Motorcycle Tyre Pressure Analyser

This analyser compares the pressure measured on your front and rear tyres with the pressure recommended by your manufacturer, then tells you in a second whether to inflate, deflate or leave well alone. Enter your four values in bar: the tool applies a tolerance of ±0.2 bar and gives its verdict for each tyre.

How should you read the result of the analysis?

The tool gives a verdict per tyre, because the front and rear almost never have the same recommended pressure. As long as the gap with the manufacturer's value stays within the ±0.2 bar tolerance, you can ride with confidence: simply check again in a fortnight or before a long ride. Beyond that, the verdict tells you how much to inflate or deflate to get back to the target value.

One thing changes everything when reading the result: the measurement must be taken cold. After a few kilometres, the air inside the tyre heats up and the pressure climbs by 0.2 to 0.4 bar. A motorcycle that has just been ridden will therefore show false "over-inflation" when everything is in fact normal. If you want to dig deeper, our guide to monitoring your motorcycle tyre pressures explains why this check really does change how the bike behaves.

What ballpark figures should you remember?

On most road motorcycles, the recommended pressure sits between 2.0 and 2.5 bar at the front and between 2.5 and 2.9 bar at the rear. These are only rough guides: the only valid reference is your manufacturer's, which takes into account the weight of the bike, the tyre sizes and their intended use.

Two situations justify adjusting those values. Two-up or with luggage, most manufacturers ask you to add 0.2 to 0.3 bar at the rear. And temperature plays its part too: pressure varies by around 0.1 bar for every 10 °C, which explains why a correctly inflated tyre in summer looks flat on the first cold morning. One last useful pointer: if your gauge or your manual shows PSI rather than bar, our PSI/bar pressure converter does the conversion in a second.

What mistakes should you avoid with tyre pressures?

The most common mistake is deflating a hot tyre that looks over-inflated: once it has cooled, it ends up below the recommended value, with everything that implies in terms of accelerated wear, overheating and longer braking distances. Measure cold, correct cold, and the problem disappears.

Second trap: leaving too long between checks. A tyre naturally loses pressure over the weeks, even without a puncture, simply through the porosity of the rubber or because of a tired valve. A check every fortnight is enough to catch that drift before it becomes dangerous; it is one of the basics in our monthly motorcycle maintenance tasks. Finally, never copy the values from another motorcycle or from a car: every machine has its own recommendations, sometimes different from one tyre to the other on the same model.

Frequently asked questions

What is the right pressure for motorcycle tyres?

The right pressure is the one specified by your manufacturer, in the manual or on a label stuck to the bike. As a rough guide, most road motorcycles sit between 2.0 and 2.5 bar at the front and between 2.5 and 2.9 bar at the rear, with an extra 0.2 to 0.3 bar at the rear two-up or loaded. If in doubt, the manufacturer's recommendation always beats the averages.

Should you measure pressure cold or hot?

Always cold, meaning before riding or after less than 3 km. As you ride, the air heats up and the pressure rises by 0.2 to 0.4 bar: a hot reading would make you think the tyre is over-inflated. If you absolutely must inflate at a petrol station after a ride, aim for the recommended value plus around 0.2 bar, then check again cold the next day.

How often should you check your motorcycle tyre pressures?

Roughly every fortnight, and always before a long ride or setting off two-up. A tyre naturally loses pressure over time, even in perfect condition, and that loss is invisible to the naked eye on a motorcycle tyre until it is already significant. Reaching for the gauge is therefore the only reliable check.