Going to the Dark Side

[Zorlac]

Any trouble seating the bead that's pretty amazing that it took 2 men with tire irons AND a machine to mount that sucker!

Seating the bead is not an issue with the car tire. There is so much pressure on the beads w/o air, and the CT beads sit deeper on the rim than moto tires. The beads are there. .

Umm, I kinda knew that, hence the " "

 

[dougc]

Oh, man, I'm bummed.

Eric, you didn't wanna wrestle that bad boy on with me? Weights were free.

(just kidding)

dougc

 

[mdisher]

Oh yeah - if you ever DO crash, good luck getting the insurance to cover it.

No problem with the insurance. It will be covered. (If insurance companies could tell you what tires they would cover on your bike, they would also be telling you what woman they would cover as your wife.

Come to think if it, they would probably have better luck with picking our wives than some of us do!

Don't worry, your insurance is fine.

I disagree...

While I do think the possibility of anyone actually noticing in the event of an accident is extremely remote.

If it did come into question, I have absolutely NO doubt that any insurance company would point to it and do everything they could to weasel out of the claim.

Again, I don't think this is likely at all, but the possibility does exist.

 

[vectervp1]

Well, I've been away for a while working my ass off, so I just wanted to mention a few things...

If I recall right, someone did run a car tire in the last IBR on a Goldwing. I vaguely remember seeing one while doing tech inspection. Not 100% positive as I've had a few nights sleep and more than a few drinks since then, but I'm pretty sure.

I think your nucking fut's Eric, but at the same time I gotta score a test ride on your bike next time we cross paths. I don't think this is something I'd ever do, but hell, I'll take a test ride on this contraption!

I recall someone looong ago creating a spacer to move the brake arm out some to mount up a 200 series moto tire on their bike. Perhaps you could do the same thing.

 

[charismaticmegafauna]

'vectervp1': If I recall right, someone did run a car tire in the last IBR on a Goldwing. I vaguely remember seeing one while doing tech inspection. Not 100% positive as I've had a few nights sleep and more than a few drinks since then, but I'm pretty sure.

I've tech'd a few LD event entrant's rides and have come across CTs on the rear -- I've kinda 'looked-the-other-way' (but, it did sorta worry me -- responsibility and all that).

'Renegade': If it did come into question, I have absolutely NO doubt that any insurance company would point to it and do everything they could to weasel out of the claim.

This turn in thread direction brings-up an interesting aspect -- legality.

How would this (CT) fly in states with M/C inspections?

For instance: I doubt you could do it in Germany.

 

[RadioHowie]

OC,

Iffin' I drags my Feej over, will you mount one of those on him? I'd love a 30,000 mile rear tire!

 

[HaulinAshe]

The few times I saw the title topic for this thread, I thought somebody was selling their FJR and buying a GoldWing. OMG, was I ever wrong!

I think I'm speechless... Hmmmm, yep!

Wait!, Here comes a question...

OCfjr, how exactly do you plan to test the limits of grip at your maximum perceived lean angle, or do you? Will you perform the same test with a conventional motorcycle tire for comparison?

If it works for you, great! Personally, I try to rate tire performance on a percentage factor as it relates to what I perceive the bike's maximum capability to be. In other words, an 80% tire will do 80% of what I would expect the bike to ever deliver.

You can get 80% performance from a Michelin PR2, and out west, you can reasonably expect 10,000 miles out of a PR2. Sounds like YOU could get close to 15,000 miles out of a PR2. So why all this fuss for some not-so-significant mileage? The PR2 will deliver bonus mileage and far exceed the performance envelope ever expected from a car tire.

I'm just saying, I'm truly worried you are risking a LOT, when IMO the compromise between sport motorcycle performance and car tire mileage has already been achieved in the Michelin Pilot Road-2.

Why not buy Shinko Ravens, anything!

 

[user 213]

OC,
Iffin' I drags my Feej over, will you mount one of those on him? I'd love a 30,000 mile rear tire!

All the info will be posted here. If you want the shop name that mounted the tire, PM me and I'll be glad to give it to you. I'd say watch this space and see what I report before you jump on the bandwagon.

 

[user 213]

I think I'm speechless... Hmmmm, yep!

If that was speechless, I'd hate to be around when you have something to say!

Wait!, Here comes a question...
OCfjr, how exactly do you plan to test the limits of grip at your maximum perceived lean angle, or do you?

<snip>

Why not buy Shinko Ravens, anything!

Ashe, I do appreciate your detailed tire reports. You hit the nail on the head with the sentence above. No, I have no plans to test the limits of grip at my maximum perceived lean angle. I don't ride that way.

What I plan on doing is riding like I always do, and seeing how the tire performs under those conditions and speeds. I don't use the motorcycle tires to the limit of their adhesion, and I hope to not use the CT to the limit of it's adhesion either. The point, for me, is to find out if the CT will perform within the envelope that I normally ride in. If it doesn't, well then, that's no good. If it does, then I might push a bit more and see how it responds, but I'm not going to go out and try and find the limit of the tire.

At times the price of tires has dictated wether or not I entered a rally or did a ride I wanted to do. I'm hoping this will present a viable option, for me. And mind you, I use my tires, I just don't get the opportunity to spend large amounts of time on the sides. The people that have ridden with me know I'm not a strictly go strait guy. How well the CT will perform under my normal PACE remains to be seen. Getting a big cold front this weekend and snow that's supposed to linger. :glare:

 

[Lake Powell]

I think this is a great idea. good for you. For those of you that claim I am just a naysayer and OCFjr is the next coming of Thomas Edison

Don't you mean Tesla...maybe?

:lol: :lol: :lol: Not even. I'm just some guy crazy enough to try something that looks wrong, but no one has actually tried on the FJR yet. At least in our little community.

Rock on, Brutha!

It doesn't matter if this CT is good or bad, we will all learn from this.

 

[Bobcattoo]

Here's my $.02: Obviously many of these CRITICS need to do more reading..........and listening than shooting down an Idea that they can't get their closed-off little minds to grasp. Car Tires have been used on Bikes for AT LEAST 50 years. Look at some old photos of chopped-up Harleys. I rode a 52 Panhead(in the 70's)............WITH A CAR TIRE ON THE BACK! And if you care to search the GL1800Riders Website you'll find an entire Topic Header devoted to the thousands of Dark-Siders. At some point I will be included.......at least where my Wing is involved. Doubt that I would try it on my "R" but I'm appreciative of someone else trying it. Will anxiously await results/conclusions.

And if we never hear from the Guy again, guess my current choices are good enough.

 

[Bustanut joker]

I hear putting a "cage" tire on a bike causes cancer... or was that impotence??

Either way, your nuts will fall off. :blink:

:jester:

 

[Bobcattoo]

Getting a big cold front this weekend and snow that's supposed to linger. :glare:

Sounds like an opportunity to test Snow Tires.

 

[Lake Powell]

Getting a big cold front this weekend and snow that's supposed to linger. :glare:

Sounds like an opportunity to test Snow Tires.

And or Chains!

Burning rubber and throwing sparks, **** winter!

 

[v65]

Here's my $.02: Obviously many of these CRITICS need to do more reading..........and listening than shooting down an Idea that they can't get their closed-off little minds to grasp. Car Tires have been used on Bikes for AT LEAST 50 years. Look at some old photos of chopped-up Harleys. I rode a 52 Panhead(in the 70's)............WITH A CAR TIRE ON THE BACK! And if you care to search the GL1800Riders Website you'll find an entire Topic Header devoted to the thousands of Dark-Siders. At some point I will be included.......at least where my Wing is involved. Doubt that I would try it on my "R" but I'm appreciative of someone else trying it. Will anxiously await results/conclusions.  


And if we never hear from the Guy again, guess my current choices are good enough.

Sorry OC but we are going off again. Bobcattoo if you tell someone they should read you had better make sure you read with comprehension. This topic has been pretty well hashed out and agreed upon, but hey thanks for digging it up again. :glare: Let me sum it up for you:

1) Yes car tires have been used on motorcycles and well tested.

2) They have not been tested on the FJR. This is important because the FJR has significantly more handling capabilities than any of the bikes mentioned in this thread. Those of that use that ability, or least think we do, have some serious doubts about the tires abilities for us. If OC had made his intentions clear from the get go this thread wouldn't be 10 pages long; it's a few posts in that we find out he is a distance rider.

3) No one here has provided any evidence for the nuts that push the handling envelope to make us believe a car tire is up to the job of a performance tire. Pics of Goldwings scraping floorboards doesn't get it done, try again. But you seem to realize that, isn't that the reason your R won't be getting a car tire?

3) OCfjr has made it perfectly clear that he does not in fact ride this way, it sounds like this is a great solution for him. Good for him for trying it out.

4) Good to hear your car tire worked on your 52 panhead, but how in the world is that even remotely related to this discussion? That's a bit like saying you should put truck tires on a Porsche because they both have four wheels. Which brings us back to the fact that your R won't be getting a car tire. Interesting tactic, arguing both sides of the coin and then stirring up shit.

The whole discussion has been around point 2, and so more or less resolved due to lack of evidence. When one of you car tire guys keeps up with Andre or WickedWebby I'll mount one. Until then don't try to convince us that a car tire is going to provide the same level of handling as an Avon Storm (for example). If you are trying to convince us that a car tire is good enough for you then you are a priori correct, congrats.

 

[user 213]

I hear putting a "cage" tire on a bike causes cancer... or was that impotence?? Either way, your nuts will fall off. :blink:

:jester:

Oh CRAP!! Busta, why didn't you tell me that before. :cray: This totally explains my shortcomings in the bedroom lately. :dntknw:

 

[madmike2]

I hear putting a "cage" tire on a bike causes cancer... or was that impotence?? Either way, your nuts will fall off. :blink:

:jester:

Oh CRAP!! Busta, why didn't you tell me that before. :cray: This totally explains my shortcomings in the bedroom lately. :dntknw:

Short comings could be an entirely different problem than impotence, though perhaps related!?!?!?

 

[mdisher]

Here's my $.02: Obviously many of these CRITICS need to do more reading..........and listening than shooting down an Idea that they can't get their closed-off little minds to grasp. Car Tires have been used on Bikes for AT LEAST 50 years. Look at some old photos of chopped-up Harleys. I rode a 52 Panhead(in the 70's)............WITH A CAR TIRE ON THE BACK! And if you care to search the GL1800Riders Website you'll find an entire Topic Header devoted to the thousands of Dark-Siders. At some point I will be included.......at least where my Wing is involved. Doubt that I would try it on my "R" but I'm appreciative of someone else trying it. Will anxiously await results/conclusions.  


And if we never hear from the Guy again, guess my current choices are good enough.

No one here disputes that car tires have and are being used. There are plenty of bike that can easily benefit from that. You even stated a few; GoldWing, Chopped and Raked hardley's, and other big, somewhat less sporty bikes.

What we're blow away by is that he's putting it on a Feej... Something that does handle pretty well. I get what he's after, mileage, and I'm cool with that if it works for him. We'd have similar issues if someone went to put a car tire on an R1.

It just aint right. But to each his own. I'm somewhat looking forward to the results and would love to know how it handles in the end.

 

[SkooterG]

I hear putting a "cage" tire on a bike causes cancer... or was that impotence?? Either way, your nuts will fall off. :blink:

:jester:

Oh CRAP!! Busta, why didn't you tell me that before. :cray: This totally explains my shortcomings in the bedroom lately. :dntknw:

I am sorry to hear your BOYfriend hasn't been supportive of your needs lately.

What relevance does that have in this thread? Abosolutely none.

The same amount as a car tire on an FJR!

:****:

 

[user 213]

Ok my brethren, some riding impressions on the CT. It's a balmy 42F, (no complaints!), dry and frickin' dark, but I geared up and went for a short ride anyway. Now, first off, cold pavement, cold tires and a new tire, so normal precautions applied at first. Like any new tire, some scrub in is required before you get jiggy with it.

I rode 45 miles, with a fairly even split of city streets intermixed with two lane back roads and superslab. 35 psi.

At first it sort of reminded me of snowboarding. If you don't have an edge in, you're a little bit less in control. If I was just going strait with the back tire flat, it felt a little squirrelly, but if I was in a turn on one side or the other if felt pretty normal. (normal being like any moto tire). Side to side transitions were noticeable, especially at <30 mph speeds. Bumps and lines, no issues, but I noticed the crown in the road. I could feel the need for more pressure on one bar than the other, depending on what side of the road I was on. I did about 15 miles of back roads with a mix of everything from 10 mph to 50 mph corners, up and down, generally taking it easy at slightly lower speeds than I would with a scrubbed in moto tire. Then I hopped on the freeway and wicked it up to +10, (75 mph).

At superslab speeds, things felt essentially normal. No big deal, easy transitions and smooth, clean tracking. At about 30 miles I got off the slab and returned to the back roads for a bit. Hmm, no squirrelly feeling now. Don't even really notice the side to side transitions being as noticeable now. I made a brief stop and checked things out. Pressure still good, no rubbing anywhere.

After scrub in, much nicer carving back and forth along the dark two lane country lane. Still noticeable at low speeds that you need a bit more pressure on the bars to maintain your line. I did also notice that in sweepers at speed some pressure was required to maintain your line. Not severe, and not unlike a squared off moto tire, but still there. By the time I got back on the freeway for my last five mile run up to my exit, it was feeling pretty much normal and comfortable to me. Still a little different from a moto tire, but not radically. I'm a bit surprised it doesn't feel more different. Getting it up on a tighter corner you notice a little lift as you come over, but it's not radical.

Some pictures. Hopefully you can see the chicken strips. No sidewalls were damaged during this learning experience.

From the back:

Left side:

note no sidewall use, just tread.

Right side: