Motorcycle Safety & Driveability: front versus rear tire pressures, acceleration force, tyre manufacturers


Question
I own 1995 VFR750F with 36psi fnt/41psi rear.  Why does rear with greater carcass surface area and nearly equal weight load require higher psi than front.

Answer
I'm not a tyre engineer. However, I do know that tyre manufacturers research their products and develop them in conjunction with the motorcycle manufacturers.

After hours of test riding, they come up with recommended pressures, that must be the right ones for the bike.

Modern Triumphs run 42 rear 36 front, similar to your VFR. I know that if I am down even a couple of pounds the handling is way off.

I suspect the reason the back is harder is that the rear wheel takes all the acceleration force, whereas the front does the steering and takes 75% of the braking forces.

So keep your pressures up to the recommended psi.