SPORT Riding on the Darkside - Triumph Rocket III

[ACoustaDC]

isn't this song the N.A.M.B.L..A national anthem!!

[xtremelow]

Considering that tire cost over $300 I see no reason to run it when you can run an actual motorcycle tire for less cost and have a softer compound in turn being much safer.

I ran those tires on a vehicle and they lasted me 5,000mi and I would believe it safe to assume they are not the best at wearing on the corner of the rubber being a car tire which would make them wear faster than an actual motorcycle tire.....??....

[RiderRocketman]

@xtremelow Don't know where you buy tires but I paid closer to $200 for my Bridgestone RE-01R. It lasted closer 10,000 miles on my bike using it as a sport touring tire. It should last even longer for the general rider.

[Stratovariusrox]

the music just ruines the vid...

susch a good taste in bikes but music? no

[shooteraod]

Great video...I also run a car tire on my 2008 GoldWing. Handles perfect and traction is way better than it was with the MT. On a GoldWing...expect about 10,000 miles from the MT tire, but with my car tire...Kumho 195-55-16RF with a warranty....this tire should give me at least 20,000 miles, and if I pick up a nail or something..I take it back to Discount Tire for a free replacement. I have also run this tire over 125 mph with no issues. Darksider #781 GOOGLE GL1800riders

[speedsville]

YOU CAN TELL BY THE AMOUNT OF LEAN ANGLE THAT THE TIRE IS BITING GREAT! It really couldn't get any better, and even at 67 I like the music, good for this video.

[cratetelecaster]

Put a car tire on my VTX 1800 Retro.,,,No probs. Ain't going back to M/C on rear of this bike. Local independent shop installed it for me. Made me sign a waiver. Had me sacred shitless at the time. Did a 7,000 mile cross country with car tire on ..Rode up Pacific Coast Highway from Moro Bay on up to eventually Long Beach Washington. Thru Nothern Cascades and Glacier Pk. Mt. solidly on the Darkside now..

[Goodness250]

You're riding the most bad-ass man bike known to the world and you play that pansy sountrack?

[bigfoot390]

Given the nice straight road conditions with the big sweeping turns it looks like it performs fairly well. But is the price of a good motorcycle tire worth more then your life/limbs. I fail to see the point other then saving a few bucks. Especially on such a big heavy bike like the R3.. just saying.

A R3 owner

[RiderRocketman]

@bigfoot390 The camera makes things look different than they are. Many of the turns are not big sweepers but marked 30 MPH or less. This video is not the best of my Rocket sport, but gives some good views of the rear tire. Watch my other Rocket videos for better sport riding examples, all of them using car tires. The Zion Fast video (Utah) was shot on roads with turns posted mainly in the 5 to 20 MPH limit. Rocket Sport 03 and Rocket Play 2008 are a good examples of typical mountain canyon roads

[bigfoot390]

@RiderRocketman 7 months later: ok now I am starting to look into this with a little more open mind as my Metz's are starting to wear out at 4,500 miles.

[bucfan11]

@bigfoot390 Motorcycle tires can not handle weight, none are rated over 950 lbs. Riding a big heavy bike is one of the best reasons to use a car tire.

[redneck500]

Hey what kind of bike shops would be willing to do this tire work for you? Is it a situation where most wont because of liability?

[RiderRocketman]

@redneck500 True, some bike shops won't mount car tires on bike rims. I go to an auto tire shop to mount mine. They are usually cheaper anyways. If they have a problem with doing a car tire, just say the tire is for a trike. Some tire shops can't balance the motorcycle rim though because of the axles size. Mine, can't so after they mount the tire I bring it to a motorcycle shop to balance.

[redneck500]

@RiderRocketman Thats a brilliant idea, i didnt even consider telling them its for a trike. LOL, now that you mention it I guess a trike would use cartires after all hehe.. your a smart cookie.

[stuYZFR1]

Mate, i understand your reason behind using the car tyre, but it cant feel good, its bad enough when a normal rear squares off!! i cant wait to get them off for fresh rubber...

[DracothiusAthanasius]

 Is the rim a motorcycle rim or a car rim? I'm assuming a motorcycle rim.

[sierraonezero]

Sport riding? Gentle ambling maybe? Nice smooth roads though, if only our NSW tax dollars could provide them...Potholes-R-Us is what we have to play with!

[Star113cc]

you lean that bike pretty good. i'm not that confident yet to lean that much.

[DaSilvor]

Sorry, I thought you said this was sport riding. Fantastic scenery though.

[uraldneprvw]

I have the Rocket 3 Roadster and enjoyed your video but would like to know the make and model of the rear tyre and the psi you ran it at. You obviously know what you are doing, especially as your bike is supercharged, so perhaps you could let me know the details? You have great scenery on your videod ride............lucky you! Cheers. John

[RiderRocketman]

The tire was a Bridgestone Potenza RE-01R 245/45ZR18 at 27 PSI. That's an 18 inch tire because I have custom 18 inch rims. The stock rear rim is 16 inches. The RE-01R is no longer made though. It was my favorite car to ride on. Now I use a Yokohama Advan 245/45ZR18. On the stock rim, I have used the Yokohama AVS ES100 245/50ZR16 and the Goodyear Eagle F1 GS -D3 245/50ZR16

[uraldneprvw]

@RiderRocketman Great! Thanks for the very comprehensive reply. I appreciate it.

Cheers. John

[kru9360]

I recognise a lot of places in this video as being near my place. The beginning is in the spring green river valley, and on hwys G and N. Is it not?

[RiderRocketman]

You would be right. We started off in Spring Green, WI and wound our way northwest. Beautiful roads! I will be there for this year's TWiSTAR rally again. May 21-23, 2010. Come out and join the riding!

