100% accurate. 2018 with Traxxion upgraded at 1,000....and my initial thought was my new Gold Wing was the best handling riding bike I'd ever ridden. That was the consensus of my friends that rode it (all 30 year+ dozens of bike owning riders). On my ride home from Traxxion my only thought was "how could Honda have put out a bike that was that dangerously under dampened". It's that dramatic...and it's that much better. Some commenters on several of Max's videos say "Do you think you're smarter than Honda's engineers?" My response is YES he is and he's not constrained by the PENNY PINCHERS trying to produce the most sellable bike for the lowest cost possible (Which is Honda's job). Honda makes a good bike. Traxxion makes that a Great Bike. Feel free to ask me questions if you're considering the upgrade. If you want to argue, move along. If you've never ridden on a modified bike and specifically Traxxion upgraded bike, you're wasting your time. If you're happy with the stock set up....it's serviceable...and good for you. This upgrade is for those that want to improve their suspension.
I am now concerned about the factory recommended tire pressure on our 05 Road King with the AR 25 up front and Bitubos on the rear. Nice video, a mix of intelligence and humor.
I just got everything done down at Traxxion Dynamics and it was money well spent. Good people! Max, You should tell people this when they're down there. I would have lowered my tires before I left. I have run my tires at 42 for years and years. My front tire at 5,000 miles was starting to cup. I thoroughly tested out your suspension on the way home. Starting at Dahlonega and taking 60 to Suches, then 180 over to 348 down to 75A to 129/19 back to 180 over to Suches then 60 up to 68 to Tellico Plains, TN. Took the Cherohala Skyway east and then to Robbinsville. Took 28 over to 129 (Deals Gap) and did the Dragon Tail and that evening ended up in Maryville,Tn. Next day found winding and twisty roads through TN. In fact we even ended up going south and west instead of North and west. Finally at 4:30 pm we headed north from Lafayette, TN and halfway through KY we got on straight roads and by 0300 the next morning we were home in Northern Illinois. My friends tire on his 87 wing was worn out at 8500 miles. Two days prior he had plenty of tread. My stock Bridgestone was worn but plenty of life left in it and there was absolutely NO CUPPING! It was smooth. I showed my wife all the parts you replaced and everything is good. I'll be lowering my tire pressure down because I did skid my 2012 once, even with ABS. Again, I am a very happy customer. For two days through all those winding roads I only scraped a peg twice, never bottomed out, the bike was much more stable and dare I say it for a Goldwing...Flickable. That's how I would describe it when on some roads the corners went from corner immediately into another corner (Devil's Triangle below Talking Rock, TN). If I wear this wing out in retirement I will be one of those customers who bring you a new Wing to upgrade! When I went from my 91SE with upgraded shock and fork springs to my 2012 I was very disappointed in the handling and cornering of the 12. Now with this low mile 2015 I can't say enough about the change. I used to have preload at 20 all the time solo. Now I have it at 7 and it is great. Yes, Folks... my preload started loading right at 1 and checked per Fred's videos. Chalk me up as another exuberant happy customer. Guy P.S. I am one of those guys who orders tires off the internet and I change them on my NoMar tire machine 1. To save money and 2. To make sure the jobs done correctly. 3. I get satisfaction from doing it. Jacob took me back 3 or 4 times to see the progress and show me the difference in parts. If you've been flirting with the idea to do it... Then... Just Do It. Pull the trigger.
As a mechanic retired from the automotive world, I can definitely say, tire cupping can also happen on cars and trucks when the shocks or struts are weak...which they usually are weak when brand new. It doesn't always happen, because conditions are sometimes different, but it does happen a lot.
Thanks Max. I upgrade my 2019 Gold Wing with your suspension and tie rod replacement. World of difference. I have been running too high of pressure though. That will change now.
For your 2019, you'll probably only be able to get them down to 34/35 without the TPMS light coming on. Some guys set them just below that, then after they ride for 5 minutes, the tires warm up and the TPMS light will go off.
Thanks Max , I agree whole heartedly, I have a 2018 GW been meaning to get down your way for the suspension upgrade , I’m in about 120 miles away , I will be getting in touch soon if I can find the time 👍🏻
Someday I’ll get your suspension. I have a few hundred miles under 15k on my tires and the front looks great still. My back is wearing down more now that I’m pulling a trailer, but it still looks fair. I’ve taken Total Control, so I understand about pressure, suspension, tire life, etc. 2014 Airbag.
Hey Max you did my bike a little while back what pressure would you recommend on the rear since I am running a bridge stone drive gaurd run flat car tire. It was the '08 model. By the way the bike rides much better. Thanks Terry
Hard tires microboumce their way down the road. They seldom ever have contact with the pavement. But I don't take the time to try and teach people this. It's like banging my head on the wall. The sidewall of the tires is the first line of compliance for undulations on the road. But you can't teach lawn mower mechanics that 😂 Congratulations for taking on this task
Great video as always max!... much appreciated! I'll be coming to you soon for your full suspension upgrade on my 2013 gl1800... I'm coming from Toronto... nice ride and want only the best most experienced working on my machine... can't wait Adam
@Traxxion yessir!... really can't wait!... you guys are doing awesome work!... thanks for putting up with the.... you know who's... lol Should I book in advance or a quick call enough day before? Cheers again! Adam
@@Adam_C_anadian You'll want to book an appointment with dan@traxxion.com We get a calendar filling up this time of year, so the sooner you pick your date the better!
Interesting presentation. What I’m finding with the colder mornings is the low tire indicator light displays until the tires warm up and the tire pressure exceeds 38 lbs in the front tire. By inflating the front tire to 41-42 pounds the indicator light does not appear during the start of the ride. Pressure settles in at around 40 lbs when warmed up. The fall fluctuations of the temperature variable in itself presents its own set of challenges. Anyway good information and the mic was definitely a good $50 investment.
