Darkside/downside

Darkside upside!

After some basic arithmetic it turned out I was spending $50 a month to keep the Metzler rear on my bike. So when the car tire alternative came up I had to look into it. Eventually someone on this site (think the name was Hanso)) talked me into the Riken 245/50/r16. After doing the math on the dimensions many times I decided to give it a try. And I couldn't be happier. Admittedly I was conscious of it the first few hundred miles but quickly got over it. I do feel some differences but it's mostly at crawling speeds over ruts and such. I have had the thing up to 130 mph many times with no problem. I'm comfortable with it on mountain roads but if I want to really lean over I take my Bonneville anyway. It does absolutely feel more stable in the rain but thats not a big deal for me living in the desert.
I'm very happy I made the switch, frankly if I hadn't I be ready right now for another Metz and more expense, but instead I have this fresh looking Riken ready for many more miles.
 

Attachments

  • r3 tire 002a.jpg
    199.3 KB · Views: 130
  • r3_tire_001b.jpg
    144.9 KB · Views: 113

Yeah. Hanso is such a bad influence
 
I have never tried a car tire on the R3 but have done so on my Boss Hoss. I looked for the tire with the "roundest" profile I could find to minimize the edging effect during cornering. I had it on for 300 miles before changing back to the MC Avon that came with the bike.
I found it to be quite squirrely in turns and just downright horrible the way it would "hunt" in longitudinal highway grooves. Looked cool as hell but functionally..a nightmare.
Although I guess one cannot exptrapolate to its use on the R3, I'll never go there again! Just my 2 cents.
 

Which tire did you choose?
 
After i hit a deer on my rocket the triumph dealer told her that it was possibly because of the car tire, she basically told him to shut up that it was a straight road, i did not veer off, skidmark was 30yards straight as an arrow and that it was unavoidable. I hit the deer broadside. He said "ohh" and it was not reported that i had a car tire on. But i would of been out if somehow they said it was because of that tire.
 
How did you get that doe to talk to your dealer, Bill?

BTW, I hit a 160 pound deer dead center at 65 mph with my VTX 1800 6 years ago and it had a B'stone Potenza CT on it. Total non-issue with my insurer at the time even though the bike was totaled and I very nearly was , too!
 

You probably had the tire pressure too high.
This is the problem, a lot of guys will put on a car tire and without doing the proper research, they put in 40-42 PSI.
Then they wonder why the tire was all squirrely and slips on turns.
Then they come on here and say car tires are "no good".
This is probably what happened with Phil when he first tried out a car tire.
You should only have about 28-34 psi on a Rocket.
 
Nah Phil Used a tyre which actually I can tell you Is Not Suitable for A Bike unless You run it a bit higher psi, the "Toyo Proxes R1" he was running was the same as I and others have used and needs a little more psi or it starts to go on the sidewall, it is actually a little soft and once it builds up heat can get a little squirrelly when ridden hard!! which is why I ditched mine and went for the Federal 595 which has not even looked like going on to the sidewall or getting squirrelly
 
It sucked at the higher psi just the same, Hans, as it would get over onto its sidewall no matter what the air pressure. I understand that may not be the case with other CTs on the R3, but mine will never see another CT as they can neither exceed nor even match a MT for handling, performance other than extended mileage and overall safety, IMO. It's any user's choice to make though, so vive la difference!
 


30 yards skidmarks!!! me think the rear brake was locked up and the front not squeezed hard enough skidmark can only come from rear brake and since the rear brake is as useful as screen door on a submarine I guess the percentage of chance to stop before hitting the doe was dramatically reduced

why is that 60% of riders think the rear brake is so important where does this thinking come from ?? old habits perhaps with drum brakes it would have been true but in today incredibly good disc brake the stopping distance is incredibly short .the chance of flying over the bar are way over done it is mostly mythology

but hanso has a point in mentioning the rather oversized rear disc causing riders to lock up so quickly.
in a nutshell those who think I am pissing in my violin should check the braking performance video on youtube..eye opener for those who still rely on the rear brake
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Anyone go to the Darkside?
11 12 13
Replies
122
Views
17K
1K9
Eldon goes Darkside
Replies
3
Views
972
sonny
Going to the Dark Side
3 4 5
Replies
45
Views
8K
johnreeder
Left the Darkside, returned to an Avon
Replies
5
Views
2K
britman
darkside change
2
Replies
13
Views
3K
Elvis
Menu
Log in
Register