Any one Dark Siding?

Zombie thread revival..

I'm still riding with the same car tire mounted on the rear wheel of my Burgman 650 in NYC metro from 2 years ago.
Additional 20k miles on the tire with zero problem.

 

So your saying you have almost got the chicken strips off? lol

 

As if chicken strip has anything to do with how well a person ride?
BTW, car tire usage do not have chicken strip.

 

Well, yeah, chicken strips actually are a decent indication of how a person rides. When the stripe
goes almost to the center of the tire, you can guess the rider isn't riding many twisty roads. Look
at most Harley riders for good examples of this.

And car tires don't have chicken strips because they're designed to be used on cars, trucks, and
other three, four, and other multi-wheeled devices. Not designed for motorcycles. Kind of like using a hammer
to drive in a screw: it will work with enough effort, but it won't be pretty.

 

I stopped logging on after all the drama I started with this thread ‍♂️
Now more drama...
A 190 rear!

 

I ran a car tire on my FJR for over 40k miles.... it stuck like glue and you could do anything. However, each to his own, and I am back to m/c tires now.... and I use 190 rears.....

 

What does 190 offer that 180 can't?
cost more per tire? more weight to the rear wheel to rob hp?
Are you really cornering that aggressively on public roads that 180 tire can't handle?

 

It offers a size that I myself have never had experience on.
Like it so far. A 170 or 180 is no longer available in this tire.
It actually weighs less than Pirelli Angel ST that was on before.
And the last one... um yes!
I am finding new confidence on them new Michelin Pilot.
Much like the suspension, fueling, brake lines, brake pads, oil, filters etc., and tires...
Can and should be "upgraded " over what Honda put on when new.
And a nail got into the 300 mile old 180 rear a week after I mounted it!

 

Sports tyre compared to a sports touring tyre. 180 still available.

 

I ran a set of 190's Dunlop sport tires off my CBR track bike that I used for wet sessions. They were very nice on the VFR, nor problems. Did not last long but fun and sticky.

 

I know this is a zombie thread, but it's what came up when I did a Google search. As I read through the thread 360 miles from home was a torn rear tire on my 6th gen and no close motorcycle tire available within a reasonable distance, it occurred to me nobody stopped by to say they darksided a VFR. Well, I did it today. The best I could get was a 205/50-17 Ironman iMove Gen 3 car tire. I've never heard of Ironman car tires, but that's what I found. Shockingly, the tire store was willing to install it. I told them I would only use it as a spare tire for a Miata, but they knew what was going on.

It does work, but a 195/50-17 would work better. I am a 30-year experienced rider and got comfortable with it in just a mile. I don't recommend it, of course, but it was manageable and I used it just to get to a motorcycle shop for a proper tire. On the 6th gen, I only needed the lug nut tool to get the wheel back on. I figured the right passenger footpeg mount would need to come off, but that was not the case. Riding while upright was strange but stable. Once initiating cornering, it was well-behaved. Cornering is a bit different, but predictable for me. The installation issues for the 205 width is that the chain guard just touched the side of the tire, and the centerstand is slightly resting against the tire on one side and very close on the other. I used several zip-ties to pull the chainguard away and just rested my foot on the centerstand most of the way to the motorcycle shop. I suspect a 195 will fit, but still exhibit the different handling characteristics.

Again, don't do this. Anyone who tries will surely die (eventually, at least). I've not ridden other darksides, but I have friends with many years on them on Harley, ST, and FJR. I suspect the handling differences are similar on the VFR as these others. For the kind of riding I do and the fact that I split my time between several bikes, there really isn't a reason for me to do this, but we can now answer the question "has anyone done it" in the affirmative.

 

too many think bigger is always better

 

I'm pretty sure nobody who darksides cares about "bigger is better." Darkside behavior is exhibited by the long distance riding community where the riders get tired of expensive tire replacements every 3 weeks. If you are going to compete in a 14,000 mile Iron Butt Rally, it is an advantage to not need a tire change. A true darkside bike has the smallest car tire you can find on the rear, and a motorcycle rear tire installed backwards on the front. I think some guys get 30K miles out of a set.

Also, haven't you seen these riders? Ugly, old, faded Aerostich suits that haven't been washed in a decade, plus a bike covered in dead insects worn as a badge of honor. No, they aren't installing car tires to look cool.

 

Admittedly, I don't understand why a person would risk their life and the lives of those around them because a tire change is inconvenient...or why it is called darksiding (insert humor here...), but what's the deal with reverse mounting a rear on the front? To channel any water to the center and reduce traction? Sounds like a trick you might play on a friend that you don't like very much.

 

Apparently a rear tire mounted backwards mimics the tread direction of a natural front tire. The theory is the back tire tread is designed for maximum traction under acceleration and the front is designed for maximum traction under braking.

 

I can't speak for other motorcycles, but I don't see the need for doing this on a VFR. The Kenda KM1 is an $85 sport touring radial available in 180/55-17. I currently have 12,000 miles on a set and the rear still hasn't reached the center tread wear bars.

 

"Need" is a funny word. After all, few of us "need" a motorcycle. I certainly didn't need to replace my tire in the middle of nowhere with a car tire. Instead, I could have waited all day for someone to haul a trailer from home 360 miles away. I could have rode 2-up on the back of a friend's bike holding my wheel to the motorcycle dealer and back (and wasting half a day of his vacation). I also could have pushed the motorcycle off a cliff and walked home. Other things I tried included the Facebook group North America Biker Rescue, and checking for Uber rides available in the area to drive me to and from to the moto dealer. Neither provided a solution. In other words, my situation provided nearly the closest thing to a "need" you might find.

 

I'm not knocking you! I'm just trying to understand something new to me.

 

I wasn't critiquing your choice of getting home. My post was responding to the bit about those participating in Iron Butt rally stuff, which is why I quoted that part. I see no reason to plan a long distance trip on a VFR with a car tire installed from the outset.