F6B To The Dark Side

[bob109]

Since taking delivery of my F6B in late April I've been working on acquiring the components (spare rear rim/car tire) for my switch to the Dark Side. Yesterday the UPS Truck arrived with a nice Directional General G-Max AS-03, 195/55R16. The tire has a 480 Tread-wear rating along with A Traction and A Temperature ratings. The measured tread depth is 10.5 32's. I'll be off to my local Repair Garage this morning where I'll have the tire mounted. I do my own "static balancing" to assure it's done right and after that's complete I'll be applying several coats of Black PlastiDip to the rim before install.

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[Texas TC]

Good luck, Bob. Looks like a great choice in tire. A word of caution on Plasti Dip. I love the stuff and have used it on several applications. I would be a bit concerned about rock chips marring the black finish. I have chipped my drink holder a few times. It is simple to simply touch up because it is easy to remove from the console. A wheel might be a bit more difficult. Powder coating the wheel would be a much better, yet more expensive and time consuming option.

Either way, have fun with your project.

[MichaelG]

, okay Bob, I am listening. Please keep me informed, either through the forum or a PM, to let me know anything and everything you can about your experiences with this tire on this F6B. I am more than willing to...learn.

As for TexasTC's idea of powder-coating the wheel, I have had that done on all 3 of my GL1800 Wings, and my local powder-coating company charges me 100 bucks per wheel. I am happy with that. With the powder-coating, you know it is a good hasrd surface, and the wheel cleans up easily.

[bob109]

Good luck, Bob. Looks like a great choice in tire. A word of caution on Plasti Dip. I love the stuff and have used it on several applications. I would be a bit concerned about rock chips marring the black finish. I have chipped my drink holder a few times. It is simple to simply touch up because it is easy to remove from the console. A wheel might be a bit more difficult. Powder coating the wheel would be a much better, yet more expensive and time consuming option.

Either way, have fun with your project.

Thanks Tom!

I opted for the PlastiDip as a quick and easy way to coat the brushed finish on the wheel. I visited You-tube where there where several good videos on the application of PD to car wheels. There's one where no masking was done to the tire. Simply spray and peel off any overspray from the rubber

[bob109]

, okay Bob, I am listening. Please keep me informed, either through the forum or a PM, to let me know anything and everything you can about your experiences with this tire on this F6B. I am more than willing to...learn.

As for TexasTC's idea of powder-coating the wheel, I have had that done on all 3 of my GL1800 Wings, and my local powder-coating company charges me 100 bucks per wheel. I am happy with that. With the powder-coating, you know it is a good hasrd surface, and the wheel cleans up easily.

Doc:

Thanks for the advice on the powder-coating. I have a local company, Sterling Products, who does powder-c and may go that route in the future.

I promise that I'll keep some very detailed records of my experience with the G-MAC CT. I have a Laser Thermometer that will be used for capturing tire temp after low/high speed riding. I'll perform that procedure on the current Bridgestone and have that info for future comparison. Along with the install mileage/date, the capturing of tread depth will be recorded every 1K miles. I initially plan on taking the bike to the nearest large parking lot for some repeated slow turn maneuvers. I like to get a feel for the tire before blazing out on the highways. Like a MT, assuring the "mold release agents" are scrubbed off will be another first on the list. Usually while the tire is in the static balancer I'll rotate the tire and hit it with some course emery cloth by hand.

Additional photos will be added to this post as time/things progress.

P.S. If and when you publish that book put me first on your list for a "Autographed Copy"

[ghostrider]

Put me on second

Btw for some more interesting reading, Neil Peart the drummer for "Rush" also has a series of interesting books about his motorcycle adventures. He rides his BMW in between shows as he travels around the world.

[MichaelG]

Doc:

Thanks for the advice on the powder-coating. I have a local company, Sterling Products, who does powder-c and may go that route in the future.

I promise that I'll keep some very detailed records of my experience with the G-MAC CT. I have a Laser Thermometer that will be used for capturing tire temp after low/high speed riding. I'll perform that procedure on the current Bridgestone and have that info for future comparison. Along with the install mileage/date, the capturing of tread depth will be recorded every 1K miles. I initially plan on taking the bike to the nearest large parking lot for some repeated slow turn maneuvers. I like to get a feel for the tire before blazing out on the highways. Like a MT, assuring the "mold release agents" are scrubbed off will be another first on the list. Usually while the tire is in the static balancer I'll rotate the tire and hit it with some course emery cloth by hand.

