Darkside tire on the highway

[fdjizm]

that doesn't look safe.

[Austin941]

Has anyone checked with the insurance companies? 45,000+ miles or not, it's not a "motorcycle" tire so in the instance of a crash I've heard your insurance can deny a claim.

[stopglobalswarming]

I ride bicycles and mopeds. I enjoy it, but have thought of buying a generic motorcycle (honda 750 etc) for commuting. The tires for motorcycles are stupidly expensive though, and around here mc repairs are high too. Maybe these people using car tires will pressure the industry to sell more economical and durable tires for high mileage riders.

[ArchiteuthisDux]

That is as gay as some gay men having gay sex in the men's room of a gay bar.

[donaldphinney]

I am running a 84 honda shadow vt700. I am the better part of 300lbs my stuff is pretty close to 50 and after riding from seattle to illinois the stock tire on the rear went from the normal rounded profile you would normally see to flat as a board and less than 20% tread. I intend to do a lot of driving and I like the power and handling of the bike. going darkside looks like my only real option as changing a tire every week or 2 sounds grim......

[billburrsucs]

i love all the guys that say "it's stupid" Your dumb for doing it" It'll blow up and your die in a firey crash" I'm on my second Darkside tire, made 43,500 out of the first one, got 8,000 on this one. I run it at 40 psi, it's perfect. I have the Michelin Hydro Edge. The 2 together cost me roughly $220 plus mounting Stock Cycle tire would have cost me $610 figuring an average of 10k miles per tire. Cycle tire is $14 more and lasts A LOT less Miles. hmmmmm, Why would I want to save money?

[doritostheking]

Oh holy shit. This guy is going to kill himself.

[19rsm61]

I'm with fireneco on the tire pressure...it's way too much. He had no sidewall flex at all. And to Yumanoid44...look at the costs dumbass. Car tire $120 and 20,000 + miles versus motorcycle tire $200 and a lousy 8 to 10,000 miles. I'm guessing your some dumbass that doesn't ride anyways or your some legend in your own mind...either way your still a dumbass.

[StarKnightGoku]

@19rsm61 There's a reason motorcycle tires only get 10k miles at best. It's a reason you don't WANT a motorcycle tire to get the same amount of miles as a car tire.

[Yumanoid44]

Cheap fucks. Buy a MC tire or don't ride.

[rocketman697]

I want to see a twisty canyon road moving away behind that shot.....

[5thredline]

you sir, are an idiot. There is a multitude of things wrong here. 1st and formost, I'm sure your piddle road test trumps the billions of R&D dollars spent by motorcycle and motorcycle tire manyfacturers. 2nd. even if the WAS a good idea, you are an idiot for choosing a tire with an ambiguous tread direction. Pic a unidirectional tire. I'm sure you'll flame this, as most idiots would when they support such a stupid idea. Go past 45 degree lean, see where that gets you! Dark side + moron!

[sakent4162]

@5thredline just a point to you, never does a bike get a 45 degree angle, "unless road racing" and that is the only people ever fussing about its a stupid idea is the ones who never tried it. I have ran CT since 1977 on 750 fours, and 900 kaws, never flamed out and I am sure I have over 2 million miles or more to back it!

[Shwookie]

It's amazing that all the Darkside Nay-sayers all have screen names like "RocketMan", "RacerDude", or in this case "5thRedline"... ..You are the idiot sir. #1. His 'piddle' road test is 100% more road testing than you have done... #2. Although a unidirectional tire would be preferable it is not a requirement (maybe all 'your' darkside testing proved something different?)... #3. I have run a CT for years on my cruisers and have never low-sided from a hard lean. You keep buying those $200 tires!

[Brainiac83]

So, where is that corner, i couldnt see any cornering in this video, . help out here.

[SwampNut]

I'm far less concerned about crashing as I am about the generally awful handling characteristics you must get. When my tire gets worn in the center, it handles poorly. When I put a new one on it makes the bike handle so much better. I just don't see the tradeoff in handling being worth it. I replace my tires before they are fully worn just to get the improved handling.

