Going to the Dark Side

[v65]

Excellent write up! That answers a lot of questions. :clapping:

 

[LDRydr]

Now that there's just funny. oster_stupid: :lol: On Hwy 1 I let my inner squid loose and hammered harder than I have in years. Second gear, coming out of 20 mph turns at 40+, hard on throttle to the point of lifting the wheel off the ground a couple of times. The WeeStrom was leading and I've ridden that bike. 150 lbs lighter than my FJR and very flickable. I did have to use brute power to keep up, but the Feej has that in spades. Never the less, once I adjusted my riding style to suit the conditions, I was able to keep up with the Vstrom. I suppose some of that is rider, but I say it here simply to indicate that the CT wasn't holding me back. Any limitations were due to my basic comfort level, rather than CT induced.

I gotta tell ya, this thing looks WEIRD when you're following it, especially when it's leaned over in those 20 mph turns. Reno John was hoping to get a picture of it leaned over, but of course that would mean HE'S leaned over too, not exactly an opportune time to have one hand on a camera. Eric, did you have a chance from Florence to Eugene to follow it on the Wee-Strom so you could see it?

 

[user 213]

Eric, did you have a chance from Florence to Eugene to follow it on the Wee-Strom so you could see it?

I did not get the chance to view the CT in action from behind. I'm sure I will at some point.

 

[Flylooper]

Eric, did you have a chance from Florence to Eugene to follow it on the Wee-Strom so you could see it?

I did not get the chance to view the CT in action from behind. I'm sure I will at some point.

Thanks, Eric. I enjoyed your comments. I still haven't done anything. (It's too friggin' cold to work in the garage.) I have a brand new PR on there now so I figure I've got plenty of time to make the switchover.

 

[TruWrecks]

Has anyone here researched really old motorcycle tires? Has anyone else noticed that some of the earlier tires on motorcycles were off of cars? They didn't have the high HP sport bike we ride now, but they did work for what it was being used for.

The tip-in would be harder by design. The fact that the sidewall is so steep (compared to a motorcycle tire) will tend to pull the bike into the corner harder. As the bike leans over the circumference of the tire on the road would change very rapidly (again compared to a motorcycle tire) and the bike would pull more to that side just like it would do with a tire that is more egg shaped than round, only more pronounced.

I see no problem as long as the tire profile matches the riding style. The only drawback I can think of would be fuel consumption. The larger contact patch on the highway seems that it would increase the rolling resistance pretty substantially.

OC, do you have an update on this?

Cheers.

 

[user 213]

What kind of an update would you like?

And in reference to your comments, you don't ride on the sidewall of a CT, ever. You can get up on the edge, sort of, but never over. The sidewalls deform as the bike leans. In really tight stuff you are lifting the outside edge up, but you always have tread on the ground. It's actually very stable and controlable in leans. That's where you notice it the least. You tend to notice it the most going strait. You do notice more resistance when running through water. You can feel the extra drag since the front tire is not cutting a wide enough path for the wide, flat rear tire.

I currently have 5200 miles on the CT with little visible wear. Some scrubbing at the edges from the twisty romps on Hwy 1 in CA mentioned above, but that's it. I'm currently running 30 psi and feel that turn effort is reduced by the lower air pressure. At high speeds, (triple didgets), I don't think I'd want to run lower than 30, but I don't go there often or stay there for prolonged periods.

I don't seem to have suffered much of a mileage impact. Hard to tell due to OR changing to E10 about the same time I changed to the CT. Out of state when I get real gas, my mileage is comparable to the moto tire, 46 or so. I typically was very consistant at about 46-48 in the past with moto tires.

Do keep in mind that I'm also on a new engine now, so there are some variables in play. If you have specific questions, I'll be happy to answer them as best I can.

 

[Bustanut joker]

What kind of an update would you like? If you have specific questions, I'll be happy to answer them as best I can.

Ummmm?

Have yer Balls fell off yet??

Ya know there gonna because of this fiasco.. :lol:

:jester:

 

[TruWrecks]

Good to know. I tend to spend most of my miles in corners. I would definitely consider a CT if I was doing IBA type riding.

 

[boaks]

That's absolutely retarded.