Max McAllister The condition is morning start up in a cold garage prior to my commute. Since adjusting as stated above the 45- 55ish morning temp has not been a factor with the TPMS. I am curious to see what happens once the temp dips down into the low 40’s high 30’s. Thanks for the feedback on consideration of TPMS calibration and the air hose.
Max, one last quick observation... This morning I checked pressures using my two pressure gauges on both my tires. Both gauges are from same manufacturer. There was a 2# constant variance between the two on both tires. So, as I have been using the lower reading gauge primarily for the bike.... instead of 3# over inflated per recommended pressure, I suspect I was over inflating by 5#s. The higher reading gauge was pretty close to the TPMS on my "19 Wing. Thus the issue of over pressuring was compounded without me realizing. Please pass to you audience that they need to validate the readings on their pressure gauges. Keep putting out the videos. -W-
Max is 100% correct. Rock hard tires are unsafe because they dance like a basketball on the road leaving air space under the tire causing a lack of continuous tire contact patch on the road. It is hard enough for well-designed suspension to provide optimal dampening and shock absorption with proper inflation of tires. It becomes impossible to dampen with over inflated tires.
I bought my 2015 Goldwing in 2017 used, my new Avon tires cupped bad in 5000km, i put a new set of Bridgestone because i thought it was the tires fault, now the front tire has cupped pretty bad after 3000 km, i will be upgrading to your springs this summer because in Canada your complete kit will cost me over 5 thousand, i hope the springs alone will help
Wow, Max, learned a lot on this. Today I was wondering why those tie rods were moving while I was cruising on a great road with no bumps. Now I have another reason to not like my 2018 DCT new bike. Seat, GPS, am/fm reception. Aren’t the tires balanced?
While tire balance is a factor in how wheels behave, they are not related in the case of your suspension. With both wheels perfectly balanced, the wheels will still bounce and hop because the shock absorbers do not have sufficient damping to control the wheels. This also leads to tire cupping and premature tire wear.
I'm 2015 GL1800 owner with 16.5k miles on the stock tires and suspension, way more then you suggested they would last. Just saying. I plan on doing the Mega Monty with the tree this winter, with Honda recommending the 36/41 psi and you suggesting a more reasonable 32/36 psi will we have to deal with a blinking "low pressure" light as a result. Thanks for your time. Keep the videos coming.
That 32/36 seems to beat the light on the 01-17 bikes. If it does blink at all, it's only for a few minutes till you get some heat in the tires and the pressure comes up. But if the blinking annoys you, add 1 psi at at time to find out where your particular sensors don't light up. They do vary a little bit.
Max, thanks for the input. I agree with what your saying about not running maximum air pressure but I have a new 2024, my second Gold Wing, the first was a used 2001, and the 2024 has TPMS I’m sure you know. I have already had the TPMS alert me at 36 psi while the tires were cold. I know or think I know that 36 psi is plenty and I also know that the pressure increases with temperature. I figure it would turn off the tire pressure alarm after it heated up and the pressure increases. I haven’t tried this yet so I don’t know. I am going to lower the pressure and find out if the light goes out afterwards. The pressure goes way up after it heats up and I don’t care for this. I’m 70 and not a hot rodder. I’m built more for comfort than speed. 😉👍 Any sort of advice?
You have the exact trick figured out. Set the pressure to maybe 34 and 36, and you'll have to ride a few miles till the tires warm up and then the light will go out!
My concern with tire pressures is the farther you are from max pressure the farther you are from max capacity so I always wonder what calculations can be made to find out load capacity at set pressure. In the heavy truck world Bridgestone class twenty years ago shows a 2 psi drop in pressure is a 5 degree increase in temperature.. just information.. I will consider dropping front tire pressure down from 36 but I worry about temp and load capacity being that is already below max pressure by quite a bit. Great video 👍🏼
It is dependent upon tire and conditions. Over inflated tires have less contact patch and can actually run HOTTER than tires with lower pressure. A greater contact patch allows more surface area for the tire to transfer heat to the pavement. You can buy a temp gun for almost nothing nowadays and do an experiment with your bike. I'm sure it's safe though.
Hello Max I have the Traxxion suspension on my 2012 Goldwing. I ride solo all the time and I run 38/43 I am getting around 13,000 miles on my tires. How much air would you recommend I should put on them. Your suspension is awesome I felt the difference right away on my bike. Right now I have about 120,000 miles on the bike and I think I have 19,000 with the traxxion suspension...... Eddie T from Long Island NY
I have a 2021 Honda Goldwing non tour that I had a tour pack installed on. I bought it preowned with 5000 miles. I changed tires today after a total of 13,200 miles and had Bridgestone Exedra Max's installed. It had the regular Exedra's before. How much would the total bill be for a Traxxion Dynamics aftermarket suspension to be installed on my bike and how would I make an appointment???
It's under $3,000. Just contact our Sales Manager, Dan Anderson at dan@traxxion.com and he can give you full details and get you on the schedule. We are slow this time of year, so you can come most any time. We do that job in about 4 hours typically.
Thanks Max. Great explanation to something I really wanted to know. Now, living in Canada, I'm not likely going to be able to have you Install your suspension upgrade. Have you made a video about installing it on our own?
I have a couple of great installers in Canada, depending on where you are located. Also a few in the northern US. Many Canadians come down for a ride to have the suspension installed and then drive right home, duty and tax free since the installation is nothing any Customs Agent can find or be aware of.
We tried every trick I could think of to beat that system, and whatever that will take exceeds my technical knowledge. You can Search 2018 Goldwing TPMS and I have a video or 2 about what we did to try and beat it.
On Top of cheaping-out with Under Preforming Shocks on this bike, Honda has the technology to implement a TPMS that would display the exact pressures in the front/rear tires via the infotainment cluster BUT, instead they chose a dummy light warning system to alert of a low pressure scenario ? Another cheap corner cut brought to you by Honda.. For $39K I still have to use a tire pressure gauge and replace the shocks ?? Yes I'm in Canada, hence the price !
