Going to the Dark Side

[jnor]

I have a friend who swears by car tires on his Gold Wing..............but I can't get past that "square" tire, and any kind of handling. The theory is good, great wear etc. But it ain't me :blink:

 

[coastalcop]

OK so now I guess I am #5 on the darkside, tire is mounted and first riding impression is that it it IS different, some squirm but that was mainly because of commercialism getting in the way of a good plan. I bought the tire used to minimize break in and scrubbing the new off of the tire, and low and behold in an effort to make the tire prettier they spray it down with armorall, newtire or some other substance that made it slick as snot. So until i have a 100 or so miles I will withhold any comment.

I measured tread depth center to outside at 4 points on the width and 4 points (90 degrees) along the diameter of the tire. fairly uniform at 8/32. I will monitor at the same points in 1000 mile increments to determine the type of wear I am getting.

I plan on mounting my video camera to get a shot of the tire in action over the 1st 100 miles or so tomorrow if the weather is nice. If the equipment doesnt turn out to be smarrter than the operator I will post it on utube afterwards.

OCFJR gave me some tips on getting pics posted and when I have had more rest I will try his idea.

More to come.

BTW driveshaft splines dry as a bone at 10500 miles, relubed all splines and changed rear diff fluid as well.

 

[user 213]

Depending on what tire I go with next, I very well may try your idea and see how it performs. Thanks for your suggestion. :good:

Whaaaat!!! We gots to wait 3 years before you need a new rear, and THEN you'll "try" a shave?

:impatient smiley:

It's ok Howie, you'll have your bike back together by then, right? RIGHT? :dribble:

C'mon man, it's nuts and bolts, you can do it!!

Aww heck, I'll see if I can't wear the CT out this summer, just for you forum folks. That is, if BugR & I don't get lynched at CFR!

 

[user 213]

Great, NOW what about that pesky front tire????

By the way, ran into a guy on a ZX 10 this morning,,,,, you guessed it CT. LOL

Tip - Highlight the text you don't want by <edit> LEFT clicking at the beginning of the unwanted text, then dragging down until you get to what you want to keep, then release the mouse key. Now hit 'delete' or 'backspace' and you'll eliminate that and be left with what you are directly responding to. Makes for a little easier read. You can also go back later and click on your own posts to edit, selecting 'full edit' to make changes/corrections or add new comments, they just won't show up in email notifications.

And Dude! Sorry about the ZX 10 guy. I'm pretty sure I met him when I went though and he was full of darkside questions and stoked to go there. :guiltysmiley: He said something about big smokey burn outs and the drag strip. (how to turn a 5 minute gas stop into a 45 minute one!)

It would be very cool if we can find a 15-20k front solution that works well w/o serious negative handling issues. Think outside the box and try something odd, it might just work!

 

[Catfish]

So I cut out of work today for a couple of hours and took the Ural out to see a friend of mine.

One is going on my '07 and the other is going on my old '04.

Probably tomorrow.

I really liked the transition.

I looked at a Dunlop and a Michelin yesterday at Sam's club and both seemed to have a very pronounced edge to them.

Could just be me.

Before they are mounted I'll be taking some measurements and such. I'll keep y'all posted.

 

[coastalcop]

150 mile report (OCFJR let me know if you want me to start a new thread to report instead of hijacking yours).

Took a ride yesterday and here are my observations so far.

Youre right more steering input required, but not significantly so.

Bike holds a line very well, and I tested several long sweepers and 2 decreasing radius turns speeds were between 55 and 90 mph generally with a 20mph increase in speed through the turn.

Getting to these turns involves driving several miles through flatlands (farming country) where crosswinds are generally 25-40 mph with gusts. Crosswind feel was unchanged or slightly less (might be that I am used to more bar input by now)

After getting the slick part off the tire it just plain sticks!

road repair is shoddy and poured tar is regular, this causes a lot of squirm with my rear moto tire, unnoticable with the CT

Tried to take video, but its a pain to get the right angle on the tire and my 1st attempt the batteries died 1 minute into a 45 minute ride %#$%^#^. Will try again today I hope.

Still havent posted pics but Im workin on it.

 

[user 213]

150 mile report (OCFJR let me know if you want me to start a new thread to report instead of hijacking yours).

This thread is all about dark side observations. I welcome any such observations from new DarkSiders.

Welcome to the Dark Side Coastalcop. After review, you are actually Darksider #4.

OCfjr - Darksider #1

BugR - Darksider #2

Doug555 - Darksider #3

Coastalcop - Darksider#4

There are at least 5 more riders that have either said they will darkside after the current set of tires, or are strongly considering it.

This was the point of my starting this thread. To learn for myself, and to document enough here on the forum that others could make informed decisions about trying this for themselves. You don't have to think it's for you, but the understanding that it's not that big a deal and works for others is an important step.

Anyone reading this thread that just can't see it working, despite the comments that it does, and has strong feelings about it being a bad idea, I highly recommend you simply ask a Darksider near you for a test ride. If you present well, you might get a ride. (thought I totally understand some riders reluctance to allow anyone to ride their baby) Direct experience is always the best way to learn what it's like.

 

[LDRydr]

Anyone reading this thread that just can't see it working, despite the comments that it does, and has strong feelings about it being a bad idea, I highly recommend you simply ask a Darksider near you for a test ride. If you present well, you might get a ride.

Would the test-ride include cookies and a t-shirt? :lol:

 

[Calimus]

Question. The flat brake reinforcement bar, was that a custom piece you made yourself or is that available somewhere. I will be making the change over, but want to make sure I have that littl issue resolved first.

