Trying a new Darkside on the B...Bridgestone Driveguard Runflat.

[bob109]

I don't know what the deal is on getting the tire in. I air it up to 40 and it goes right in. Don't deflate it. The tire is wider with the air out of it. When you air it up tight it makes it taller which makes the sidewalls straighter and thus narrower. I've done it on the G-Max and the Alpin. Not just once or twice. A half dozen times.

Practice makes Perfect

[Felloverboard]

Appreciate your reply, Felloverboard, especially since you're the pioneer who's the first I know of to run this tire. I have a couple questions if you can steer me in the right direction. You mentioned having a second rim. Is that to mount your next tire on so it's ready to go?

Laying the bike on it's side might alleviate the problem I had with tire height while trying to get the tire into position with the Honda method of having the bike straight up on the center stand. I first tried with the tire aired up and then with the valve core removed and tire deflated. I had the amp basket removed from it's mount and up out of the way. It was only after removing the left exhaust that I had the clearance to tilt the tire and get it up in.

What is the sweet spot for pressure with this tire, in your opinion? I ran the tire 100 miles tonight and it leans over very easily. For this ride I tried 42 psi and there was good response but naturally the tire was pretty stiff. I might try the other end of the spectrum and go down to 30 for the next ride.


I'd appreciate any feedback from fellow runflatters on pressure that works for them--not only for comfort but for best wear also.

Thanks

The second rim just makes it easier to have one ready to go. The Driveguard is much cheaper than a Regular bike tire also. For tire pressure you will find that when first trying a high pressure feels more comfortable but will wear out the center very quickly. I went from 40, then down to about 36 after 500 miles, then to 32, now at 28--30. At first 28-30 does not feel just right, but you adjust quickly. I run this pressure on the interstate and in the mountains. You normally will feel a difference only around 0--10 mph on pavement that is unlevel. All other times the bike feels normal to me. Just be cautious when stopping at first and all will be ok. Some from other forums have got close to 30k on this tire riding solo.

[wiggy]

I don't know what the deal is on getting the tire in. I air it up to 40 and it goes right in. Don't deflate it. The tire is wider with the air out of it. When you air it up tight it makes it taller which makes the sidewalls straighter and thus narrower. I've done it on the G-Max and the Alpin. Not just once or twice. A half dozen times.

Possible answers on what "my big deal" was.

Because of my sidewall blowout, I didn't get to ideally plan my tire change method so I happened to have a near full tank of gas, no spare rim to have ready to go with a premounted tire. The tire took a day to order and another couple before I could get it mounted(at another place as the first place didn't have the proper changer adapter for a MC rim).
I didn't want my bike laying on it's side for 3 days so I opted for the Honda book method.
Because of it being on the center stand, I didn't have the luxury of unlimited clearance for the height of the tire to clear. It would not go in vertically.
It wouldn't go in on an angle because of the left exhaust. I first tried with 38psi in the tire. It WON'T go right in...vertically.

I now know that IF I can plan my next tire change, that it will work the best to lay the bike over. I made it work by overcoming the obstacles as they presented themselves---no biggie..

Thanks,

[wiggy]

The second rim just makes it easier to have one ready to go. The Driveguard is much cheaper than a Regular bike tire also. For tire pressure you will find that when first trying a high pressure feels more comfortable but will wear out the center very quickly. I went from 40, then down to about 36 after 500 miles, then to 32, now at 28--30. At first 28-30 does not feel just right, but you adjust quickly. I run this pressure on the interstate and in the mountains. You normally will feel a difference only around 0--10 mph on pavement that is unlevel. All other times the bike feels normal to me. Just be cautious when stopping at first and all will be ok. Some from other forums have got close to 30k on this tire riding solo.

Awesome, thanks for the response and explaining the thinking behind it.

I liked it at 42 but will now lower it to 30 and see what it's like. I had a Yokohama Avid Envigor on my Valkyrie Interstate so I'm already comfortable with a Darkside...just needed to know the sweet spot range with this tire.

[sammyseahawk]

ordering the DriveGuard today and hope to have installed by July 4th weekend. It appears I need to start off around 32 psi and see how it feels. Ordering it from Tire Rack.

[shooter]

Possible answers on what "my big deal" was.

