Going to the Dark Side

Bustanut joker said:

I got 2200 miles on the BF Goodrich before I had to replace it :angry2: Damned potholes anyway.

Going with a Nokian eNTYRE this go round. Guy down the road has one on his Valkyrie and after sampling it I think is going to be fine.

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Get us a picture We are getting quit a bunch of different tires on the list. So far my toyo is working just fine. I'll see how it wears but for under 130.00 installed who can complain.

For various reasons I got off to a late season start this year, and was anxious to see how the Exalto performed. I am running a Metzeler Z6 on the front and 30 psi in the Exalto. This tire was very slightly used when I got it (95% tread or better), I gather it was replaced because it had a puncture. This has a plug patch in it and is professionally vulcanized. I am only presuming a brief wear-in on a car has broken it in a little, so it might be a little softer than a brand new one.

So, I was shocked this thing didn't feel any different really than a bike tire. I tried cambered roads, frost heaves, sunken pavement, pavement joints, etc. and I must say I am impressed at how normal it feels. It soaks up the bumps well, but that may be partly due to that nice RaceTech rear shock. I only really notice it when rolling from one side to the other in an 'S' type curve, and even then, no biggie. I do think you have to be aware of what you have, as I want to be prepared for any unexpected situations. Of course, that will fade as I get more time on this thing. I expect the worst will be at slow speed parking lot type stuff where the pavement is sloped, or some such..... anyway for now, that's my preliminary take. I'll report in again after my jaunt to CFR, the Gaspe and back late June.

Spook said:

Bustanut joker said:

I got 2200 miles on the BF Goodrich before I had to replace it :angry2: Damned potholes anyway.

Going with a Nokian eNTYRE this go round. Guy down the road has one on his Valkyrie and after sampling it I think is going to be fine.

Click to expand...

Get us a picture We are getting quit a bunch of different tires on the list. So far my toyo is working just fine. I'll see how it wears but for under 130.00 installed who can complain.

Click to expand...

Going to send one to Eric shortly.. I gotta say after 100 miles today I'm impressed!

The Goodrich wasn't all that bad but the softer sidewalls on the Nokian were a Night and Day difference!

Steering response was vastly changed with this tire. Now granted I didn't get crazy on a new tire but the lack of push and lighter feel has me convinced this is a tire you corner carvers might want to put on the list. Grated it was a 45 minute swap, while I waited, I noticed the different feel in the first few miles.

Yep I think it's a keeper! Hope Wayne can get time to test it.

You and I talked at length about the Exalto Ray and I was leaning that way till I took the Valk out.

Seems he had one for his first tire and liked it.. The guys at discount tire said the Nokian was as good a tire for $75.00 less.

After my test ride on it he informed me of this statement and said they were right.. At some point we're gonna have to ride together and check it out.

Shameless bumpage for this awesome tire.. :clapping: Got in a hundred today damned lawn needed cutting after constant rain for the last month ..

I highly recommend this tire if you ride on the aggressive side!

Bust,

www.tiresbyweb.com has that Nokian tire for $165, is that about right?

The local Tire Factory joint took the old one off and mounted the Nokian for $130.00 while I waited.

Oh, I did take it off the bike for them..

Bustanut joker said:

The local Tire Factory joint took the old one off and mounted the Nokian for $130.00 while I waited.

Oh, I did take it off the bike for them..

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Since your ability to correctly convey a message is almost as bad as your math skills, lets clarify this: You bought a tire and they mounted it on the rim for $130 total, or you bought a tire and then let someone charge you $130 to mount it on a rim?

I'm hoping it's the first. If it is the second, that just proves that you are in fact dumber than you look :dribble: ...Which would be an amazing feat.

My, aren't YOU on a roll today!

Someone piss in your wheaties???

Bust, that looks so good I'm almost ready to trade in the Exalto after only a few hundred miles.

Bustanut joker said:

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Granted that this Darkside stuff ain't an exact science, but why do I get the feeling that running an ASsymetrical tire on a motorcycle just seems like a bad idea?

I know...I know...many would think running ANY car tire on a bike a bad idea, but there's just something wrong about the idea of running a tire where the tread on one side of the tire is different than the tread on the other side.

Maybe not...time will tell...but Bust, you need to report frequently on any weirdness in directionality with that rear skin, okay??

I thought the same thing Howie.. Mark down the road has over 10k on his right now and say's he didn't notice anything.

