Running "Darkside"

[burkbuilds]

RUNNING DARKSIDE:
I've been studying this for a while now and I've watched a bunch of You Tube videos where people have done it and I'm thinking of giving it a shot in the near future. Anybody else out there running "Darkside" on their Vulcan 500's, or another bike? (Darkside is running a car tire on the rear instead of a Motorcycle tire). I just ordered a BF Goodrich T/A radial ( 155/80R15) that I think will fit. Firestone also makes a car tire that should fit. The TA might be just a little wide, I'll have to see when I get it. I put calipers on the narrowest part of the rear fender where the tire needs to clear width wise and got 6.5". The TA is 6.1" at the widest point, which is a little less than a 1/4" clearance on each side but the OD is really close at 24.7" , the OE Bridgestone tire is 25.2" OD and 5.5" wide. I also considered a Firestone Car tire (F560 145 R15) which is 5.6" wide and an overall diameter of 24.3", but it didn't seem to be the same quality of tire that the BFG T/A is. The BFG has a Tread wear rating of 400, Traction rating A and an S speed rating and cost $63 The load rating is about double of the OE Bridgestone and based on what I've read in the rags I should get at least double the 12,000 miles I'm currently getting out of the Bridgestone rear tire and maybe triple or more. Right now I'm having to replace the rear tire every six months, so double that and I'll only have to do it once a year.

[alantf]

Isn't the problem, really, that a car tyre has a relatively flat tread, while a bike has a curved tread, so that it's still in contact with the road when you lean the bike? Would the car tyre not mean that when you leaned the bike there would only be sidewall in contact with the road? :techy:

[burkbuilds]

Alan, that is what I used to think as well. But after watching video's of bikes running car tires, it just isn't an issue, they never get close to running on the sidewall at all. As a matter of fact, they have more contact area with the road than the motorcycle tire does even when guys are dragging pegs. The video's are usually filmed with the camera attached underneath the bike aimed right at the back wheel. The guys who do this, and there are a lot of them, have often put over 100,000 miles on their bikes running car tires on the rear and they all say it is an improvement in braking, handling, and longevity, over the motorcycle tire. Plus, car tires are considerably less expensive than motorcycle tires to start with.

[Water Warrior 2]

Car tires on the rear. There seems to be a lot of that going around lately. May I offer a suggestion for consideration. Use an ice radial tire. They are a softer rubber compound that gripe extremely well due to all the sipes and will offer a smoother ride. Tire wear should not be a large factor on a bike will so much less weight. The softer rubber will conform to the road a little better too.
Last night I was watching a vid with a super charged Triumph running a curvy road with a car tire on the rear. The video bike was having quite a time keepng up because of the speeds involved. Glad I wasn't the chase bike because the vid would have been very boring.
Big cruisers and touring bikers have been doing the dark side for years and seem to either love it or leave it.
As a matter of fact one of the Vstrom riders just went dark side on his 1000. Installed a winter car tire on the rear and plans on a studded bike tire for the front. Figures he can keep riding a lot longer and do a lot of off road stuff with confidence.
Might be interesting to see how far you can ride before a rear car tire wears out.

[Viirin]

I've never heard of this concept before - but it does seem pretty interesting...

[Water Warrior 2]

Thousands of riders with touring rigs are happy with tire wear and performance. They save money by not replacing an expensive tire every 5 or 6 K and being delayed while on a trip. We have a member on another forum who is totally against the idea but has no experience with a rear car tire on a bike. He has been spouting off all sorts of facts and figures according to his own style of reasoning and will refuse to acknowledge there is any value to a car tire on a bike. So be it. It is his opinion but there are too many other examples of happy riders on car tires to dismiss the idea entirely.

[Easy Rider]

Thousands of riders with touring rigs are happy with tire wear and performance.
That is pretty much the key for me.
As long as most of your riding is in a straight line.......and you start to drag parts with a 15 degree lean.......then why not.
I have, however, ridden a bike before with the rear worn flat in the center and it was NOT FUN.
I suspect that many of those who change don't really know enough about riding to actually know when the handling goes to hell.

Burk: 1/4 clearance doesn't sound like much to me. The tire will expand and change profile a tiny bit when inflated; everything will have to be just perfect for it not to rub.

[Water Warrior 2]

Easy, you are correct about a worn flat M/C tire. But do remember that is a shape the tire was not supposed to be in to begin with. When we got back from our trip in 07 the rear on the Vstrom was down to the wear bars and worn flat from the straight flat highways. Not any real significant handling issues from the rear but the front with lots of tread was giving me grief. It had finally just reached it's life span and let me know not all was well in paradise. 25,000 kms was a lot of riding on OEM tires.
I am looking forward to feedback from BB and other forum members as to their satisfaction and overall tire performance.

[burkbuilds]

I am planning on mounting the new tire on a separate rim (wheel) so I can swap back without much trouble if I decide I don't like it. As to whether people who run car

tires have much experience riding, it seems that most of the people who switch over are folks who run a lot of miles every year and that is a main incentive to go to

the car tire, because they are tired of the hassle of changing a motorcycle tire every couple of months. One guy said he rode the Dragon with his car tire and had no

problems with handling or keeping up with the group he was riding with, and several riders report that it's a lot easier to do a switch back (hard lean to one side

followed by an immediate hard lean to the opposite side) with a car tire than it was with a motorcycle tire. There are a lot of detractors out there that are adamant

that you can't safely use a car tire on the rear of a motorcycle, but I can't find any of them that have actually tried it out before coming to that conclusion. Most of

the guys running a car tire say it's a little different feel, but not unlike the different feel you get anytime you switch from one bike to another, and you acclimate to it

just as quickly. I really only found one guy that tried it and had problems,and he put the tire on and immediately went to a racetrack where he wiped out in the first

turn and put himself in the hospital. That could easily be chalked up to poor driving skills, or new tires (of any type) being prone to slide out from under you in the

first hundred miles or so. Interestingly, racing Motorcycle tires have to be pre-heated before they go out on the track or they don't have much grip.

[Water Warrior 2]

The tires are preheated to give maximum traction right from the start. Something we don't need on the street as we aren't racing for fun or money. As for the guy who wiped out, he is kinda stupid. I'll bet he blames the tire and not himself.
BB, I like your spare wheel idea. Seems you have all the bases covered just in case.

[burkbuilds]

I was hoping it would all come in this by this weekend, but I just checked my e-mail and the shipping dates put most of it coming next Monday, so I won't have a chance to do anything with it until the following weekend. Oh well.

[burkbuilds]

I did it. Switched over to the car tire today. I had a lot of trouble getting the tire to seat completely on the wheel. It would seat about 300 degrees but that last little bit just didn't want to pop out all the way. I tried several times in my shop and then took it down the road to a mechanic friend that does mainly front end alignment and tire replacement work. He got the same results and wasn't willing to put more than about 80 lbs of pressure on the tire. Next I went to a Suzuki dealer that's right behind my friends shop, they spent about 45 minutes on it and got the same results. Surprisingly, they never even mentioned that I was putting a car tire on a bike, I kinda expected to get some flak from them, but they seemed to think it was fairly common, and had no objections to trying, but they wouldn't put more than 55lbs of pressure on it. So I went back to my shop and tried a few more times, but no success. Next I called a commercial tire installation company and explained my situation, the owner told me to bring it on down and he'd get it on. I took it in and his first words after seeing the tire were, "well, there's your problem, your trying to put a car tire on a motorcycle rim." Yes, I replied, I'm tired of replacing the rear tire every six months. He told me that he rode a bike too, and he took my tire back to the shop area. I looked through the shop window and watched as he hooked it up to an air hose with a clip on it and then got about 6 feet away and put the air to it. In a few seconds I heard a loud "pop" then a few seconds later I heard another "pop". He then instructed one of his guys to let some air out of the tire and then brought it back to me fully seated. I asked him what he did to get it to seat and he said, "I put 110 lbs of pressure on it". Wow!

I was pleased when I got home to find that the 155 width tire, mounted on my rim, was exactly the same width as the 145 motorcycle tire mounted on the rim. I put calipers on both tires and they were exactly the same width, about 5 5/8".

http://s1.postimage.org/23k4v4kn8/Car_Tire_on_Motorcycle_003.jpg (http://postimage.org/image/23k4v4kn8/) Here is a shot of the calipers on the new BFGoodrich 155/80 R15 tire.

