Questions about tire pressure and chains

What air pressure is everybody running in their tires?My tires are Pirreli Route and are marked 40 psi front and 42 psi rear. The side cover and Clymer manual says 26 front and 28 rear. I have currently have them at 36 front and 38 rear. I don't seen to have any traction issues nor do the tires feel squirmy. They feel solid and seem to be wearing evenly and might get decent mileage out of them. Should I follow the tires or the book, or is it a personal preferance thing?
The bike now has 11,000 miles on it and will be thinking of the chain and sprockets soon. The stock 15/45 sprockets are still on and at 70 mph the engine turns 6,000 rpm. If I went to a 16/45-70mph @5,500 rpm, or a 16/40-71 mph@ 5,000 rpm, how would this effect my fuel economy? I like to cruise at about 70mph and would like to get the rpm's down a bit to try and improve economy on the highway. I'm not a speed demon so losing a little bit off the line doesn't bother me and for city riding I can gear down one if need be. Right now I'm getting 48 city and 45 highway.

 

The inflations on the tire sidewalls are maximum inflation pressure.

While you'll probably cut the gas mileage a wee bit probably better to go to the recommended pressure. You'll get a better contact patch and a less harsh ride.

 

Tire inflation should follow the rim manufacturer's recommendation. The rim is designed to perform its job at a specific pressure range. The tire pressure range embossed on the tire should be secondary in consideration.

 

Check the tire manufacturer's website.

Some manufacturers list recommended pressure for specific bike models. Metzeler does this for their ME880 tires.

If the tire manufacturer doesn't list pressure recommendations, go with the pressure listed in the owner's manual and/or sticker on the bike.

 

I'll check Pirreli's website and see if they have any recommendations for air pressure.I'm unable to ride right now due to a shoulder injury but hope to be backon the bike in the next week or so.
Anybody have any thoughts or suggestions as to my above gearing questions?.
Thanks

 

my xj 550 maxim states to inflate the front tire to 28 psi and 40 for the rear. It is listed on the sticker located on the steering tube of the bike.

This is what I use because I don't know what else to use. I asked someone once at a motorcycle shop I sometimes go to but they told me that I was wrong. Anyway I figured that the recommended tire pressures on the bike sticker were similar to the ones found on car door jam stickers.

 

Yamaha service data shows the XJ550 Maxim at 26PSI front, 28PSI rear.

Same for the Seca.

 

That's true, unless your total load is above 198 pounds. Then it's 28 front and 40 rear for the Seca. 28 front and 32 rear for the Maxim.

I'm running 28 and 40 in my Seca because I may be a bit over the 198 pound limit. 8O