[Tazman624]

I have been reading this thread for some time now and just had a very bad experience with a MT so I am even more seriously considering the Darkside.

I have seen the pictures and read the comments but it seems that most of the DS riders are ether riding 2up most of the time or do a lot of highway miles. I am a serious twisty rider (far from great but I do OK) and would be very disappointed if I lost the lean and control I feel now with the MC tires. I have run Bridgestone 704/709 until recently. But after the rear tire delaminated I could only get a Dunlop E3 for the rear and am switching the front over to the E3 this week.

I am interested in aggressive riders only to comment. No offense to the others but this is my area of concern.

Thanks to all for what I have already learned and for what I hope to.
:bow:

 

[TXREALTOR]

Kumho was good and would run another one in a skinny minute. it was a RF and has that as an advantage.

Running a SP5000 NRF now and WOW. Not exactly the MC feel but close in some ways. Transition is very slightly faster, but I had not a single problem with the RF, It is smoother and spins up a tad better. It doesn't have the RF quality but that isn't so much a factor for me. I hear about the same from the Faulken guys.

A TPMS is a plus no matter which way you go. It is no different from a MC tire as if it goes down, you are stopped. It is repairable easir than a MC tire on the side of the road IMHO. Oh and I like a little more air in the tires than some seem to like, but it is the seat of MY pants and yours may vary.

Good luck and happy hunting. You have already read the advantages so there is a small take on some choices.

Cheers

 

[TravelinLite]

Taz, see the videos (in posts 1&2 I think)
http://gl1800riders.com/forums/showthread.php?t=294506

I suppose I ride aggressive enough. Have run many Kumho RFs, Falken NRF, Bridgestone Ecopia NRF and a few miles on a Toyo NRF. Each tire has good and bad. The bad with most of the RFs is the additional weight. The bad with the NRFs is that by pumping up the pressure to keep the sidewalls from flexing in the turns, you wear out the center prematurely...and if you are riding aggressively, you will be astounded at how quickly you will wear one out.

The NRFs feel more like a moto tire. The RFs take a ever-so-slight more handlebar push to put the bike into a turn (counter steer), but once there the bike stays until you lift pressure on the bars and then then bike does a nice smooth transition to the upright position.

In short, the CTs will handle whatever you through at them while providing better wet weather traction and better traction on dirty roads. I just washed out the G709 (again) yesterday, yet the Kumho stuck like glue.

 

[Smottka]

I have been reading this thread for some time now and just had a very bad experience with a MT so I am even more seriously considering the Darkside.

I have seen the pictures and read the comments but it seems that most of the DS riders are ether riding 2up most of the time or do a lot of highway miles. I am a serious twisty rider (far from great but I do OK) and would be very disappointed if I lost the lean and control I feel now with the MC tires. I have run Bridgestone 704/709 until recently. But after the rear tire delaminated I could only get a Dunlop E3 for the rear and am switching the front over to the E3 this week.

I am interested in aggressive riders only to comment. No offense to the others but this is my area of concern.

Thanks to all for what I have already learned and for what I hope to.
:bow:

Tazman64 - This photo should answer all your questions about how a CT handles

Ride On!

Smitty

 

[Wing Nut]

ok here's my take on a car tire prier to my car tire experiance and I have people who can tell you that I have a 2006 gl1800 when I went to the darkside ride in tenn bike didn't have a scratch on any chrome I even had my factory floor boards hate motorcycle tire around here alot of sand and rocks on the road so didn't lean alot with car tire. In tenn with Car tire i scare every thing on the bike from leaning floor boards I'm on my third and I need a new set already if anyone has a set for sale I need one. crash bar pegs there junk now stems that hold the peg I trash them already I'm twistys I even hit the chrome cover that protects the cats going around a sharp turn and leaning to much hitting lip on curb carnial can vouch for that one. Will I ever change back to a motocycle tire the answer is NO will I try a non run flat yes I have one waiting to go one and travelinlite I need a rear rim again hope this helps.
oh sorry about the spelling

 

[trialsman]

I guess I fall into the group you want to hear from. About 30k+ a year with most in the mountains of N. Ga., Tn. and N.C....Like you, not the fastest on the 1800, but, I go through a couple of sets of foot pegs a year and that's with a Traxxion suspension upgrade. When I take my rears off, they still have a ways to go to the wear bars but are well worn and without siping on the edges.

