Going to the Dark Side

[Larry33319]

Yahoo, number 700. The thread is not dead as long as we are still comparing testing notes. Besides, no one is forcing you to open the thread or reply to it. Maybe the Admins could give us our own forum called The Darkside. VBG

 

[dangerdog]

Ha, this thread was worth the read just to satisfy curiousity if nothing else. I never would have thought this idea feasible on a feej. (no poet)

 

[TestPilot]

OC, if I read some of the info right it's your birthday :clapping: Congratulations on making it to another one even after all the threats that you (heathen) would never see another one after fitting a CT :clapping: Keep answering the questions - you are doing a great job of sharing information and your experiences. Thanks.

 

[Carmine]

ACTUALLY!!!!!!!! ***DARKSIDE BROUGHT ME HERE IN THE FIRSTPLACE***

The thread was so well thought out and the different tests and all the nasties... made me wanna run darkside just because I am the kind of guy who HAS to run into the wall headfirst at least once to decide whether or not to do it again! i will soon be running my feej back and forth from baltimore to long island racking up milage on flat boring roads. I really only got the bike to make my 500 mile commute more doable. I bought it with a very new non flattened moto tire and inside of 4 really cold winter months chewed a really nice flat spot in the center. I have been on 2 wheels for some 20 years and never have been one for dragging pegs and doing clover leafs in under 20 seconds. I have experienced departing my cycle whilst it was still moving, and not necessarily in the same direction as me! NO THANKS car tire is perfect, handles very nicely in traffic and flat roads. Does excellent at 99+++ trying to avoid sombody I inadvertantly pissed off who despritely wanted to make me part of his bumper. works in sun and rain and makes it difficult for car to tail too closely. I am no expert but I do repair motorcycles and I have just about ridden every TYPE of motorcycle out there maybe not every year or every specific make but i have ridden vulcans and custom choppers and bmws and almost everything in between ....... my fj with a car tire and a worn out front still handles better than my harley davidson fat boy. and the 1150 gs I rode last month is bar none the best of them all at slow speed "under 40 kph" manuvering. way better than my fj even with the moto tire. I love this thread and think it should carry on till we can pinpoint all the intricacies of running a car tire on an fjr 1300. I would like to get some track time on a 205/50/17 c/t with a cam mounted to see if the tire will distort or break traction.. I dont think id wanna do it with a shiny fj but maybe a bashed up gsxr or some other rig....HEY I JUST GOT AN AWESOME IDEA!!! MAYBE WE CAN GET THE MYTHBUSTERS TO HELP US OUT LOL!! Every time I do somthing new or try some new conceptual idea I get nasayers and even my friends somtimes shoot my ideas down before I even get through explaining them. Now I just do what I was going to do anyway and if sombody has a logical arguement as to why I shouldnt I take that into account and proceed with my idea anyway. Immagine what they told Orville and Wilbur when they said they where going to fly! Now immagine if they had just quit! Good Job OC glad u still tried

 

[timk]

Don't know if I can wade thru 36 pages, so, which CT's will work WITHOUT any mods(like caliper brackets etc). I still have another new MC tire to spoon on, but after............

 

[user 213]

Don't know if I can wade thru 36 pages, so, which CT's will work WITHOUT any mods(like caliper brackets etc). I still have another new MC tire to spoon on, but after............

The only mod needed is not the caliper braket, but the tension arm that connects the caliper bracket to the swing arm. The stock piece is just a hollow box, aluminum bar connecting the two points over a solid tab on each. One bolt on each end. The change is to take that piece off, place it over a 3/4" wide, 10"/12" long, 3/16" thick flat bar and marking the bolt holes on the new piece, marking the length, then drilling two holes and cutting the end of the bar off. A little dress up work to make it burr free and smooth, and you're done. A non stainless piece should get some paint to prevent corrosion. There's a link some pages back to order a foot of bar stock from an online vendor for cheap.

Or, you can just buy one from Carmine - PM him from this thread.

