[gremlin]

I figure a guy your size probably qualifies as "heavy luggage".    

nah, I'm a Pillion passenger (+1)   

[Gypsyjon]

I'm heavy enough that I pump my tires to their max pressures.  I dislike sidewall flex & squirm (especially on a bike).

+1

[High On Octane]

Personally, I've always run my motorcycle tires on the hard side, around 28-30psi front and rear.  Unless I'm doing mainly dirt roads, then I'll drop down to about 20psi.  Like Gremlin stated, I hate when my tires feel like they're going to wash out in turns.  I'd rather tires feel a little slick than unstable, I can control a skid, you can't control uncertainty. 

As far as the "Expedition Tire Incident" back around 2000, there was actually 2 factors there.  First being they didn't inflate the tires properly.  Second being, when the rubber was being processed to be sold to Bridgestone, the rubber was actually missing a key ingredient which accounts for curing, hardness and stability of the rubber itself.  Before rubber is molded into tires, it is milled and melted together with several other chemicals and ingredients that dictate the characteristics of the rubber.  With this ingredient missing, the tires were overheating and shreadding from the steel belts of the tires themselves.  I know this because I actually worked in the factory where this happened.  Weird part was, it got through several levels of safety chemical testing and never got noticed until the tires started killing people.

NO, I wasn't responsible for this, I only took samples of the rubber and sent it to the lab as it was being stacked on pallets.  EVERYONE DID get lectured though and the 2 people that were operating the mill were fired immediately.

Scottie

[barenekd]

I still prefer the softer ride of the lower pressures. My bikes handle great!
Bare