I have worn out most of the CT choices being used, at one time or another over the last 6 years including two of the more popular non-RFs, the Falken and the 195-60 Goodyear something or other.

In my experience, they all work and work well carving corners. Your biggest choice is RF or NRF. For me, I just can't totally trust the NRFs, so I will always be on a RF.

Re: Handling in the twisties..........While the handlebar input is slightly different, there is nothing you. me or even Yellow Wolf can throw at a CT in the curves that it can't handle........and ask for more.

The more experience you have, the quicker you'll adjust. I would give these two pieces of advice:

Trust the tire......

Don't over-think it or analyze the slight differences, just ride it and enjoy. The more you think about it, the longer the adjustment period.

Be glad to answer any questions you have, either on the forum or in a PM.:yes1:.

 

[rmcapozzi]

Bottom line.......a CT isn't going to slow you down. You'll likely acclimate to the slight steering difference quickly as there is a difference between a MT and CT. Once you have that figured out, you'll be able to zoom your way up and down the mountain just like before. You just wont have to worry about the rear tire coming apart. :yes1:

I have been reading this thread for some time now and just had a very bad experience with a MT so I am even more seriously considering the Darkside.

I have seen the pictures and read the comments but it seems that most of the DS riders are ether riding 2up most of the time or do a lot of highway miles. I am a serious twisty rider (far from great but I do OK) and would be very disappointed if I lost the lean and control I feel now with the MC tires. I have run Bridgestone 704/709 until recently. But after the rear tire delaminated I could only get a Dunlop E3 for the rear and am switching the front over to the E3 this week.

I am interested in aggressive riders only to comment. No offense to the others but this is my area of concern.

Thanks to all for what I have already learned and for what I hope to.
:bow:

 

[Rocketman911]

I guess I would be one that is on the edge of what you are looking for. I never have to worry worry about the rear tire. I like others have drug things that didn't need to be drug, and never a problem. I personally would stick with the 195 55 16. Look at the tires my heavy right wristed friends ( in alphabetical order) like Murgie, Rail32, TravelinLite, Trialsman run and you will be on the right track! To me at first was a little different, but didn't take any time at all to adjust. I have a lot more confidence running a C/T than I did with a motorcycle tire! Happy tire hunting!:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

 

[Tazman624]

Thanks for the input guys. I am definitely looking at the RF tires and have narrowed the choice some. The Kuhmo Ecsta, Perelli Eufori and the Michelin Primacy Alpin are the front runners right now.

Higher mileage would be great but not a huge factor to me. The safety and wet road performance are far more important. I think I will stay with the Bridgestone on the front but will know more after I try the E3 for a while.

:thumbup:

 

[Tazman624]

BTW, I understand that trike shops are a good place to pick up a spare rear wheel. Any truth to that?

 

[ronab]

bridgestone 709 on the front is the tire of choice for most discerning riders!--seems to be the preferred tire by a wide margin--especially by the darksiders.
Any of the runflats you are thinking about (and probably several others) are all good choices. I personally think ANY runflat CT beats the best MT by far. I seriously do not think you will ever go back to a MT if you give yourself the time to adjust to the MINOR differences in the handling characteristics of the CT.

I just do not understand why some people insist on staying with the maypops/willpops that come on the bike---when there are far better and safer choices to put on the rear wheel!!