Hello to everyone. I have just ride my FIRST bike EVER from 1mile to 9 miles. I did not crush or die. As a first bike to sit and ride ever...I can tell that Goldwing DCT AirBag 2019.is PERFECT WITH NONE OF EXPERIENCE even with scooters!! It appears that air pressure is not ok. I need to do something. So, I will check what is says on tyres. PLEASE TELL ME HOW MUCH PRESSURE TO HAVE IT IN BOTH WHEELS... Thanks
This is my question. I know you are talking GL1800's, but this is how I have always done it on my GL1500 and other bikes. All heavy bikes. I run Dunlop E3's. In my manual and in the trunk on my 88 GL1500 it says 33 front, 38 back. 41 with max weight on bike. I ride alone and have stuff in bags and in trunk all the time. So I run 38 on back. I have had the best ride and traction and wear is good. No cupping. Have 17,553 kms (10,906 miles) with probably another season on it. My question is do you agree with my thoughts on pressures. I do not like the hard pressure tire ride and feel. I have tried it. I refer all around with 33 front 36 - 38 on back.
There's no reason to not try a lower pressure if you ride solo. You have already noticed ride quality diminishes with higher pressure. "Air is free" as I like to say, so you can experiment with no particular consequence. Try 30-32 in the front and 32-34 in the rear and see if you don't like it better. Another thing to be conscious of: Depending on where you live, your tire pressure can change dramatically as you ride. So if you live somewhere hot, your tire pressure will rise significantly as you ride.
@@Traxxion as I said, I like the settings I use and they are what honda says are the proper settings for the bike. As I said the sticker in trunk say 32 f 36 b and stick pretty close to them and find it great. I don't believe in being a rocket scientist and think that more air is better. Even convinced my brother on his 04 1800 to lower his pressure because he was wearing out tires too fast.
@@Traxxion I hear ya. But I love my old girl and I do think their proposed air pressures they put in book and in bike is there for reason and it is correct for the bike. Enjoyed you video.
@@billdeller2029 To add to your understanding... those pressures are based upon the OEM tire set, which haven't been for sale in ages. Any change in sizing, or even brand can result in a change in the internal volume of the tire, at which point those recommendations would not be completely valid. Something to keep in mind. Thanks for watching!
Best upgrade for my ‘06 Wing was a full Traxxion upgrade....but the benefit I found is the handling. There is simply no way I could ever get 15,000 miles out of a set of tires. I ride relatively conservatively and routinely get around 13,000 miles out of a set of tires. The increase in mileage from upgrading to Traxxion is not all that great....the handling and stability is the reason to upgrade.
Max, got to tell you, I've learned a lot watching your videos. I want to add your suspension to my 2018 but I'm seriously thinking of converting to DCT before I do it. Coming to see you in the fall, too damned hot now.
Be sure to test drive one first John. It's a lot different... it's a DCT, not an automatic transmission like in your car. Lots of people love it, some don't. Since you know your 6 speed, be sure to know before you change bikes.
I have spoken to several tire manufacturers at different motorcycle events and on the phone about tire cupping and also several mechanics, they all say cupping is caused by improper tire inflation, not poor suspension as you claim. what makes you more of an expert on tire cupping than the people who actually make them?
Your statement is incorrect !! Over / Under tire inflation can and does cause cupping but worn or weak suspension parts on bikes / cars enhance tire cupping enormously ! I do not know why the people you are talking too are not mentioning the fact that bad or worn suspension parts directly effect wear on tires, either they just don't know and/or are passing along false information like your statement ! Either way, worn/bad suspension parts on cars/bikes directly correlate to premature, unnecessary tire wear and even bad wheel bearings can lead to prenature cupping as well.... these are just the facts that every decent mechanic is aware of !! Lol
Your audio is a bit better, Max, but I would be remiss if I didn't tell you that the background conversation being held by a lady is very distracting in my opinion.i have noticed this on several of your other videos.
you guys must be all driving like my mom instead of riding a motorcycle. 02 glowing and I have never gotten more than 5,000 miles on a set of tires and I have ridden all brands. Avon handled best Metzler the worst. all at recommended pressure.
Call me STUPID! I have right at 350K miles on GWs, three of them over the past 23 years AND never had a crash/wreck... Until 8/20/2019. On a clear, dry day on a mountain road with no traffic in AZ I crashed my 2010 GW and my Aspen Tent Trailer. I have spent the past 8 months reliving that memory trying to understand why I could not navigate a curve at 45 MPH. This on a road that I have traveled many times with and without a trailer. My front tire lost traction and regardless of how much I leaned the bike, I keep going straight into the curve and the mountain side. I bailed from the bike before going off the road. I considered gravel in the road of maybe some oil in the center track. I finally came to closure on the main factor for my crash last night when I was watching this video. I have been keeping my tires at about 3 #s over recommended pressure for 20 years or so due to what many riders have said in the past. I know there is another factor that I have to accept... I have not checked the trailer tongue wt when loaded for many years now. The trailer was filled to the gills and I suspect there was also too much weight on the rear of the bike, making the front end too light. I was getting about 12K on a set of tires for several years. That extra pressure cost me more that any thing I saved on extra tire millage. It cost me 7 broken, ribs, 4 completely separated, punctured lung and gall bladder, broken wrist, 100 stitches in the forehead ,despite wearing a helmet, road rash on knees and left arm, A $54K helicopter ride to PHX, 3 Days in ICU, 5 Days of Post ICU care and totaled Bike and Trailer. I have my 4th GW now, a '19 DCU Tour, that I went out to the garage this morning and lowered the tire pressure back to the recommend amount. My advise to you is to Listen to what MAX has to say. A very experience rider can still be STUPID through lack of knowledge.
Very unfortunate for such an experienced rider. I think the real take away is your GW was never supposed to pull a trailer and NEVER with high tongue weight which just removes the front tires' ability to steer. Your problem was/is tongue weight. If you don't figure this out, load your trailer the same and with whatever front tire/tire pressure you choose, the same thing is going to happen again.
