snuffcityrider

Living Legend
Joined
Oct 30, 2006
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Location
Texas
Well crap! My rear tire is close to the wear bar and I'm not quite sure if it would be safe for the E.S. trip or not, so I'll have to consider whether or not to change it. I didn't keep up with how many miles are on it so I can't judge by the mileage. I'm going back and forth between Cobra or Dark Side. Can't see that the Avon is going to last that much longer since it seems so soft (just got one on the front). Just not sure that I want a tire that you have to "get used to", but I don't look foward to pulling the rear tire off every 7 to 8000 miles. There has been countless threads concerning this but I guess I need some more encourgement from you "Dark Siders".
 
Come on, Snuff. You know you're tempted by the Dark Side. Succumb to your temptation. Just imagine carving through the Ranch Roads and Farm to Markets with more grip. Be the talk of Cranfills Gap, Clifton and Meridian.

Seriously, for me it was economics. I spent around $800 last year in rear tires. Cost me $94 (incl tax) and $10 to mount my Riken Raptor 225/55ZR16. I don't expect to change it for 3 years/30k miles.
 
the darside.........

There has been countless threads concerning this but I guess I need some more encourgement from you "Dark Siders".[/quote]

snuff,
I'm going to tell you something that is completely contrary to my previous statements on this. you're about to go into some very serious terrain with the rocket on new tires. my thoughts are that you will need some time to acclimate,regardless. i am a very strong proponent of the darkside under the right circumstances. unless you have time to get acclimated to the tire,then I would suggest that you wait till after e.s. to try it. if, on the other hand, you plan to ride for a few weeks on the tires prior to e.s.,you will find out very quickly how sure footed the dark side is when taking curves. it is also much faster to transition angles than a conventional tire. these tires bite extremely hard! the biggest issue will be tire pressure. the general rule is; " softer is usually better "...

as far as size is concerned, I would recommend that you try a 215/55-60 for its' ease or handling and very near stock countersteer effort . my own preference is a 205/55-16. this is an extremely quick turning setup that I prefer. just my preference, that's all...

the other piece of advice I would mention; is that a 200 or less wear rating compound be used for extreme wet traction. this is usually found in summer tires.

the brands that I like are as follows: Tire Specs for Bridgestone Potenza RE-01R

Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec



again, these are just my personal favorites. shop around and see what you like if not one of these. and look for what others are going to say about all this......

last,but not least, don't waste your time with a moto shop installing your new car tire...go to a car tire shop that is set up for alloy rims. you'll be happy with the money you save and it will be much easier on the rim.

o.k., now it's somebody else's turn to elaborate on this new venture.


greg:D
 
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I think it's funny that a buncha guys who shelled out 15k for a bike and countless other dollars in accessories cry about $200 every 7000-8000 miles. :D:p

If this was a Toyota Prius forum I'd give you some latitude, but it ain't, so I won't. ;)
 
I think it's funny that a buncha guys who shelled out 15k for a bike and countless other dollars in accessories cry about $200 every 7000-8000 miles. :D:p

If this was a Toyota Prius forum I'd give you some latitude, but it ain't, so I won't. ;)

Blob:

You mean Prius has a website? I thoght those owners were so cheap that they communicated with tin cans and string............:eek:

You are 100% right of course.

My KLR goes through a rear tire every 3-4 thousand miles and it has no power whatsoever. Front is good for 10. While the tires are a bit cheaper (not much), the Rocket does better even with the 880.

Problem is, I can change the KLR tire in the garage. Not so with the Rocket.
 
I think it's funny that a buncha guys who shelled out 15k for a bike and countless other dollars in accessories cry about $200 every 7000-8000 miles. :D:p

If this was a Toyota Prius forum I'd give you some latitude, but it ain't, so I won't. ;)
When I had the dealer doing my service's and changing my tires the cost per month was about $100 as an average. So then I started changing my on rear tire to save some $. It's kinda a small pain in the ass, so it would be nice to put some distance between tire changes. And there are other things that I would like to spend my limited resources on. I almost bought more bike than I can reasonable afford. The America that I had before paled in comparison as far as maintaince cost are concerned. But you do make a good point and probably better wages than I.;)
 
I think that Bridgestone Potenza is a nice, nice looking tire. I'm tempted to go that route next time, not only because it lasts longer, but because it looks cool too.. :) If I do that, I'll probably find me a Bridgestone Excedra for the front, to match of course.

I have both Avons and they handle GREAT!!!!!!!! They stick like glue in the curves compared to the Metzlers. I have about 1500 miles on them now and they're holding up well, but like you said Mark, I don't expect them to last any longer than the Metz's do, especially as sticky as they are.
 
I think it's funny that a buncha guys who shelled out 15k for a bike and countless other dollars in accessories cry about $200 every 7000-8000 miles. :D:p

If this was a Toyota Prius forum I'd give you some latitude, but it ain't, so I won't. ;)

If I could get 8k out of a Metz, I might stick with it. My average life was about 4.5k. 200 bucks a pop and a pain in the ass to change.
I have gone from changing the rear 2-3 times a year to once every two years. Not a hard decision for me. Plus, if you run a 245 darkside, the extra width gives you some more cornering clearance due to the different pivot point.
 
I mounted my 245 Toyo 1 week prior to going to ride the dragons tail, put about 150-200 miles on the bike that week and never looked back. It really became a non issue having the car tire on the back after my normal scrub in period for new tires. If you decide to do it you should be fine.
 
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