General Information

WARNING

Match tires, tubes, rim strips or seals, air valves and caps to the correct wheel. Contact a Harley-Davidson dealer. Mismatching can lead to tire damage, allow tire slippage on the wheel or cause tire failure, which could result in death or serious injury. (00023c)

WARNING

Harley-Davidson front and rear tires are not the same. Interchanging front and rear tires can cause tire failure, which could result in death or serious injury. (00026a)

Tire Pressure

WARNING

Be sure tires are properly inflated, balanced, undamaged, and have adequate tread. Inspect your tires regularly and see a Harley-Davidson dealer for replacements. Riding with excessively worn, unbalanced, improperly inflated, overloaded or damaged tires can lead to tire failure and adversely affect stability and handling, which could result in death or serious injury. (00014b)

Tire pressures should be set using information in Table 1 and Table 2. Tires are considered Cold Tires if the vehicle has not been recently ridden. The tire pressure increases as the tire warms. Tires can warm due to both riding and high ambient air temperatures. Tires can remain warm for up to 2 hours after riding. For the most accurate reading, check tire pressures with a good gauge before riding while the tires are cold.

Check tire pressure:

As part of the pre-ride checklist.
At every scheduled service interval.

For Cold Tires with an Ambient Air Temp of 20 °C (68 °F) or less: Refer to Table 1.

Table 1. Specified Tires

MOUNT	SIZE	APPROVED TIRE	PRESSURE (COLD 20 °C (68 °F))
MOUNT	SIZE	APPROVED TIRE	psi	kPa
Front	21 in	Dunlop D408F 130/60B21 M/C63H	36	248
Rear	18 in	Dunlop D407 180/55B18 M/C80H	40	276
Do not use the TPMS as a pressure gauge when adding or removing air from a tire. Sensor data is sent to the TPMS at varying intervals which does not refresh immediately when adding or removing air from the tire. Over-inflation or under-inflation can result. The TPMS sensor will not communicate pressures above 345–414 kPa (50.0–60.0 psi) depending on altitude. Air is used to calibrate the TPMS. Use of 100 percent nitrogen does affect the accuracy of the system. Do not rotate valve stems from their properly installed position. Can affect the valve stem seal and result in a slow leak. Do not use liquid tire balancers or sealing agents in wheels with a TPMS sensor. Damage to the sensor can result.

For Cold Tires with an Ambient Air Temp higher than 20 °C (68 °F): Refer to the first column in Table 2 to determine the tire pressure adjustments. For example: If the motorcycle has not been ridden for 2 hours or more and the ambient temperature is 31 °C (88 °F), the recommended front and rear pressures are Table 1 pressures plus 14 kPa (2 psi).

Tires warm due to riding which increases the tire pressure. If the vehicle has been recently ridden, refer to the second column in Table 2 to determine the tire pressure adjustment. For example: If the motorcycle has been recently ridden and the ambient temperature is 31 °C (88 °F), the recommended front and rear pressures are the Table 1 pressures plus 48 kPa (7 psi).

If a tire pressure adjustment is made when the vehicle has been recently ridden, re-adjust the tire pressure per recommendations when the tires have cooled. Tires can remain warm for up to 2 hours after riding.

Harley-Davidson does not perform any testing with only nitrogen in tires. Harley-Davidson neither recommends nor discourages the use of pure nitrogen to inflate tires.

Table 2. Tire Pressure Adjustment

AMBIENT AIR TEMPERATURE	MOTORCYCLE NOT RIDDEN FOR 2 HOURS OR MORE: ADD TO FRONT AND REAR PRESSURES IN SPECIFIED TIRES TABLE	MOTORCYCLE RECENTLY RIDDEN: ADD TO FRONT AND REAR PRESSURES IN SPECIFIED TIRES TABLE
20 °C (68 °F) or less	0 kPa (0 psi)	34 kPa (5 psi)
26 °C (79 °F)	7 kPa (1 psi)	41 kPa (6 psi)
31 °C (88 °F)	14 kPa (2 psi)	48 kPa (7 psi)
37 °C (99 °F)	21 kPa (3 psi)	55 kPa (8 psi)
42 °C (108 °F) or higher	28 kPa (4 psi)	62 kPa (9 psi)

Inspecting Tires

WARNING

Replace tire immediately with a Harley-Davidson specified tire when wear bars become visible or only 1 mm (1/32 in) tread depth remains. Riding with a worn tire could result in death or serious injury. (00090c)

Check tire tread:

As part of the pre-ride checklist.
At every scheduled service interval.

Inspect each tire for punctures, cuts and breaks.

Harley-Davidson tires are equipped with wear bars that run horizontally across the tread.

A tire is considered worn when the wear bars are visible or if only 1 mm (0.031 in) tread depth remains. A worn tire can:

Be more easily damaged leading to tire failure.
Provide reduced traction.
Adversely affect stability and handling.

See Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3. Always replace tires before the tread wear bars appear.

Figure 1. Dunlop Sidewall Tread Wear Indicator Bar Locator

Figure 2. Tire Sidewall Wear Bar Locator

Figure 3. Wear Bar Appearance

Replacing Tires

WARNING

Tires are a critical safety component. Contact a Harley-Davidson dealer for tire repair or replacement. Improper tire service can adversely affect stability and handling, which could result in death or serious injury. (00057a)

WARNING

Harley-Davidson recommends the use of its specified tires. Harley-Davidson vehicles are not designed for operation with non-specified tires, including snow, moped and other special-use tires. Use of non-specified tires can adversely affect stability, handling or braking and lead to loss of vehicle control, which could result in death or serious injury. (00024d)

WARNING

Only install original equipment tire valves and valve caps. A valve, or valve and cap combination, that is too long or too heavy can strike adjacent components and damage the valve, causing rapid tire deflation. Rapid tire deflation can cause loss of vehicle control, which could result in death or serious injury. (00281a)

WARNING

Replace punctured or damaged tires. In some cases, small punctures in the tread area may be repaired from within the removed tire by a Harley-Davidson dealer. Speed should NOT exceed 80 km/h (50 mph) for the first 24 hours after repair, and the repaired tire should NEVER be used over 129 km/h (80 mph). Failure to follow this warning could lead to tire failure and result in death or serious injury. (00015b)

WARNING

New tires are needed if any of the following conditions exist (refer to Table 1 for the specified replacement tires):

Tread wear bars become visible on the tread surfaces.
Tire cords or fabric become visible through cracked sidewalls, snags or deep cuts.
Bumps, bulges or slits in the tire.
Punctures, cuts, or other damage to the tire that cannot be repaired.

When installing tires on rims, do not rely on tread design to determine direction of rotation. Always be sure the rotational arrows molded into the sidewalls point in the direction of rotation when the vehicle is moving forward.