car tire size for Vstrom ??? (Pros and cons of car tire on a bike)

I am considering going to the darkside and was hoping to get some info on what size works best.. thanks in advance

Maybe its just me but I'm not getting your question :huh

Check out the "darkside" threads on stromtrooper.com. All will be revealed there. Good luck.

There are not really many sizes to choose from. I'm running a 205/55 if I remember right. I think I remember seeing something like A 195/45 but I think that might be a smidge too small in Dia. but hey,,,,, you never know till ya try.

FYI...according to the fellars over on the trooper site. 205 50 17 is optimum

I have to ask....why would you do it? A car tire is meant to have the tread in full contact with the road surface. A motorcycle tire is contoured (rounded) for a reason. It can grip when the bike is leaning into a turn. Car tires and not designed to be run on the sidewall and will attempt to cancel the lean angle. This should be obvious if you ever ran your rear tire down to where it has no center tread left.

If you have a trike or sidecar then the car tire might work, otherwise the lack of safety using the car tire would be too risky for me.

Good luck,
Terry

I'll bite on this one:

the car tire works perfectly fine on a motorcycle, I noticed a slight difference in handling when I first put a car tire on but after about 2 corners you don't even notice it, it's cheaper to start with, will outlast a motorcycle tire by a factor of 3 to 4 or better, gives excellent grip in the rain and is generally a better engineered contact point between the bike and the road than a motorcycle tire!

but then YMMV

Riding behind a friend who runs DARKSIDE a couple days ago for 200+ miles, I can tell you this: the tire does not run up onto the sidewall at all. The tread on the inside of the corner stays flat to the road surface, and the tread on the outside of the corner rides up. Looked like he probably maintained a larger contact patch with the road than most MC tires do.

So do you use a M&S rated tire for off road?? I've seen some scooter riders do this mod but other than a boss hoss or a trike it does not appear to be too popular with motorcycle riders in my area. I own two V-Stroms and use cycle only tires on both.

Should make for some interesting discussions at gas stops!!

Terry

I understand your concern Terry.. and am not exactly sure why i want to do it... other than i have read mannnny positive reports from people who have em.. and.. i like to try NEW things..plus i like to color outside the lines sometimes... i like to take risks too.. i ride a mc.... plus i like bein different than everybody else.. PLUS THEY LOOK COOL

Like I said, not for me but if you want to try it that's fine. I do recall hearing the owner of a big Triumph, the 2000cc model say he had one on the back. A big bike that does not lean over much probably would not notice the difference. I like to push the Strom a bit more than average so I'm a bike tire fan.

Post a pic if you do it,

Terry

WILL DO... there are plenty of pics on the net of guys draggin all kinds of hdwe on their bikes in the turns runnin a car tire

I hear they're running them on the MotoGP bikes this year.

Suzuki is releasing a new liter-Gixxer next year with Conti Cross Contact LX20 SUV tires on it. And the 2013 GMC Sierra HD will be running TKC 80s. It's all the rage doncha know.

Why? Why not? Because the peanut galley says the atmosphere will catch fire, kittens maimed and nuns will die????:eek1

Seriously though,,,,, I did it for a specific reason, that being I was gonna go on a long ass trip {15-20K miles} and there isn't a single bike tire out there that will reliably do that sorta mieage. I normally bring a spare as I have had to replace a tire and been caught out one too many times due to tire availability or getting screwed price wise. This time, the trip was to be two up and I didn't have room for a spare. I put it on thinking I would absolutely hate it but would basically just live with it for the trip so I wouldn't have to buy a tire along the way.

Much to my surprise, it isn't too bad once you find the right pressure to run which fore me is around 20psi. It actually has alot of traction,,,, yes, even when heeled over as the tire distorts and it probably has more rubber on the road than a 150 sized "proper" motorcycle tire. Would I mount a car tire on the rear of a Gixxer and go play Ricky Racer up in the mountains? Nope and I will also admit I don't like it much in rough, rocky and rutted dirt roads either. But for long trips or mundane commuting,,,,, I will state right now, it's a damned good compromise. You wouldn't throw a Pilot Power on the back of your adv tourer and expect it to last a 10K mile trip nor would run mount a TKC to the front of your Gixxer and do a trackday. All tires are a compromise and this may well be the best compromise for commuting and touring. I can move along pretty well on my turd of a DL650 with the car tire on back and I can push hard enough that I worry about pushing the front 705 so tell me why I need a bike tire for the rear unless I'm hitting the dirt and I'll tell you right now, I have no visions of pacing Valentino and the Wee Turd is no Gixxer.

And to answer another poster,,,,, the gas stop banter can get quite lively due to opinionated, know nothing, scared to experiment, know it all peanut galley experts.:huh

And a TKC of on the front too!

Signature line material right there. Curious to see how you make out...

Oh the Darkside. We are all gonna die in flames.

When considering a heavy touring bike i did some research on the subject and if one was bought i'd give it a go.
But on a bike 300# lighter i am kind of surprised that it is considered/used.

The owner of Traxxion test road a new Goldwing and it uses a flat profile Bridgestone 180/60x16.
He did not like it and said the bike was to his liking with the older type profile.

Someday i'll have to read over at stromtroopers i guess. For a long trip on a sharp gravel road like the Dalton...

Are you putting the tire only on the back of the bike or do you put it on the front also? You have to run it with like a third of the air pressure right?

They just run them on the back, and most often around 20 psi, which is usually about half the recommended maximum.