Looking to mount up a Sumitomo HTR ZII. I wanted something a little softer then the Bridgestone and the Sumitomo is rated at 220 and is about $67 at some online sources that I've used before. if it works out well, I'll be sure to let folks know.

 

[Zorlac]

Question. The flat brake reinforcement bar, was that a custom piece you made yourself or is that available somewhere. I will be making the change over, but want to make sure I have that littl issue resolved first.

This would work well.

 

[user 213]

Question. The flat brake reinforcement bar, was that a custom piece you made yourself or is that available somewhere. I will be making the change over, but want to make sure I have that littl issue resolved first.
Looking to mount up a Sumitomo HTR ZII. I wanted something a little softer then the Bridgestone and the Sumitomo is rated at 220 and is about $67 at some online sources that I've used before. if it works out well, I'll be sure to let folks know.

The flat brake caliper tension bar is a custom piece. It's really just a plain jane hunk of steel or stainless steel bar, 3/16" thick is my suggestion, by 9.5" long by 3/4" or 7/8" wide with two holes drilled in it. You can use your stock piece as a template. Some even drill a third hole for the factory cable tie to pop into to secure the brake line. Others just use a plain cable tie to secure it. Tip - The hole for the factory cable tie is smaller than the bolt holes.

The link that Zorlac provided would work well, giving you a foot of material to work with. Most good hardware stores will carry material that can be used for this. If you use plain steel, hit it with some spray paint the color of your choice to minimize corrosion over time. Remember to use low rpm when drilling stainless steel to avoid overheating the drill bit. Some cutting oil will also help, or even a little oil of any kind. Think coolant, rather than lubricant.

The Sumitomo HTR ZII should work fine. Just understand that it's a summer tire, not intended to do well in near freezing temps and watch for traction level changes in the rain the first time you rain ride, just to be cautious.

@LDRyder - (who passed on a chance to try the Darkside when he had the chance), cookies are free, you have to buy your own tee shirt.

 

[Mcgyver74]

Interesting mod, I've seen this done on bikes that run with Sidecars since they lean a LOT less then normal bikes however personally I wouldn't trust this mod on a normal bike.

The reason is because when a Moto turns, it puts different forces and pressures on the sidewalls of the tire then a car does, Motorcycle tires are designed with this in mind, Car tires are not. With a sidecar the forces on the tire are much closer to that of a car, but in normal riding..................... It may be fine, and you may get many many miles out of it with no problem, or you may not...there is no way to know for sure, but with a moto tire the chances of being fine are increased in my opinion..

This is in no way a criticism of your mod, just an observation based on my personal tolerance for risk and is my opinion, Riding is all about being comfortable with your own personal level of risk, and if you are comfortable with this then go ride and enjoy!

Ride safe and ride often everyone!

 

[SnowAviation]

Welcome to the Dark Side Coastalcop. After review, you are actually Darksider #4.
OCfjr - Darksider #1

BugR - Darksider #2

Doug555 - Darksider #3

Coastalcop - Darksider#4

There are at least 5 more riders that have either said they will darkside after the current set of tires, or are strongly considering it.

Do you have a membership card, logo, and a secret handshake?

That'd be cool.

Ed

 

[user 213]

Interesting mod, <snip>

This is in no way a criticism of your mod, just an observation based on my personal tolerance for risk and is my opinion, Riding is all about being comfortable with your own personal level of risk, and if you are comfortable with this then go ride and enjoy!

Ride safe and ride often everyone!

A well stated opinion Mcgyver74, and one that I can respect, if not agree with. These differences have been discussed in depth during this thread, most early on. I do agree that your tolerance for risk is very much a good thing and what this thread is partly about. I'm trying to document enough that other riders can better asses their risk, based on the actual experiences presented here and the Q&A that often result from the data & opinions presented.

With some luck, I'll be over 18k this time next week on the CT, having another nice trip starting tomorrow.

@SnowAviation - I can't tell you, you're not a member.

Fun graphic though.

 

[Mcgyver74]

Oc,

I can respect that, you have a different level of risk tolerance and thats cool. As long as you are enjoying the ride that's all that matters

 

[SkooterG]

Oc,I can respect that, you have a different level of risk tolerance and thats cool. As long as you are enjoying the ride that's all that matters

Don't confuse risk tolerance with insanity!

 

[user 213]

Don't confuse risk tolerance with insanity!

Whoa! Talk about the pot calling the kettle black! WPF ring any bells there Skooter?

:blink:

 

[popee]

I've looked over the discussion and would like to know what the difference in mpg is running the ct.

 

[madmike2]

Don't confuse risk tolerance with insanity!

Whoa! Talk about the pot calling the kettle black! WPF ring any bells there Skooter?

:blink:

That's what I'm talking about!

Anyone who can (and does) ride "Flipper" shouldn't be throwing stones at others....I'm just sayin'. :blink:

 

[Calimus]

Thx Zorlac & OCfjr. Thats pretty much what I was thinking it would be, but on the off chance that a vendor had one, I like supporting the folks that makes parts for our bikes. However, I can hammer one of those out in no time.

An I'm fully aware of the Sumitomo being a summer tire. Here in Ga, there really is no such thing as winter so to speak. It gets a lil chilly for about 3 weeks then then it's back to normal

I'll definitly be taking it easy one the first ride in the rain. Have riddin my fathers VTX with the CT in the rain before but the FJR is a different animal.