new to darkside

[hoser]

I am interested in the darkside, but would like to use a 195/60/16.  I saw one on a goldwing so I know they are made.  Any body know
where to look?    hoser

[NITRO]

Here are three through tire rack. The first one is a winter tire, so that's most likely out!

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSearchResults.jsp?width=195%2F&ratio=60&diameter=16&x=68&y=11

[Bob E.]

I am interested in the darkside, but would like to use a 195/60/16.  I saw one on a goldwing so I know they are made.  Any body know
where to look?    hoser

Just curious...why are you choosing that size versus the 205/55 or 205/60 that most everyone else is running??

[hoser]

Battlax 200/16 barely clears drive shaft, don't want to modify other than nut cage, figure the slightly more narrow 195, may also line up better with the front.  Will stay with the Battlax if I can't find a suitable tire, it handles great.  hoser

[Bob E.]

...figure the slightly more narrow 195, may also line up better with the front.

Huh??? 

[hoser]

Run a string from edge of tread front to rear, smaller tire is closer to parallel.  Not that hard to figure out, more inline, plus my rear 200/16 is a credit card thickness from the drive shaft, I do not think a 205 would fit, I don't want to do anything more than buzz off the nut cage, which I did when I installed the Battlax.  I don't intend to go dark until I ride one anyway. Does that clear it up?  hoser

[Bob E.]

OK...now I see what you are saying.  I thought you were talking about a wider tire being offset from the front as is sometimes the case on chain/belt driven bikes.  Because the chain line is fixed based on the output sprocket from the engine, the way they sometimes widen the rear tire is off to the side opposite the chain...to avoid having to tear into the tranny and mess with the output shaft and all.  But on our bikes a wider tire is just that...wider but still centered in line with the front.  But I see what you are saying about the edges when leaned over.

As for the 205 fitting...when I first installed mine, it rubbed the swingarm/drive shaft tube too.  I thought I would have to switch it back to a MC tire.  So I tore it all back apart to see what, if anything, I could do to try and gain some clearance.  What I found when I actually looked at it was that the gusset plates in the corner of the swingarm were corroded and had actually started pushing away (towards the tire) from the swingarm because of the rust building up in the joint.  There is a horizontal joint where the top and bottom plates meet along the inside of the swingarm tube that is not welded or sealed.  So water was getting in there and caused it to rust pretty badly.  I cleaned up the rust and picked as much of the flaky stuff out of the joint as I could.  Then I sprayed inside the joint with paint and then used a hammer to knock it back down flush.  Primed and painted the whole thing and put it all back together.  This gained me almost 1/4 inch of clearance...about 4 credit cards stacked up. 

When you test ride one, make sure you get a chance to actually put on a few more miles than just around the block.  When I first installed mine and rode off on the first "scrub-in" ride, I had this dreadful, "What have I done???" feeling...especially into the first couple of curves I hit.  But after 50 or so miles of just riding it around, dropped the pressure a little, I really don't even notice it much.  Now I have over 4000 miles on it and it's fine.  For me, I won't ever say it is better in terms of performance or handling than a MC tire.  It probably improves rear braking a bit...so that would be the only real performance advantage that I'll give it.  But I really only installed it for the longevity.  I was tired of buying $200+ motorcycle tires every year because they only lasted 7000-9000 miles.  Now...if I could find a front tire that would last more than about 10,000 miles, I'd be in business. 

[hoser]

Check with Valker about using a Dunny 404 rear tire on front, also some others on the darkside do the same thing with other brands.  hoser

[Valker]

Yep-I do. Mine looks to be able to run about 30,000 if the current wear rate stays.

[JetDriver]

Yep-I do. Mine looks to be able to run about 30,000 if the current wear rate stays.

Valker- Do you notice any performance change at all with the rear tire mounted on the front?  I can't think of why there would be a change, but if that's the case, why don't the manufacturers' offer those to be used on the front?

[Valker]

I just know I like the way it feels and handles a lot better than the radial bike tires. I ONLY run it when I have the car tire on the back. If I switch wheels and run the bike tire rear, I switch the front too.
When I first tried it (rear on the front) back in the 70s, they didn't have radial motorcycle tires, so there was no penalty in the handling dept. when running a bike tire rear on the front with a bike tire rear.
Summary of my ramblings: I love the way it handles with the car tire on the back and rear bike tire on the front.

[Alpha Dragon]

Yep-I do. Mine looks to be able to run about 30,000 if the current wear rate stays.

I need to order one.  Can you provide ordering information?  TIA

[Valker]

Mine is a Dunlop 491. I can look at the size later this weekend, but it is close to the OEM size. Try Dennis Kirk or online or the like.
Here is one that looks like what I have but the number is different: http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/3/31/401/9955/ITEM/Dunlop-D404-Metric-Cruiser-Rear-Tire.aspx

[Alpha Dragon]

Mine is a Dunlop 491. I can look at the size later this weekend, but it is close to the OEM size. Try Dennis Kirk or online or the like.
Here is one that looks like what I have but the number is different: http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/3/31/401/9955/ITEM/Dunlop-D404-Metric-Cruiser-Rear-Tire.aspx

Thanks.  I would love to know what and where to buy one that is proven to work, so I don't have to reinvent the wheel.

Marty

[JetDriver]

I ONLY run it when I have the car tire on the back. If I switch wheels and run the bike tire rear, I switch the front too.

I have E3s front and rear.  The Dunlop rear installed on the front sounds interesting because of the much higher mileage.  What's the negative that makes you switch the tire you use on the front when you put the bike tire back on the rear?  (This is beginning to sound like "Who's on First".... )