Car Tires Really

Why is it in the year 2013 I am seeing & hearing of more m/c with car tires on the rear?

Can someone explain it?:eek1

might as well try to explain oversized pants around the knees, 24" wheels on a lifted sedan, cowboy hats inside a bar, or 48" mudder tires on a chromed out pickup truck with "stacks" coming out of the bed.

it is simple to those who do it, car tire is cheaper (in most cases) and last 4 times as long on a touring bike, not going into the handling issues as i have never ridden a bike with car tires and I do not ride enough miles to even consider putting a car tire on my bike since my tire will likely be changed for age instead of wear

That's a dandy trolling motor you've got for your boat...

perhaps cuz more and more are tweakers

So, what kind of oil do you use???

I used to hate the idea of "Darksiding." I'd roll my eyes and scoff, "just how poor ARE you that you refuse to be 'ripped off' buying purpose-designed motorcycle tires? You seemed to afford that bike okay."

Now, though, I figure that in most applications I read about, the car tires are going on a heavyweight cruiser that spends most of its time eating up highway miles on long trips. I can see why on a bike like that, the rider might not care so much about ultimate cornering prowess as he would longevity. I mean, what's a motorcycle tire really doing for you when you're upright for hours at a time on the super slab?

It still kind of makes them look like penny-pinching cheapskates, but it's not the end of the world.

Well, I'm guilty.



FJR Darksider #67 - Ex Hayabusa Darksider #1

Really not as bad as it seems. Works great on the heavier FJR. Was too heavy on the Busa, so took it off. Once you get used to more pressure being needed to turn in (and pressure maintained through the turn), it's no problem at all. I'm actually faster through the turns on the FJR with the car tire as it gives me at least half an inch more clearance when it lifts up on the edge. What people don't realize is that with a car tire you always have more rubber on the road than a m/c tire. You just have A LOT more when it's flat. Kinda sucks though when going up angled curbs etc.

Seems to work well for many, I for one will never be going to the darkside "EVER"!

If it was cheaper I'd do it, but I paid $70 total for six tires, four rear and two fronts, that's less than one car tire :)

:eek1

I gotta start buying tires in Canada, I just paid $150.00 USD for a front tire on my concours.

stupidity is hard to explain

some arguments used by darksiders are safety when you get a puncture, money because the CT will last longer and even grip because of the larger contact patch.

all those arguments are no good in Europe, over here you will get a fine and won't be allowed to drive further. so simple for us, no CT.

but safety? ; on this forum someone explained quite thorough that the rim of a motor is different then that of a car, they don't fit. so if you use a car tire, use a car wheel on your bike.

i quess that if you are doing long straights, they will last longer. said that, some use michelin alpin winter tires known for there longevity but not that good for hot summer conditions.

contact patch, a larger contact patch is not equivalent to more grip. just google on that part.


to me it's a bit like all the people all dressed up nice when going to work and wearing vans/nikes. it's possible, no one gets hurt but... no thanks.

further it is truth , i have no experience in riding a bike with a CT, pictures show that it is possible, no argument about that part.

You guys on the Darkside, do you run the tire at lower pressure (I don't know, something like 22-24 psi maybe?) to allow more flex when cornering?

I never had considered going to the DS but now that I have put on sidecar on my ST1300 I am seriously thinking about it.

Of course, the 3 wheel hack is a different beast than when it was a two wheel bike and the advantages of a car tire start to make sense in that application, especially when the extra wear the rear tire gets with the weight and dynamics involved.

I probably would not do it on a normal motorcycle.

bike with side car = definitely a car tire, this only makes sense.
just mind the rim thing. riding the tire of the rim in a corner, and side cars can take a corner fast, would not be nice.

I experimented with pressures from as high as 45 to as low as 20, and settled on 35-36, higher pressures is much more stable but requires more countersteer effort both to initiate and continue thru the turn, low pressure there is enuf flex ya can't tell the difference from a bike tire but subject to more wobble to almost tank slapper proportions in the wake of a large truck, in the end, 35-36 is my best compromise for a General Altimax Arctic 205/50-17 on my V-strom 1000

my initial venture to the darkside was intended to be a winter only experiment that was successful beyond my wildest expectation, a bike tire doesn't even come close when riding on snow & ice.

my intent was to remove the tire in spring, but my dealer that mounted the tire sez "hey Randy, were not swapping that tire back and forth twice a year for ya" while mounting it was easy, it had a very slow leak at the bead so they had to break it down to put some bead seal on and it was a bear to break down

without a spare rear wheel, I've ran that tire for the past 3 years (35,000+ miles) while is still has another 10k-15k of legal tread depth, imho its not enuf for winter use, so I will be replacing it before winter, And I just picked up a spare rear wheel with an almost new Battlewing on it for next spring

aside from winter, I can take it or leave it, yes, its nice that a $110 tire has save me $1500 in tire budget over the past 3 years. Rear braking power is almost equal to that of the front, the bike handles slightly "cruiserish" is the best way to describe it. Low parking lot speed and off road (real off road) sucks, you can feel it lift the rear in turns at speeds below 15mph and the wide footprint throws you off balance when a stone or uneven surface is near the edge of tire

mud and snow traction is unbelievable, as I said, I bike tire isn't even close, the car tire is 1000% better

new

35k

probably the more even wearing tire I've ever had

Fixed.

This:

This: