TIRES TIRES TIRES

[srt8-in-largo]

The same could be said or implied for riding a bike without a helmet and have a head injury and have your claim denied for that fact!

The same could be said or implied for folks who are "vertically impaired" and operate a cycle on their tippy toes!

The same could be said or implied for anyone lowering their cycle so they can flat foot (only applies to vertical impaired folks)!

The same could be said or implied for driving a 840 lb. cruiser like a sport bike!

The same could be said or implied for towing a trailer with a motorcycle!

The same could be said or implied for driving on a rear tire with the cords showing!

The above, like your statement on using a CT as a excuse to deny a claim, are all assumptions and conjecture!

Unless one has definitive proof that a insurance denial has occurred (News Paper Article etc.) we add nothing to a debate except "what ifs"

About insurance companies! They operate on the business practice of " The losses of the few are covered by the premiums of the many"

Ride Safe

Obviously the smart thing to do, then, is to add one more reason for a possible claim denial

I asked my agent ... he said it had no effect ...State Farm ...Lake Mary,FL

I go back to what has been said MANY MANY MANY times on this and or boards...if you ain't tried it not sure how anyone could have an opinion either way, on anything!!!

Interesting; I wonder if they were being honest.

Not sure if you were implying that I have an opinion on the topic, because I don't. My only opinion is that folks become educated before making the plunge.

I've been seeing some mention that motorcycle rims have a different bead design than car tires. What is this difference and how does it impact CT fitment (rhetorical). Maybe most here understand such nuances but I don't and I assume many other new readers don't either.

[DMAGOLDRDR]

Along with my F6B and my Valk I have a 1978 GL1000 with a California Sidecar mounted. I will say the Sidecar is an accepted non OEM addition to my Old Wing but that Sidecar sure is a much larger alteration to my Motorcycle than the car tire is on my Valk.

My point is that many of us make changes that an Insurance Co or Good Lawyer can exploit if push comes to shove in a court room. A chance we must except with our changes!!


While i'm into it I will throw my Car Tire thoughts into the mix...............

For years I wanted to try a car tire on my Valk. It is a 2000 Interstate and as of late 2012 I had a bit under 90 thousand miles on the bike. The Valk is not my only bike, but the one that makes the larger trips as it is set up for long haul two up riding. I decided for this trip to take a friend up on his offer to throw a car tire on. He has 3 Valkyries all with Car Tires and had an extra mounted new tire on a Valk rim ready to go. I had done my researching and reading over the years and started adding up the pros and cons of a car tire on a road trip.

As in the past, our Sturgis trips take in 7000 miles in two weeks so this will be a great test.
I have found the extended highway speeds in the July/August heat, along with the bike tipping the scales at 1200lbs once loaded with gear and riding two up, sure does tear up tires fast. Sooo I mounted the NEXEN 205/60Ri6 tire

NOW after running the CT for well over 10 thousand miles and a years time...
I will say for anyone that thinks they a car tire doesn't handle, just look at what's left of my pegs... You will still corner just as hard and lean just as far as you always had. NO CHANGE. I had thought I would sacrifice cornering with a car tire but that was a non issue. No change from Bike to Car tire in the twisties. This year to Sturgis we took the Northern route from New England thru Canada down into North Dakota. Three days of rain gave a good wet road test. Straight up stopping is awesome with the car tire, and even leaned over I still had good traction on the wet roads.
BUT I think the Bike tire has a bit better traction leaned over on dry roads. That may change with your car tire choice. The NEXEN has very small tread blocks on the sides and I think the larger surface area of the bike tire gives it an edge . Although I never felt any slipping until I was accelerating a bit harder that I should have while leaning in a hard corner up hill...

PRO...
Flat repair much easier and can be run with a plug
Better at heavy load handling
Better wet traction Much better tread life
No Cupping to deal with.. (a big problem with bike tires)
On the Bearthooth Pass we ran into construction and rode 10 miles of dirt in the rain... I was glad I was on a Car Tire for that!!!

Con...
Low speed handling on uneven pavement
Motorcycle dealers don't like to deal with them (but small tire shops have no problem)

Pro or Con depending on how you look at it...
Slightly higher RPM (very slight, maybe 200rpm at 70mph)

[srt8-in-largo]

That last "Pro or Con" is due only to geometry, yes?

Another size CT would have slightly lower RPM, or if you go with OEM diameter RPM would stay the same.

[DMAGOLDRDR]

That last "Pro or Con" is due only to geometry, yes?

Another size CT would have slightly lower RPM, or if you go with OEM diameter RPM would stay the same.

There are many other options, I did not want to have any clearance issues. It gets pretty tight in there with a square tire. A taller but thinner tire such as the Austone Taxi Tire may work better.