What's next? How about a forklift tire!!?? they are solid so they should last MUCH longer... +1 retarded

 

[user 213]

Have yer Balls fell off yet?? Ya know there gonna because of this fiasco.. :lol:

:jester:

Aww Bust, You really do care! :wub:

@Boaks - You hurt my feelings dude. :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: You have no idea what the CT is like. I'm not saying you won't notice the difference, or that it's something everyone should try, but it's not near as different as people think. People, you know, like you, who've never actually ridden an FJR with a CT on it.

 

[SkooterG]

Yer still alive?!?!?

Fer chrissakes! Thought you'd be done dead and gone a loooong time ago riding a frigging car tire on your moto.

:****:

 

[TruWrecks]

And in reference to your comments, you don't ride on the sidewall of a CT, ever. You can get up on the edge, sort of, but never over. The sidewalls deform as the bike leans. In really tight stuff you are lifting the outside edge up, but you always have tread on the ground. It's actually very stable and controlable in leans. That's where you notice it the least. You tend to notice it the most going strait. You do notice more resistance when running through water. You can feel the extra drag since the front tire is not cutting a wide enough path for the wide, flat rear tire.

Sorry for the poor wording. I was referring to the shoulder of the CT tread, not the actual sidewalls.

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[user 213]

Yer still alive?!?!?

Fer chrissakes! Thought you'd be done dead and gone a loooong time ago riding a frigging car tire on your moto.

:****:

Yeah sure, that's what you said about those Angus Ladies, riding in Winter white stuff and rallies too!

So, you gonna do Spank? I hear banjos already. :yahoo:

 

[user 213]

Sorry for the poor wording. I was referring to the shoulder of the CT tread, not the actual sidewalls.
Thanks for the feedback.

No problem. Makes more sense now. If you want to try the Darkside, let me know. I was in Enumclaw this morning and still got back in time for work. We could meet part way, depending on schedules.

 

[TruWrecks]

No problem. Makes more sense now. If you want to try the Darkside, let me know. I was in Enumclaw this morning and still got back in time for work. We could meet part way, depending on schedules.

I might have to take you up on that. I will be passing through Portland the last weekend of the month. I will have my Busa with me. I will be staying in the area for a few days. I'd like to hook up and check it out.

 

[coastalcop]

You can have a person behind you video the turns with an atc2k video camera. Oregon Scientific makes them. I bought one for our big bend run this year. The camera was $65.00 with all the mounting hardware. It takes 2GB flsh cards and each card records for one hour on the high resolution setting. I bought the recommended 2gb cards for $55.00/10 cards . So for $120. delivered I can take lots of footage of the trip. Got both on fleabay.

You could prob mount on your bike to look right at the rear tire, take it for an hour ride and so long as there is reasonable light, get a VERY clear indication of what the tire is doing on the ride. I am currently looking at the higher end camera ($155.00) that will take a 4/8 gb flash to mount on the front, with the lower res model pointing to the rear. We arent doing anything particularly squidly but its neat the stuff you see on playback

Dont know if going to the darkside is for me or not, but its something to consider.

 

[FJRGuy]

Could see a benefit on long transcontinental rides but not sure if the cost savings would justify the sacrifice when I get to places that I want to ride hard.

Just my $0.02

 

[user 213]

@coastalcop - There are some vids of darksiders with the camera mounted in front of the tire, looking to the rear. This keeps debris off the lens, or minimizes it at least. I believe one of those is linked in this thread somewhere. Thanks for the info on the cheap camera set up. I've had riders behind me in various conditions, so have a pretty good idea of what occurs at this point.

And hey, which coast? Your profile is a little light.

@FJRGuy - You can ride hard in the twisties with the CT. It is more work! YHardRidingMV. Keep in mind, you're on a 650 pound bike, so hoon in up all you want, but the 400 lb Sport bike is still going to out perform you if the rider has the skills to match the bike.

 

[Duezzer]

So

do you

still

need

your

side

stand

?

 

[Brody]

I've followed a lot of darkside Valk's and quite a few Rocket IIIs with ct's on...............

(BTW--It's definitely not good to do in the rain------they throw up a lot of water.)

But last summer, I followed a guy on a supercharged Rocket III that was set up with raised rear-sets and a broken transmission that was stuck in top gear!!!

We went over mountain passes with major twisties!! He had to keep his speed up and, believe me, he had that thing laid over several degrees further than possible without scraping hard parts on a stock R III.

IMO---Car tires (set up properly) do not sacrifice cornering capability! They give way more mileage.

Why don't I use one? Because they make it more work to muscle the bike around.