[orygunner1]

@SwampNut When a bike tire is worn flat in the middle it has a hard edge in the rubber that you have to roll over to corner. A car tire simply flexes as it goes into a lean so you don't have the same degradation of handling as you do with a "flat" motorcycle tire.

It only requires slightly more countersteering pressure and no disadvantages that I have seen. I've had a car tire on my '05 Vulcan 2000 for about 4000 miles now and I won't go back to a motorcycle tire on this bike.

[flredneco4]

Looked like he had too much PSI on his tire. My v star 1300 I use 27PSI. Its a 205/60-16 Altimax HP . So far i have 13,000 on the tire...guess WHAT no blow outs yet ....lmao these naysayers kill me they dont like it and cant explain why they dont like the car tire on a bike.I say if you dont like a car tire dont run one keep buying those expensive 7,000 mile bike tires.

[txctydrvr]

Is it stamped on a car tire sidewall. This tire for automobile use only.

[singinchicken]

There are two camps...

One says that all of us Darksiders are going to crash and burn for sure.

The other says that CT's on bikes are the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Ask any naysayer for proof that a CT has ever caused anybody to crash and burn, and they will not be able to offer any verifiable evidence.

Darkside rules!

2006 GL1800

[starwarsfanforlife]

I have been researching this for awhile as an alternative for my Goldwing. A lot of the dark side riders have been using run flat car tires and have loved them. There have been many many people running car tires on their cruising bikes and heavy bikes like the gold wing. Muzzy337 you are entitled to your opinion but why be a DICK about it? If you have no idea how they run or handle, why leave such a 12th grade comment?

[grampaben]

I'd run the tire at a little lower pressure. It would likely conform to the road a little better in the curves. The only issue I have with car tires is the belt on them is softer then on bike tires. Easier to sustain damage if you hit some hardware.

[redneck500]

Hey bud. I have a 98 Vulcan. How would I find out what kind of tire I would need for my bike and who could I get to put it on? Would you say they do a good job?? id like to find out as much info as possible Thanks!

[lucabrasi1337]

Sounds like a C-50 Boulevard.

[Arkainzeye]

i ran a car tire on my kawasaki vulcan 2000 for 3 seasons. i even rode it on US129 (the dragon) and i never ever went down in a ball of flames. its only the people that havent done it are the ones that say it CANT be done.. 318 curves in 11 miles and i was able to keep up with everyone... what else is there to test a CT on a motorcycle? plus my rear braking power was WAY WAY stronger!!

[wazabby17]

Man, I don't know if you are crazy, or just simply dumb... But hey keep riding, and soon you'll be entering the Darwan's list of people who died by their own stupidness :-) Crazy american, you have money for a big bore cruiser, but you don't have a 100 dollars for a f*cking tire?? What a loser...

[vipers36kosovo]

Hello all!! This is the first time I have ever posted anything on Y.T. . But I just had to put my 2 cents in here. I am 42yrs old and have been riding Bikes since I was 8yrs old. So I think you might take what I say might be worth hearing.I am a Darksider and will NEVER go back to a MC tire on my Bike again. BUT!!! A car tire IS NOT SAFE for all bikes. Sport bikes stay away from this set up. Larger bikes IE cruisers and Tour bikes Do your home work before trying this.

[redneck500]

@vipers36kosovo Hi where can I find out some more info on this and how do i find out what tire i need for my vulcan and who would put it on? thanks.

[jalfan100]

I ride a car tire,and it handles 10x better than a motorcycle tire,and it costs a lot less.

[uraldneprvw]

Surely riding on a car tyre would invalidate the insurance if there were an accident? I don't necessarily mean as a result of darksiding. Insurance accident investigators look at the innocent party's car/bike too. If they can find a reason not to pay up, they will jump at it. It was fitted with incorrect tyres therefore it couldn't stop properly/ contributory negligence etc. I like to get my moneysworth out of machines (I run my car on waste veg oil) but I wouldn't darkside. I am not that tight.