The next picture is the calipers on my Michelin 145/90 15 motorcycle tire and I didn't move the calipers at all after measuring the BFG tire, and you can see that they are both touching at the widest point.


http://s1.postimage.org/23kescnlw/Car_Tire_on_Motorcycle_005.jpg (http://postimage.org/image/23kescnlw/)

Here is a shot looking down on the two tires side by side. You can see a big difference in the profile of the tread, and the motorcycle tire appears to be larger in diameter, but for all practical purposes, they are close enough.


http://s1.postimage.org/23kgfw03o/Car_Tire_on_Motorcycle_007.jpg (http://postimage.org/image/23kgfw03o/)

Once I got the new tire balanced, which was a lot easier than balancing the motorcycle tire, and took a lot less weight to make it balance, I installed it on the bike and took it for a spin. I am using 35lbs of air in the tire. I don't really know how to determine the proper amount of pressure, so I'll just have to play with it a little and see how the tire is wearing.

I started out running some neighborhood roads and then took it up on state highway 27. Got it up to about 70 mph for about 3 miles and then turned around and came back the other way. Next I ran a local twisty road to see how it handled in the curves and then I took it up on Missionary Ridge and ran some more curves. Dropped down to East Ridge, Tn and headed out to I-24, took it back up to about 70-75 then headed south on I-75 for a few miles. Got off the highway, took some more twisties and came home.

Here's my impression. It does feel different than the motorcycle tire. Not worse, just different. I found it to run smoother and with less vibration than the motorcycle tire. It is easier to maintain your direction when going straight ahead, and you can almost balance out and not put your feet down at a stop, which is kinda cool. I also found that it corners great, just as well as the MC tire, maybe even better, but definitely not any less. It does take more "effort" to lean into the turns, but it's also easier to pop back up when you come out and switchbacks are not a problem at all. I never scraped the pegs but I was fairly aggressive in running the s-turns I hit tonight. I also took a few minutes and drove around in a gravel parking lot to see how it would do. Not a lot of difference there, but the back end never felt like it was sliding out at all, so maybe a little improvement over the mc tire.

Well, I'm not saying anybody else should do this, and I'm not saying it is a good idea or recommending it, but I will say that I'm glad I tried it, and I think I will probably stay with it. I like the way it feels, and I'm hoping it will last 2-3 times as many miles as my MC tires were. My friend who owns the alignment shop also rides and he said he had three people he knew who rode CT on the back tire of their Motorcycles.

[burkbuilds]

I failed to mention that I also changed from a spoked wheel to an aluminum rim so I wouldn't have to deal with all the labor of cleaning and shining the spokes and I also don't have to run an inner tube in the tire now. The only kinda weird thing is that the BFGoodrich tire is blackwall on one side and raised white letters on the other.

http://s1.postimage.org/23nkwflok/Car_Tire_on_Motorcycle_006.jpg (http://postimage.org/image/23nkwflok/)

[music man]

When I read about you wanting to try this I started to mention to you that a big problem a lot of people have with it is getting it to seat properly, and I forgot to ever post it up. That is cool as hell that it works and you like it, I would love to do that, I am like you, it is ridiculous how often you have to change a back motorcycle tire.

[Water Warrior 2]

Like the look of the new tire/wheel combo. I do think you will get tired of looking at the same tire and wondering if it will ever wear out. Something to keep in mind though. From what I have read the CT is a real bear to remove so hopefully it will really last.

[burkbuilds]

The tire dealer that got it to seat for me did not charge me anything, the only thing he requested was that I trade with him in the future. I asked him if he stocked this particular tire and he said yes, quoted me a price and so I think I'll return and let him do the work next time, which hopefully will be 24-30K or more down the road.

[zenbutcher]

Glad you got everything to work out. You write well and I enjoy your posts. Keep us updated!