@@benkanobe7500 I never even mentioned a trailer. Just a plain 2 wheeled Goldwing. Unless there's 2 Japanese riders on it, a Goldwing is overloaded when 2 typical Americans get on it without any luggage. Yet, well over a million of them go down the road and cover billions of miles that way every year without calamity. Motorcycle trailer manufacturers couldn't have been in business for decades if they were killing people.
I hate to say it, but your audio is not as pristine as it should be. I'm a professional video photographer and video editor and I hear the camera mic in there. For example, at 19:40, you hear, loudly, your act of putting the marker pins back into their bin. That's from the camera mic. Either you are still editing with the camera mic only enabled and the lav mic disabled, or, more likely, you're mixing both mics. With a lav near your throat, your audio should be solid and clear with almost no ambience indoors.
Can I help? If you have the audio recording you made while doing this presentation, send just that audio to me and I'll match it to this video as a demo. I'll also send back a generic tutorial on how to match the audio with the video. Easy. Don at newsvideo dot com.
I think you have a bunch to contribute. I respect your experience. Let me tell you a little about me and why I disagree: I'm 63 years old and in 1985 I had over 300K on the street miles on two wheels (I stopped counting after that). I had a motorcycle license (permit) when I was 15 and have been riding consistently since then........ That does not include dual-sport, or off-road miles like the Barstow to Vegas race which I did each year during the 1980s, "Open Pro" one year and countless miles just riding off-road with friends. I know a thing or two about tire pressure and own a 1998 Goldwing with 78K miles I put on her since new. You are 100% correct about what HONDA recommends and they do a tremendous amount of testing at Tochigi (in the pouring rain and the dry) with every possible combination of rider, passenger, luggage, ..... in order to suggest in the owners manual the "best" tire pressure with the tires sold with the bike new. HONDA usually states two pressures (as you have stated) depending on weight and lets the owner adjust the pressure within the specified weight HONDA specifics for the bike. I think we agree on all that. So here is WHAT I disagree with- The contact patch is not a measure of security on dry roads on a street motorcycle. It is a measure off-road on loose ground. The tires a person purchases to replace what came on their bike from the factory are very often NOT what was tested when the bike was released by the manufacturer. My informed opinion is that if you care about SAFTEY on the road and not overheating under-inflated tires (with catastrophic failures) with an overloaded bike (as you alluded to) that you are trying to achieve the best "comfort" with, forget "comfort" and inflate your new tires to the maximum (cold) that the sidewall states. Yep, you may feel a bump or two more than those dangerously underinflated-for-the -load tires you had on your bike, but you will have superior handling, braking, and safety. You may lose 3K miles in overall tire life. Isn't it worth it to stay alive?
Hi Ben, The very point of this video is that max inflated tires are NOT SAFE. They loose traction in every condition faster than a tire that is run at the lower end of the recommended range. I have even personally demonstrated this for crowds at Goldwing rallies just to drive the point home. Past that, it is a very common misconception that tires with lower pressure run hotter than tires that are inflated to or beyond max pressure. This is also not true. A grossly underinflated tire will run hot. But we're not talking about grossly underinflated or neglected tires. Tires inflated to max pressure and beyond have a greatly reduced contact patch. This isn't an opinion or observation, it's just a fact. The tire will always be hotter than the ground it is rolling on. The ground acts as a heatsink for the rolling tire. With a reduced contact patch, less heat is absorbed from the tire by the pavement, and the tire will run much hotter. This is also a fact. I have personally held a temperature gun to thousands and thousands and thousands of tires at racetracks all over the world and observed this to be true.
100% accurate. 2018 with Traxxion upgraded at 1,000....and my initial thought was my new Gold Wing was the best handling riding bike I'd ever ridden. That was the consensus of my friends that rode it (all 30 year+ dozens of bike owning riders). On my ride home from Traxxion my only thought was "how could Honda have put out a bike that was that dangerously under dampened". It's that dramatic...and it's that much better. Some commenters on several of Max's videos say "Do you think you're smarter than Honda's engineers?" My response is YES he is and he's not constrained by the PENNY PINCHERS trying to produce the most sellable bike for the lowest cost possible (Which is Honda's job). Honda makes a good bike. Traxxion makes that a Great Bike. Feel free to ask me questions if you're considering the upgrade. If you want to argue, move along. If you've never ridden on a modified bike and specifically Traxxion upgraded bike, you're wasting your time. If you're happy with the stock set up....it's serviceable...and good for you. This upgrade is for those that want to improve their suspension.
Wow, that's a post I need to frame!!!!
I have yet to own a motorcycle that I have not upgraded the suspension, and it's usually within the first 6 months of ownership.
5 year old video but so telling!! Great explanation and there is no folklore or bullshit.
Some consider that style a fault... hahaha
Great video max . It's like going to school.
I hope it helps!
Great presentation Max, Thanks
I am now concerned about the factory recommended tire pressure on our 05 Road King with the AR 25 up front and Bitubos on the rear.
Nice video, a mix of intelligence and humor.
I just got everything done down at Traxxion Dynamics and it was money well spent. Good people!
Max,
You should tell people this when they're down there. I would have lowered my tires before I left. I have run my tires at 42 for years and years. My front tire at 5,000 miles was starting to cup. I thoroughly tested out your suspension on the way home. Starting at Dahlonega and taking 60 to Suches, then 180 over to 348 down to 75A to 129/19 back to 180 over to Suches then 60 up to 68 to Tellico Plains, TN. Took the Cherohala Skyway east and then to Robbinsville. Took 28 over to 129 (Deals Gap) and did the Dragon Tail and that evening ended up in Maryville,Tn. Next day found winding and twisty roads through TN. In fact we even ended up going south and west instead of North and west. Finally at 4:30 pm we headed north from Lafayette, TN and halfway through KY we got on straight roads and by 0300 the next morning we were home in Northern Illinois. My friends tire on his 87 wing was worn out at 8500 miles. Two days prior he had plenty of tread. My stock Bridgestone was worn but plenty of life left in it and there was absolutely NO CUPPING! It was smooth. I showed my wife all the parts you replaced and everything is good. I'll be lowering my tire pressure down because I did skid my 2012 once, even with ABS.