The only tire that has been documented to fit w/o changing the tension arm is a Cooper Zeon that was a used test tire that I tried at the very beginning and has extremely stiff sidewalls and sucks in the rain. Not a recommended tire.

edit - Generally speaking, the part of the tire specs you want to look at is 'section width'. Most 205/50-17 tires have a section width around 8.4". The Yokohama Advan S4 has a section width of 8.2" and just barely rubs, according to the first rider to mount one up here. Like any tolerance, these values on the spec sheet are not carved in stone. Every tire will vary a little. One may fit fine, the next might rub, (even if the exact same brand/model tire bought at the same time). For this reason I suggest anyone going to the darkside make the effort to change the brake tension arm, even if they find a tire that fits w/o doing so.

 

[dangerdog]

also, (slaps self in face) i tried to look back in the thread, but have any of you guys come to a conclusion on which tire is the best so far for the feej?

I could tell if anyone had said a certain one was the current reccomendation or whatnot.

Say hello to the next darksider. I should be Darth Dangerdog here in just a couple days.

 

[dangerdog]

Edit, it seems the Yoko is it.

 

[bandit]

I have been supportive of this the whole time. Gotta try new things to see what will work and what wont. Trial and error ya know.

 

[user 213]

At this point, there's just a lack of miles on most of the choicse. BugR has some good miles on his BFG, but he chose that for his Alaska trip, so not certain if he's staying darkside or if that would be his choice for all round riding.

A few are running the Bridgestone 019 Grid, since that's what I started with. A few running the Yokohama, partly because that's what I've said I was going to try next. Similar specs to the 019 Grid. A few running Aurora H1-7 performance all season. More info is always a good thing for us cutting edge folks trying new things with the FJR. ^_^ If anyone likes the look, specs, reviews, etc of some tire not previously used, go for it and share the results with the forum.

Actual tire choice doesn't seem to as big a deal. Generally speaking, something that doesn't change temperament from dry to wet would be good. If reviews mention poor wet traction, stay away from that tire. Other than that, we're still learning.

My basic parameters for looking at tires for the FJR were this -

Symmetrical tread design (it's not getting mounted Left or Right, so I want something that will feel the same leaning both ways)

Directional tread design. Not hard and fast, but I prefer this in performance tires.

Lots of sipes and tread blocks for both water clearance and stability. Not too small though, as this may promote squirm, IMO.

All season rating. (I ride all year, from baking desert to snow, (I try to avoid the snow))

I've been sticking to "performance all-season" rated tires in my search, just because I think that's closer to how we use the tire on the bike.

 

[Bounce]

Arrived yesterday!

 

[RadioHowie]

Arrived yesterday!

For your Jap Boxer, I assume?

 

[Bounce]

For your Jap Boxer, I assume?

yep. 6 lbs lighter per rim than the baseline OEM iI was running. Made for Tire Rack under contract by Enkei; the same as the RPF1 Type 2's at about $100 savings per rim. got the rims, tires, pressure sensor kits, installation, balance, tt&l for less than the OEM BBS option upgrade would have been. so i now ave an extra set of wheel/tire/sensors for use as needed or to sell.

the unsprung weight savings was noticable just on a simple, short commute. once scrubbed in, i'll push them harder to play with them some more, but that's pretty significant.

 

[RadioHowie]

For your Jap Boxer, I assume?

yep. 6 lbs lighter per rim than the baseline OEM iI was running. Made for Tire Rack under contract by Enkei; the same as the RPF1 Type 2's at about $100 savings per rim. got the rims, tires, pressure sensor kits, installation, balance, tt&l for less than the OEM BBS option upgrade would have been. so i now ave an extra set of wheel/tire/sensors for use as needed or to sell.

the unsprung weight savings was noticable just on a simple, short commute. once scrubbed in, i'll push them harder to play with them some more, but that's pretty significant.

Cool. I ran Kumhos on a Civic I used to autocross. Stuck like glue....but didn't last too long on the streets. Gave up the ghost around 22k miles.

BTW, how's the FJR paint project comin'?

 

[Bounce]

Cool. I ran Kumhos on a Civic I used to autocross. Stuck like glue....but didn't last too long on the streets. Gave up the ghost around 22k miles.

put Kuhmo's on the wife's 03 WRX and they lasted about twice as long as OEM skins. based on the ratings numbers this was AA grip with nearly the highest wear numbers out there. if the Mich, Yoko, etc. were 2200, these were 4200.

