all.

yeh track/race tyres are very very different to road tyres and so are the bikes (very light) unfortunately you cannot apply the same principals, you may have gotten away with it and felt comfortable with running low pressure - as I said earlier I would never advise anyone how to adjust the equipment on their ride but it's just worth noting that there are many things to consider temperature being the primary one for road tyres hot country low pressure, stability is next, my bike is very heavy and would be reluctant to drop pressure here. On a track using track tyres the primary indicator for suspension - temperature- weight distribution - and general balance of the bike is tearing indicators on the tyres, it is the single most comprehensive check that competition riders use to indicate how their setup is working during race conditions, on racing tyres 2-3psi can make dramatic differences to lap times.

I believe you are spot on when you talk about road composition here, you can even feel it under your boot, shiney hard glazed surface that doesn't melt under exstremely hot conditions, it even feels slippy under foot. If someone want to run low pressures in their tyres I would never ever argue against it as it's a complicated subject and probably a very situational and dependent on the bike the tyre and riding style................everybody to their own but it is still worth commenting on the possible outcome on changing tyre pressure, I've seen a few people here on various forums show pictures of deformed rear tyres and they where pretty new, not saying that pressure was a contributer but it is possible.

you just demonstrated the TV rathole as you cannot make a constructive post without personal insults, I won't reduce myself to your level as it's enough to show eveyone here exactly what and who you are,

oh and anyone else reading this forum be careful about the advise being given here, lowering tyre pressure has many other serious effects on your rubber especially heat and stability is another one, you could actually destroy your tyres running them too soft, I've seen it tyres deformed because pressure too low and they got too hot, tyre pressure is matched to the weight of the bike, if someone had the same tyres as I have on a lighter machine they would not be at 42-43psi, my cold pressure is arround 36-37psi any lower than this I'd need power steering.

Just be carefull out there and set your tyres at the recommended pressures by the bike manufacturer - they are right

geriatrickid, no harm to you but you keep staing facts which anyone can say - show me the facts - show your source - if you cannot then your facts are just dribble, you don't gety it do you ? where on earth do you get all this crap from, your facts are not facts until you show the figures and your official source, what are you - 13

there we go, how easy is it for threads to deteriorate on here, so basically it's my fault and anyone one elses that is finding the same as me, you can mess around with pressures if you feel that way inclined mate I will never advise anyone about their bike setup especially something as critical as tyre pressure - but back on topic - the roads are still offering less grip than normal. Not sure som num na is constructive at all

Tell you what, I'm not going to take this thread down the usual rathole that happens on TV

I have raced for years in competition and I'm not going to get into a debate about "my" tyre pressure or anyone elses as

they all differ depending on what you ride, and as a side note I never mentioned once anything about "cold tyre pressure" all I

said was I run the recommended pressure for my bike wieght which is and always will be 43psi - as for using the road as a race track - have fun with that mate here in LOS - you won't last very long and if you do it is pure luck, I've been riding here for 7 years and only once did I feel uncomfortable when riding with a few guys from BKK who are simply an accident waiting to happen (never seen such careless dangerous riding in my life, I'd rather ride on my own than put myself at huge risk trying to (race) keep up up with idiots.

well I'm not sure what you're riding but when you have an engine the size of a small car on 2x wheels then that is a lot of heavy stuff going on there, if Honda says 43 psi then that is what I run at - actually anything less and I can feel it dragging and the front end I'd need power steering lol, been riding here for 7 years and my tyres are fine ............... the roads are not lol

anyway be safe guys and keep on the black stuff.

I ride the most powerful fastest production bike Honda has ever produced, the equipment I use is all standard, start messing with tyre width and your handling goes up in smoke, reality is that putting 165hp through a thin strip of tyre rubber is not easy anyway, and as for tyre pressure - all standard at 43psi, the roads are simply slippy and require some extra vigilance, straight line wheel spin is not an issue for me I was simply pointing out there has been a lot of it recently on some roads I frequent often, remember I'm doing over 220kmph in 4th 2 gears to go

Nice to hear that others have noticed this too

yeh it's getting a bit unnerving to say the least, I'm finding myself to be more road surface grip concious than I would have been in the past, when I said 4th gear you should feel it in 1st 2nd and 3rd, 1st gear requires some very tentative power delivery on some roads lol but I guess just something everyone should consider when riding here, and the white lines and various marking I won't even go there