Darksiders: For the doubters

[CaptainJoe]

But we really don't much ride at speeds where that is a major concern .... we are talking heavy tourers and cruisers here, not race bikes.

__________________

 

Ha... nice try..

 

So your saying ,you don't cruise interstates at 75? If Posted limit is 70, I always add 5.

 

Seems to me I am one of the more consevative riders on this forum as many constantly bragg about excesses . Oh s%$# said the "C" word! Sorry...

 

 

My main concern, is if the tire starts to goes flat there is a high probably that it will be shredded due to "no" side wall what so ever of a car tire...

 

Can literally sit on a dunlop E3 (without a rim) and it doesnt even budge due to its extreemely thick sidewalls. The new Kumho i have in the garage can easily be pushed down with one hand... Although it may not shred, it will definately be flailing around the rim and if it comes off, it will get ugly.

 

Chose not to install the tire on my bike due to this and the fact it would not seat with 80 PSI. Dont feel its good for a tires structure to exceed. Most tires seat "way under" max PSI.

 

Just relaying my concerns with the darkside and in no way trying to convert someone to my way of thinking. However, I do feel it is good to be armed with all the knowledge you can before you make the final decesion.

 

Would like to know, Has anyone had a flat at highway speeds and How did ti turn out?

[twigg]

Remember this is just a discussion ... point and counterpoint.

 

Your concerns are fine, and perfectly reasonable.

 

My point is that it it a very rare event, and I have never seen a motorcycle with a tire shredded like that from an explosive decompression, not heard of it either and certainly not in the context of this debate.

 

I'm not saying it can't happen, or has never happened, but the risk is tiny.

 

Compare the risk with the benefits.

[CaptainJoe]

Just a little confused as to where "Explosive decompression" is comming from.. never wrote that.

 

said depressurize. My point was, if you say...run over a sharp chunk of metal... your tire will be completely flat before you can come to a stop.

[Tom]

__________________

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chose not to install the tire on my bike due to this and the fact it would not seat with 80 PSI. Dont feel its good for a tires structure to exceed. Most tires seat "way under" max PSI.

 

QUOTE]This is precisely why I Never tried it on my RSV..I know there are alot of guys that do run it on the RSV but that is one heck of a lot of stress on a tire airing it up to 80-100 lbs to make it seat. At appx 20 lbs , give or take, my CT seated on my GW rim. AGAIN,it isnt for everyone,I just report MY findings and opinion.After running it on my GW I will not run any MC tire on the GOLDWING...IF I ever get a RSV again it will be ONLY MC tires for it.

[twigg]

Just a little confused as to where "Explosive decompression" is comming from.. never wrote that.

 

said depressurize. My point was, if you say...run over a sharp chunk of metal... your tire will be completely flat before you can come to a stop.

 

A blowout is a fast decompression ... A puncture is much slower. Blowouts are very rare events on modern tyres, even when badly punctured.

 

Either way, car tire or motorcycle tyre you have a similar problem. Even the runflats won't help much, that isn't what they are designed for.

 

Tyres don't "shred" in the time it takes to stop from a fast (or slow) puncture. They shred when driven for miles before the driver realises he has a flat.

[Hummingbird]

I don't put wheel borrow tires on my bicycle, lawn mower tires on my ATV, and I ain't putting car tires on my motorcycle. But to those who do...

 

Thank You

[Rick Haywood]

I didn't mean to move the debate up a notch and wasn't trying to be a snob. I was really curious. Most of it from what I read was to get more miles out of your tire. I ride 30,000 miles a year so it would be nice to not have to change the rear tire 2 times a year. Mu only concern in doing this is, if that tire design is good and safe to run on the bike then why don't they make motorcycle tires that way? I say if you are comfortable with it run it. I am not as comfortable taking curves as fast as some I ride with so I go a little slower but that doesn't make me wrong

[Hummingbird]

I didn't mean to move the debate up a notch and wasn't trying to be a snob. I was really curious. Most of it from what I read was to get more miles out of your tire. I ride 30,000 miles a year so it would be nice to not have to change the rear tire 2 times a year. Mu only concern in doing this is, if that tire design is good and safe to run on the bike then why don't they make motorcycle tires that way? I say if you are comfortable with it run it. I am not as comfortable taking curves as fast as some I ride with so I go a little slower but that doesn't make me wrong

 

In the same context and meaning - I have a Kuhmo on my Venture but it really doesn't matter what kind of tire is on the rear for my type of riding.