 

[wimpyhonda]

Plus 1 for the Micheln

 

[pidjones]

Best bet for a spare wheel is patience. Check with trike shops, eBay, Craigs list and watch for a good deal. I got mine for $85 shipped with a fairly good D250 on it (hey, it does Ok while I am getting good rubber put on the other wheel!) Over the past couple years I have seen people selling wheels for $50 each if you pick them up.

 

[Rapidray]

Like someone else said, the less you think about it, the quicker the transition will be. And believe me, it's not much of a transtition. I only notice it when I jump on my buddy's bike with a mc tire on and the first turn or two, I think it steers easier than my bike. But when I get back on mine, I know that this is better, for me. One other thing, it it was me I would switch right now. The sooner and farther away you can get from a rear E3, the better.

 

[vettesherps]

Well I am fairly new to the CT thing and I must admit I spent way to long trying to decide. Last year I went through 3 rear tires in under 4 weeks and made the decision to try a CT only after riding behind some very aggressive CT riders (rail32 and 3 turtles) I watched how they handled the different road conditions and felt assured that they had tested them in tougher conditions than I would ride. I was lucky enough to be able to try one before I bought my own. By the time I got home with the trial tire I knew it was for me and called Randy to order me one and put it on my BT rim. A week later I had my own Kumho. I have tried to push it way harder than I ever pushed a BT and it has performed way beyond my expectations. You will love it. Don't wait, Just do it.

PS I only have under 11k on mine now but really do love it.

 

[kwthom]

I posted a request on this board in the wanted area and in the AZ area - within a couple of weeks, someone on the other side of town had a rim available at a great price - as others have stated, patience will yield your result for a spare rim.

Every state on my map in my sig I've ridden a CT without issue. At this time, tire #3 (Pirelli #2) is on the bike, with ~6500 expended to this point on this tire.

In order to get completely comfortable with the difference in handling (not bad, just different...), I first went to a stretch of road called Roller Coaster road; three miles of fun, less than five miles from home, and did a couple of runs.

The following day, I took a 300 mile ride to a canyon road (Salt River Canyon, along US-60), and used that ten mile stretch of road to really exercise the tire. I could feel the limitations, but I was riding so much harder than I normally do for that test that I was completely satisfied with the result.

As others have said, don't over-think the tire, it will do it's job, you will do your job, life will continue.

Hope that helps.

 

[WingWing]

..The Kuhmo Ecsta, Perelli Eufori and the Michelin Primacy Alpin are the front runners right now.

The Kumho is a good two up cross country tire..
.. it was my LEAST favorte N. Georgia/Tenessee "twisties" tire.
.... it is a bit too stiff for my taste.

Once you get a few thousand miles on the Pirelli,
it is great in the mountains..
.. when brand new, it has an annoying little tail wag when going over grated bridges or highways with rain groves cut into them.
... not a big deal, just a little thing that keeps it from being "perfect".
... the wag goes away after you grind the edges down a bit.

Dennis

 

[Rocketman911]

BTW, I understand that trike shops are a good place to pick up a spare rear wheel. Any truth to that?

Yes it is a very good place!:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

 

[Rail32]

Well I am fairly new to the CT thing and I must admit I spent way to long trying to decide. Last year I went through 3 rear tires in under 4 weeks and made the decision to try a CT only after riding behind some very aggressive CT riders (rail32 and 3 turtles) I watched how they handled the different road conditions and felt assured that they had tested them in tougher conditions than I would ride. I was lucky enough to be able to try one before I bought my own. By the time I got home with the trial tire I knew it was for me and called Randy to order me one and put it on my BT rim. A week later I had my own Humho. I have tried to push it way harder than I ever pushed a BT and it has performed way beyond my expectations. You will love it. Don't wait, Just do it.

PS I only have under 11k on mine now but really do love it.

I take no responsibility when you burst into flames , not for running car tire , but for hanging around me

 

[Rapidray]

Luckily, the weekend I spent chasing Rail around WI it was very windy and the wind blew out the flames as soon as I'd burst into flames. But I can see where following Rail on a calm day might make you resemble a torch.