[Water Warrior 2]

I think the 500 will remain the ride of choice for the long commute. However after a seat mod and a couple other additions their could be a major change for the long commute. BB might find it an advantage to just keep riding the 500 until the 750 is all finished and modded to his satisfaction.....................Oh yeah, I can see that happening. Just park the new ride for the next 3 or 4 months. What was I thinking ?? :lol:

[burkbuilds]

I am looking forward to getting the new 750 home, but I have no plans to make it into my commuting bike. Of course, that could always change. The 750 is a showroom unit without any add on's as best I can tell. Eventually it will at least get floorboards, a crash bar (engine guards) and a windshield. I'll be interested in seeing how the seat feels after an hour in the saddle. So far I've always modified my seats and this will probably happen at some point in the future with the 750 too. I'll also add a Stebel air horn to the bike, mine has saved me from getting run over several times since I put it on. Basically I'm hoping the 750 will be my in town commute to work bike when I graduate from college and get a job closer to home.

[burkbuilds]

I've put about 1,000 miles on the car tire now. Fuel economy about the same, can't really tell any difference there. The "feel" is different. A lot of the people I've read posts from that switched to a car tire said that they got used to it and didn't notice it after a short time. I can't say that. I can still feel a difference. Kinda hard to put it into words, but I will try. The car tire reacts to some things that the motorcycle tire ignored, but it also dismisses things that the motorcycle tire was affected by. Examples, grooves in the road and long gouges left in the highway by car wheel rims when their tires blew out are less noticeable with the car tire on my bike. Uneven pavement is more noticeable though. When you are in a curve one direction and pop back up over the top and lean the other direction, the feel is seamless on a motorcycle tire, but on the car tire you feel like you hit a flat spot at the top. I've also noticed that in cold wet weather, you need to get a few miles on the car tire before it "sticks" as good as the motorcycle tire. The only time I've felt it "slide" a little was leaving work on a cold rainy day and pulling out in a fairly sharp left turn while aggressively accelerating onto the street. Now it's possible that I would have had the same "feel" with the motorcycle tire, not sure if I've ever had that exact set of circumstances when I had the bike tire on or not, but I've done it twice with the car tire. Never lost control or anything, just felt like it slid a little bit. Having said that, I'm happy with the change if it gets me double the mileage I was getting from much more expensive motorcycle tires. I plan to ride it out and see how well it wears. If this was a motorcycle tire it would be out of tread by June at the latest, so it shouldn't take long to answer this question.
http://s4.postimage.org/2qmjf16zo/Car_Tire_on_Motorcycle_002.jpg (http://postimage.org/image/2qmjf16zo/)

[Easy Rider]

Having said that, I'm happy with the change if it gets me double the mileage I was getting from much more expensive motorcycle tires.

What you said is pretty much what I said all along. You need to adjust your riding style to accommodate the different handling......as much as possible.

I would never consider doing it because there are times where fractions of an inch makes all the difference between just cleaning out your skivvies and taking an ambulance ride.
Also there are real MC tires that get better mileage than "average"; sometimes they are the cheaper ones too.

I got no real problem doing it on a big touring bike but on something like your "little" 500 I just can't see it. To each his own though.

[Water Warrior 2]

Knowing that BB is using the CT on a mainly commuter ride over long distances on the highway makes a lot of sense to me. If it is mostly straight line riding the CT will not wear nearly as fast with more rubber on the road compared to a MT. Straight line highway riding is hell on rear tires which is why touring rigs go for the dark side. BB is sort of doing the same thing.
The original tires on my Vstrom lasted very well for a lot of kms and then went south while riding across the prairies on mainly straight boring asphalt.
I think the ultimate use for CTs would be on a Ural sidecar rig with all the same size tires. All the wheels are the same so one spare on board will fit anywhere on the bike.