Again, I am a very happy customer. For two days through all those winding roads I only scraped a peg twice, never bottomed out, the bike was much more stable and dare I say it for a Goldwing...Flickable. That's how I would describe it when on some roads the corners went from corner immediately into another corner (Devil's Triangle below Talking Rock, TN). If I wear this wing out in retirement I will be one of those customers who bring you a new Wing to upgrade!
When I went from my 91SE with upgraded shock and fork springs to my 2012 I was very disappointed in the handling and cornering of the 12. Now with this low mile 2015 I can't say enough about the change. I used to have preload at 20 all the time solo. Now I have it at 7 and it is great. Yes, Folks... my preload started loading right at 1 and checked per Fred's videos.
Chalk me up as another exuberant happy customer.
Guy
P.S.
I am one of those guys who orders tires off the internet and I change them on my NoMar tire machine
1. To save money and
2. To make sure the jobs done correctly.
3. I get satisfaction from doing it. Jacob took me back 3 or 4 times to see the progress and show me the difference in parts. If you've been flirting with the idea to do it... Then... Just Do It. Pull the trigger.
WOW!!! That's a thoughtful review! Thanks for taking the time to post! Glad you are happy!!!
As a mechanic retired from the automotive world, I can definitely say, tire cupping can also happen on cars and trucks when the shocks or struts are weak...which they usually are weak when brand new. It doesn't always happen, because conditions are sometimes different, but it does happen a lot.
Thanks Max. I upgrade my 2019 Gold Wing with your suspension and tie rod replacement. World of difference. I have been running too high of pressure though. That will change now.
For your 2019, you'll probably only be able to get them down to 34/35 without the TPMS light coming on. Some guys set them just below that, then after they ride for 5 minutes, the tires warm up and the TPMS light will go off.
Max thanks for the "schooling". I know have some peace of mind concerning my crash. I also know what not to do going forward.
Very informative! 👌😎👍
I’ve never been called a scientist before let alone a rocket scientist. 😂🤣😂🤣
Thanks Max , I agree whole heartedly, I have a 2018 GW been meaning to get down your way for the suspension upgrade , I’m in about 120 miles away , I will be getting in touch soon if I can find the time 👍🏻
Right on!
Someday I’ll get your suspension. I have a few hundred miles under 15k on my tires and the front looks great still. My back is wearing down more now that I’m pulling a trailer, but it still looks fair. I’ve taken Total Control, so I understand about pressure, suspension, tire life, etc. 2014 Airbag.
Max McAllister should change his name to Frank Blunt. Brilliant information on this channel Frankly. And Bluntly. To the point. And no BS.
Thanks for the informative info. A lot makes sense now.
CAN I GET AN "AMEN!!!* Preach Brother.... Preach. GREAT Sermon..
Hallelujah!!!
Max, what pressures would you recommend for a stock 2018 Goldwing Tour? Solo rider around 175lbs.
Hey Max you did my bike a little while back what pressure would you recommend on the rear since I am running a bridge stone drive gaurd run flat car tire. It was the '08 model. By the way the bike rides much better. Thanks Terry
Hard tires microboumce their way down the road. They seldom ever have contact with the pavement. But I don't take the time to try and teach people this. It's like banging my head on the wall. The sidewall of the tires is the first line of compliance for undulations on the road. But you can't teach lawn mower mechanics that 😂 Congratulations for taking on this task
:)
Love this level of knowledge and expertise
Great video as always max!... much appreciated!
I'll be coming to you soon for your full suspension upgrade on my 2013 gl1800...
I'm coming from Toronto... nice ride and want only the best most experienced working on my machine... can't wait
Adam
We'll be ready! You won't know whose bike you are riding when you leave here!
@Traxxion yessir!... really can't wait!... you guys are doing awesome work!... thanks for putting up with the.... you know who's... lol
Should I book in advance or a quick call enough day before?
Cheers again!
Adam
@@Adam_C_anadian You'll want to book an appointment with dan@traxxion.com
We get a calendar filling up this time of year, so the sooner you pick your date the better!
@Traxxion ok sweet will do.... looks like middle to end of season for me... half way saved up lol... cheers
Max, Thank you in the education!
You're welcome!
Interesting presentation. What I’m finding with the colder mornings is the low tire indicator light displays until the tires warm up and the tire pressure exceeds 38 lbs in the front tire. By inflating the front tire to 41-42 pounds the indicator light does not appear during the start of the ride. Pressure settles in at around 40 lbs when warmed up. The fall fluctuations of the temperature variable in itself presents its own set of challenges. Anyway good information and the mic was definitely a good $50 investment.
Max McAllister The condition is morning start up in a cold garage prior to my commute. Since adjusting as stated above the 45- 55ish morning temp has not been a factor with the TPMS. I am curious to see what happens once the temp dips down into the low 40’s high 30’s. Thanks for the feedback on consideration of TPMS calibration and the air hose.
Max, one last quick observation... This morning I checked pressures using my two pressure gauges on both my tires. Both gauges are from same manufacturer. There was a 2# constant variance between the two on both tires. So, as I have been using the lower reading gauge primarily for the bike.... instead of 3# over inflated per recommended pressure, I suspect I was over inflating by 5#s. The higher reading gauge was pretty close to the TPMS on my "19 Wing. Thus the issue of over pressuring was compounded without me realizing. Please pass to you audience that they need to validate the readings on their pressure gauges. Keep putting out the videos. -W-
That's an important observation!
I’ve been telling people this for years, they call me stupid. 95%of the time I ride single. 34psi front, 36-38psi rear
You can only try... let them ride around on rocks...