[bob109]

Along with my F6B and my Valk I have a 1978 GL1000 with a California Sidecar mounted. I will say the Sidecar is an accepted non OEM addition to my Old Wing but that Sidecar sure is a much larger alteration to my Motorcycle than the car tire is on my Valk.

My point is that many of us make changes that an Insurance Co or Good Lawyer can exploit if push comes to shove in a court room. A chance we must except with our changes!!


While i'm into it I will throw my Car Tire thoughts into the mix...............

)

Thank you for your simple but eloquent description of your Dark Side Experience. I don't believe I've ever read a more informative post on the subject You covered all the bases and hit a Home Run I could almost "Swear" that your post was written by Daniel Meyer, author of "Life is a Road"

[Scotrod]

Do any of you DS'ers actually know WHY the bike handles different with a CT than a MT, or do you just shrug it off as an anomaly?

Can any of you explain (and/or understand) exactly why more counter-steer is required? Can you explain exactly what happens differently on your bike when you use a CT?

Or is it "don't know, doesn't matter, don't care?"

Scraping hardparts and reduced front tire life (the latter more prevalent on aggressively ridden bikes) are direct clues, but I'm afraid 'cheap price/extended wear intervals/cushy ride' are talking the forefront of you decision making process, with 'haven't had any problems' as your sole justification/proof of redemption.

Each individuals decision making process / sense of values / is different. When you don't understand, don't have an opinion, don't care about 'an anomaly', your decisions may be different than those who do.

[bob109]

Do any of you DS'ers actually know WHY the bike handles different with a CT than a MT, or do you just shrug it off as an anomaly?

Can any of you explain (and/or understand) exactly why more counter-steer is required? Can you explain exactly what happens differently on your bike when you use a CT?

Or is it "don't know, doesn't matter, don't care?"

Scraping hardparts and reduced front tire life (the latter more prevalent on aggressively ridden bikes) are direct clues, but I'm afraid 'cheap price/extended wear intervals/cushy ride' are talking the forefront of you decision making process, with 'haven't had any problems' as your sole justification/proof of redemption.

Each individuals decision making process / sense of values / is different. When you don't understand, don't have an opinion, don't care about 'an anomaly', your decisions may be different than those who do.

Scot!

Just how bad was your Dark Side Experience

[bob109]

Hope these video work
https://video.search.yahoo.com/video...hspart=vz&tt=b

https://video.search.yahoo.com/video...hspart=vz&tt=b

[Scotrod]

Scot!

Just how bad was your Dark Side Experience

It wasn't horrific, by any means, but as I'm sure I've said before,,, I never knew how much I missed a MT till I went back to a MT.

Stiffer ride? Yep, but the 'muddy' handling I'd "adapted to/learned to accept" with the CT after fiddle-fartin around with different air pressures was replaced with near effortless, crisp, precise handling whne I went back to a MT. Instead of 'carving a wide line', it felt like I could ride the white line with complete confidence...

That same precise handling is something that's never discussed as an issue with ANY MT at ANY 'close to normal' pressure, but with a CT, the very first thing you'll hear is 'adjust the pressure' to find that 'sweet spot',,, Up 2, down 4,,,, Break in the tire/loosen up the sidewalls,,, That 'fine tuning' is never needed for handling purposes on a MT, but it's 'step number one' with CT's,,,

Yet folks new to CT's seldom question 'why' all that fiddle-fartin around is necessary. Sooner or later, in the search for the 'sweet spot', you forget what the MT was like, and focus only on the characteristics of the CT. "Adaptation and Acceptance'

On my CT experience, I never questioned why all the fiddle fartin around was required, as I was certain there was some Holy Grail of "CT Superiority" somewhere,,, All I had to do was find that 'sweet spot',,,

Then I slipped on a MT,,, and the rest is history.

And NEXT,,,, I wanted to know the 'science' behind exactly WHY there was such a difference in handling,, after all, if a tire is a tire is a tire***, why the difference? Why the understeer? Why am I draggin pegs all of a sudden? (*** We hopefully all know better, but for the sake of discussion, we'll consider CT and MT's 'equal')

If everything is equal,,, what is that CT doing to the bike that a MT doesn't that makes the difference in handling?

EXACTLY how is the CT affecting cornering,,, WHY does it require more counter-steer? Why does it create understeer?

THAT is the question so few DS'ers seem to be able to answer,,, (Those who ride MT's don't have to worry about it, so why should they bother with 'understanding' it?)

The Mic is open,,, Lets hear from the DS crowd exactly why CT's handle 'differently'? What do they do to the bike?

[Hornblower]

Scotrod...do you happen to remember what CT you had?