dARKSIDE

[Rich C]

I run a Nexen and get 50 mph regularly, if anything it dropped my RPM's by a hundred or so, it is a bit taller than the E-3

Good to know: That's great! How does that dARKSIDE handle in the twisties?

I also run this tire, over 10K on it now. Love it

[Bill O]

I run a Nexen and get 50 mph regularly, if anything it dropped my RPM's by a hundred or so, it is a bit taller than the E-3

Good to know: That's great! How does that dARKSIDE handle in the twisties?

I also run this tire, over 10K on it now. Love it

I've been on the darkside for a little over a year now, (only about 5K miles thought), use the same tire, the Nexen, so I can provide an update........

1. In my opinion, the condition of your front tire is now more critical with the CT on the rear. I installed my CT but kept the front I had on. I had a waddle problem initially, just enough to let you know it was there. Finally decided to replace my front since it had gotten hard from age and heat, even though there was still plenty of tread. Was also starting to show signs of dry rot cracking. Put a new Metzler ME880 front on (880 fronts never had the "throwing rubber" problem that the rears had over the years). Major, major difference. Waddle was completely gone. A complete joy to ride on! So the key here, don't scrimp on the Front Tire if you go Darkside.

2. Air pressure! More critical with the CT. Keeping a close eye on your tire pressure. I run 40-42 in my front and 36 to 40 in the CT.

3. If you occasion to have to ride off-road for any reason, you'll appreciate the tread pattern width you get from the CT.

4. Traction and breaking in wet weather is much improved, but remember your front is still a MT so don't overuse the front brake over the rear. You have some good stopping power from the CT. Get to feel your brakes so you can combine them better. I know alot of Voyager rider tend to use the front brakes alone, alot. With the CT you really need to use both at all times for total control.

5. Everyone ask about the twisty's with a CT. I'm not a "Canyon Carver" so can't comment on the real muffler dragging, but I can say I have not felt any issues with lean feel or traction. That seems to be the consensus with all CT riders.

I enjoy the ride!

Bill O

[jtcorbin]

Sorry guys, but I have to ask (using the "If one is good, two is better" line of reasoning) could you run 2 CT's on a bike? What would the drawbacks be?

[Bill O]

Sorry guys, but I have to ask (using the "If one is good, two is better" line of reasoning) could you run 2 CT's on a bike? What would the drawbacks be?

I know of some GW1800 riders who have gone Darkside on two, but don't have any inputs. As for the Voyager, I think the main issue you don't hear of anyone going DS on 2 is finding a CT to fit the front rim. That's my guess.

Oh! one item I forgot in the previous post. You can plan on getting 25 to 30K on the CT (about $55.00 tire) versus the 5 - 8k I always got on my MT tire (usually about $200- 250.00 Tire). Economics has a play here.


Bill O

[Lucasind]

Sorry guys, but I have to ask (using the "If one is good, two is better" line of reasoning) could you run 2 CT's on a bike? What would the drawbacks be?

I know of some GW1800 riders who have gone Darkside on two, but don't have any inputs. As for the Voyager, I think the main issue you don't hear of anyone going DS on 2 is finding a CT to fit the front rim. That's my guess.

Oh! one item I forgot in the previous post. You can plan on getting 25 to 30K on the CT (about $55.00 tire) versus the 5 - 8k I always got on my MT tire (usually about $200- 250.00 Tire). Economics has a play here.





Bill O

Great point on the $$$ ,Bill O, I like that ,and the mileage life of the tire is very impressive too, I am sold, and am going C.T. just before heading to next years rally. Still undecided about what to put on front.....but I do enjoy reading everyone's opinion on what they chose, no matter what it is (on this forum,and others).............tony

[Littlebeaver]

I am going to Walmart to see if they have a rear tire tomorrow, really good post.. Bill you make a lot of sense man.... I figure it like this, if I don't like the tire for some reason I can just remove it, it's worth a try because it's a touring machine man.. Nobody mentioned the weight load man, it's at 1.201 lbs. that sold me..

[the2knights]

You may want to check online to see if your store has it in stock (very few of them do). I had mine delivered to the store (free in store delivery), only took 4 days, less than $65.00 with tax out the door. Sure you have heard what a pain it can be to get tire to seat, hope yours goes well. Let mine sit in the sun with about 55lbs in it for a half an hour. Had one last stubborn part that did not seat, but cycled air pressure a couple more times and it seated!
A lot of discussion on which air pressure to run, 46lbs for me. Anymore and the transition while leaning over is to harsh (wife didn't like that feel either), any less and I felt like the tire was moving around to much. Just my 2 cents, and good luck, let us know how it goes!!

[Littlebeaver]

Thanks for the advice... I truly do take advice to heart and I have learned over the years to listen to it...

