The Dark Side

[Pooker]

Any one out ther on the dark side?

The Dark Side

[hammersfan]

Got to say , that is interesting for sure !

[geoffsimpson]

I gotta think the handling would be awefull...wouldn't it? Big flat square contact patch?

[Gixxerman]

What a %%%%ing moron. If you're willing to drive all the straight roads there is, ok fine... but don't be a %%%%ing moron to put on something like that if you're planning more than one turn ahead. If you are a moron, you'll end like these %%%%ers Harley rider crosses the double yellow at Deal's Gap and dissapears - Google Video

[inspiron]

I was going to say something similar, but Gixxerman said it so eloquently, there is nothing more to add..

[omegajim]

can't be driving them big bikes that way. Something about inertia. You know, the ability to avoid the accident, but the inability to avoid the ditch.

[texrider]

"It wants to stand up by itself, if you don't keep a firm hand in a turn..."

Yeah, I think I'll spend a few bucks on proper tires. Taking a streetbike on hundreds of miles of bad gravel roads? What a maroon...

I've got an ex brother in law who does that crap with his Valkyrie. Some people scrimp money in really weird ways. WTF! If you can't afford the rubber for it, park it!

[drgibson]

Hey with a wheel like that I bet "M" could do quite a wheelie, just hope I wouldn't need to turn to quickly.

[919Hooligan]

I'm gonna put motorcycle tires on my car. Think it'll work? It will if I say it does.

[DrBob]

A car tire on the back of a large, heavy motorcycle like a Valkyrie, Gold Wing, or 1500 LC WILL wear like iron, lasting easily 3-4 times as long as a motorcycle tire. And on the interstate, it will ride very smoothly. However, having personally test-ridden a half-dozen bikes with a car tire on the back, I can testify that there are indeed the obvious handing issues in the transition from the flat tread to the corner of the sidewall as you lean- it feels exactly like your bike handles when you wear the center of your tires completely out, making them flat in the center. But even if you can deal with that handling, there are serious traction issues under hard braking. While at first glance you would think that the fat tire would grab the pavement well under hard braking, it is a matter of a hard rubber compound tire and vehicle weight. Anyone who has ever mashed the brakes hard on an empty pickup truck knows that the rear end will skid, because as the nose of the truck dives under braking the rear end of the truck is too light to squish the tire down to maintain traction. Now imagine this same tire fitted to a vehicle that weighs ¼ as much, and has only one rear tire instead of two. A friend who was probably the biggest proponent of dark side tires for several years took his off the day after a panic braking situation, on dry pavement, sent him skidding and fishtailing like a dog on a freshly waxed kitchen floor. His buddy (with a motorcycle tire) was riding behind him, and stopped in half the distance without so much as a tire squeal.

I always explain it to people buying a car tire this way: there only two possible stories here, and only one of them can be true.

Version 1- Motorcycles are designed to work best with motorcycle specific tires, so putting a car tire on a motorcycle will result in a vehicle that does not perform as well as designed.

Version 2- A car tire will work just as well, if not better, than a motorcycle tire on a motorcycle. Motorcycle-specific tires are a vast conspiracy between tire manufacturers, designed to rip motorcycle buyers off for overpriced and worthless tires. Despite over 100 years of motorcycle sales, no one has ever broken the vow of silence on this conspiracy. Every single motorcycle designer, motorcycle manufacturer, motorcycle dealer, motorcycle sales person, motorcycle mechanic, motorcycle race team member, motorcycle riding instructor, member of the MSF or AMA, and every single one of the millions upon millions upon millions of people who has purchased or ridden a motorcycle in the last 100 years is a complete idiot for wasting money on motorcycle-specific tires. Buy hey, you know better than all them, right?


I'll stick to version 1 here, and continue to buy motorcycle tires for my motorcycles. After 25 years and over 600,000 miles on two wheels, I see no reason to change now.

[Dave Nadeau]

I agree with Dr Bob.....Motorcycle tires for me. IF there is an issue with a panic stop I want to be on a M/C tire. Beside put one of those suckers on my C50 and I probably would not need the sidestand. Just get off and walk away.

[Clint]

http://www.motorcycle-journal.com/fo...light=car+tire

http://www.motorcycle-journal.com/fo...light=car+tire

http://www.motorcycle-journal.com/fo...light=car+tire

[omegajim]

millions upon millions upon millions of people who has purchased or ridden a motorcycle in the last 100 years is a complete idiot for wasting money on motorcycle-specific tires. Buy hey, you know better than all them, right?

That's funny. If this guy is so smart, he'd be building his own bikes, like those knuckleheads at Orange County Chopper.

[Rickster]

I haven't ever thought of myself as being gullible, but maybe I am, because I found his report to be quite interesting, and where he hit on topics that I have some experience with, I found his deductions to be the same as mine.

That being said, I have no plans to go out and get a car tire installed on any of my bikes, but I wouldn't turn down a chance to test ride one.

One topic of his I found to be right on the money, is how tires for cruisers haven't improved at the same rate as other tires in the last 20 years.

He may not be a genius, but I didn't find him to be a maroon either. Never forget, people having closed minds is how Hitler got such a big fallowing.

[texrider]

The guy can run tractor tires, for all I care. I do think he's a maroon for using a Valkyrie as an enduro bike...

Because some car parts will fit airplanes and boats does not make it a good idea to use them.

I see why the Bos Hoss has to run a car tire, there is no motorcycle tire for it. Just one more reason to say "No thanks".

[Clint]

Originally Posted by Rickster

One topic of his I found to be right on the money, is how tires for cruisers haven't improved at the same rate as other tires in the last 20 years.

I'm not so sure about that. You won't see the improvements because no one on a heavy cruiser will want to deal with the tire wear that putting soft compounds on would bring. I'm confident that rubber compounds have improved dramatically in all categories of bike tires.

[Apertureguy]

Oh Yeah that looks wicked cool...I'm changing my handlebars over to a steering wheel, adding the car tire to the rear...and I got a whole roll of duct tape to get the freaking bucket seat from my Corolla on my M too!

LOL...that's just nutty looking!

[Jammin'John]

Don't get mad at me guys.
I didn't know that to try something different makes you a moron !
I've been running a darkside for about 12,000 miles.
No,it doesn't handle like a bike tire. I expected that.
You have to experiment with tire pressure to get it to do the corners right.
The car tire is very quiet and the braking is much better than stock.
My Valkyrie is a big,heavy,long cruiser.It's NOT a sport bike.
I can't fly through the tight twisties but I don't care.
I pull a heavy trailer with this bike and the darkside makes that experience much better.
Better traction when taking off from a stop and much better stopping distances and control.
You just have to be aware of tire pressure.
Closed minds are a very bad thing. Calling people morons is a bad thing.
I love to ride the valk with a car tire.
I have a "bike" tire on my Stratoliner that handles great.
Please don't hate me for not agreeing with you but I don't.
The other guy that you are so freely calling a moron rides more than most of you do and lives too tell about it so he must be doin' something right !

[Clint]

That's quite a testimonial, John. Not that I don't believe you, but I can't imagine why bike tire makers can't equal the level of traction you claim to get. It doesn't make sense.

[drgibson]

Well clint there is definantly more surface contact with a car tire then with a bike tire and with a lower pressure then a bike tire it would definantly have better traction, in a straight line. To get it to handle in the twisties I expect that they are running an even lower then recommended pressure to get the sidewall to flex or roll in the turn.

JJ no hatin' here just a lot of head scratchin'.