First DS experience

[bob109]

This is day two, not sold on it so far. I knew there would be an adjustment period however, this CT feels squishy. It is a Michelin X-ICE XI3 XL. Yesterday I tried it at 42 PSI, it didn't look quite right but this tire is extremely soft. Last night I dug thru the forum and found pictures of a similar tire that was a RF and I bumped up my pressure today to 46 to get a similar appearance. Still didn't look quite right so I took it to the 50 psi max. It looked better but still feels squishy. This particular tire may just be to soft to use on a bike. Anyone have some insight that may help me with this?

The reality of Dark Siding is that each rider can experience totally different outcomes with the identical tire. That said, you make no mention of your weight in your post! Paramount to achieving the "correct sweet spot" in regards to "tire pressure" several factors come into play! Tire Brand, Thread/Tread Design, Side Wall Construction and, of course, Air Pressure.

I speak only of my "non run-flat" experience with a 195/55R16 General G-Max! Comparing the Thread/Tread patterns of your Michelin to the Max indicates a "marked difference" in overall "grove/sipeing" hence a true comparison of performance would be hard for me to articulate.

IMHO I would suggest you lower/drop your tire pressure to 36/38 PSI and start increasing pressure in 1 to 2 pound increments to aid you in finding your "sweet spot"! Even when you find that "magic number" you will experience the "slightest of squirm"! It's simply the nature of "Dark Siding" with a non-run flat car tire! That is the main reason there has been a "shift" to "Run Flats" and their "stiffer" side walls".

As has been mentioned, not every Car Tire is a candidate for "Dark Siding"! The Michelin you have used appears to have a "low rating" in "rain performance" when used on a automobile! That would concern me and may be a culprit to DS performance.

Keep us posted as to your experience with you Michelin! You may ultimately find this tire unacceptable and have to replace it!! Nothing ventured, nothing gained!

Ride Safe

bob109

[3Chief]

Follow this link to post #19 for my post ... http://hondaf6b.com/showthread.php?1...rand-for-looks

I just went by size and cross referenced the new replacement of the old Michelin ALPIN tire that is no longer available plus posted a Pirelli tire also.
Unfortunately the positive reviews are most likely from car owners and we don't know how different the new replacements are in comparison to the old until someone tries one. I personally do not have experience with car tires, however several of my friends do and not one complaint, all of them have never returned back to a motorcycle tire.

I know that not everyone likes the same car tires, they each have their preferences also. Some like them softer, some like them stiffer

That's where I got it from when I was finally ready to take a turn on the DS. No worries tho, my money my choice. I should've done a bit more research on this tire and dug around some of the other sites that have been reference.

The reality of Dark Siding is that each rider can experience totally different outcomes with the identical tire. That said, you make no mention of your weight in your post! Paramount to achieving the "correct sweet spot" in regards to "tire pressure" several factors come into play! Tire Brand, Thread/Tread Design, Side Wall Construction and, of course, Air Pressure.

I speak only of my "non run-flat" experience with a 195/55R16 General G-Max! Comparing the Thread/Tread patterns of your Michelin to the Max indicates a "marked difference" in overall "grove/sipeing" hence a true comparison of performance would be hard for me to articulate.

IMHO I would suggest you lower/drop your tire pressure to 36/38 PSI and start increasing pressure in 1 to 2 pound increments to aid you in finding your "sweet spot"! Even when you find that "magic number" you will experience the "slightest of squirm"! It's simply the nature of "Dark Siding" with a non-run flat car tire! That is the main reason there has been a "shift" to "Run Flats" and their "stiffer" side walls".

As has been mentioned, not every Car Tire is a candidate for "Dark Siding"! The Michelin you have used appears to have a "low rating" in "rain performance" when used on a automobile! That would concern me and may be a culprit to DS performance.

Keep us posted as to your experience with you Michelin! You may ultimately find this tire unacceptable and have to replace it!! Nothing ventured, nothing gained!

Ride Safe

bob109

I weigh in about 315 right now. I understood I'd have to play with the pressure to find my "sweet spot" and there would be some slight differences in handling particularly at lower speeds. I'll adjust the pressure a few more times before I call no joy on this tire, however even if this tire isn't the one for me I'm not done with the DS, I will try a RF next tho .

Even at 50 psi it seems really squirmy, as I've said this tire is extremely soft. It's given me a few pauses in the 2 days it's been on my B. The first night at 42 psi it looked "low" and I could feel the rear of the bike squirming around. I have to go over some pretty uneven surfaces to get to the parking lot at work and I could really feel the tire molding to the surfaces. On the way home that night slowing to take the turn onto my street, on wet pavement, my rear locked and slid for a moment. Hadn't had that happen before on the B, but there are a lot of maple leaves in that area. Even when I made the turn it seemed to wallow a little. The next day I bumped the pressure to 46 psi. The tire still looked "low" so I went to 50 psi. Looked better and was much firmer with by far less squirm then the night before. I could still feel it conforming to the road surface however not nearly as much as the night before. On the way home tho I got up to more of my normal cruising speeds and found that it really didn't like the crown in the road when switching lanes. Definitely tracks the ruts more than a MC tire. I didn't ride in today as it was pouring when I went by work, lots of standing water and 2 accidents on my way home from the store. I'll try again tomorrow at a lower pressure.

[willtill]

This is a given and is well known to Darksiders: a car tire will track imperfections in the road much more perceptibly than a motorcycle tire.

You've got to get used to that. And if you do.. you will develop the skills required for that while you are riding. If you can do this... you will be eligible for the cookie that the Darkside offers.

You will occasionally see uneven road in front of you... you should (and will) expect non-linear movement of the bike and you should (and will) adjust your counter steering accordingly to compensate. You will find that you'll develop enhanced counter steering reaction while running a car tire, and it eventually will become second nature; a non-event for you.

Been there (many of us) Done that (many of us).

[3Chief]

Dropped the pressure to 48 psi today. That seemed to help a lot, we'll see on my swim home.

[willtill]

Dropped the pressure to 48 psi today. That seemed to help a lot, we'll see on my swim home.

IMHO.... follow Bob's recommendation. Work your way up in psi... not down.

[2wheelsforme]

I do not run a snow/ice tire but a summer tire as I believe that is where the best traction is found. I do not use a run flat and my weight is over 300 lbs. My summer tire does not squirm even a little at 42 lbs. In fact you have to really pay attention to realize it might be a little different feeling than a MT. It is perfect and looks great also, much closer to a MT in looks than many I've seen. This is my second CT on a bike and I have tens of thousands miles, mostly on one tire on a VTX. Go back and read some post of people with many miles under their belts and you will see that they do not use a run flat or a snow/ice tire. You have now tried an untried tire with poor results, if you give up on that one try something that people have already found good results from.

[2wheelsforme]

Chief, I'm sure you read thru this thread. http://hondaf6b.com/showthread.php?1...sing-snow-tire