If I remember correctly BMW says 32psi front and 36psi rearI used to run my 1150GS on 34 front and 38 rear and had no problems.

I couldn't find this topic by searching, so apologies if it's been asked before.  What tyre pressures do you recommend for an R1150GS on the road?  Ta.

That would be an unusual question for someone looking to buy a bike. Air is pretty cheap :-).I usually go for 33/36, but you can go quite a bit higher. 36/41seems to make the tyres last for longer, but the lower pressure feels more reassuring.

Sorry Daffy, but I must disagree.The tyre manufacturer doesn't know what bike you will put their tyres on, so their recommendations aren't necessarily valid.  For instance, my bike takes a 120/70-17 front and a 180/55-17 rear.  BMW recommends 36/42 psi respectively.  Now, this pair of tyre sizes is the most frequently used amongst sport bikes from 600cc up to 1400cc.  The range of bike powers and weights are vastly different through this range, requiring a different psi for each.  My bike (K1200R) would need different tyre pressures than say a GSXR600, even though we use the same tyres.Even taking this into account, the bike manufacturer's recommendation is for "most typical" uses.  It is merely a starting point.  I run lower pressures at the track than I do on the weekends than I do on long trips with luggage.  So saying that the Metzeler knows more than BMW or Yamaha or Suzuki is not necessarily true.  I start with BMW's recommendation and go from there.You shouldn't feel obligated to listen to me either.  Weigh up all these opinions, and come up with the one that most closely resembles mine!Dave

Just to add fuel to the fire, when I got my last set of tyres, Continental Road Attacks, there are two tyres in the same size, one for normal bikes and one for BMW.The tyre Rep was at Cycletreads at the time and even he didnt know what the difference was and wasnt too impressed when I suggested "was that so you can charge more for them" 👿

Of course a GS is not normal  😀 The mudguard to wheel ratio is totaly exceeded to start with and lets not even start on that funny engine  😮 I almost washed mine today but fought the urge.However tyre pressures. I have ben told that the best way to set your tyre pressures is per ride and should be done thus:Check pressure when tyres are cold and inflate to plate specs. Recheck once the tyres are Hot. If the pressure has risen by 2 - 3 psi your tyre is slightly underinflated (heat is generated by the tyre flexing which in turn creates pressure) If the pressure rise is more than 7 - 8 psi you need to look at your shock absorbers.All well and good but then you need to do this at the start of every ride  😮I favour the bummometer system. It works like this, If my bottom (not the bikes) is not flexing at every corner then its good enough for that ride  😀 I may not get that extra km of tyre life but I get more of mine  😀

Right, so, here we go.The bummometer will give difffernet readings depending on the nature of the nutritional intake at the breaks on the ride. Cream buns at the first, second or subsequent tea breaks will mean a different reading on the bummometer at the resumption of riding.  :?m  Per my other posts, myu bommometer is fairly insentitive, my readings would be different to many others.The heat generated by the side wall flexing will depend on the speed travelled, the amount of braking, the road surface, the ambient temperature, to name a few variables but not all.  😐What is becoming clear is the in order to have the optimal tyre pressure at any given time one would have to carry a portable air pressure source, and stop frequently to verify that the pressure is staying at the optimum, inflating or deflatring as necessary.  🙄The F800 I had until recently had an option (I didn't buy it though) to monitor dynamic tyre pressures. The manual method of doing this  involves being able to check the pressures while in motion. I am yet to find a guage that I can manuallly place on the valve cap while the wheel is turning at anything over 13.8 metres per second.  😥That brings is back to the bummometer. I'm fairly sure that Burt Munro relied on this method. As detailed above, this is only as good as the nature of the bummometer itself (large, small, sensitive, numb) and the long term nutritional treatment the meter has had. Oh, and of course trhe quality of the seat padding.Um, where does that leave us...................Hey Muppet, go with what the BMW bloke write in the hand book. It's in "Bar". Factor in all the variables people have suggested to you, get over it and ride.FTR, the Road Attacks I have just appear to be normal, but that's dependant on what a BMW specdific one looks like. Any idea what the difference is?Sigh.

Most tyres are black and round. The BMW ones are round and black. I suppose they may have a stiffer sidewall because of the porky weight.