It's no wonder so many go to the darkside...
What did your last front tire cost? OUCH
- Thread starter Hermann
- Start date
Motorcycle tires are a crock. They have less rubber than a car tire, they last half, or even 1/3 as long, and they're more expensive. I think it's because they know if guys can afford bikes, they can afford the outrageous prices of replacement parts...
Cheap tires are mere rim protectors compared to premium priced rubber engineered to deliver astonishing levels of grip and road feel which breeds rider confidence... They are the perfect for extra sexual corner activity... They are not for riders who close their wallet with a torque wrench....
Ahhhhhhh... peak confidence...
Ahhhhhhh... peak confidence...
Exactly. Never cheapen out on anything that suspends you in the air: bed, shoes, tires.Cheap tires are mere rim protectors compared to premium priced rubber engineered to deliver astonishing levels of grip and road feel which breeds rider confidence... They are the perfect for extra sexual corner activity... They are not for riders who close their wallet with a torque wrench....
Ahhhhhhh... peak confidence...
I think my whole set up for tire change costed ~$220 (balancing stand, bead breaker, tire spoons , bead lube etc) excluding the compressor (I use a $60 Walmart 3 gallon I bought like 6 years ago). I’m glad I’m only running 120/60 or 70 r17s up front (have a speedo healer can recalibrate for different sizes in 5 minutes) since they’re cheap and abundant.
Financially it’s a no brainer but I also do a far better job than mechanics and dealers for this task. Rarely do shops seem to weight match the rim and tire and therefore have to use way more weights to get good balance. I’ve always preferred taping over the one slim 7,gram weight per wheel before hitting the track vs trying to tape up 4 jammed right next to the flange of the rim (don’t even get me started on this annoying practice.
Financially it’s a no brainer but I also do a far better job than mechanics and dealers for this task. Rarely do shops seem to weight match the rim and tire and therefore have to use way more weights to get good balance. I’ve always preferred taping over the one slim 7,gram weight per wheel before hitting the track vs trying to tape up 4 jammed right next to the flange of the rim (don’t even get me started on this annoying practice.
I mean they’ve got completely different demands in comparison with a common all season car tire. Additionally in the US alone there are ~270 million registered cars and trucks in comparison to close to 10 million registered bikes on the road so there is an economies of scale. Probably a more apt comparison would be to look at the cost of UHP summer tires which can be cheaper but more often than not are similarly priced.
Q: How many motorcycle tires are available in a run flat? A: 0Cheap tires are mere rim protectors compared to premium priced rubber engineered to deliver astonishing levels of grip and road feel which breeds rider confidence... They are the perfect for extra sexual corner activity... They are not for riders who close their wallet with a torque wrench....
Ahhhhhhh... peak confidence...
If having a car tire with a bead that does not match the profile of the M/C wheel seat (making it much more likely the tire could lose air pressure suddenly with bad results), not to mention the wonky handling they impart on the bike is worth saving a few bucks, then we know where those 'Riders' priorities are.
Run flats are never the plan of MC tire manufactures but You can arrest the squirmy feeling of a tire going flat with speed...
True... auto tires are not only feel wonky but they also transform your bikes sweet corner manners into feeling edgy and evil...
At every turn you'll be reminded of being guilty of bike abuse...
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I find that the vast majority of car tire nay sayers have never ridden a bike with a car tire (CT) installed. A good example is shown in the previous post. Cornering on a CT is no different than cornering on a motorcycle tire (MT). Believe it or not, the corner of the CT flattens out when cornering, and provides a larger contact patch than a MT. There's a video on youtube of a guy who put a go pro on the back of his Gold Wing that clearly shows this. My bike handles at least as well as it did with a MT, and it rides much better. It also provides better traction in both wet and dry conditions, and it will carry a much heavier load than a MT. Thousands of riders have converted to the darkside, in fact, there's a FB page just for darksiders. For as dangerous as many people claim they are, there sure a lot of people who have vowed to keep using them. The armchair engineers can keep claiming they're no good on a bike, but there sure are a lot of people WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THEM who say otherwise...
Many have made this claim, but none have ever been able to show ANY evidence of a CT bead unseating from a MC rim, which should be easy to find if it happens, right?
Objectively speaking by the vast majority of riders if you wish to improve your bikes handing just ditch that rim protector CT and up grade to a MT...
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As I stated, my bike handles fine. Maybe you should limit your advice to things you have experience with...
I've had this argument with another member here years ago. Having friends and family in the Motorcycle business, I've ridden plenty of bikes with car tires installed. I tried those bikes with an open mind, and in every case at the insistence of the owner. Invariably, the handling was compromised.
If saving a buck is that important to you, by all means buy a car tire.
People do lots of dumb things and post it on the Internet for posterity. That doesn't mean it's a good idea...
I recall a video posted online of some brainiac performing 'The Hot Coil Challenge', wherein this moron placed his bare forearm on a glowing orange stove top. 3rd degree burns are REALLY smart. Citing an example of stupidity as being a wise way to make choices, is not a good argument. I learned that lesson as a little kid when I nearly followed the lead of a neighbor kid who was seriously injured jumping off his roof into a pile of snow. Too bad it froze overnight...
Finally, I have seen a bike that came into the dealership a family member owned, that had it's car tire unseat from the rim when leaned over while loaded heavy. The portly couple overloaded the bike, and thought their choice of a car tire somehow magically raised the payload of the bike. They did survive, but had some fairly serious injuries to recover from. The bike was totaled.
They vowed they would never be cheap again, when it comes to such a critical component of a future bike, They also claimed they'd lose weight so they didn't overload a future bike.
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My local dealers are insanely priced for tire swap, they all want a hours labour($160-180CAD) and that’s bringing them the bare wheel. I couldn’t imagine if you took the bike in. On top of that they don’t do good work. I recently had a guy bring me his bike after having the front tire changed and “balanced” at a dealer for $385CAD. It had a bad vibration in the front. I put it on my static balancer and it was out 1.5oz. I fixed it and it rode great after.
For the above reasons I bought a tire changer and static ballencer about 15 years ago. Paid for itself the first tire change. Best part is you can do it when ever you want. I’ve even swapped on fresh dirt bike rear tires when the conditions were favourable and then swapped on the half worn out tires when things dried up and it didn’t matter much.
For the above reasons I bought a tire changer and static ballencer about 15 years ago. Paid for itself the first tire change. Best part is you can do it when ever you want. I’ve even swapped on fresh dirt bike rear tires when the conditions were favourable and then swapped on the half worn out tires when things dried up and it didn’t matter much.
My customers are not satisfied with handling graded fine... they are consummate racers who know peak confidence handling and they know who to visit to get it...
When you travel down the perverted highway on a CT... you're conveying to us I know CT are cost cutters and that they designate a silly level of frugality like me cheap cheap cheap... but also so what me no care about superior handling MT...
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I wouldn't put a CT on a racing or a sport bike, it sounds like that's what you're referring to, but for touring bikes they are fine...
I don't trust the service depts anymore. I took a new front tire in to our local Honda shop to have it mounted. When I picked it up, I noticed there were no wheel weights on the rim, so I asked if the tire was balanced. I was told it was and that it didn't require any weights. After I reinstalled the rim on the bike, it shook pretty badly at highway speed. I took it to a friend who had his own balancer and found out that the balance wasn't even close...the guy lied to me...