[burkbuilds]

I am trying to be as objective as possible about this change. I'm certainly not recommending that anyone else do this, or trying to convince anyone that they should do this. I am trying to tell you what my personal experience is, as well as I am able to. There are certainly pros and cons to MC tires vs CT some on each side. As WW points out, I am putting more than half of my miles each week running straight up and down I-75. When I'm on I-75, I'd have to say I prefer the MT. It doesn't respond much to all the "squiggly" grooves that blown car rims have etched into the pavement and it is much easier to maintain straight line riding than the MT. The only negative I've really noticed on the highway is when they've resurfaced the concrete by grinding four three foot wide paths in each lane. Sometimes they don't get each pass level with the adjacent passes and that little ridge wants to push you off more than it does on a MT. Traction on dry pavement seems the same with better (shorter) braking distances going to the CT, also less skidding if you hit it hard suddenly and thus better overall control. The MT seems to be better if you are running really curvy roads, especially if it is wet and cold, but I took the Vulcan up Signal Mt two weeks ago and came back down the "W" road and the only limitation was that I kept dragging my kickstand in left turns, the tires stuck great. So, yeah, I do have to modify my riding style a little, but I probably would be well advised to lighten up in cold wet weather no matter what type of tire I was running, so maybe this will inspire me to be more conservative when I'm in extreme weather conditions.

[JWR]

I thank you for taking the time to keep us informed.
In the one ride that I have had on the 500, I noticed the kickstand will get down on a moderate left turn.
Almost all of my riding is about a 180 from yours, so I will look at that issue.

I was going to post about naysayers, but I will quit here.

Good Riding.

[Water Warrior 2]

Dragging hard parts may be an indication that you aren't leaning your body enough. Try to kiss the mirror a little and you will be surprised how much of your weight is transferred to the side and how much less the bike has to lean. A word of caution though, the bike may corner way more than you expect. Take baby steps and work up to it. It is a whole new learning curve if you are normally an upright rider and keep your body inline with the bike.
I did some hard leaning and cornering on the Vstrom and was more than surpriised at how much faster the bike was in curves. Moving my weight to the left in a left hander makes me wonder if I ever want to find the limitations of the bike.

[Water Warrior 2]

Easy has made some fine points but I also have to agree with both sides of the discussion. If a CT works well for you and is cheaper in the long run then it stands to reason that the CT is a pretty good alternative to a MT tire with it's inflated price due to smaller production runs and distribution costs.
On a hyper bike a CT would be a short cut to a hospital stay but for us regular old guys not needing slightly subsonic speeds and the ultimate in handling the CT is a viable substitute. Might try it in a couple years with the Vstrom.

[burkbuilds]

ER, Again, I'm not trying to compel anyone else to do this, just trying to share my first hand experience doing it vs the "theoretical" ideas we've all heard and read about why/why not.
As to mfg's recommendations, that always has more to do with legal liability based on general perception than any actual fact. If they recommended anything but the generally accepted "norm" and one person did it and had a wreck, they'd get sued in court for millions of dollars and probably lose because "they should never have recommended putting a car tire on a motorcycle". The jury would be composed of regular people who would see the "logic" in that statement and award large settlements to anyone who sued the uncaring motorcycle mfg who was "obviously just out to save a buck on a cheaper tire no matter what risk it posed to the public." Actual science and facts of the case and whether the tire had anything to do with the accident would become completely irrelevant.

[burkbuilds]

Thought I'd update my impression of the car tire on the bike. I've put almost 2,000 miles on it so far and either I've finally gotten used to it, or the dynamics of the tire have changed a bit. When I first put it on, I could really feel a "flat spot" in the middle when I came up from a lean, especially if I was going over the top and leaning the opposite way. Somewhere around 1500 miles, I quit noticing that feeling. The tire now feels pretty much the same as a Motorcycle tire. I checked on some darkside forums, and those guys seem to think that car tires take about 1,000 miles to "break in" on a motorcycle. Maybe since my 500 isn't very heavy, it just took a few more miles. So far I've been satisfied with the car tire and hopefully I'll get a lot more miles out of it than I was getting out of the Bridgestone (about 12,000). I'd like to see double that or more on a tire that cost about 1/2 of the MC tire cost.

[blaine]

Good to know,makes sense that it would take time for the tire to break in.Have you done anything to the 750 yet? :??: :)

[burkbuilds]

Let's see. I've put on a new Michelin front tire, installed a chrome front fender, changed all the lights to LED's except the headlight which necessitated that I change the turn signal relay to one that would work with LED's. Replaced the lens covers with clear on brake and turn signals which necessitated colored LED bulbs on the rear. Added an outlet for my heated gear and a plug in for the Battery tender Jr. Polished and waxed everything. Took the battery box out and cleaned and repainted it. Moved the rectifier from under the battery box to beside the left passenger foot peg. I also replaced the oil cap with a nice chrome one that says Vulcan on it. I relocated the front turn signal/running lights down onto the front forks to allow room for the windshield I've got on order.

