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Returning from the Darkside

5K views 38 replies 27 participants last post by  larryinseattle 
#1 ·
Well I tried the Michelin Alpin for about 30,000 Mi. and I really liked the wear and also the run flat concept but I never could get used to the wonkiness when you pull up to a stop sign. I also didn't care for the extra effort to corner the bike. I tried different air pressures [26-34] and it would make a slight difference but when i came to a stop i would wobble all over the place especially if there were tire ruts. This is just my opinion but I thought someone considering the darkside might be intrested. One last thought, anyone switching to a run flat should consider a TPMS, because if that tire does go flat you may not know it until it's to late.
 
#2 ·
I agree with the occasional problem due to uneven pavement when pulling to a stop and sometimes when riding at slow or high speeds. I disagree with the extra effort when cornering, because even after a few miles when I first started using the CT I didn't feel much difference. In fact one of my bikes doesn't have a CT on the rear and after a few turns I don't see much difference between the MT and CT.

The big advantage with the CT for me is improved wear. My front tire as 75% worn in 15,000 miles and I can see no evidence of wear on the rear tire with the same mileage.

195/65-16 Continental Vanco
 
#3 ·
Kudo's to you for at least trying. It's not for everyone, and you gave it an honest shot - more than a lot of people are willing to do. :thumbup:

 
#4 ·
Mostly.... I love the DARK side.

However, Terrain/Locale is a factor to consider.

Getting to Calif on a car tire is great.
Once there, I often curse the CT.. mostly in the cities.
The road (surface conditions) are HORRIBLE and a CT just exacerbates the problem.

If I lived in LA or San Francisco proper, I would not run a CT.

and/but....not bad enough to keep me away from visiting though
:)

Dennis
 
#6 ·
Wonky tires arent for everyone .if going on long trip would recommend using again ride safe. Thanks for input
 
#7 ·
Well I tried the Michelin Alpine.... I also didn't care for the extra effort to corner the bike. ....
I rode someone else's bike with a CT at the end of a PLP and the bike fought me over every move I tried to make that did not involve going straight. For how it handled ignoring the real cause, if I were riding it to buy it for a steal of a price, I would give the keys back and tell the seller that it has a handling problem so bad that he needs to consider selling it to a junkyard instead. In this case, I know the bike and owner leaving the only cause as the tire. I he also had a Michelin Alpine RF.

I also know the other many reasons why a flat profile tire has no business being on a leaning vehicle unless it is designed to keep the tire at least almost vertical during the lean.
 
#22 ·
Not sure what PLP is but I assume it's similar to RLP. Regardless... the parking lot and low speed is the where the CT's handling differences are most noticeable. They require quite a bit more steering input and tend to climb up to the top of uneven surfaces rather than settle into the low spot.

I've only got about 300 miles in my life on a CT and 30 years and 100K plus on MT's so it's still very different but I'm already to the point where I'm comfortable doing 90% of anything I could do with a MC tire and the missing 10% doesn't mean I can't do it...just that I haven't yet.

I'm not sure if you rode at speed or just in the parking lot, but at anything above a parking lot speed, the handling is less different between the MT and the CT. The key difference being a bit more input to turn in to a corner and a bit more traction exiting it. You also feel it a bit when coming up to uneven pavement when pulling up to a stoplight or stop sign but once again, that's a slow speed situation.

They aren't for everyone and obviously not for you but I've ridden everything from dirt to street and sportbikes and touring bikes and they all handle differently. Some people are more comfortable with change than others.

Me...right now I go back and forth between racing sportbikes on a track on super grippy MC tires to riding twisties on my Goldwing with a CT (and tons of MC tire miles before it) and can tell you that the differences between a sportbike and a wing are way more significant than the difference in feel between a MT and a CT. I guess I've just gotten used to different handling characteristics between types of bikes and it wasn't too much of a change to get used to a CT for me.
 
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#8 ·
Alot of folks used the 195-55-16 tire.which is a bit wider,one reason for more effort in cornering,they also make a 175-60-16 which is Just about the same as the oe Bike tire,,And handle as close to a bike tire I have found-I use both Enjoy the bike tire for performance ,Enjoy The car tire for long trips!--It is like life everything has their plus & minuses!
 
#9 ·
We on the Darkside have always said it ain't for everybody. Yes they are a little different in their handling characteristics. Some people just don't care for, but at least you tried it. Ride save with what ever tire you chose to run.
 