[doug of so fla]

I have been a darkside rider with my Goldwing for about 12,000 mi & used them years ago on Harleys and a 750 Honda. The best thing to do before using a car tire is do some research!!!!!! You can buy a cheap M/C tire & you can buy a cheap car tire, neither will be any good. The XII does not have many choices for a car tire I would NOT put anything but a RF (RUN FLAT) car tire on a M/C, If you look at a cross section of a RF it is as thick or thicker than a M/C tire. There are car tires out there that you can put your finger thru the sidewall l!! Finding someone who knows how to mount one is a chore in it self & a lot of M/C shops will not mount a car tire on a M/C rim. A good place to do a lot or research on them is the "GL1800riders.com" msg board, on the home page scroll down to where they have a bunch of sub forums and on the top right hand side you will see the word "Darkside riders" click and you will find MORE info than you ever want to know. any ? you want to know give me a click.. http://gl1800riders.com/forums/forums.php

[Lucasind]

....I like the one on there called"10 minutes" where the guy simply lays his wing on it's r.h.side,on some old pieces of carpet to change out the tire.Thanx for that link.

[doug of so fla]

That is how a lot of wingers change the rear tire including me. It is as simple as it looks, but I sure thought about it before doing it. 10min is all it takes, very easy and safe. Kick it over and swap out the tires. done..

[Rich C]

I have 10K on mine. No problems with it
Can't see going back

"

[ghostler]

This has been an interesting discussion. My 6 month old Pirelli MT66 Route back already has 8k miles on it, tread is over half gone. Most mileage on the tires are straight rolling for distance. I don't do twisties much, and when I do I don't do aggressively. I'm new to this, but imagine that pulling a trailer will tend to wear down a back tire more.

Having a back tire capable of greater mileage than MC tires is an incentive cost wise. I am a little concerned though about the Wing riders who have been experiencing rear bobbing or weaving with a car tire. I don't know if the XII has the same issues with car tires. Comments?

[doug of so fla]

Having a back tire capable of greater mileage than MC tires is an incentive cost wise. I am a little concerned though about the Wing riders who have been experiencing rear bobbing or weaving with a car tire. I don't know if the XII has the same issues with car tires. Comments?

The "bobbing & weaving is not from the car tire, The gold wing suspension is a big problem for the heavy M/C. Most are changing out rear shock and front shocks and sometimes that offsets the balance of the wing and they have to find it by adjusting spring weight and other things. The car tire on the wing makes the wing ride much better than anything you can do to it.

[ghostler]

The "bobbing & weaving" is not from the car tire, The gold wing suspension is a big problem for the heavy M/C. Most are changing out rear shock and front shocks and sometimes that offsets the balance of the wing and they have to find it by adjusting spring weight and other things. The car tire on the wing makes the wing ride much better than anything you can do to it.

Thanks, Doug that is interesting. It sounds like a worthwhile experiment for me to try out the 165/80R-15 CT. So far, Nanking, Nexen, Federal and Classic make this size of tire.

I probably have 3 or 4 more k-miles left in the Pirelli back tire. With the mileage I've been accumulating over the past 6 months, I'm looking at around annual replacement of the back tire and probably replacing the front every other year. If I can extend that to every other or 3rd year would be great.
It's a little more work than simply laying the XII on its side for a tire change.

[the2knights]

We may not be able to lay the xii over and change the tire, but you won't have to change it near as often with the car tire. I only have a few thousand miles on mine now, but still looks brand new. Can see no wear at all yet. Did not experience any weaving problems at all on the xii, but did have to play with air pressure to get it just right!!

[ghostler]

That's good to know, the2knights, thanks. In your experience what tire pressure did you find most optimal to set the CT at?

[the2knights]

46 lbs. I found any lower and you could feel the sidewall flexing in the corners. Now that was some pretty hard cornering, so some would probably be ok a little lower than that. I found any more than that it was a very funny feeling when leaning over.The sidewall would be really stiff, so the tire would keep the flat bottom profile, when you would get op on the edge it would feel like the rear end was actually moving over, my wife did not like that feeling anymore than I did!
BTW, I am running the Nexan.

[ghostler]

Here's the next question: How does the CT handle towing a trailer?

[doug of so fla]

Very well!! remember the tread width is wider on a CT and the load limit is higher than a MC tire & it runs about 50 degrees cooler than a MC tire. Has more tread grip so it will help stop better and grip better when pulling so you do not loose traction as easy as M/C tire. Somtimes when pulling a heavy load with a MC you may start out slow which creates a balance problem. Good traction with a wider tire will help do a straighter start in this situation. CT will last longer than MC tire while pulling a trailer. The added advantage of having a RUN FLAT CT on a MC pulling a trailer is very obvious. A lot of wing riders put a car tire on just because they pull a trailer.