2wheels4fun
Active member
Ran a CT on my Goldwing. Rode it like a sports bike or my current FJR in the mountains. Tire almost made it to 8,000 mile before bald on left side and middle. It was a 195/55RF-16 YOKOHAMA AVID ENVIGOR ZPS run flat.
Going to the Dark Side
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Clay-motion
Member
Coming home from leading the club ride last night with my wife on the back I had my first high speed motorcycle blowout! No problem though, I maintained control and got safely onto the shoulder. I'm not sure that situation would have worked as well with an m/c tire. When I converted the FJR to double darkside I also wanted to try Ride On tire balancer / sealer and have been happy with its balancing properties. I have to go check today, but the hole seemed pretty bad and beyond the capability of the Ride On to seal it up at the scene. At my mechanic's it wouldn't hold air and there is a loud hissing The tire still looks almost new, but I'm probably going to grab a new one locally today.
On a side note, this is how I found out that the towing on my State Farm policy is ONLY for my car, not on my motorcycle (contrary to what I had understood about my coverage). Costly week...
On a side note, this is how I found out that the towing on my State Farm policy is ONLY for my car, not on my motorcycle (contrary to what I had understood about my coverage). Costly week...
RFlagg42
Well-known member
I can't for the life of me understand why people who are dead set on never trying a car tire even open up this thread.
Clay-motion
Member
We all see that voyeur culture has people dangerously rubber-neck at accident scenes and confirmation bias (against the idea of CT on MC) has them looking for the consequent flaming crashes that must certainly follow such a "foolish" decision. Either that or they're completely impressed at how brave, creative, and innovative we must be to risk our lives to test what they perceive as just a bad idea.
Oh, the hole was definitely FU Beyond Any Repair. My new Michelin Pilot A/S 3+ rides more like a motorcycle tire than the board favorite General G-Max it replaces. This morning I rode some parkway on my way home from picking the FJR up and it was awesome! I scuffed it edge to edge and it stuck like glue. On Sunday I have a long club ride to some twisties that I love and we'll get a full shake out then...
Oh, the hole was definitely FU Beyond Any Repair. My new Michelin Pilot A/S 3+ rides more like a motorcycle tire than the board favorite General G-Max it replaces. This morning I rode some parkway on my way home from picking the FJR up and it was awesome! I scuffed it edge to edge and it stuck like glue. On Sunday I have a long club ride to some twisties that I love and we'll get a full shake out then...
I was one of the first to choose the G-Max AS-03 way back when the Michelin Pilot Exalto was all the rage. Then the Exalto went extinct so the search was on for a replacement everyone could agree on, hence the G-Max popularity. When my G-Max finally wore out I was fortunate enough to get an Exalto from a fellow member who bought but never used it.
All this to say that yes, I believe you. IMO the Exalto is far superior to the G-Max AS-03 in ride and handling. Based on my limited experience with the two I have no doubt the Pilot A/S 3+ is too.
I'm interested to hear your results in Sunday's twisties.
Clay-motion
Member
Well the Sunday ride was hot, long, twisty, hilly, and fast - this tire rocks! Sure it's asymmetrical, but I never noticed that to be an issue for handling or riding. The bike was sure footed and solid with no issues at all. My tire guy had an easier time putting it on than the G-Max and it used very little weight to balance, so he likes it.
Cool beans! I've had a few rides in torrential downpours with the Exalto and a new front PP3. Handled like a dream even at speed in standing water. Guy I was with riding a new-ish F6B could not believe I was "so daring" in the wet.
SkooterG
Purveyor of Crooked Facts
Interesting. Different strokes for different folks. I ran through two Exaltos before they went extinct and loved them.. I am currently running a G-Max with over 20k on it and I think it is superior to the Exaltos in ride and handling. Go figure.
