F6B To The Dark Side

[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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[Texas TC]

The PD looks great. Now put that puppy in the bike and ride it!

[bob109]

What a day to change a tire! It's 90 degrees with high humidity. That said it's not enough to stop progerss

Laying the F6B over on its crash bars for the first time is a bit intimidating! After watching several You-Tube videos on the procedure it was not that bad of a ordeal. I'll have to tell my Hernias that as they are smarting

Once the bike was on its side the OEM wheel/tire removal was easy. Getting the new G-MAX back in took some finagling but a little added vulgarity on my part helped it drop in place

This has to be the easiest tire/wheel change of any bike I've previously owned. No cycle jack involved

The pic!

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[bob109]

Had the bike out for the first ride to "scrub" the G-MAX and break it in. With the pressure set at 34 psi. I managed to put 102 miles on it without incident. First impression....WOW! The tire is amazingly smooth. My static balance job was on the button. No vibrations or tire thumping. Once having a few miles on the tire I hit some interstate to further check on the balance. With several throttle roll-on from 60 to 90 mph the ride was rock solid. On the secondary back roads the tire held like glue in the corners. The " corner carving capabilities" of the bike are unaffected by the CT.

Started a "Tire Log" for recording/capturing all aspects of the tire and its performance. More info later

[Mustangjake]

Now I want 1.

[Phantom]

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[bob109]

On the bike early today and followed a route I had the "6", with cycle tire on, on three previous occasions. So familiar is the 100+ mile route I know every pot hole, tar strip and other road imperfections and could drive it blindfolded!

The first 50 miles of two lane roads are a collection of sweepers, twisties and a few switchback corners with posted 15MPH warnings. The ride carried me along the Lackawaxen and Delaware Rivers from Pa. into N.Y. State and back into Pa. It is truly a beautiful and scenic ride. This was my opportunity to give the new G-MAX a workout and make a comparison to my previous exact rides on the stock Bridgestone. The G-MAX performed well above my expectations. Not a single hick-up in the corners and it gripped like sand paper through and coming out of ever corner. I ran the approximate same speed as I did with the MT and IMHO I'll take the G-MAX CT over the Bridge any time. Crossing over the Delaware back into Pa. there is a 1 1/2 block long steel bridge which produced tire squirm equal to the Stone and I kept my hands tight on the bars. The remainder of the ride was primarily on the super slab ( !-84 ) and ended on several secondary roads. The overall handling on the slab was like any other bike/tire encountering parallel grooves/imperfection in the road surface with the expected brief pulling/wobble and a occasional bang of the front shocks when one just cant miss the (I got ya hole).

This will be one of the last post on the subject for a while. I'll be capturing and sharing data on the tire at 1K mile intervals and may change that if I "crash & burn"

Total miles today 117........162 miles yesterday and I'm still here to tell about it