[Demongers]

probably a good video, but I couldn't get past the Alvin and the Chipmunks music...couldn't take more than 15 seconds of it!

[tasquill]

fuckin crap music..............get rid of that shite!

[pieterklaaskrugmann]

gaymuzic

CoolBike!

[Spiderwebsider]

So what's the bike sound like?

I want to hear the bike...not music.

[mark675]

not really sport riding youve just got really slow mates, rocket 3's have got no ground clearance for a start.. no clearance no fast cornering

[cadillacjer]

You took a potentially cool video and made it suck. Music can make or break a video.

[xzistpo]

GAY MUSIC

[syncstation]

Sportriding? I don't think so.

[veggiebiker]

Each to there own but if i had a choice of a rocket 3 or a honda cb500 .... i'ld take the honda

[syncstation]

@veggiebiker - sure you would buddy.

[upforlastnameleft]

What's the music please RiderRocketman?

[Ridgid]

Scooter-Nessaja

[upforlastnameleft]

Thanks for that Rigid!  :-)

[Brainiac83]

Guys riding car tyres on bikes usaly have more balls than brains..But then again, this is not the first surprise we got from the Americans.And ye, they riding pretty slow for a €uropean pace.

[OgwrDragon]

easy enuff m8, u wanna try ridin solo on sidecar tyres :-)

[vs800rider]

Excellent video. One of the best riding videos I've seen.

[HBAXXTER]

SCOOTER FOREVER

[soulseeka1]

Good choice in music, but I ain't riding a bike with a car tire. Sorry.

[syncstation]

I could never trust such a small contact patch - especially in the wet.

[Docv400]

You might class that as 'sport' riding in the U.S. but do those sort of corner speeds in the U.K. or Europe and you can expect to be passed by just about any bike over 125cc ;o)

[hawkwind999]

lose the music!!!!

[Staatl]

where is that vid shot?

[RiderRocketman]

This is SW Wisconsin around the northwest of Spring Green.

[RosieKR]

@RiderRocketman Where is that in relation to Onalaska and Sparta? I was at Ft. McCoy this past week and wish I had taken my bike.  Beautiful area.

[RiderRocketman]

@RosieKR We ran from Spring Green, WI about 30 miles south of Sparta and went north through Ontario, onto Mindoro, lunch in West Salem and then back down. I don't remember the roads but those are the general areas that year. Come join us next year at the TWiSTAR rally. I do it every year. Find info for it at MN-MSTA.com or RideMSTA.com. It's usually the weekend before Memorial Weekend in May. We just did it last weekend.

[War10ck1004]

what is the pressure of the tire?

[RiderRocketman]

I ride the rear at 27 PSI

[hunt2112]

Who chose this music?!!! GAY!!

[RiderRocketman]

yeah, sounds like the chipmunks, eh? I like the tune though.

[snobum101]

gay music

[Ridgid]

RRM..The great oil debate is out seems it's being replaced on the Rocket forums weather to go to the dark side or not. Any issues that you find against going over to the other side etc.etc.

[RiderRocketman]

Primary minus is that more countersteering effort is required to corner the bike and consistent countersteer force is needed in a corner to hold it. For most people who know what countersteering is about the adjustment is easy - just a matter of one or two rides kind of like getting used to a different bike.

[RiderRocketman]

Second minus is for the advanced sport riders that will lean the machine to sport bike levels (impossible with the stock cruiser foot controls and shocks). You simply cannot ride it like a sport bike and lean her way over and expect to have the same traction in a corner. But that said, I can achieve the same cornering speeds as other advanced sport riders (albeit with more effort) at "street" level riding - that's double to triple posted speed limits in the corners.

[RiderRocketman]

If you ride any faster than that then I would say take your stuff to the race track. So for any level of street riding, the darkside gives major improvements in traction especially in wet conditions except for at extreme lean angles which are not really possible without modifying the bike with sport equipment anyways.

[Ridgid]

RRM.. Thanks for the reply..Was curious on what type of shocks your using. Keep the videos coming...!

[RiderRocketman]

My front shocks are stock. My rear are standard Progressive 440 13" (half inch longer than stock). These are decent midgrade level shocks in the $400 range. If you have money to burn and want the best, I'd suggest Ohlins, Wilber or other premium race shock manufacturers plus Traxxion front fork rebuild. For $400 though the 440's are pretty darn good for street sport.

[manmuscle1400]

cool vid mate, fuck the tyre, u can still mix it on the beast, respect. mm

[northlandjafa]

not trying to say i got a bigger one than you, but ya still got some more leaning to do. i cant say what we would get upto, but ya still got some to go. but i like to run a 180rear. small i know with a different rim and up the suspension, ground clearance is great and with a small rear it turns so much faster. looks wrong, but when ya leaving alot of jappas on the straights its one thing, but in the corners its fun.

[RiderRocketman]

Careful going too far into a lean with a car tire. You will start riding on the sidewall, which I have done and should be avoided. When it comes to riding these monsters (or any bike really), the secret to speed is stability not lean angle.

[dperique]

You're leaning way down; don't you know you can't do that on a cartire? Seriously, what pressure you running. Great video.

[RiderRocketman]

"Can't do that?"... Never say can't, har-har. I run that 245/45ZR18 tire at 27 PSI. Check out my latest videos labeled "Rocket Sport" for even faster darkside riding.

[140cubicinches]

Soon I'll turn to the dark side

Nice Rocket and video RiderRocketman

[1981rocketman1981]

I have an o6 rocket 3 and I just love rideing it, but I also love seeing the vids of other people who own them! I know exactly how they are feeling as they ride. Nice vid....