Tyre pressures

[Dee Duble Yuh]

The owner's manual for my XL1000VA4 says the tyre pressures should be ("driver only" sic):

Front - 25 psi (175 kPa, 1.75 kgf/cm2)
Rear - 29 psi (200 kPa, 2.00 kgf/cm2)

Whenever my bike comes back from a service, the Main Dealer has set them to:

Front - 36 psi
Rear - 42 psi

You might recognise these as the "standard" pressures for sports bikes and sport tourers. Each time I've set my tyre pressures back to the manual recommendations. At 25/29 the tyres lasted quite well: 7200 miles albeit pretty shagged out. OTOH, the front wore out as quickly as the rear, which is unusual, and it wore badly each side of the centre. This looks similar to "shoulder wear" caused by under-inflation, but might be where the softer rubber starts (I usually corner quite hard).

When challenged, the technician said that for road use - especially dual carriageways - 36/42 is better. What do you think?

Furthermore, I've replaced the original DeathWing 101 & 151 with Michelin Pilot Roads. Since these are road oriented. Will this make a difference?

[McVicar]

In my handbook the tyre pressures seem to have been updated by way of a sticker to show tyre pressures as follows:

Driver only: F 36 R 36

Driver and passenger: F 36 R41

I ride 36/41 at all times and cannot fault the handling on tarmac.

[Badger]

It was a mistake in the VA4 handbook which should have been corrected by the selling dealer!

[Dee Duble Yuh]

Grrr. Does this mean my tyres wore out prematurely because the dealer slipped up?

In fact, any safety-related problem with the bike would have been the subject of an official manufacturer recall. This error in the manual is at least as important. Why didn't they use official recall procedures for that?

(And why am I asking you?)

[McVicar]

Because you know we care Dave.

[Badger]

I thought it was strange as the handbook was different to the sticker on the chainguard then I got a letter from my dealer within a week of picking the bike up about the brake pressure vave check and the mistake in the book.