Going to the Dark Side

[FJR Flyer]

A lot of them are either plastic coated or plated steel these days.  I have had trouble getting them to stick sometimes - even after thoroughly cleaning the rim with solvent.  I have ended out using good quality foam tape or 3M trim tape.  I have some weights that clip on the center rib of the wheel. These can be re-used.

I gave up on the stick-on weights and got a variety of sizes of the clip-on weights.  Re-used them again and again. 

 

[Auburn]

Are you sure they were lead?  And not stainless steel?

I bought a bunch of Motion Pro weights a couple years ago off Amazon.  They were stainless.  And NOT ONE of those POS weights have stuck on a wheel.  And judging by lots of other reviews on Amazon, I'm not the only one.  $$$ wasted.  I will NEVER buy any Motion Pro weights again.  EVER.

I get mine from No-Mar by the box.  They have now gone to steel weights. 

I also put duct tape over the weights.  Old racing habit (required for bikes on the track).  Never had a weight come off.

 

[art miller]

For those who have had issues with balance weights falling off perhaps you may want to try using Ride-On. I have been using it since 2001 on five different motorcycles. I have no issues with tire balance and have never had a flat even with nails in the tires. I use it only on rear tire. Before the na sayers start de-bunking Ride-On, this is just my experience and I am not affiliated in any way with this product's manufacturer or distributors.

 

[SkooterG]

Tried Ride-On ten years ago.  Hated it.  A big frigging mess.  And caused some weird corrosion to the wheel where the tire seats.

 

[FJRay]

When I dismount a tire with Ride on or balance beads the price goes up.

 

[Canadian FJR]

Just installed my second General Gmax AS-03

Canadian FJR

 

[philter]

Prep for winter for my 07 FJR.

1. Put the WINGS out to protect my knees from the cold.

2. Put on the barn-door v-stream windshield {with X-creen touring added on},

3. AND put the Car Tire back on!!

 

[user 213]

Fwiw, I've been having good luck with plain old harbor freight stick on weights.  Haven't lost one yet.  Two sizes available, but the smaller size is more useful for my needs.

 

[user 213]

Post up with your current CT brand, version, size if other than 205/50-17, and longevity.  Please be specific with the info on the exact tire you are using and give us a review on that tire.  Keeping this kind of info on the forum really helps those interested.  We have seen too many tires become favorites, then get discontinued.

Thanks!

 

[garyahouse]

Haven't logged in here in a while. Once upon a time, the Michelin Pilot Exalto had earned big points on this forum, but it was discontinued in 2012. I still have my second one on my FJR w/only 5k miles on it or so, and it's running fine. Had a chance to sample Brodies' tire as mentioned above at EOM, found it to handle considerably better than my tire. I found it difficult to believe that ANY two tires could feel so different. When he rode my FJR with the exalto, his findings were exactly the same.

That said, I bought a new gold wing 5 months ago, and the FJR's been mothballed in the shed since then. So I've been reading and posting a good deal... over on the gl1800riders forum. One of their dark side threads is located here: https://www.gl1800riders.com/threads/how-many-miles-on-car-tires.233382/page-20 

They've been counting dark side miles for several years. As of today, they've logged 16.2 million miles total. They've claimed over and over that ALL these miles have been without any incidents known to be caused by or attributed to running a CT on a motorcycle.

As dad used to say, "How 'bout them apples?" 

Here's something else I've noticed: it seems that there are no similarities between the tires we run here and the tires they run on Wings. They list the tires they like, for example the pirelli p1... and none of them seem to run the same tires (like for example the BF Goodrich G Force Comp 2) that we run here.

 

[user 213]

The Wing is 300 lbs heavier and needs a different tire.  Run flats are much more popular there, where here that stiff a sidewall would be horrible for handling, (imho).

 

[CraigRegs]

Just installed the Riken Raptor last month. First foray into the dark side, and not many miles as the virus keeps me close to home, but will update as the miles roll on. I found this thread very helpful in making the switch, so glad to repay a little crowd-source info if I can.

 

[SkooterG]

Just installed the Riken Raptor last month. First foray into the dark side, and not many miles as the virus keeps me close to home, but will update as the miles roll on. I found this thread very helpful in making the switch, so glad to repay a little crowd-source info if I can.

Ha Ha Ha!!!  You've been assimilated!