[xXPUN1SH3RXx]

@uraldneprvw, What is a "tyre"?

[uraldneprvw]

Ah yes,Well tyre is the correct spelling of tire.The English language came 2 be b4 English speaking folks left this rain soddened, religiously intolerant, cold, unpleasant country + left for the Americas.We desperately hold onto to such spellings because we believe it elveates us 2 a level above those who use slightly corrupted spellings of the same words.This in some wierd way comforts us when we see how we lost the Empire, are taxed to death and regularly have our noses ground into the dirt.

[xXPUN1SH3RXx]

@uraldneprvw, Thank you for that fantastic response!

[uraldneprvw]

Thanks. I hope it gave you a laugh. There would have been more but I was running out of characters! I have relatives in Arkansas +Tennessee and I worked in Key West for a year. Even with your funny spelling + driving on the wrong side of the road, I have enjoyed myself tremendously in your country. There is some great biking out there.I rode a hired Harley from Key West to Key Largo. It's rumoured to be 1 of the best routes in the States. Lucky me! Greetings from across the big pond.

[fryloc359]

Why do some people think car tires on bikes are so much better? Not bashing, just want to understand.

[cookiebrewer]

You are all missing the point. He was taking a 30mph curve at 45-50mph.

[Pwn00b]

What I dont get is why people bother to do this? If it is to save money, what about the front tyre? They must be extremely boring riders if they dont have to replace the front tyre as often as the rear, so at best they are only saving one tyre for every 4 tyres they would have otherwise changed. And what about the obviously increased probability of crashes and the costs involved in that? So you ruin your bikes handling, safety and looks in exchange for maybe $50 less costs every 30,000km.

[czim]

@Pwn00b no the savings is way more than that depending on the bike. Mine goes through rear tires every 3000 miles. A car tire will last over 100,000 miles. So assuming a new tire is 70-80 bucks and labor to put it on another 20-30, I feel confident in saying a new tire is 100 bucks. Over the life of the car tire we're talking about 33 tire changes hence a 3300 dollar savings for the bike I ride.

I haven't switched yet, but am seriously thinking about it. I have another 1000 miles or so to decide

[Pwn00b]

Thats a rather incredible difference in endurance there. 3000 miles verse 100,000 miles. So a car tire is supposed to last 33 times longer than a bike tire while its tread is maybe twice as thick and its contact area is maybe 3 times as much so you might expect it to last 6 times longer but that is being naive and optimistic unless the compound is tougher No less than 6 times tougher at that! I am highly suspect of those numbers. For an incredibly conservative individual, maybe, for you, no.

[czim]

it totally depends on a number of factors, but for my 250cc honda reflex scooter the people I know who have switched and have put 15,000 miles on the car tire the tread looks barely worn at all. So after 5 times as many miles, it looks like it'll go another 15,000 and another 15,000 after that. We'll see how long it can go, but we're all betting the tire will last longer than the bike.

But others results WILL vary. Ours are sub 500 pound scooters.

[Pwn00b]

Key there is that it is a scooter and most wear on more powerful bikes occurs due to slip (spinning the tire just a little bit) under ac/deceleration. I can get about 10,000km highway on a set of tires but the same set will last only 3,000km in city or sport riding. A friend has the same bike but uses a different power mode; he rides much the same way and is the same weight as me but gets about twice as many kms out of a tire because his bike is running at half the power with a softer delivery

[gurney85]

The rear typically gets changed twice before you need a front tire.

the rear tire cost about $250, some shops charge straight labor time at approx $70 per/hr and up to 2-hrs, others have a flat fee for mounting tires if you just bring the tire and wheel to them (approx $50), it can cost bet $300 -$400+ every 6k miles or so just for the rear.

a good sticky toyo, riken or yokohama tire cost $150 and 40k miles..likely more.

Do the math, if you ride a lot or tour you will feel the savings!

[torqueman6]

Even thought the contact patch looks similar to a MC tire what we don't know is if the coefficient of friction is the same. My guess is you are getting a lot of force at the very edge but the rest of the contact patch is doing very little to resist sliding. I will stick with MC tires on my wing.

