INFO ON THE DARKSIDE

[TAZ]

Here is an article from David Meyers on the Darkside, go to this link below, good article as are all of his.

http://lifeisaroad.com/stories/2004/10/27/theDarkSide.html

[Gentry]

  Come on now! Don't go recommening car tires for motorcycles. Just because you haven't crashed on them yet, don't assume that others will be as lucky.
If car tires were as good as you say; then why aren't they OEM on new bikes? Engineeres spend lots of time developing specific tires for specific applications. They have to consider saftey and handling issues as well as braking stability and liability concerns. And if all the findings were to indicate that car tires were better than M/C tires, then wouldn't Harley Davidson be the first to put them as standard equipment? They were the first with the safety rim and the first to put twin balance shafts on a V-twin.

[Valker]

Come on now! Don't go recommening car tires for motorcycles. Just because you haven't crashed on them yet, don't assume that others will be as lucky.
If car tires were as good as you say; then why aren't they OEM on new bikes? Engineeres spend lots of time developing specific tires for specific applications. They have to consider saftey and handling issues as well as braking stability and liability concerns. And if all the findings were to indicate that car tires were better than M/C tires, then wouldn't Harley Davidson be the first to put them as standard equipment? They were the first with the safety rim and the first to put twin balance shafts on a V-twin.

Hey, Gentry. TAZ only gave a link to an article. He doesn't run a car tire himself, but I do. If you don't want a car tire on your bike, don't run one as no one will hassle you for your decision. Just, please don't jump on folks who do things on their own bike the way they want. As far as safety goes-I am a safety nut. I have 97,000 miles on my Valkyrie with the last 35,000 running a car tire.

[Pistolchamp]

My '03 standard has 53,901 miles and the last 34,000+ have been on the dark side and I don't plan to change that.  It rides, handles and stops better than any other bike I've ridden and I have over 500,000 total miles on two wheels.

To each is own, if ya wanna do it, go... if not, don't try to tell me to stop... I won't!!!

[4evermetric]

It rides, handles and stops better

Pistolchamp... Not tying to bust your chops here, but how could there be better stopping?  I mean, unless you are locking up your rear tire and skidding, the bike can only stop so quickly.  Please explain.  Thanks.

[j2x]

Pistolchamp... Not tying to bust your chops here, but how could there be better stopping?  I mean, unless you are locking up your rear tire and skidding, the bike can only stop so quickly.  Please explain.  Thanks.

It's been my personal experience that my '97 Standard stops quicker both with just rear brake as well as when using proper balance between the front and rear, even though when undressed she must be one of the lightest of the Valks, even with my additional 200#.  Prior to switching to the Goodyear Assurance Triple Tread I was on my second Avon Venom-R in the last 10mos.  I'm a working professional and part-time student and commute nearly every day on my Valkyrie- and this time of year it's almost always wet and occasionally with hail, sand, gravel, wet leaves, branches, etc.  Coming home from work one evening at about 8pm this last October in the rain I approached a yellow light at 35mph-ish and applied maybe 85%/15% rear to front brake (since it was wet) and the rear just broke free and I slid clear through the crosswalk and several feet into the intersection.  Fortunately I had already scanned the intersection and saw that there weren't any cages about, but it scared the bajesus outa me. 



I had read about the Darkside before, but hadn't ever really considered it before since I ride pretty aggressively (in the dryer months) out in the canyons and goat roads and didn't think that the car tire could possibly perform well in those conditions.  Let me assure you, since I have put the Goodyear on, stopping in all conditions is more responsive.  I mean, I can push that rear brake lever down HARD at 35mph and all that extra rubber on the ground grabs the road with force- a situation that would result in a motorcycle tire that would have already started to slide.  Especially in wet or otherwise slippery conditions where I prefer to use more rear brake than front (I figure if one end is going to slip, I'd rather it be the back) the Goodyear just outshines the MC tire hands down. 

Specifically, in answer to your question, it's my personal experience that under similar conditions the MC tire is going to break free before the car tire- therefor the car tire will stop the bike sooner than the MC tire.  Obviously, in situations where you use more front brake than rear the added benefit of the extra rubber at the back is going to be negligible, but the added security of knowing it's there for when I do find some slippery bits (which is often out here in the NW) is remarkable.

[art708]

Valker, you run a Hydroedge, right?  I had tried a Toyo proxes something or other on my old Valk and didn't care for it. I'm thinking of trying another on this Valk and can't decide which one...........again.

[Valker]

Valker, you run a Hydroedge, right?  I had tried a Toyo proxes something or other on my old Valk and didn't care for it. I'm thinking of trying another on this Valk and can't decide which one...........again.

Yes on the HydroEdge. I like it, but I didn't at first as I inflated it to 35 psi like my last Yokohama. It tracked really badly on ridges and uneven surfaces. When I dropped it to 25-28 psi, it was WAY better.

[art708]

Would you buy the Hydroedge again or would you try something else....Goodyear Triple Tread or some other?

[Valker]

Would you buy the Hydroedge again or would you try something else....Goodyear Triple Tread or some other?

I would buy Hydroedge again. I think I paid $112 off ebay.

[4evermetric]

j2x:

Your explanation makes sense.  Basically, what you are saying is that with the car tire, you can slam on your rear brake and not have the rear tire skid, whereas if it was a motorcycle tire, you would skid. 

Very good. 

Marty

[art708]

 I'm thinking  that  the 205/65 would be slightly more narrow than the 205/60, huh?

[j2x]

I'm thinking  that  the 205/65 would be slightly more narrow than the 205/60, huh?

I believe the 205/65 would actually be taller, since it's the ratio of the sidewall to the width, I think.  The 205 is the width.

Your explanation makes sense.  Basically, what you are saying is that with the car tire, you can slam on your rear brake and not have the rear tire skid, whereas if it was a motorcycle tire, you would skid. 

Don't get me wrong, the car tire will skid happily with enough pressure applied quickly, but it will break free much later than the MC tire.  It's a great thing, but it's no miracle.  ;)

[Pistolchamp]

But, once again, the additional stopping power is due to the extra rubber on the road.  More rubber, more traction, better stops and starts too.

My Valkyrie is really quick off the line with little or no wheelspin.  I can light up the Michelin, but, it takes a lot more effort than did the Metzeler.

I have gone to the trouble to put a video camera on my trailer hitch to watch the car tire on the road and it works pretty well.  Flexing enough in corners to keep a lot of rubber on the road and tracking very well over any kind of road surface.  VERY uneven road conditions as are often found near intersections require the rider to pay attention, but, no more than the 240 rear tire on my RIII Triumph.  That, by-the-way has just been changed to a 225/50R16 Hydroedge and it works on the limey bike as well as it does on the rice burner.

Where Valker runs 25-28 pounds of pressure in his Hydroedge, I run 32 and like it right there.  I weigh about 190 and rarely have a passenger, but, I pull a trailer a lot.