Thank you, Lol, nice start. Now I kinda wish my Victory Vision was a goldwing.
Max is 100% correct. Rock hard tires are unsafe because they dance like a basketball on the road leaving air space under the tire causing a lack of continuous tire contact patch on the road. It is hard enough for well-designed suspension to provide optimal dampening and shock absorption with proper inflation of tires. It becomes impossible to dampen with over inflated tires.
Great video!!!😎👍🏼👍🏼
Thanks!
I bought my 2015 Goldwing in 2017 used, my new Avon tires cupped bad in 5000km, i put a new set of Bridgestone because i thought it was the tires fault, now the front tire has cupped pretty bad after 3000 km, i will be upgrading to your springs this summer because in Canada your complete kit will cost me over 5 thousand, i hope the springs alone will help
Did you upgrade??,,and if so what was the result with the springs?
Wow, Max, learned a lot on this. Today I was wondering why those tie rods were moving while I was cruising on a great road with no bumps. Now I have another reason to not like my 2018 DCT new bike. Seat, GPS, am/fm reception. Aren’t the tires balanced?
While tire balance is a factor in how wheels behave, they are not related in the case of your suspension. With both wheels perfectly balanced, the wheels will still bounce and hop because the shock absorbers do not have sufficient damping to control the wheels. This also leads to tire cupping and premature tire wear.
I'm 2015 GL1800 owner with 16.5k miles on the stock tires and suspension, way more then you suggested they would last. Just saying. I plan on doing the Mega Monty with the tree this winter, with Honda recommending the 36/41 psi and you suggesting a more reasonable 32/36 psi will we have to deal with a blinking "low pressure" light as a result. Thanks for your time. Keep the videos coming.
That 32/36 seems to beat the light on the 01-17 bikes. If it does blink at all, it's only for a few minutes till you get some heat in the tires and the pressure comes up. But if the blinking annoys you, add 1 psi at at time to find out where your particular sensors don't light up. They do vary a little bit.
Max, thanks for the input. I agree with what your saying about not running maximum air pressure but I have a new 2024, my second Gold Wing, the first was a used 2001,
and the 2024 has TPMS I’m sure you know. I have already had the TPMS alert me at 36 psi while the tires were cold. I know or think I know that 36 psi is plenty and I also know that the pressure increases with temperature. I figure it would turn off the tire pressure alarm after it heated up and the pressure increases. I haven’t tried this yet so I don’t know. I am going to lower the pressure and find out if the light goes out afterwards. The pressure goes way up after it heats up and I don’t care for this. I’m 70 and not a hot rodder. I’m built more for comfort than speed. 😉👍 Any sort of advice?
You have the exact trick figured out. Set the pressure to maybe 34 and 36, and you'll have to ride a few miles till the tires warm up and then the light will go out!
Thank you. I’m going to go look and see if you have anything for my Indian.
Contact dan@traxxion.com, he handles our sales!
My concern with tire pressures is the farther you are from max pressure the farther you are from max capacity so I always wonder what calculations can be made to find out load capacity at set pressure. In the heavy truck world Bridgestone class twenty years ago shows a 2 psi drop in pressure is a 5 degree increase in temperature.. just information.. I will consider dropping front tire pressure down from 36 but I worry about temp and load capacity being that is already below max pressure by quite a bit. Great video 👍🏼
It is dependent upon tire and conditions. Over inflated tires have less contact patch and can actually run HOTTER than tires with lower pressure. A greater contact patch allows more surface area for the tire to transfer heat to the pavement. You can buy a temp gun for almost nothing nowadays and do an experiment with your bike. I'm sure it's safe though.
Thank you max
Thanks for the info!
Happy to help!
Great video Max, tks. Any comment on companies that sell the active bearing wheel balancing as they claim it reduces cupping, more BS??
hey thanks appreciate it, if I can ever find time to get to GA from CA I will have the upgrade done
Great presentation! What’s your thought on darksiders running car tires to save a few bucks?
It's so silly I can't even talk about it.
Great video max. Any installers in the Detroit area.
traxxion.com/authorized-independent-installers/
Hello Max I have the Traxxion suspension on my 2012 Goldwing. I ride solo all the time and I run 38/43 I am getting around 13,000 miles on my tires. How much air would you recommend I should put on them. Your suspension is awesome I felt the difference right away on my bike. Right now I have about 120,000 miles on the bike and I think I have 19,000 with the traxxion suspension...... Eddie T from Long Island NY
Good morning Max I am 5’7 and weigh 210
Max McAllister Thank you for your reply I will try it out over the weekend. I will get to you and let you know....Have a great weekend.....
I have a 2021 Honda Goldwing non tour that I had a tour pack installed on. I bought it preowned with 5000 miles. I changed tires today after a total of 13,200 miles and had Bridgestone Exedra Max's installed. It had the regular Exedra's before. How much would the total bill be for a Traxxion Dynamics aftermarket suspension to be installed on my bike and how would I make an appointment???
It's under $3,000. Just contact our Sales Manager, Dan Anderson at dan@traxxion.com and he can give you full details and get you on the schedule. We are slow this time of year, so you can come most any time. We do that job in about 4 hours typically.
Sarcasm gonna like this guy
Thanks Max. Great explanation to something I really wanted to know. Now, living in Canada, I'm not likely going to be able to have you Install your suspension upgrade. Have you made a video about installing it on our own?
I have a couple of great installers in Canada, depending on where you are located. Also a few in the northern US. Many Canadians come down for a ride to have the suspension installed and then drive right home, duty and tax free since the installation is nothing any Customs Agent can find or be aware of.
On my way as soon as my new wing shows up and that damn border opens up.
Can you adjust the TPMS so it doesn't alarm because of the reduced pressures?
We tried every trick I could think of to beat that system, and whatever that will take exceeds my technical knowledge. You can Search 2018 Goldwing TPMS and I have a video or 2 about what we did to try and beat it.
So far, my best suggestion is a piece of black tape over the light if you want to run lower pressures... that's what I would end up doing.