Clay-motion
Member
I never tried the Exalto, but I did begin my darkside journey with a General Altimax on my VTX 1800 and loved it, as well or better than some of the other 4 or 5 car tires I experimented with before her passing at almost 103,000 miles. The General was very stable on freeways 2-up, but not as sure footed in the curves because I fought the edges and had to really counter-steer. Future CT experiments were around having the tire perform more like an M/C tire. To that end I went double darkside: put a "rear" tire on the front which helped balance the equation. The last rear tire on the X was "taller" but not a performance tire and it was less stable than all the other car tires (part of that was due to bike mileage). I REALLY learned about REAL twisties after I got my backup bike: the FJR which came with fairly new Metzlers. Those were used up fast so I tried PR 4s and before long I was back to the same conclusion: Tires are the most important and expensive maintenance / wear item on a motorcycle and I need to ride less and work more or go Darkside, again. Being a lazy hedonist with a penchant for the dramatic I decided that a car tire on a sport bike (with a rear on front for system balance) was just my kind of thing. Besides, it was super-cool having TWO double dark side bikes for a while.
The 45,000 mile Pilot A/S 3+ has rounder shoulders (and looks slightly narrower on the rim) than the G Max which causes less of the low speed (walking the bike around uneven ground or potholes) suddenly lurching to one side or the other as it falls off the edge of a hole. Fer sure, the General has a longer treadlife warranty and performed great for road trips and 2-up (I have done neither yet with the new Michelin on the FJR) and might even have been better than the Pilot. However, I suspect the perceived difference is minimal. In my very limited experience of riding is this tire on my machine, it performs more like the motorcycle tires I ran previously than the General did.
Plus the new tire is almost NEW!
In a nutshell, what I'm saying is: IMHO the Michelin Pilot A/S 3+ is probably a better gateway drug for the new FJR dark sider who might not enjoy having to countersteer twisties, if they enjoy twisties. The more like a motorcycle tire it works, the safer and quicker the adaption to the dark side for ANY newbie (and less likely to eventually reject it). The G-max would probably work better for an experienced darksider who is used to the differences and now takes more long trips, 2-up, and appreciates comfort and tire longevity more than some lazy hedonist ignoramus who stupidly likes to push the twisties, forgets they're NOT a spring chicken anymore, and values performance over tread life!
The 45,000 mile Pilot A/S 3+ has rounder shoulders (and looks slightly narrower on the rim) than the G Max which causes less of the low speed (walking the bike around uneven ground or potholes) suddenly lurching to one side or the other as it falls off the edge of a hole. Fer sure, the General has a longer treadlife warranty and performed great for road trips and 2-up (I have done neither yet with the new Michelin on the FJR) and might even have been better than the Pilot. However, I suspect the perceived difference is minimal. In my very limited experience of riding is this tire on my machine, it performs more like the motorcycle tires I ran previously than the General did.
Plus the new tire is almost NEW!
In a nutshell, what I'm saying is: IMHO the Michelin Pilot A/S 3+ is probably a better gateway drug for the new FJR dark sider who might not enjoy having to countersteer twisties, if they enjoy twisties. The more like a motorcycle tire it works, the safer and quicker the adaption to the dark side for ANY newbie (and less likely to eventually reject it). The G-max would probably work better for an experienced darksider who is used to the differences and now takes more long trips, 2-up, and appreciates comfort and tire longevity more than some lazy hedonist ignoramus who stupidly likes to push the twisties, forgets they're NOT a spring chicken anymore, and values performance over tread life!
We have a new member. The brethren continues to grow.
Welcome to the Darkside owsley, you have been listed in the FAQ as Darksider #92. It will be your turn to bring the cookies at the next FJR RTE that you attend.
We had to stop doing the initiations after the Jenny McCarthy School of Chrome Removal girls got into a huge fight with the girls from the House of Hoes in Vegas a few years back. It used to be tradition for the graduating class members to come party with us. Oh well, we still ride, they still party, just not with us.
Here is a pic of owsley's FJR Darkisided. BF Goodrich G Max Tire.
I just noticed that it's been ten years since I started this thread. No one has died in a flaming ball of plastic, rubber and aluminum yet! Keep up the good work and safe riding to everyone.