I've got saddle bag supports ordered and a slipstream Falcon windshield. Sometime soon I plan to check the drive shaft splines and make sure they've got the right molybdenum grease on them and change the rear "differential" 80w/90w lube. When I do that, I also plan on replacing the rear tire while I've got it off the bike. I'll probably go with a car tire there. I've been digging on the internet to try and find the OEM Fire and Steel Floorboards, but to no avail. I've found a nice picture of all the parts laid out before someone installed them and I may have to make the brackets myself and then fit them to something Kuryakn or somebody else makes because the Fire and steel ones don't seem to be available any where at any price. The 750 had a somewhat Unique footpeg mounts and nothing out there really seems to fit it in a full size floor board. I haven't ordered saddle bags yet, but I'll probably go with the "Ass of Yak" ones I have on my 500, they've held up well and didn't cost that much, plus, they hold a lot.

So, I've done a little and I've got a lot to do before I'm ready to take it out riding. Probably about a month before I'm ready to hit the road with this one, and of course I can see a custom seat in my future as well. :)

[Water Warrior 2]

BB, you have been busy. Have you checked with Vulcan forums for more info on the floorboards ?

[burkbuilds]

WW, I have checked on several Vulcan Forums and apparently the only current option is to buy some aluminum ones made by a guy that goes by Knifemaker, and they just bolt onto the existing foot pegs after you remove the rubber pads. That is one option, and they look okay, not chrome or anything but it seems like it would put a lot of torque on those two little foot peg bolts to me. The OEM Fire and Steel floorboards were full size and had a mounting bracket that bolted on in two spots and had a nice factory style to it, very nice, but apparently they only made them for a few years. The last ones I could find any information on were sold on e-bay in 2008. I think if I fabricated the mounting bracket, I could make it work with a lot of floorboards that are currently available out there, the brackets are gonna take some shop time to fabricate though, but hey, I've got access to a brand new Engineering machine shop and welding shop at school that just opened this Semester, so maybe I'll be able to do that before the end of the year.
My other option is to buy a set like I've got on the 500 and just fabricate a different mounting base that goes into the foot peg pivot pin location on my 750. The floorboards I have now look and work well, but I've tried to swap them out and see if they fit and there's just a little difference in positioning that I'd need to change. The mounting bracket on mine just bolts onto the base of the floorboard, so it can be removed, and then it would just be a matter of a little cutting and welding to make it work for the 750, that might be the simplest option for me. As a matter of fact, just writing this out as a response to you has kinda convinced me that I should go that route instead of trying to fabricate a fairly complex mounting bracket and then adapt it to another set of boards.

On another note, I'm moving into a new apartment closer to campus this weekend and I probably won't have a lot of time to be on the site for the next day or two, so hope you have a great weekend up in the Great White North.

[blaine]

I think your plan for the floor boards is the simplest way to go in your situation.Thanks fior the updates.All the best in your new apt.
:) :rawk:

[Water Warrior 2]

Yup, keep it as simple as possible. That way any future mods or repairs will be easiest to carry out.

[mrlmd1]

I know this is a 6 month old thread, but this post on another forum brings up a potential problem with insurance companies who will do anything to avoid paying a claim (and they may be right), whether for accident damage or personal injury/death claims. CT's are definitely not approved for motorcycles.

"I have ridden behind a darkside wanna-be-organ-donor in a group charity function, and my club will no longer ride with any riders who choose to put car tires on their machines contrary to logic, and the recommended design purpose of the tire. Not only are you placing you life in jeopardy, but you are likely to cause someone else to go down when you lose it on a corner due to the minimal contact patch on the part of the tire that is not designed to bear weight, but after you crash....and you will, your insurance company will deny the claim to replace your ride and should you lose your life, your family will be denied the life insurance payments as well. I hope the extra mileage per tire is worth all that. You should have gotten the tire guy who agreed to mount the car tire on your bike to fix the leak in your "think tank" while he was at it!"

