Trust your tires?

I’ve melted 3 tires and that doesn't look like any of those....

One of the tires I had a puncture on the rear @ 130mph. Now that melted !! lol
That looks like the OP stopped pretty soon after he had the initial deflation.

 

Well good thing I checked, I was down 2 PSI both front and rear tires.

 

That'll be because it is cooler today than it was the last time you checked them.

 

And you would know when I checked them last, how?

In all honesty I don't remember the last time I time I checked them. Normally I like to check them the night before I plan on using the bike for the week. However, like most things, it gets forgotten or blown off. I think I checked them after I did my CCT replacement but can't say if the temperature was any different.

The 5th Gen I know though, as I have been doing track days and had checked them each morning before I rode.

 

Just pointing out that most people don't consider the relationship between ambient air temperature and air pressure. A 2 psi drop is not unusual in the fall when this week might be 5 degrees C or more cooler than last week.

Cheers,
Glenn

 

Have to add in the So. Cal factor, not much weather change here! Sometimes it's 80+ on Christmas day!

 

Oh yeah, rub our noses in it. We're expecting snow for Christmas - AGAIN. Still going for a ride, though!

 

MC Tireworks on Sepulveda.

 

A good track habit is to check your tire pressure as soon as you hit the pits, this will let you know what you are really running at. A quality gage is very important too. You can often find one of the tire guys that can test your gage so you can calibrate it. I have seen some very significant differences between air gages, enough to make it dangerous.
I don't even wait to take off my helmet and gloves to check pressure, as soon as its on the stands I do it. After lunch check the cold pressure (if your not using warmers) and that can give you a starting point for your net track day. I run Dunlop GPA slicks on my CBR and Dunlop gives you a chart with cold and hot operating temps. Hot running temp is where you want to be spot on. Track surface temps can carry drastically and change during the day so a constant monitoring of pressure is important, especially as you start picking up the pace. I have seen guys crash and can't figure out why, then a quick check of their pressure and you find 40 psi! Here is the Dunlop chart I use.
http://www.dunlopracing.com/Pressures.pdf

 

Yeah, sfdownhill and I have been doing this, he’s been communicating with Dave Moss and one of the things he said was exactly what you mentioned, checking the pressure in the hot pit, before you even get off the track.

 

IMHO, anyone that rides a lot or in twisties hard should own a racing quality gauge, such as Longacre, and send it to the factory for calibrating once a year. If they can't be calibrated, it's not a good enough gauge to use on motorcycle tires. Until one does that, you'll never realize how inaccurate most gauges are. Given that I ride only recreationally and hard in the mountains, I never leave my garage without checking tire pressure and adjusting if needed. FWIW.

As to the subject tire that started this post, a tire failed probably due to a puncture but maybe not. We don't know yet. To expect any kind of tire to never fail is fantasy. Human beings make tires. Regardless of why, I would WORK WITH, not against Michelin as some here seem to suggest or imply. Be careful when waking sleeping elephants aggressively. You will lose.