Does the Traxxion system require any periodic maintenance
Yes, forks are 20-25k, but that's because the bushings wear out, not our parts.
Our shocks we recommend service around 60k.
Wait, how do we get our money back? :) But seriously, great info. Thanks for posting it.
What are your thoughts on people who put car tires on the rear of their goldwing aka darkside
We don't recommend car tires on motorcycles...
On Top of cheaping-out with Under Preforming Shocks on this bike, Honda has the technology to implement a TPMS that would display the exact pressures in the front/rear tires via the infotainment cluster BUT, instead they chose a dummy light warning system to alert of a low pressure scenario ? Another cheap corner cut brought to you by Honda.. For $39K I still have to use a tire pressure gauge and replace the shocks ?? Yes I'm in Canada, hence the price !
Isn't your garage located in Georgia??? I am located in NC
Yes. www.traxxion.com
Hello to everyone.
I have just ride my FIRST bike EVER from 1mile to 9 miles. I did not crush or die. As a first bike to sit and ride ever...I can tell that Goldwing DCT AirBag 2019.is PERFECT WITH NONE OF EXPERIENCE even with scooters!! It appears that air pressure is not ok. I need to do something. So, I will check what is says on tyres. PLEASE TELL ME HOW MUCH PRESSURE TO HAVE IT IN BOTH WHEELS... Thanks
Do NOT use the pressure on the tire... that is max pressure. Older Wings are best 32F 36R while solo.
But, but, but....Max, if I spend 3 grand on suspension I won't be able to put all that chrome on my bike!!!!
This is my question. I know you are talking GL1800's, but this is how I have always done it on my GL1500 and other bikes. All heavy bikes. I run Dunlop E3's. In my manual and in the trunk on my 88 GL1500 it says 33 front, 38 back. 41 with max weight on bike. I ride alone and have stuff in bags and in trunk all the time. So I run 38 on back. I have had the best ride and traction and wear is good. No cupping. Have 17,553 kms (10,906 miles) with probably another season on it. My question is do you agree with my thoughts on pressures. I do not like the hard pressure tire ride and feel. I have tried it. I refer all around with 33 front 36 - 38 on back.
There's no reason to not try a lower pressure if you ride solo. You have already noticed ride quality diminishes with higher pressure. "Air is free" as I like to say, so you can experiment with no particular consequence. Try 30-32 in the front and 32-34 in the rear and see if you don't like it better. Another thing to be conscious of: Depending on where you live, your tire pressure can change dramatically as you ride. So if you live somewhere hot, your tire pressure will rise significantly as you ride.
@@Traxxion as I said, I like the settings I use and they are what honda says are the proper settings for the bike. As I said the sticker in trunk say 32 f 36 b and stick pretty close to them and find it great. I don't believe in being a rocket scientist and think that more air is better. Even convinced my brother on his 04 1800 to lower his pressure because he was wearing out tires too fast.
@@billdeller2029 if everything Honda did was "best" I wouldn't have been in business for 23 years.... HAHA!
@@Traxxion I hear ya. But I love my old girl and I do think their proposed air pressures they put in book and in bike is there for reason and it is correct for the bike. Enjoyed you video.
@@billdeller2029 To add to your understanding... those pressures are based upon the OEM tire set, which haven't been for sale in ages. Any change in sizing, or even brand can result in a change in the internal volume of the tire, at which point those recommendations would not be completely valid. Something to keep in mind. Thanks for watching!
How are you enjoying the ride when all you worry about is what its costing you?
I agree!
Cool
Best upgrade for my ‘06 Wing was a full Traxxion upgrade....but the benefit I found is the handling. There is simply no way I could ever get 15,000 miles out of a set of tires. I ride relatively conservatively and routinely get around 13,000 miles out of a set of tires. The increase in mileage from upgrading to Traxxion is not all that great....the handling and stability is the reason to upgrade.
Will that upgrade Suspension fit a 1996 Goldwing 1500gl Se???
We have a front suspension upgrade kit for the GL1500. It's around $1500 installed.
And we’re can I get this upgraded Suspension install on my 1996 1500gl SE Goldwing? I stay in Corpus Christi Tx.
Where
@@amadobarriosiii9080 We have an installer in Texas "Raceworx", or you can come to our shop in Georgia.
can i upgrade my suspenssion on a 2013 f6b
Absolutely! www.traxxion.com
Max, got to tell you, I've learned a lot watching your videos. I want to add your suspension to my 2018 but I'm seriously thinking of converting to DCT before I do it. Coming to see you in the fall, too damned hot now.
Be sure to test drive one first John. It's a lot different... it's a DCT, not an automatic transmission like in your car. Lots of people love it, some don't. Since you know your 6 speed, be sure to know before you change bikes.
I have spoken to several tire manufacturers at different motorcycle events and on the phone about tire cupping and also several mechanics, they all say cupping is caused by improper tire inflation, not poor suspension as you claim. what makes you more of an expert on tire cupping than the people who actually make them?
What is this magic pressure?
Your statement is incorrect !! Over / Under tire inflation can and does cause cupping but worn or weak suspension parts on bikes / cars enhance tire cupping enormously ! I do not know why the people you are talking too are not mentioning the fact that bad or worn suspension parts directly effect wear on tires, either they just don't know and/or are passing along false information like your statement ! Either way, worn/bad suspension parts on cars/bikes directly correlate to premature, unnecessary tire wear and even bad wheel bearings can lead to prenature cupping as well.... these are just the facts that every decent mechanic is aware of !! Lol
Your audio is a bit better, Max, but I would be remiss if I didn't tell you that the background conversation being held by a lady is very distracting in my opinion.i have noticed this on several of your other videos.
Well, you get what you pay for...
you guys must be all driving like my mom instead of riding a motorcycle. 02 glowing and I have never gotten more than 5,000 miles on a set of tires and I have ridden all brands. Avon handled best Metzler the worst. all at recommended pressure.
