Going to the Dark Side

[SouthernCruizer]

level the picture so that the bank in the road is horizontal and you'll quickly see that, while leaned for a wing/valk, it's still not leaned by much.

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Yah, I'd say "moderate" is the correct term for the lean. Found 2 other pics of darksiders on the Killboy site. Wing and a Rocket III.

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[RadioHowie]

level the picture so that the bank in the road is horizontal and you'll quickly see that, while leaned for a wing/valk, it's still not leaned by much.

Interesting thought....so I tried it:

Original pic with a protractor superimposed. I used the apex points of the curve as my reference points, figuring that the curve itself would be most horizontal at the transition from downhill straight to downhill left:

Putting the centerl of the protractor exactly on the left/right line showed that the line rises 1 degree from right to left, assuming that is the photographer tilting the camera slightly.

Again, using the inside/outside apex points of the same corner as reference, I had to rotate the picture one degre CCW to "level" the apex line.

So in actuality, the bike and rider are really leaning 1 degree further from vertical than the picture indicates.

You can see in the border around the picture the amount of added "lean" to make the left/right line from inner to outer apex horizontal.

So my semi-scientific method both contradicts and confirms what Bounce said...in that he is actually leaning MORE than the original photo indicates, but it still ain't all THAT cranked over.

Good Eye, Bounce.

 

[user 213]

And I'm thinking that Wing rider is about to be slapped by the pillion. :lol:

 

[Bustanut joker]

I was following a guy on a scoot running a CT yesterday ... I seen something fall off and run under me truck. Well I got home and.... Well, just look what I found.

I told ya this would happen

:jester:

 

[user 213]

Busta, say it ain't so! You drive a FORD?

I think we need intervention. :butcher:

 

[Bounce]

lay the baseline of the protractor from the shoulder (darker material) to the crown where the front tire is. THAT'S the bank he's in and not the level spot between banks.

 

[palerider]

OK, time to compare performance...car tire vs. m/c tire in the twisties...I'll give $100 to anyone with an FJR running a dark side tire who can ride Ebbetts Pass/SR4 from Markleeville to Alpine Lake faster/safer than I can...that should settle the question...

What's the question that should settle?

...am I trading traction/control for more tire mileage?

The answer's obvious. So what. If you replace a Hayabusa with a Gold Wing are you replacing speed with comfort?

Nobody's ever said that the CT would handle as slickly as a performance tire.

 

[happyPuppy]

I thought I would toss this in for everyones review. it may or may not be pertinent , but I felt it was worth evaluation. It is a Burgman 650 Scooter with Car rear tire.

https://www.maxi-scoots.com/postnuke/index....&highlight=

 

[SouthernCruizer]

I thought I would toss this in for everyones review. it may or may not be pertinent , but I felt it was worth evaluation. It is a Burgman 650 Scooter with Car rear tire.
https://www.maxi-scoots.com/postnuke/index....&highlight=

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Will be hard to determine what caused him to lose control unless there are direct witnesses. Hell, here in south Louisiana, we've lost 4 or 5 riders to out of control situations just in the last 2 months. Riders are killing themselves almost daily it seems. Tire may or may not have been a factor.

 

[user 213]

Regardless of the reason the scooter rider crashed, that's sad that soneone died. Having done the darkside, I can say that there is a brief learning curve. As to whether this had anything to do with the scooter accident is completely unknown w/o more info, that we are unlikely to ever get first hand.

Caution - Motorcycling is a dangerous sport. Common sense should be applied when using motor vehicles.

 

[palerider]

Common sense should be applied when using motor vehicles.

Got a problem right there.

 

[Bustanut joker]

Common sense should be applied when using motor vehicles.

Got a problem right there.

True that!

Regardless of what happened there will always be a certain group of Nay Sayers who are going to point to alterations to any vehicle and attribute accidents to them, without regards to operator proficiency..

Shit! I suppose because I installed Stainless brake lines the added rigidity (or added resistance to line expansion) of these lines will increase pressure on the caliper assembly therefore increasing the chance of failure of either the pads or disk :blink: Which in turn would increase my chances of an accident.....Bah!

Motorcycling can be dangerous but so can breathing in the wrong areas..

:jester:

 

[Capt. Bob]

so can breathing in the wrong areas..

:jester:

Good advice; you should always hold your breath when kissin' ass. :yes:

 

[user 213]

Good advice; you should always hold your breath when kissin' ass. :yes:

The voice of experience Capt bob? Or a declarative warning to anyone coming up on your backside?

:dribble: :blink:

 

[FJR-Pilot]

A couple of years ago I got sick of replacing rear tires on my 800 lb 2004 VTX1800 every 4000 miles and tried a car tire. Rode the living crap out of the bike and it never once lost traction - was very capable of holding high speed curves at the Dragon or the Cherohala. The only thing I did not like was the increased handlebar pressure to get it off the flat part of the tire, and its tendency to chase grooves and lines in the road was more pronounced. Traction was never an issue. I rode that bike so hard I finally did the right thing and traded it in for the FJ before I killed myself - don't get me wrong - the VTX is an awesome bike - but my riding skills were better suited for a sport or sport-touring bike. Now ... I'm still going through rear tires every 3500 to 4000 miles ... hmmm ...

 

[user 213]

Now ... I'm still going through rear tires every 3500 to 4000 miles ... hmmm ...

And everything you said about the CT on the VTX is true for the FJR. Although, with the lighter FJR, less tire pressure makes the turn in easier than it probably was on the VTX.

 

[FJRBluesman]

38 bloody pages! Will this thread ever die??? :dribble:

 

[Capt. Bob]

Good advice; you should always hold your breath when kissin' ass. :yes:

The voice of experience Capt bob? Or a declarative warning to anyone coming up on your backside?

:dribble: :blink:

I'm very inexperienced but I do love sauerkraut. :stinker:

 

[krashdragon]

After reading all of this post (not in one sitting!)

it seems to me that a CT has a profile a lot like one of these



on the 650 Special.

I had two, a new 77 or 78...first photo

and a few years later, a used one (another 1978).



What I do remember is that the rear tire was almost square. Kinda like the rounded car tires now. <G>

Gotta figure out what size CT to put on my Hardley. North Texas has lots of flat roads....

mary

 

[ian]

Kind of hate to resurrect this dead horse but I've finished the fourth day of my trip to the West Coast on the CT and am pleasantly suprised. It's fine on the $%& Interstate, fine in the high speed sweepers and suprisingly enough fine in the tight stuff-e.g. Idaho 21 from Lowman to Idaho Falls and back. I've quit thinking about it and the extra bar push required I noticed at first doesn't register now. I'm a little slower through the tight stuff but I think it's me not the CT; WTF I'll be 68 in October. BTW, the CT doesn't like rain grooves or uneven pavement transitions but if you lighten up on the bars, it corrects itself-think dirt bike.

All in all, unless you are doing track days, I can't think of a reason not to run a CT! I'd get another but when this one wears out, I'll have about 110,000 on my 04 and will be looking for a lighter bike by then (next year). I measured my FZ1 and looks like there is plenty of room for the same tire. :clapping:

I just started this trip to the left coast and have another 6 weeks to go, life is good! Ian, Iowa