Because of my sidewall blowout, I didn't get to ideally plan my tire change method so I happened to have a near full tank of gas, no spare rim to have ready to go with a premounted tire. The tire took a day to order and another couple before I could get it mounted(at another place as the first place didn't have the proper changer adapter for a MC rim).
I didn't want my bike laying on it's side for 3 days so I opted for the Honda book method.
Because of it being on the center stand, I didn't have the luxury of unlimited clearance for the height of the tire to clear. It would not go in vertically.
It wouldn't go in on an angle because of the left exhaust. I first tried with 38psi in the tire. It WON'T go right in...vertically.

I now know that IF I can plan my next tire change, that it will work the best to lay the bike over. I made it work by overcoming the obstacles as they presented themselves---no biggie..

Thanks,

Wiggy , I've never tried going in from the back like that. I failed to recognize that was the method. Wasn't trying to say you was doing anything wrong. My thought was some bikes may have a little more room in there than others. I've heard Steve mention the bag method but I've never needed it. First time.I did it I put some dish soap on the tire sidewall. It went in so easy that I didn't do anything special the other times. And yeah having the bike up higher makes it easier.

[wiggy]

Wiggy , I've never tried going in from the back like that. I failed to recognize that was the method. Wasn't trying to say you was doing anything wrong. My thought was some bikes may have a little more room in there than others. I've heard Steve mention the bag method but I've never needed it. First time.I did it I put some dish soap on the tire sidewall. It went in so easy that I didn't do anything special the other times. And yeah having the bike up higher makes it easier.

Shooter, no sweat. Your response about it "Should go in easy" REALLY has helped me out. This is a learning process and the more we share info, the better off we will be. I was thinking this might be my only runflat tire I'll ever put on because it didn't go smoothly with the bike upright. Maybe a run flat is just too tall when inflated and too wide (like you mentioned) when deflated. It still will work but at least for me, on this attempt, I had to remove the left exhaust to get the tire in at about a 75% angle instead of straight up. Thanks to your post, I will definitely lay the bike over next time. I might work on getting a spare rim and have the new tire ready to go in also.

I'm really liking the new tire and it feels great running 40 or 32psi. I just don't know what would be best for max tread life. It leans over very easily and I can't really tell any difference from the mc tires.

Thanks for your responses, Shooter!

[wiggy]

ordering the DriveGuard today and hope to have installed by July 4th weekend. It appears I need to start off around 32 psi and see how it feels. Ordering it from Tire Rack.

I sure hope you like the tire as well as I do so far, sammyseahawk. Hopefully, you've glanced over this thread and picked up the few hints on install. Lay the bike over, have the tire inflated to 42psi or so and use a white kitchen trash bag to reduce friction if needed. Please let us know how you like it.

[shooter]

Shooter, no sweat. Your response about it "Should go in easy" REALLY has helped me out. This is a learning process and the more we share info, the better off we will be. I was thinking this might be my only runflat tire I'll ever put on because it didn't go smoothly with the bike upright. Maybe a run flat is just too tall when inflated and too wide (like you mentioned) when deflated. It still will work but at least for me, on this attempt, I had to remove the left exhaust to get the tire in at about a 75% angle instead of straight up. Thanks to your post, I will definitely lay the bike over next time. I might work on getting a spare rim and have the new tire ready to go in also.

I'm really liking the new tire and it feels great running 40 or 32psi. I just don't know what would be best for max tread life. It leans over very easily and I can't really tell any difference from the mc tires.

Thanks for your responses, Shooter!

Dickie on the air pressure if you aren't a real big guy and you don't ride two up u think think that 32 would work. I run 40 in mine. I weigh 290 and ride with my wife a lot. I gave my Alpin a good hard look Friday and did a tread depth measurement. So far so good. Its wearing flat.

[ISLANDER1089]

I haul an Aspen camper trailer behind my F6B and wanted to know if anybody who tows a trailer has some advice for me on which car tire works best for my bike. Like many on this forum I owned a Harley Street Glide and tried a regular (non-run flat) car tire but it was downright dangerous when towing because the trailer was wagging the bike. I went back to a motorcycle tire and it towed the trailer with no issues. I had played with many tire pressures but couldn't get it to tow straight.
Now I am thinking about installing a car tire but don't want to spend the money unless I know it's going to work well. Up here in Canada the best price on a Dunlop motorcycle tire for the F6B is $240.00 where a car tire is closer to $150.00 CAD.