And yes stay on your own side of the road. It is a dangerous habit even if it was clear at the time.

[2catman1]

I have 2500 miles on my darkside tire on my 07 Stratoliner will never go back to mc tire. It does have it's bad points but not as many as mc tires

[1951abcd]

The lean angle was apparently far because I heard something scrape on the both turns. Crossing the yellow line? who cares? It's about lean angle and tire performance.

I ran a care tire on my Valkyrie and did not like it, but it does work.

I would have like to have run one of these tires, but it was not for me.

Nice camera job!!

[Pwn00b]

The fact the he ends up over the center line is reason enough for me to write these tires off.

[VTXnME]

I don't support car tires on a motorcycle. But your reason here is kinda foolish. I mean, hell, I can "end up over the center line" with my motorcycle tire. . . rider error not necessarily equipment issue.

I don't think car tires belong on motorcycles though.

[Pwn00b]

Foolish is as foolish does. Anything can be put down to rider error. I am sure if you had enough skill you could probably ride on the rims and still keep it (more or less) on the road at low speeds. My point is that he is hardly moving and yet he is wandering all over the place. So, not knowing anything else about the rider or bike I am going to put this atrocious display of riding down to "God awful handling caused by big fat car tires" and maybe a lousy rider to boot. What came first?

[peachfuzz31]

just a bad driver,friend of mine is running a Goodyear Triple Tread on his Valkyrie,loves it,would never go back to a motorcycle tire,just need to apply a bit more pressure to turn at slow speed.

[Pwn00b]

I dont see car tires on GP bikes So QED that car tires do not provide the same level of grip as MC tires, maybe in a straight line but in corners? So there is no question that MC tires provide superior performance, the question is, rather, how much better are MC tires over car tires and how does this compare with the obviously better economy of car tires. Some people, probably the sort of people that buy cruisers might put more stock in being an odd-ball with car tires; others wont.

[peachfuzz31]

Well I don't think I would put a car tire on a GP bike,too much effort to corner at speed,but on cruiser or semi cruiser works just fine,lasts 3x longer than a bike tire,so economy is a factor,as well as better foul weather traction,no damage to the sidewall as it never goes over on the sidewall.Comes down to personal preference,but I would not be afraid to install a car tire on the back of a bike,if it can save significant $ ,and not be a hazard,why not.

[Pwn00b]

If the car tire performs better in wet weather and has no safety implications. i.e. it provides the same or better traction at all lean angles, in all weathers, temperatures and surfaces than there would be no reason whatsoever to use a MC tire. I am dubious, however, as to if a car tire does indeed perform better in wet weather as there would appear to be a greater risk of hydroplaning, something that will see you off in a heartbeat on a corner. I definitely like the economy though, even at 3x

[DrBassMD]

It's kinda hard to judge without seeing a long shot of the same ride synched up to the close up of the tire so you can see the lean angle. Judging from the lone view - it doesn't look like he leans it much at all. In fact, unless it's my imagination, he appears to go left of center, over the yellow line, in a RH turn at about 2:10 of the video and never comes back for a full ten seconds or so.

Thanks, but I'm going to keep my Metzelers on the bike.

[thumbwave]

PSI?

[blake983]

Has anyone heard of someone ending up a drooling vegetable or worse by going darkside? How crazy is this?

[scottv1300]

The bike is probably the V-Star 1300. I run the same tire on my bike. Great traction and ride, wanders a bit at low speeds on broken pavement, sticks great in corners. Not as linear as a motorcycle tire, but should last a long time.

[awizardalso]

Now I'd like to see this setup with a typical rounded bike tire. I don't have any plans to run a car tire on my bike, but it certainly had much better contact with the road than I would have expected. If I ever wear out my rear tire, I may even consider going this route.

[powerpark123]

Is this a Valkyrie? I wanted to install a car tire on my bike. How does it handle?

email me.

Thanks,

Joe