BTW, how's the FJR paint project comin'?

paint's all done. then the summer heat hit. i'm going to treat all the bits with Rejex before installing the plastic back in place. am slowly digging my way through the other stuff (while the plastic's off) as temps and time allows.

 

[RadioHowie]

Cool. I ran Kumhos on a Civic I used to autocross. Stuck like glue....but didn't last too long on the streets. Gave up the ghost around 22k miles.

put Kuhmo's on the wife's 03 WRX and they lasted about twice as long as OEM skins. based on the ratings numbers this was AA grip with nearly the highest wear numbers out there. if the Mich, Yoko, etc. were 2200, these were 4200.

BTW, how's the FJR paint project comin'?

paint's all done. then the summer heat hit. i'm going to treat all the bits with Rejex before installing the plastic back in place. am slowly digging my way through the other stuff (while the plastic's off) as temps and time allows.

Just to keep this hijack on topic: (clickee picee)

 

[Bounce]

okay. i added an extra zero in the longevity rating. i like that they only gave the Kuhmo a 6.58 on ride comfort. clearly they weren't coming from an 18" rim with low profile tires that needed to be pumped to 40+ psi to protect the rims.

 

[doctorJ]

OCfjr i admire your patience in this thread. <snip>

edit btw i read this ENTIRE THREAD TODAY lol. It was a mighty chore i assure you.

Thanks. I have my bad days too when I jump down someone's throat for posting what, to me, is just beyond stupid stuff. Early on in this thread there are a lot of "you're gonna die" type posts, some really good humor ones by the gang here to poke and enjoy, (which is fair game!), but there's also some really good Q&A posts all through the thread.

There are over 10 darkside FJRs now. Some not even forum members, just searched, read and went out and did it. To the best of my knowledge, only Coastal Cop is going back to a moto tire, but that's due to his unfortunate need to sell the bike, and understandable in that situation.

I keep expecting someone to try it, then come back and say they hated it and couldn't wait to pull the tire off. It is a matter of personal taste and feel, after all. But so far it seems as though my cautions have worked and those that really desire maximum feel and response from their FJRs have not had the desire to try the darkside.

Mileage aside, I personally feel like I'm really getting my money's worth out of the CT. Like a lot of riders, I can get over on the edge, I just don't get the opportunity to do that enough to wear the motorcycle tire out evenly and end up with a worn out center and useable tread on the sides. That just killed me. Pulling off a tire with wear I didn't get out of it. When the CT goes, it will all be done.

I'm not sure I will wind up putting on a CT, but some of the grief given you and others about trying this out has reminded me of a saying I find appropriate for this thread. It is this:

Nothing dies faster than a new idea in a closed mind!! (This is common to many areas of life and not directed at anyone on this forum----unless the shoe fits, LOL)

doctorj

 

[08FJR4ME]

OCfjr - Darksider #1BugR - Darksider #2

Doug555 - Darksider #3

Coastalcop - Darksider#4 (selling bike, but still #4)

Catfish - Darksider #5

Carmine - Darksider #6

Larry33319 - Darksider #7

tbwrench - Darksider #8

Ian - Darksider #9

Smokey2255 - ????

Possible future Darksider,

Well i just spent hours going through this post after my initial thoughts of you guys being a little crazy for doing this months back. After seeing the results maybe your not so Crazy. :dribble:

The ultimate situation would be to have both setups. (2 rims setup) One for MC tire and one for Darksiding. Since there arn't many twisties in my hood it would make sence for me to do this. On the other hand when we do our LD trips to yonder mountain ranges the MC tire would be the supreme. With the somewhat new PR2's on it looks like I have the time to decide what to do. Check Ebay for another rim!

It would be nice if possible to have the above list updated with tire info for each person and mileage sofar. Maybe I am just asking to much?

Thanks,

Dave

 

[Catfish]

But if you put your moto tire rim on and ride to the mountains will it be half cooked by the time you get there?

Are we talking Adirondacks or Rockies?

If you're ever near Long Island come ride my '07.

Better yet, come throw my CT on your bike so you can compare apples to apples.