However he's as old as you so maybe his senses ain't all that great either. :lol:

Rest assured I'll be sure to report any strange goings on with it

Oh and it's the first one ya monkey ***.. I was shitfaced and..... well, that's all

RadioHowie said:

Granted that this Darkside stuff ain't an exact science, but why do I get the feeling that running an ASsymetrical tire on a motorcycle just seems like a bad idea?

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Like Darksiding, it just looks wrong. :rofl: I originally choose to look for symetrical tires, but this thread is about trying new stuff and seeing what happens. The way the tread stays almost entirely on the ground until you start getting into a good lean, the tread design shouldn't make much difference. It might be real interesting on a steel grate bridge deck to do some good S turn weaves and see how it feels.

Maybe not...time will tell...but Bust, you need to report frequently on any weirdness in directionality with that rear skin, okay??

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Information is good. I look forward to Bust's reports. :thumbsupsmiley:

How'd you find such a good price? That Nokian isn't available very many places in the USA yet, and best price I saw was $165 or more than the exalto. So it is made in Finland so not sure I can ride with it in the south--to warm ).

doctorj

Joel at Tire Factory is a member of the VFW auxiliary here. I do a lot of promotional stuff for them at cost, he was just returning the favor I guess.

I tried The Discount Tire chain but they didn't carry it and, after the no road hazard issue I was pissed at 'em anyway.

Joel said his company would do that without a problem.

Bridgestone Potenza Grid 019:



After 50 miles:



After 40K miles. I put it on with 60K on the bike, and took it off at 100K:



Next to my new Michelin Exalto:



I am posting this as the longest lasting tire on an FJR ever...

This tire endured the Iron Butt 5000, the Wild Wild West rally, the Land of Enchantment rally as well as a 5 Seasons Saddle Sore. 13K of those miles were put on in 13 days. It was also used on the track at the Horsethief Mile course at Willow Springs during the Streetmasters class. It was also used in the Ride Like a Pro class. It handled torrential rain as well as 15 miles of dirt while on a Wyoming ranch dirt road. It took all that I could dish out and came back for more. No punctures during the whole time.

I was riding Highway 38 down from Big Bear to Yucaipa, CA in a rain/snow storm and all of a sudden it felt like I was on ice so I slowed down and minimized lean angles. After 15 miles I had descended below the snow and it got worse and then I smelled rubber. My partner pulled next to me and said I had a flat. We stopped by the side of the road. There was a ranger station a mile away so I rode there.

The ranger station was in Yucaipa, just above Mentone and Redlands. No visible puncture. Would not inflate using the portable compressor.



So I called Allstate Roadside Assistance. They tried calling 3 local Yamaha dealers and all were closed, as it was Sunday.

So they covered a 90 mile tow to my residence at no charge. Just a $20 tip to the good tow truck driver. It would have been $300 otherwise.

I highly recommend the Allstate Roadside assistance. I wont leave home without it....

It turned out I had a split rim which caused the tire to lose all pressure and as I rode the 15 miles the inner sidewall got shredded.



Here are the pictures to illustrate the damage the tire sustained:

















No visible damage to the sidewalls from the outside:





So in conclusion, this demonstrates that a Bridgestone Potenza Grid can function as a run flat and be used with zero pressure during a catastrophic failure. However, if you do this, the inside of the tire may sustain damage that is not visible from the outside and so should be inspected and replaced if necessary.

Great information Doug.

All the more reason to consider a car tire on these bikes, the ability to run a while with zero air pressure. If it wasn't for the damage inside that tire I'd say it was good for another 5K.

Thanks for posting.



Brodie

What caused the rim to split? I've never seem one do that before unless it took a hard shot, like running over a deep pothole, and then there is usually some distortion of the rim.

Is it possible that this was somehow either caused or precipitated by running the CT?

I can't think how this would be, but the coincidence demands further inspection.

40K miles and gets replaced because of a split sidewall. That's great mileage if it was ON A CAR!

I agree with Brodie...if it wasn't for the split, that tire STILL has mileage...lots of it...left in the tread.

And everyone should take note how even the wear is across the tread...



EDIT:

I just re-read Doug's original post and realized it was the RIM that was split, not the sidewall. VERY strange. Hard to believe a CT had anything to do with the rim splitting...it might be plausible that the rim could have been stressed during the CT install (prying like hell to get the tire stretched over the rim) but then you'd have to explain why it took 40,000 miles for the damage to manifest itself.

It's a mystery, for sure.