Welcome to the Darkside owsley, you have been listed in the FAQ as Darksider #92. It will be your turn to bring the cookies at the next FJR RTE that you attend.
We had to stop doing the initiations after the Jenny McCarthy School of Chrome Removal girls got into a huge fight with the girls from the House of Hoes in Vegas a few years back. It used to be tradition for the graduating class members to come party with us. Oh well, we still ride, they still party, just not with us.
Here is a pic of owsley's FJR Darkisided. BF Goodrich G Max Tire.
I just noticed that it's been ten years since I started this thread. No one has died in a flaming ball of plastic, rubber and aluminum yet! Keep up the good work and safe riding to everyone.
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Pterodactyl
Well-known member
Could it be that you have found the Fountain of Youth and the key to immortality? Whoda thunk?
That's probably over stating it a bit. But some of us still ride like hooligans, that's for sure.
Tire details?
I almost did last summer when I had an instantaneous flat from 2 ea. 3/8" holes in my Michelin Exalto. Took longer to get the seat pulled outta my ass than it did to get the bike stopped.I just noticed that it's been ten years since I started this thread. No one has died in a flaming ball of plastic, rubber and aluminum yet! Keep up the good work and safe riding to everyone.
My problem now is that no one around me will mount a car tire. Even my trusty local Honda dealer won't do it anymore, not even for his dedicated Hondapottomus owners. Everyone is pretty pissed off about it.
I asked about the tire, no response yet.
Try Discount Tires in your area. Pull the wheel, tell them you need the CT mounted for your sidecar rig. That has worked in the past for me. They seem to get their head around it better. They won't be able to balance it though. I have had America Tire and Discount Tire mount CTs on bike wheels in the past, then taken it to the local cycle shop for a balance. Sucks, but you don't have to do it that often.
I've also found indi shops are more likely to mount/balance the tire, if they have a tire mounting machine.
Have you tried Sport Cycles in Rockingham? Sport Cycles is more of a dirt/atv shop, but they likely mount all sorts of funky ATV/side by side tires. They might be ok with doing the CT. I'd still walk it in with the wheel off the bike though to make it more likely. I'd also give Exhaustive Motorsports & Davis Cycle Repair calls. Exhaustive is more auto, but they work on anything and if they do tires, probably would take care of you.
Try Discount Tires in your area. Pull the wheel, tell them you need the CT mounted for your sidecar rig. That has worked in the past for me. They seem to get their head around it better. They won't be able to balance it though. I have had America Tire and Discount Tire mount CTs on bike wheels in the past, then taken it to the local cycle shop for a balance. Sucks, but you don't have to do it that often.
I've also found indi shops are more likely to mount/balance the tire, if they have a tire mounting machine.
Have you tried Sport Cycles in Rockingham? Sport Cycles is more of a dirt/atv shop, but they likely mount all sorts of funky ATV/side by side tires. They might be ok with doing the CT. I'd still walk it in with the wheel off the bike though to make it more likely. I'd also give Exhaustive Motorsports & Davis Cycle Repair calls. Exhaustive is more auto, but they work on anything and if they do tires, probably would take care of you.
Brodie
Darksider #16 - and Proud of it !
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You can always mount by hand on a sheet of plywood, using multiple long handle tire irons like I do. Im on tire # 6 at the moment, and it gets easier with experience.
I takes me about 25 minutes from bead break to balancing the new tire.
Brodie.
I takes me about 25 minutes from bead break to balancing the new tire.
Brodie.
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+1 to what Brodie said. What I like to refer to as the "Caveman" method. It's not as hard as what one might be inclined to think, and with experience, and patience, it does get easier.
Niehart
Pie Smuggler
Here are the two tools that I use to change my tires.
SkooterG
Purveyor of Crooked Facts
Here are the two tools that I use to change my tires.
You need to get some new tools pops. The two that you have look pretty nasty!
mech 1 twa
Well-known member
10 years and never ending for sure. 214 pages. May The Force be with you. Star Wars weekend on the tube last week.
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