 

First off - I will probably have dry rot in it before I wear it out @ 3 to 5k a year.

 

Secondly - I gave up the flat out blind/too fast curve riding when I quit riding in the strip pits and moved to the highway.

 

Thirdly - see secondly - highways scare me, especially in my area. We have so many hills and curves that it's impossible to predict which curve is clear of gravel and which ones aren't - a lot of natural wash out and run off make the curves as dangerous as major highways.

[muaymendez1]

I have locked up my rear a few times.More than I an comfortable with.I think it may be one of the reasons why I ride more conservative.I'm afraid of going into a turn to hot abd then braking the rear loose.

I just improved my front brakws sio I will give a few more thousand miles before making a decision. Fron what I hear performance suffers a lil and I am looking for better preforming tires.I use my bike for fun outings snd not so much touring so A tire will last me 3 years so I dont mind spending a lil extra for great preforming tires

[twigg]

I have locked up my rear a few times.More than I an comfortable with.I think it may be one of the reasons why I ride more conservative.I'm afraid of going into a turn to hot abd then braking the rear loose.

I just improved my front brakws sio I will give a few more thousand miles before making a decision. Fron what I hear performance suffers a lil and I am looking for better preforming tires.I use my bike for fun outings snd not so much touring so A tire will last me 3 years so I dont mind spending a lil extra for great preforming tires

 

You would benefit a great deal from the increased grip, which means better braking. You would also gain from the vastly improved wet weather performance.

 

Car tyres shift a lot more water than motorcycle tyres and for someone who lacks a little confidence (read: behaves sensibly), it's all gain for you.

 

You can get increased dry weather performance from a rear motorcycle tyre, but you will pay for it. A rear tyre on my VFR would barely get 4000 miles, and they were expensive, but they really gripped ... to the point of laying down a black line under hard braking, even without locking up. They were still crap in the wet.

 

We do not need that level of tyre performance ... so let's be realistic.

 

The tyres specified for our bikes are rated for all speeds up to 130mph ... really!

 

Even allowing for the natural bragging of motorcyclists, none of us rides at that speed, and if they do then they might be in the wrong discussion .... They need to be talking about radar and laser detectors

[uechi kid]

I have been reading and listening to this debate for years and have come to the conclusion that, since there is no performance advantage to running a car tire on a motorcycle, and cost of the tire seems to be the only reason to Dark Side. I'm going to stay with a motorcycle tire on the motorcycle and car tire on the cars.

I am also not going to waste any more energy on this subject.

Too each his own.

[twigg]

I have been reading and listening to this debate for years and have come to the conclusion that, since there is no performance advantage to running a car tire on a motorcycle, and cost of the tire seems to be the only reason to Dark Side. I'm going to stay with a motorcycle tire on the motorcycle and car tire on the cars.

I am also not going to waste any more energy on this subject.

Too each his own.

 

Maybe you need to read more carefully, if that is the conclusion you reached.

[FreezyRider]

Maybe you need to read more carefully, if that is the conclusion you reached.

 

:sign yeah that:

 

If cost were the main factor, I would not have a Kumho on my bike right now. For what I paid for it, I saved very little over the price of a good MC tire. It may save money due to a longer life, but that isn't why it's on my bike.

A couple years ago I had a blowout of my rear tire on a curve in Tennessee. Hit a piece of steel thrown onto the road by someone who had mowed the side ditches. Fully loaded, carrying a cooler on a hitch rack, wife and luggage for a week's travel all squeezed in. Fortunately only doing about 35mph or so......that was enough for me right there. It went down onto the rim in a very short time. I shudder to think what would have happened if I had been running at highway speeds.

I have left all the air out of my Kumho just to see what happened. The back end dropped maybe an inch at most. Not even close to sitting down on the rim.

In addition, the "feel" is confidence inspiring for me. One thing that has always made me nervous is gravel in the curves. Still don't like it.....but last year on our trip to Maine I ran into gravel on curves several times. No slip. That big fat tire plowed right through. I could feel the gravel in the front end, but the rear was planted. Same in the rain. I used to "pucker up" pretty tight when having to run at any speed in the rain. Now it feels really solid in a downpour.

