F6B To The Dark Side

[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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