Great video/presentation. The female voice in the background was a bit of a distraction...
We can’t see what you are writing, sorry
Call me STUPID! I have right at 350K miles on GWs, three of them over the past 23 years AND never had a crash/wreck... Until 8/20/2019. On a clear, dry day on a mountain road with no traffic in AZ I crashed my 2010 GW and my Aspen Tent Trailer. I have spent the past 8 months reliving that memory trying to understand why I could not navigate a curve at 45 MPH. This on a road that I have traveled many times with and without a trailer. My front tire lost traction and regardless of how much I leaned the bike, I keep going straight into the curve and the mountain side. I bailed from the bike before going off the road. I considered gravel in the road of maybe some oil in the center track. I finally came to closure on the main factor for my crash last night when I was watching this video. I have been keeping my tires at about 3 #s over recommended pressure for 20 years or so due to what many riders have said in the past. I know there is another factor that I have to accept... I have not checked the trailer tongue wt when loaded for many years now. The trailer was filled to the gills and I suspect there was also too much weight on the rear of the bike, making the front end too light. I was getting about 12K on a set of tires for several years. That extra pressure cost me more that any thing I saved on extra tire millage. It cost me 7 broken, ribs, 4 completely separated, punctured lung and gall bladder, broken wrist, 100 stitches in the forehead ,despite wearing a helmet, road rash on knees and left arm, A $54K helicopter ride to PHX, 3 Days in ICU, 5 Days of Post ICU care and totaled Bike and Trailer. I have my 4th GW now, a '19 DCU Tour, that I went out to the garage this morning and lowered the tire pressure back to the recommend amount. My advise to you is to Listen to what MAX has to say. A very experience rider can still be STUPID through lack of knowledge.
Wow Wayne... I surely hate to hear this story... I wish you another 350K miles of SAFE riding!!!
Very unfortunate for such an experienced rider. I think the real take away is your GW was never supposed to pull a trailer and NEVER with high tongue weight which just removes the front tires' ability to steer. Your problem was/is tongue weight. If you don't figure this out, load your trailer the same and with whatever front tire/tire pressure you choose, the same thing is going to happen again.
@@benkanobe7500 I never even mentioned a trailer. Just a plain 2 wheeled Goldwing. Unless there's 2 Japanese riders on it, a Goldwing is overloaded when 2 typical Americans get on it without any luggage. Yet, well over a million of them go down the road and cover billions of miles that way every year without calamity. Motorcycle trailer manufacturers couldn't have been in business for decades if they were killing people.
how do you feel about a car tire :D
I don't like them. I even put motorcycle tires on my truck.
@@Traxxion 🤣
Those numbers are miserable compared with the price of a brand-new Goldwing, so don't cheat yourself cheap
Great video but the lady talking in the background is annoying!
I hate to say it, but your audio is not as pristine as it should be. I'm a professional video photographer and video editor and I hear the camera mic in there. For example, at 19:40, you hear, loudly, your act of putting the marker pins back into their bin. That's from the camera mic. Either you are still editing with the camera mic only enabled and the lav mic disabled, or, more likely, you're mixing both mics. With a lav near your throat, your audio should be solid and clear with almost no ambience indoors.
Can I help? If you have the audio recording you made while doing this presentation, send just that audio to me and I'll match it to this video as a demo. I'll also send back a generic tutorial on how to match the audio with the video. Easy. Don at newsvideo dot com.
I think you have a bunch to contribute. I respect your experience. Let me tell you a little about me and why I disagree:
I'm 63 years old and in 1985 I had over 300K on the street miles on two wheels (I stopped counting after that). I had a motorcycle license (permit) when I was 15 and have been riding consistently since then........ That does not include dual-sport, or off-road miles like the Barstow to Vegas race which I did each year during the 1980s, "Open Pro" one year and countless miles just riding off-road with friends. I know a thing or two about tire pressure and own a 1998 Goldwing with 78K miles I put on her since new. You are 100% correct about what HONDA recommends and they do a tremendous amount of testing at Tochigi (in the pouring rain and the dry) with every possible combination of rider, passenger, luggage, ..... in order to suggest in the owners manual the "best" tire pressure with the tires sold with the bike new. HONDA usually states two pressures (as you have stated) depending on weight and lets the owner adjust the pressure within the specified weight HONDA specifics for the bike. I think we agree on all that.
So here is WHAT I disagree with- The contact patch is not a measure of security on dry roads on a street motorcycle. It is a measure off-road on loose ground. The tires a person purchases to replace what came on their bike from the factory are very often NOT what was tested when the bike was released by the manufacturer.
My informed opinion is that if you care about SAFTEY on the road and not overheating under-inflated tires (with catastrophic failures) with an overloaded bike (as you alluded to) that you are trying to achieve the best "comfort" with, forget "comfort" and inflate your new tires to the maximum (cold) that the sidewall states. Yep, you may feel a bump or two more than those dangerously underinflated-for-the -load tires you had on your bike, but you will have superior handling, braking, and safety. You may lose 3K miles in overall tire life. Isn't it worth it to stay alive?
Hi Ben,
The very point of this video is that max inflated tires are NOT SAFE. They loose traction in every condition faster than a tire that is run at the lower end of the recommended range. I have even personally demonstrated this for crowds at Goldwing rallies just to drive the point home.
Past that, it is a very common misconception that tires with lower pressure run hotter than tires that are inflated to or beyond max pressure. This is also not true. A grossly underinflated tire will run hot. But we're not talking about grossly underinflated or neglected tires.
Tires inflated to max pressure and beyond have a greatly reduced contact patch. This isn't an opinion or observation, it's just a fact. The tire will always be hotter than the ground it is rolling on. The ground acts as a heatsink for the rolling tire. With a reduced contact patch, less heat is absorbed from the tire by the pavement, and the tire will run much hotter.
This is also a fact. I have personally held a temperature gun to thousands and thousands and thousands of tires at racetracks all over the world and observed this to be true.