 

For me, it's all about safety. If you don't agree with that, that's ok, we are all entitled to our opinions.

[Guest Rev'n Ahead]

ok... so this begs the question:

 

If I were to run a CT on my 84 Venture (MK1), what size would I asking my supplier for? CT's are measured in a whole different way, right?

 

Thanks

[FreezyRider]

ok... so this begs the question:

 

If I were to run a CT on my 84 Venture (MK1), what size would I asking my supplier for? CT's are measured in a whole different way, right?

 

Thanks

 

You are right....they are different. I am not so sure that there is a size that is right for your 1st gen. I have an 1800 Goldwing, mine is a 195-55r-16.

 

I agree with others who have tried them on the Venture though. If it takes 100 psi or more to get one to seat properly, I'd be leery of it.

[Rick Haywood]

May I ask a question without it turning into another lengthy debate. I read an article in Motorcycle Cruiser magazine about this same issue and the one point they kept saying was that if it was a good idea then why does ALL motorcyels come with motorcycles tires and why does Dunlap, Avon. Bridgestone, Michelin, Yamaha, Honda, Kawasaki and HD recommend against them? I am really curious because with the miles I ride it would be great to not have to change my back tire 2 times a year.

 

I am not siding either way just trying to figure it outi

 

I do like the part that people say it stops better. I hate the way my RSV locks up the back tire. Here is a video of a venture.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5YnEuGHXPo&feature=related]Venture to the DARKSIDE - YouTube[/ame]

Edited February 23, 2012 by Rick Haywood

[Tom]

May I ask a question without it turning into another lengthy debate. I read an article in Motorcycle Cruiser magazine about this same issue and the one point they kept saying was that if it was a good idea then why does ALL motorcyels come with motorcycles tires and why does Dunlap, Avon. Bridgestone, Michelin, Yamaha, Honda, Kawasaki and HD recommend against them? I am really curious because with the miles I ride it would be great to not have to change my back tire 2 times a year.

 

I am not siding either way just trying to figure it outi

 

I do like the part that people say it stops better. I hate the way my RSV locks up the back tire. Here is a video of a venture.

I understand your question and all I can say is we are not suppose to pull a trailer according to MC manufacturers. A CT is not a new thing at all,they have been using them since the 50s that I can remember,also my Dad says the harleys in his day used car tires...Go Figure??

[twigg]

May I ask a question without it turning into another lengthy debate. I read an article in Motorcycle Cruiser magazine about this same issue and the one point they kept saying was that if it was a good idea then why does ALL motorcyels come with motorcycles tires and why does Dunlap, Avon. Bridgestone, Michelin, Yamaha, Honda, Kawasaki and HD recommend against them? I am really curious because with the miles I ride it would be great to not have to change my back tire 2 times a year.

 

I am not siding either way just trying to figure it outi

 

I do like the part that people say it stops better. I hate the way my RSV locks up the back tire. Here is a video of a venture.

 

Mostly it is about Product Liability.

 

Those Corporations are run by attorneys.

[CaptainJoe]

Freezyrider "I have left all the air out of my Kumho just to see what happened. The back end dropped maybe an inch at most. Not even close to sitting down on the rim. "

 

 

Are you riunning a run flat like tom?

[FreezyRider]

Freezyrider "I have left all the air out of my Kumho just to see what happened. The back end dropped maybe an inch at most. Not even close to sitting down on the rim. "

 

 

Are you riunning a run flat like tom?

 

Yes I am.

[bluerstd08]

I've had two CTs on my 08 RSTD with 20k on the first one and about 20k on the second one. thats 40k miles folks... No issues what so ever. I dont recomend pushing them to the limit but for all out touring they are perfect. I've had a few conversations over the last couple years with people that say it cant be done or its illegal. In the state of NC the inspection procedure for motorcycle tire is only that they have to be an approved DOT tire. I just recently had to part with her due to unforseen circumstances, but I bought her twin sister that had only 11000 miles on her and for a meager 6500.00 cash. In April when shes ready for a new rear tire I will again be on the darkside. Ride safe all.