And a followup post on the same site -

"Although car tires may look cool on a bike, keep in mind they are not designed to handle the lateral forces that motorcycle tires do. Also keep in mind that they also lack the traction of a motorcycle tire.....so putting a car tire on a motorcycle is a recipe for a trip to the emergency room.....or the funeral home. As the previous post said......insurance companies are always looking for ways to NOT pay a claim. Having a car tire on a motorcycle will definitely get the claim adjusters attention.
I could probably write a few more paragraphs on why this is not idea (bike stability, cornering problems, handling problems, etc.) but it probably would not get read. In the end, I decided to let this post hang around as a warning to others who are thinking about putting a car tire on a bike. If its just for show and you are trailering it back and forth to bike night and such....and riding around a parking lot, then fine. If you plan on riding around with a car tire, you should think twice before doing it."

Anyone want to chime in?

[burkbuilds]

I read every word you wrote. I just disagree with most of it. The BF Goodrich T/A Radial I'm running on my bike handles better than any motorcycle tire I've had and I've had plenty. It corners till the pegs hit without any loss of stability. It never touches the road anywhere except on the tread, never on the sidewalls as you imply. It channels water away much better than any motorcycle tire I've ever had. It is designed to handle twice the load that any motorcycle tire is rated for, it is speed rated faster than my bike can go. It handles loose gravel significantly better than a street Motorcycle tire, it also handles wet grass significantly better than any motorcycle street tire I've ever had. It is much better at stopping than the MC tires I've had. It is more puncture resistant than a MC tire and it is more durable than a MC tire, I've already logged over 12,000 miles and still have 6mm of tread depth left. I've never gotten more than 12K out of any rear bike tire I've ever had and I've had Michelin, Bridgestone, Metzler and several others. this one's been on over 7 months now and I would already have had to replace a MC tire at this point and it would have been down to less than 2mm of tread depth when I replaced it.

As for "approval", where did you get your information? I have never seen a law or anything official that states it is illegal to use a DOT approved car tire on a Motorcycle, if you can find that law and not just some know it all's post that says it is a law, please post the link to that official government site where it is stated. As for insurance, my insurance company does not have a disclaimer anywhere in the paperwork of my policy that states I can't have a DOT approved Car tire on my bike, that might be different from another company, but I've had two different insurer's over the years and neither had any policy stating that.

Hope you have a great day down in Florida. :2tup:

[JWR]

Damn mrlmd1 ,

Did Easy leave his old meds to you???

:poke2: :shocked:

[Water Warrior 2]

A Vstrom rider has had much the same results as BB. Although he expects to get about 40,000 miles out of the tire. He has an ice radial tire that works really well and grips very well due to the softer rubber compound.

[mrlmd1]

I posted that from another forum as someone else's viewpoint for further discussion, as this might be a potential problem. I didn't say it was my opinion or that was written in stone for all to heed. It was food for thought, so don't get so violently hassled over it. Relax a bit. Hopefully none of us on here will have any experiences to find out,
While it is not illegal. I don't think any auto tire manufacturer would approve of, or certify the safety of, one of their tires on a bike. And I don't think any motorcycle manufacturer or dealer would approve of or verify the safety of that either. What you do with the tire after you buy it is up to you. If it works for you, and you are happy, have a good time with it and know it's limitations as well as any good points.

[JWR]

Damn mrlmd1 ,

Did Easy leave his old meds to you???

:poke2: :shocked:


I am sorry about my remarks, I though that was your take on it.

So tell me, where is this forum that you and Easy hang out?


:)

[Water Warrior 2]

ER is an active member on motorcycleforums.net

[JWR]

SPAM?

This site use full to all around the would, use it develop both..

ENGLISH MF...

+1

[alantf]

JWR, did you actually write that, or has someone hacked into your account. Doesn't seem like your usual writing style? :??:

[JWR]

I just did not get my quotes in the right place.

I was agreeing with you on the SPAM part.


Did you never see the movie "Pulp Fiction"??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oY0o2FHh64Y&NR=1

[alantf]

Did you never see the movie "Pulp Fiction"??



No :blush: