Going to the Dark Side

[RadioHowie]

3000 -- Can't be...gonna be me???

BTW, 27k miles on the Michelin....BEEYOOTIFUL!!!

Wouldn't have it any other way!!!

 

[user 213]

 

[RadioHowie]

YOU start page 151 and call ME a post whore???

:lol: :rofl: :lol:

 

[FJRONAMISSION]

Hello everyone,

I've decided to post my experience with a car tire. I'll start first with some backgound:

I have a 2006 FJR with 140000km (87000 mi). I use it for daily transportation to work and for as many trips as my boss will allow. I bought the FJR as an all around do everything kinda bike with a sporty streak. It had to be reliable, fast, safe and above all fun. So far the bike has not let me down.

I've ridden with enough of you forum members to safely say that if we could, we would ride the slab with a Wing and the ride the twisties with a Ducati. But we can't, so that's why we compromised with the FJR. For me and many others, twisty riding is a very important aspect of FJR ownership. Go to any of the many rallies and you will find the routes are almost exclusively based around the best twisty roads. I'm a competent rider and like to be in the faster half of a group ride.

I have been going through at least 2 sets of tires/year since I bought the bike. After reading the reports and wanting to get better tire life I mounted up a Bridgestone Potenza grid tire. There was surprisingly little difference in feel between the bike and car tire especially under sedate use. To and from work, it was like I forgot it was a car tire. I kept the car tire on for over a year and rode it through every imaginable road surface. While I had the tire on, I kept trying to convince myself it was ok. I liked the fact that it was cheaper but I had to work SO hard in the twisties. Finally, this spring while riding twisties with my buddies I said enough is enough and I removed the csr tire and installed a set of PR3's.

It was like fireworks went off! I had forgotten why I bought the bike in the first place....FUN. My fun factor went up 10 fold. The bike rocked around corners like it was on rails. No more fighting the twisties, I was chewing them up and spitting them out. On that day I'd have paid anything for the fun I was having. That day I realized that the car tire had taken away the fun and wasn't worth the savings on tires.

Now the specifics:

On flat highways it's ok except for slanted cambers that you have to constantly fight.

Traction is always great

Tire life is fantastic

Uneven pavement when parking can make you drop the bike as the tire tips you from side to side.

It looks cool and always starts a conversation wherever you go.

The twisties suck! Yes it can do them, but it isn't fun. It is hard work. It's not bad on high speed sweepers that don't transition, but abyssmal in tight twisties that rock from side to side. As you lean the bike over, there is a "settling" spot that feels good. But in tight twisties there isn't time to find that settling spot and you are constantly "muscling" the bike around the corners. The front tire takes a lot more abuse with the car tire than without. Hanging off the bike helps, but not as much as you would get with the bike tire and still requires much more counter steer.

In conclusion: I would not recommend a car tire to anyone who likes to ride twisty roads. I put up with the flat roads so that I can have fun on the twisty roads, not the other way around. Remember why you bought this bike and realize you WILL be sacrificing fun for cost savings. For me it's not worth it.

Mike

Mike...... that tire sucks, not the Exalto........ you will see things differently if you try one............

I don't know how many times I have to say this, but I will try once more.....

I rode two FJR's with other CT's on them... they sucked dropping into a corner \, had an edge about them, felt like going up on

a ridge then dropping into a corner.

****************** The Exalto AS does NOT feel that way at all!!...... 30 pounds pressure is perfect! 28 pounds is tooooo low and 32 pounds is toooo much and I have

blasted through the twisties with a passenger and two tail bags and luggage full *******************

.

********** Try the Exalto AS **********

 

 

[alchemy]

I've rather pleased with General's, had an Exclaim UHP last time for 30,000 and am running the G-Max A/S now. There are other options out there than the Exalto- just sayin'

 

[SkooterG]

I've rather pleased with General's, had an Exclaim UHP last time for 30,000 and am running the G-Max A/S now. There are other options out there than the Exalto- just sayin'

Have you tried the Exalto?

For all you know you would like the Exalto three times as much as the General...............

 

[alchemy]

Have you tried the Exalto?

For all you know you would like the Exalto three times as much as the General...............

There is merit to that, and I might on the next one. For right now I see no reason to switch- yet. The General is really smooth at 32# transitioning well. I've had a guy really leery of it doing parking lot drills and said there was such a minimal difference he would opt for one if he had a street bike.

 

[TriggerT]

Getting ready for the ButtLite in a few weeks and I need to decide if I am going back to the Darkside or not. Decisions, decisions. I'm not worried about burning through a new cycle tire during the rally, but I really do like the better traction and I think it performs better on gravel, not that any rally bastard would ever route use down a gravel road.

 

[jasonhc73]

Off to the hardware store to get a chunk of metal to replace my brake brace thingy, so my "spare" wheel will fit.

 

[juniorfjr]

I've got about 20k on my exalto now and the only fault I have with the tire is stability above triple digits. Reminded myself of that last saturday. Last summer I posted my concerns about a high speed wobble above 130 but this week I was a little more aware of the stability. You could initiate a wobble a little by giving the bars a little shake. Not enough to make me change, but something to be aware of.

 

[garyahouse]

I haven't posted on this thread for awhile, but I HAVE been rackin' up the miles on the Exalto. I've got about 15k on it thus far. Recently I went up to Gatlinburg and then down to the Tail of the Dragon. Must have done a thousand curves. The Exalto performed flawlessly. Coming home, we drove right into the high winds and heavy rains of Tropical Storm Debbie. Again, no problems. However, though the tire did just fine, my wet weather preparation was lacking. I learned a few things:

1. If I'm gonna ride in the rain, I need a new helmet. My Scorpion EXO 100 half-helmet and a face shield (that comes down to the bottom of my nose) was no match for heavy rain. My vision became so restricted that it was nearly impossible to see the road.

2. I'll also need a new rainsuit. Because the neck didn't fit tight enough around my neck, I ended up getting quite a bath.

3. My Chatterbox is NOT waterproof.

Gary

darksider #44

 

[jasonhc73]

I haven't posted on this thread for awhile, but I HAVE been rackin' up the miles on the Exalto. I've got about 15k on it thus far. Recently I went up to Gatlinburg and then down to the Tail of the Dragon. Must have done a thousand curves. The Exalto performed flawlessly. Coming home, we drove right into the high winds and heavy rains of Tropical Storm Debbie. Again, no problems. However, though the tire did just fine, my wet weather preparation was lacking. I learned a few things:

1. If I'm gonna ride in the rain, I need a new helmet. My Scorpion EXO 100 half-helmet and a face shield (that comes down to the bottom of my nose) was no match for heavy rain. My vision became so restricted that it was nearly impossible to see the road.

2. I'll also need a new rainsuit. Because the neck didn't fit tight enough around my neck, I ended up getting quite a bath.

3. My Chatterbox is NOT waterproof.

Gary

darksider #44

I road in some very heavy rain on I-70, at night... Well my EXO-400/700 kept me dry as dry can be. Unfortunately it was raining so hard it didn't matter, I had to pull off and wait for it to calm down. For the money Scorpion makes the most comfortable full face I've ever worn.

If the darksider list ever gets updated, I'm the next one, 57.

 

[user 213]

If the darksider list ever gets updated, I'm the next one, 57.

:blink:

When we see a pic of it actually on the bike, then you can have a number. We have standards! Not high ones, but what would Jenny and the girls think if we just gave you a number for posing a CT next to your bike? :lol: :lol:

 

[user 213]

Since Jasonhc73 sent me pics off list, I have added him to the FAQ as Darksider # 57. Welcome to the Darkside Jason.

One of his pics.

 

[jasonhc73]

If the darksider list ever gets updated, I'm the next one, 57.

:blink:

When we see a pic of it actually on the bike, then you can have a number. We have standards! Not high ones, but what would Jenny and the girls think if we just gave you a number for posing a CT next to your bike? :lol: :lol:

You (in a big overly dramatic fashion) obviously didn't see the wheel the tire was installed on....

 

[jasonhc73]

OH!

By the way, my brake bar was 99% complete when I got it at the hardware store. I really didn't even need to drill new holes. I only cut the edges down to fit the caliper. $6.00 at True Value. It's a peice of galvanized repair strap.

 

[user 213]

You (in a big overly dramatic fashion) obviously didn't see the wheel the tire was installed on....

Reading comprehension isn't your strong point, eh? On the bike. On the wheel isn't the same thing. Nice to have the extra wheel. Some guys can't commit and swap back and forth. Most try it and realize it won't alter their riding style, so just leave it on. The expectation is that you have ridden it too, but it's just a silly forum with a silly number, it's not like it means anything or proves anything, it's just for fun.

On the brake bar, there have been many different methods. If you're good with it, enjoy. Thanks for sharing your method with the forum.

 

[doctorJ]

I found a roofing nail in my Michelin Pilot Exalto a few days ago. It has between 14000-15000 miles on it and still has about 1 1/2 mm. on the little whiskers before the wear bars so should have 5-6000 more miles out of it. I plugged it with a sticky plug with some tire glue/cement or whatever it is. So far it is holding air and riding fine. I've ridden a plugged tire up to 4000 miles once when on a trip and it did fine. Is the consensus of youse guys that just ride it and monitor the air pressure or should I pull it and have an internal patch put on like one might on a regular car tire on a car? The more I ride it and air stays same, I get more comfortable with just riding it and replacing it in a few thousand miles.

doctorj

 

[user 213]

Just ride it. I've gone 10k or more on a plugged CT on a car.

 

[jasonhc73]

Just ride it. I've gone 10k or more on a plugged CT on a car.

Ditto, sittin on 17K on pickup, forgot which one it is after rotating 3 times now.