#12 ·
Yes. He told me as long as it's "DOT Approved", they'll pay any claim in an accident. If you are inclined to do a search, there are countless threads on this particular situation. YMMV
 
#13 · (Edited)
Well I tried the Michelin Alpin for about 30,000 Mi. and I really liked the wear and also the run flat concept but I never could get used to the wonkiness when you pull up to a stop sign.
I'm a bit lucky ... I get to test ride probably more GL1800s then most any other person. I get them in all versions from 2 wheeled ones, ones that are triked, ones with side cars, side cars with a lean button, and ones that turn them into a 4-wheeled add-a-trike kit ones.

Of all the ones I ride, the ones that ride the weirdest are the 2 wheeled ones with car tires. Wonky is the best word I've ever found that describes how they handle.
 
#15 ·
"Wonky" happens mostly to the occasional moments a rider get their hands on a GW with a car tire and had no long term experience with this animal

or the roads of LA in calif as some mentioned might be the Wonkiest in America

The rest of us had a brief introduction to "Wonky" when we switched for the first time.

after a short period of time on the CT, the adaptability in most humans takes over and we don't notice anything anymore, unless driving in LA.

The ones who mention contact patch, cornering, handling, the death of us all, just never bothered with actual research and quote from hearsay.

Ride tires that makes you happy. I am happy with my Wonky tire, and 40,000 miles between replacement. >:)
 
#16 ·
I totally get what you are saying. A CT on a 1800 is different. For me the run flat protection, comfort, traction in wet conditions, braking efficiency, and the added weight capacity is worth a little wonkiness. My wife and ride to Oregon frequently and in some on the road ruts it can be an interesting feeling as the bike wants to track up one side and back down. And when coming to a stop on a canted road suface I do have to say that we have a conversation at every light...lean left or right. If I rode by myself all the time I would probably switch back to a MT. However, with my wife on the back most of the time and having done two trips to Alaska over the past two summers (one on a MT and one on a CT) I will for now stick with a car tire...wifey preferred.
 
#18 ·
GulP!
Now I'm totally confused, I have a friend that's trying to get me to go C/T (Roadrunner 1800) BUT I'm still very hesitant.. I just replaced both tires last week with BStone M/T..So I know it's not going to be this year anyways, I just don't want to spend the money and NOT LIKE it... I just like the way my bike rides (w/o a ct on it) I guess I'm just afraid to try one....w/a CT....

I will be riding to Wise Virginia to the "darkside" ralley with him this May, and I'll probably be the only one w/o a CT........Am I making the "right decision??

Ronnie
 
#19 ·
GulP!
Now I'm totally confused, I have a friend that's trying to get me to go C/T (Roadrunner 1800) BUT I'm still very hesitant.. I just replaced both tires last week with BStone M/T..So I know it's not going to be this year anyways, I just don't want to spend the money and NOT LIKE it... I just like the way my bike rides (w/o a ct on it) I guess I'm just afraid to try one....w/a CT....

I will be riding to Wise Virginia to the "darkside" ralley with him this May, and I'll probably be the only one w/o a CT........Am I making the "right decision??

Ronnie

Ronnie, don't worry about having a MT on your bike at the Darkside Ride-in. I lead the first group at the first gathering of the Darkside on a MT. Some Darksiders keep an extra tire mounted and would let you try it for a week or so. I most always have an extra CT mounted. The vast majority of the people that try a CT never go back to a MT. But as stated it isn't for everyone, there are some slight differences.


For myself it was the security of the RF. Plus the last rear MT I ran I only got about 3,400 miles before it was toast. :nojoke: That is what won me over to the Darkside.
 
#25 ·
A friend and I rode another friend's Wing with an Alpin on it last summer and decided to get one. It's going on this summer. The plan is to use it for our annual 10+-day trip when we are pulling our camp trailers. I wasn't sure if I'd bother to switch it back out for other times but I'll see how it goes.
 
#27 ·
I just mounted a 250/40-18 motorcycle tire on my M109R. I've ridden in the bike with the new tire just over 100 miles and I can already see the flat spot forming in the center of the tire. For average non competitive riding, there is no need to use a rear motorcycle tire, because it just doesn't make sense to wear the center and still have plenty of tread on the edges. My 195/65-16 tire on the back of my Wing has 15,000 miles and still looks new.
 
#28 ·
JakeC
My hats off to ya for trying it and not liking it . I tried a few before I was hooked . I can %100 honestly say I can run faster in tight twisties with my right car tire than I can with any bike tire .I have tried every bike tire that goes on the wing . The closest one for me is a Avon . I run a non conventional car tire and trust me it's sticky . Only the Avon comes close to its traction in hard acceleration out of corners for me . I am also not a smooth in smooth out kind of a rider. I am a dirt bike slamintomco0rners and hammer out at apex . I get horrible milage of of my car tires . 6k miles out of any bike tire I have tried . Now getting 6-8k out of car tires .The flexing of a car tire provides much mote traction. For my riding style. As said here , it's really no it for everyone . That's cool and I for one am just glad you tried and found out it's not for you . I'm have personally mounted up 50-100 fellow darksiders and only 2 have not stayed with it . Again this is just me and my thinking and first hand knowledge . Rubber side down JakeC and hope to meet ya someday .
 
#30 ·
I find the mc tire very tippy coming to a stop as opposed to my wider flatter car tire. I've ridden motorcycles for over 40 years, regularly. I found after several other car tires that when I put the Alpin Primacy on after bringing my new bike home on mc tires, when I turned out the drive I absolutely couldn't tell the difference between it and what the bike came with. I just got a new Avid Envigor to try. Not going back to mc tires in this lifetime.
 
#32 ·
I went to the car tire about 8 months ago. The first week I noticed the little extra input it took in turns. I have not thought about it since. Where I noticed the real difference was riding in the rain last summer. You have so much more traction with the car tire it is like riding and stopping on dry roads. Pull up to a stop sign and look back at your track and see a 6 inch wide patch on the road vs 1 inch. I'm sold on them unless something happens that changes my mind.
 
#35 ·
If someone wants a full-wonky, put a radial car tire on the back, an non-radial on the front, and then add a full-monte Traxxion upgrade. Performance suspension is gonna amplify any handling characteristics to the max. In this case, wonky becomes mega scary.
 
#36 ·
I now have over 70,000 miles on Michelin Alpins. Only the OEM tire that was on the GW when I bought it new, has ever been on the GW. I have wore out 2 bias BT45s on the front and they handled just like the radial front tire. Just wore the sides off way too soon couldn't get many more miles out of the Battleaxe than the radial Stones so went back to the G709. Have 13,000 miles on the Alpin CT now, another new one mounted on spare rim just waiting... And a third new one sitting in the storm room staying cool and "dark" ? Just waiting. So... 70,000 on Alpins, maybe 7,000 more on the installed tire and another 40,000 miles of CT wear just sitting there waiting.... Nope, no rear motorcycle tire in my near future. Guess that's around 2 more years for me. 2 new G709s waiting too but that's only 20,000 miles total there.
 
#37 ·
I am glad you tried it. I am also very proud that you started this thread and expressed your going back to a motorcycle tire. Anything that promotes discussion of these topics is a good thing and it doesn't matter what side of the debate one is on. There are some folks on this forum that can only think one way. I know.

My brother and I both have Silverwing Maxi Scooters. About 1,000 miles ago, I put a car tire on my Silverwing. Recently, my brother rode my Silverwing and he swore he would never ride it again. Ok, is all I said. I wore out two CT on my 1500 Wing and so I guess I was used to the Wonky. From the get go on the Silverwing, I was ok with the tire. My Silverwing wore out a Michelin motorcycle tire in 4,000 miles. People are claiming 35,000 miles on this car tire I put on my Silverwing. OK. I am in. And the tire was less money to buy. The car tire that fit my Silverwing is a Run Flat and costs me $65.00 to my door. A motorcycle tire was $100. But the mileage factor is the big deal here.

My 1800 has brand new E3 tires on it from the previous owner. I thought of switching out the tire, but ****.... might as well wear it out. I will be doing a 7500 mile ride from Seattle to Washington DC and back and I suppose it won't be worth much by the time that ride is done. Then I will mount up a car tire. If something happens on the trip, I am mounting up a car tire on the road. No question about it.

If I was on my Goldwing in a small town in Montana with a bad tire, I could buy a used car tire and have it mounted and be on my way rather than having my bike towed to a motorcycle shop someplace.
 
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