I read this whole thread from start to here! Whew! Such controversy.
I am a geezer rider, first of all. Certified. I have ridden twisties and ridden them hard in my short career on bikes (about 6 years) now. But in that period of time I was more and more attracted to the LD ride. It was a natural for me. Twisties are nice but I don't like having to work at it, especially mentally. So I tend to ride what any hoon would describe as "conservatively," which is to say, I ride them comfortably. I don't like "testing" myself in the turns. I'll do 'em fast but would rather follow than lead. Get my drift?
Last year I did a 7500 mile ride across the country and back, from here in Oregon. Took me four weeks. The year before, I rode to the Black Hills country in South Dakota and back. The year before that I did the Hyder, AK thing. In 2009 I'm going to try for the Canadian Mariitimes.
When I got home after last summer's ride, my tires were pretty much squared. (Not from interstate riding but from riding the old US Highway system and other secondary roads) I think I had used maybe 35% of the available tread on the Azaro I had on in back, yet the center of the tire was pretty much worn out and after a few more miles I tossed it and replaced with in another 150 dollar tire.
I love my Feej, too. It's incredibly quick, it takes my gear, handles well, protects me from the elements, and is low maintenance (compared to my old Concours, which was my first "Big Bike"). I'm not attracted to Wings or Voyagers or Road Kings.
Each time, when I replaced my rear tires I hated throwing them out when there was so much left on each side of the crown of the tire. It seemed like I was throwing money away.
I remember posting in the Concours Owners Group forum when I first started riding, this question: "Why the heck are motorcycle tires so damned expensive and why do I only get 11-12,000 miles on a rear tire?" And I got the usual replies, some of them seen in this thread. More engineering, softer compounds, etc., etc., etc. So I kind of dummied up and conceded to "the experts."
Last year, I met a "Cogger" who had mounted a CT on his Connie. He had to do a lot more than alter a caliper strut for accomplish that mod. But after he had done it I spoke with him at a COG rally and he swore by it. I think he paid something like 75 bucks for a rear tire, he had 10,000 miles on it and it still looked brand freaking new!
This, I thought, is where my future is.
Yesterday, I went up and visited with Eric in Oregon City. We chatted and he told me pretty much all of what he's posted here. I also saw his bike's rear wheel and my eyes got as big as sewer lids when I saw that thing. Needless to say, I'm going to give it a try myself.
If it works for me the way it's evidently working for Eric, I will have solved a big problem entailed in LD motorcycle riding, which is that I will be using the entire tread and not just part of it, probably quadrupling my mileage, and paying about 2/3rds of the cost of a Michelin PR, which is what I'm running now.
What it comes down to, as Eric said here, is how you use the bike. If you're a rider who routinely get 5 grand out of a rear, there's no way a CT is for you. If you're me, who usually gets about 11-12,000 miles, this may be a very viable option.
Finally, those of you who chastise us guys who don't use the FJR to its max capabilities around the turns are mistaken. People buy ST bikes for the "T" as much as for the "S" part, you know? Give us a break!
$0.02 Cheers!