Additional photos will be added to this post as time/things progress.

P.S. If and when you publish that book put me first on your list for a "Autographed Copy"

Bob, I did the same kind of laser thermo testing on the Dunlop tires during the entire eyar of '03, when they used me as a tester. it really helps to use that laser thermometer. You really sound like you do know what you are doing with tire scrubbing and testing, and that is good for US, as we get to see your results. If truth be told, I would like to go to a CT, but the only real concern I have is sidewall stability and durability in the long run. If I can get past that hurdle, and be convinced that a CT will be stable at high speeds, and that the sidewall stress will not cause it to blow out on me at speed, then I may be a convert.

Re: the powder-c wheels, I have had very good success with what they refer to as 90% high gloss. On the F6B, it may make more sense to go with a flat black, but on my 3 different 1800 Wings, which were all the Titanium color bike...I went with 90% high gloss Black. It is unfortunate that the casting and finish of the GL1800 wheels is so bad compared to what the GL1500 wheels were. The GL1500 wheels were so smooth, and a very good finish. But when the GL1800's came out, riders were immediately upset about the course finish on the wheels, which caused a lot of riders to either have their wheels chromed, or powder-c. While I am not known for having a clean or polished bike...it does make cleanup much easier for all the road grime and brake dust on the wheel surface.

The rear wheel is very easy to have done, with only the need to replace the valve stem (it needs to be removed to do the powder-c. But on the front wheel, a perfect time to do that is when changing the second or third SET of tires, so the bike has 30k to 45k miles on it, and then is a acceptable time to go ahead and replace the front wheel bearings and seals.

Personally, I do not like the finish on these F6B wheels either, despite being Black. I will probably have my wheels powder-c this coming Winter, when the bike has 45k to 60k on it.

As for the book, I will put your name on one of the first copies.

BTW, smart choice of the CT you decided on. If you are going to use a CT, that is a good one.

[bob109]

The MAX is finally mounted and balanced. Watched the mechanic mount the tire and it required only 38 psi to seat the bead! Much lower than the CT on my Yamaha RSTD which required 90/95 psi and bake in the sun for a few hours before finally popping/seating

The tire, inflated, is 7.5 inches wide sidewall to sidewall and has a height of 24-9/16". It required only 1/2 oz. weight to static balance which is extremely low compared to some MT's and CT's'

The tire has very aggressive sipes across the width of the tread and should be great in any rainy conditions. That remains to be seen

Some additional pics of the tire! Excuse the levels. They were use to check tire width

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[bob109]

Bob, I did the same kind of laser thermo testing on the Dunlop tires during the entire eyar of '03, when they used me as a tester. it really helps to use that laser thermometer. You really sound like you do know what you are doing with tire scrubbing and testing, and that is good for US, as we get to see your results. If truth be told, I would like to go to a CT, but the only real concern I have is sidewall stability and durability in the long run. If I can get past that hurdle, and be convinced that a CT will be stable at high speeds, and that the sidewall stress will not cause it to blow out on me at speed, then I may be a convert.

Doc:

I chose the G-MAX based on the aggressive directional thread design, The deep sipes are impressive. Hope they are as functional as they look. This tire has a soft 1 ply sidewall which may not produce the desired results I'm looking for. Time will tell. There's a new twist for CT on cycles and that began with the availability Run Flats which have extremely hard side walls and have riding characteristics very close to a MT. One of the recent favorites amongst Goldwing Dark Siders it the Michelin Primacy Alpine PA3 Run Flat. That was actually my first choice until I actually seen the MAX up close at a local tire store.

I originally intended to swap out the present Stone with the CT but may just wear it out and see what kind of mileage it delivers. Once it's history I may mount the Alpine on the OEM rim. I could alternate between both CT and capture data on both

Bob

[bob109]

Had a busy but fun day getting the G-MAX finished and ready to install. Last effort was applying black PlastiDip to the wheel. After masking the valve stem and giving the wheel one last wipe down with brake cleaner I applied several coats of the PD. I have to say I'm impressed with the results. The coating appearance matches the OEM rims perfectly.

Some additional pics of the wheel and a few close ups of the aggressive tread sipes.

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