 

[garyahouse]

The Wing is 300 lbs heavier and needs a different tire.  Run flats are much more popular there, where here that stiff a sidewall would be horrible for handling, (imho).

You're right: they were 300 pounds heavier, but not any more.  The new wings are something like 90 pounds lighter than the old. This makes maybe 100 pounds difference carried by each tire than the weight carried by an FJR. 100 pounds is nothing to one of these tires: they're rated for far more weight than either FJR or Wing would subject them to. 

Therefore I would guesstimate that a solo rider on a newer wing would put the same weight on the rear tire as the FJR riding two up. I highly doubt that this weight difference would have any effect on the performance of the car tires we run here. I would submit that the tires we run can indeed be put on the newer wings. As a matter of fact, when the time comes to switch out my rear tire, I'm going to do just that. Only have 1600 miles on it thus far, so it will be awhile. Think I'll go with the BF Goodrich Comp 2 if I can find it in the right size for the new wing. I'll let cha know how it goes.

 

[Canadian FJR]

I have a bunch of Kms running a CT on the FJR.  During my winter maintenance I just noticed that it is rubbing on the inner fender.

I suspect that it’s a combination of riding too aggressive on our $h!tty Nova Scotia roads with too soft a setting.

Not a huge concern but a heads up to others.

Canadian FJR

 

[garyahouse]

I have a bunch of Kms running a CT on the FJR.  During my winter maintenance I just noticed that it is rubbing on the inner fender.

I suspect that it’s a combination of riding too aggressive on our $h!tty Nova Scotia roads with too soft a setting.

Not a huge concern but a heads up to others.

Canadian FJR

Noticed the same issue on my FJR years ago. A little rubbing on the inner fender well. However, after 10 years, it proven to be a non issue for my bike.

 

[SkooterG]

I have a bunch of Kms running a CT on the FJR.  During my winter maintenance I just noticed that it is rubbing on the inner fender.

I suspect that it’s a combination of riding too aggressive on our $h!tty Nova Scotia roads with too soft a setting.

Not a huge concern but a heads up to others.

Canadian FJR

Mine rubbed slightly when I ran the old Michelin Exalto on my 04 FJR.  Never an issue.  I haven't noticed it happening on my 09 or with the three car tires I've run that aren't Exaltos.

 

[Brodie]

When time to pick up my 2nd ‘06 AE from a dealer in the Central Valley town of Manteca back in late 2010, my buddy Brian (FJRONAMISSION) drove, and I rode bitch on the back of his Exalto shod ‘08. The trip over the Altamont pass on Interstate 580 from Livermore was quite rough. The two of us guys overwhelmed his bike’s stock suspension, and with the perpetual road construction (still unfinished), every substantial bump was like he was hitting the brakes – the inner fender rubbing was that severe. 
 

The inner fender is shaped rounded for a motorcycle tire, and every car tire will rub at full suspension stroke. All three of my FJRs showed signs of it. The trick is to never get to full suspension stroke. Riding solo (240 lb. rider) with moderate luggage load has never been an issue for me, however, with the bike fully loaded for a trip, with camping gear on the rear seat, occasionally I get a reminder to take it a bit easier when the road gets really rough. It helps to get off your butt by standing if you see the whop before you hit it. 
 

Brodie

 

[rbentnail]

Mine rubbed slightly when I ran the old Michelin Exalto on my 04 FJR.  Never an issue.  I haven't noticed it happening on my 09 or with the three car tires I've run that aren't Exaltos.

Mine too "rubbed slightly" when I had a instantaneous flat with an Exalto and busted the bead loose on both sides at 45 mph.  Trust me- don't ever do that.  Otherwise I've been fine but I ride solo exclusively. 

 

[Brodie]

For those who are wondering what the rubbing looks like:

This is a light rubbing, which I really haven’t felt. The tire is a 2 year old BF Goodrich g-Force Comp-2 A/S with 33,361 (s)miles on it. I have no complaints, in fact I’m getting another one to replace it. 
 

I did have to repair a nail hole early on at EOM in Maggie Valley. Needless to say I had PLENTY of supervision for that.

Here is the sticky string repair after two years of trouble free riding:

This is what it looks like on the inside:

And yes, I still change my own tires:

With rainy season coming up I’m taking advantage of the good weather to change it, and perform other services to my primary transportation. 
 

Brodie