TKO
Standard Bore
- Joined
- Apr 11, 2014
- Messages
- 7
- Ride
- 2009 Triumph Rocket III
I'm not out to persuade anyone in either direction. These are my experiences for my 1st 200 miles. Everything in this post is my personal opinion. Please read as much as you can if you are considering the darkside. Form your own opinions and make an educated decision like I did.
At the shop where I was waiting to have the tire put on, I got lots of strange looks and questions, but I've read enough here that I could speak intelligently about it and may have even inspired others to follow suit. The dealer initially put 50psi in the tire and I asked him to make sure it was 30. I figured this was a good psi to start with since I've heard anywhere from 28 to 31 as perfect for the BF Goodrich g-Force T/A™ KDW 225/55 that I was putting on it. I paid the man and went for a ride.
My 1st test was going to be traction. Basically, this means I roasted it on the way out of the dealership. It let loose very easily. I chalked this up to being a brand new tire that hadn't been broken in, so I put another 200 miles on it that day.
It was an exceptionally windy day and I'm in the mid-west, so I had lots of crosswinds to deal with on the highway. It seemed like I was constantly riding on the edge of the tire just to battle the wind. It's hard to judge without taking away all of the variables, but I'd say I was leaning further than I'd usually have to.
Another thing I noticed was that it wasn't reacting as quickly to my steering controls. Overall, I'd say, in general, you have to bank harder to get the same turn.
I had read that the car tire really follows ruts. When I hit grooved pavement, my expectation was for it to be a horrible ride. The reality was that I believe it wasn't as bad as a motorcycle tire. I think what people have been referring to, is the contour of the road. If your local roads have a heavy pitch to the left or right, you will have to compensate by riding more toward the edge of the tire. This means a constant, though not difficult, struggle to keep the tire off of that flat spot. Also, when the road changes contour, (pot holes, deformed roadway, etc.) your bike will shift to be parallel with the new roadway. Be ready for it.
At my first gas stop, I double checked the air pressure. The dealership put 40psi in the tire. I assume this is because they thought I didn't know what I was talking about and were trying to save me from myself. After I deflated the tire to 30psi, it rode much less like a car tire, but everything I previously mentioned was still there.
I read that some people have experienced or expected a speed wobble. Most people will tell you not to put 2 different brands on or 2 different types because it will produce a wobble. I can assure you that up to 140mph (on a track or closed course or hypothetically, whatever keeps me out of trouble) it does not wobble.
"But you will die in a fiery crash!" My overall conclusion so far is that the tire is perfectly safe for experienced riders on the highways. The bends of a highway are not typically going to be enough to cause any problems. If you ride in a pack, make sure you put at least a couple hundred miles on it before you do so on a car tire. That wind will push you around more than usual and you need to learn how to compensate. If most of your riding is on back roads through the hard bends, you are safer on a motorcycle tire. I haven't yet decided if I will stay on the darkside, but if I spend at least 3000 miles figuring it out, I haven't lost any money on the experiment.
Ride safe.
At the shop where I was waiting to have the tire put on, I got lots of strange looks and questions, but I've read enough here that I could speak intelligently about it and may have even inspired others to follow suit. The dealer initially put 50psi in the tire and I asked him to make sure it was 30. I figured this was a good psi to start with since I've heard anywhere from 28 to 31 as perfect for the BF Goodrich g-Force T/A™ KDW 225/55 that I was putting on it. I paid the man and went for a ride.
My 1st test was going to be traction. Basically, this means I roasted it on the way out of the dealership. It let loose very easily. I chalked this up to being a brand new tire that hadn't been broken in, so I put another 200 miles on it that day.
It was an exceptionally windy day and I'm in the mid-west, so I had lots of crosswinds to deal with on the highway. It seemed like I was constantly riding on the edge of the tire just to battle the wind. It's hard to judge without taking away all of the variables, but I'd say I was leaning further than I'd usually have to.
Another thing I noticed was that it wasn't reacting as quickly to my steering controls. Overall, I'd say, in general, you have to bank harder to get the same turn.
I had read that the car tire really follows ruts. When I hit grooved pavement, my expectation was for it to be a horrible ride. The reality was that I believe it wasn't as bad as a motorcycle tire. I think what people have been referring to, is the contour of the road. If your local roads have a heavy pitch to the left or right, you will have to compensate by riding more toward the edge of the tire. This means a constant, though not difficult, struggle to keep the tire off of that flat spot. Also, when the road changes contour, (pot holes, deformed roadway, etc.) your bike will shift to be parallel with the new roadway. Be ready for it.
At my first gas stop, I double checked the air pressure. The dealership put 40psi in the tire. I assume this is because they thought I didn't know what I was talking about and were trying to save me from myself. After I deflated the tire to 30psi, it rode much less like a car tire, but everything I previously mentioned was still there.
I read that some people have experienced or expected a speed wobble. Most people will tell you not to put 2 different brands on or 2 different types because it will produce a wobble. I can assure you that up to 140mph (on a track or closed course or hypothetically, whatever keeps me out of trouble) it does not wobble.
"But you will die in a fiery crash!" My overall conclusion so far is that the tire is perfectly safe for experienced riders on the highways. The bends of a highway are not typically going to be enough to cause any problems. If you ride in a pack, make sure you put at least a couple hundred miles on it before you do so on a car tire. That wind will push you around more than usual and you need to learn how to compensate. If most of your riding is on back roads through the hard bends, you are safer on a motorcycle tire. I haven't yet decided if I will stay on the darkside, but if I spend at least 3000 miles figuring it out, I haven't lost any money on the experiment.
Ride safe.
