Hey All,
I've been watching this thread for 6 months or so. At first I thought that's some crazy shit but for some reason I kept getting sucked backed to read more.
Then a month or so ago, forum member Kirrilian had a couple of extra brake straps for sale so I thought I'd pick one up....just in case I ever decided to give it a try. What the hell, I'll only be out a few bucks if I don't use it. Then somebody says to go to the tirerack.com to check out tire specs and prices. Oh hell, what can it hurt. Next thing I know there's a new Michelin Exalto A/S on my doorstep. Hell, I can always sell it on ebay if I decide not to use it. I wonder who I thought I was kidding ! !
Well, today was an uncommonly nice winter day in Nebraska so I naturally I rolled the FJR out for a nice ride. Nice long rides gives a guy time to think and by the time I got home there was only one thing to do. Roll the ole gal on to the lift table and pull that rear wheel. Then on over to the local independent motorcycle dealer where my good buddy in the shop mounted and balanced my new Michelin in 10 minutes flat ! ! I couldn't believe it after reading some of the horror stories on the forum about how tough mounting the car tire on a motorcycle rim can be. He literally had the old tire off and the new tire on the rim in just minutes. He aired it up, popped it on the spin balancer where it took 3/4 of an ounce of weight, and handed it to me before I could even think about finishing the cold Killians Red that I was sucking down.
Back to my shop, wheel back on the bike, snap a quick picture with my cell phone and hit the road. By now it was dark, temp down to 45 degrees and the wind was blowing hard, about 25 to 35 mph; not ideal test riding conditions. I was simply astounded at the ride. It wasn't good, it wasn't bad, it was just the same only a tiny bit different. I was really expecting some significantly different handling characteristics. Nothing, it was just another tire. Now admittedly, a 25 mile ride in this wind on a cool winter day could not be considered a valid test ride but I can certainly say that so far I'm happy. I did notice that at slower speeds around town, 20 to 30 mph, it is noticeably different. It kind of wants to go straight or something?? Again, no big deal, just different. At highway speed I couldn't tell much difference. I really couldn't detect any heaviness or stiffness when initiating a turn as others had reported with different brands of tires.
So sign me up as a Darksider. Here's my one crappy cell phone picture. If I have any profound thoughts (doubtful) after getting some miles on this tire I will post them up to add to the collective wisdom of the list. At this point I can say I'm excited about having a good handling tire with a life expectancy of 30 to 40 thousand miles.
And lastly a thanks to all those ahead of me who took the time and effort to research the issue of running a CT on an FJR. Without you guys it wouldn't be possible for me to whip this together in a couple of hours and come out with a big grin on my face ! ! !
Later,
georgee2
North Platte, Nebraska
