Thinking of the Darkside

[rickyboy]

Brad, Steve, Joel and the rest of you "darksiders"........I will admit I am THINKING about going "your way" But I'm having trouble with wrapping my head around the idea of the tire gripping the road in the corners,.... {and living here on the "wet coast"} and on the wet pavement. I have seen a video [not sure where I saw it] where someone<s> strapped on</s> installed a camera and showed the CT as he/she cornered. It just didn't look right. And someone her I think, said or suggested that the tire Co's. are just taking advantage of our gullibility ?? Now,.... I hear they ran car tires on HD's way back when. ??? So why the switch from car tires back in the day, to MT in the yr. 2010?
There have been many CT threads and I know I might be re-hashing things here again but frankly!! I'm a little [dare I say it?] :-[ :-/ afraid to go to "the darkside". How would/could this effect an insurance claim if, [God forbid] I got in a serious accident where an adjudicator might question having a CT on a bike. .....
Sorry Steve for taking your thread in this direction. If you lived here on the west coast, I'd have your tire delivered to my cabin and bring it up for you. If you're OK with a CT great. To each their own. I mean I might end up going that route myself. I wish there was someone here that I could maybe try their CT on their bike. I think "hammer" is thinking about going this route so maybe I'll wait for him to install one.

[cactusjack]

Rick,

I ride twisties all the time, and the car tire handles it with no problems at all. Last month I rode through about 90 miles of twisties on a mountain road in eastern AZ. It was raining the entire time and the roads were very wet. I'm talking hundreds of curves in 90 miles with no problem at all. I have yet to experience a situation where I have even had an inkling that the car tire was going to "let go".

The improved traction and braking capabilities would be a benefit to someone in your part of the world where you frequently ride on slick roads.

[biscuitsngravy]

My next rear tire is going to be a ct. I have a 2006 1600 Nomad. I want to buy a tire that I won't have any trouble to fit. But I want the biggest that will work.

After reviewing all the posts I could find on the subject, it appears as if the Dunlap Sport 5000, size 195/60-16 will fit without any mods. Am I correct?

Thanks,
BnG

[MAS Tequila]

205/60/16

http://darkside.nwff.info/

MT

Originally Posted by BiscuitsNGravy aka Dave Mills

My next rear tire is going to be a ct. I have a 2006 1600 Nomad. I want to buy a tire that I won't have any trouble to fit. But I want the biggest that will work.

After reviewing all the posts I could find on the subject, it appears as if the Dunlap Sport 5000, size 195/60-16 will fit without any mods. Am I correct?

Thanks,
BnG

[cactusjack]

Originally Posted by BiscuitsNGravy aka Dave Mills

My next rear tire is going to be a ct. I have a 2006 1600 Nomad. I want to buy a tire that I won't have any trouble to fit. But I want the biggest that will work.

After reviewing all the posts I could find on the subject, it appears as if the Dunlap Sport 5000, size 195/60-16 will fit without any mods. Am I correct?

Thanks,
BnG

You're correct Dave, but a 205 will fit without modification, but with just a hair's width between the tire sidewall and the swingarm.

[bigdave]

Im running a 205/60-16 Aurora H107 tire i have about a !/8th inch clearance with my driveshaft tube, handles great and rain is no problem. Where i live i ride twisties all the time and i think the CT handles better than a MT

[macmac]

Well Rick, Flavor and me with others ran here in NH in rain. Flavor and i run that SP 5000, and I guess the only difference in the ride in rain is the rooster tail

Flavor and I took turns following just to see the rooster tail

Wet is wet, and I doubt yer wet is any wetter than my wet or the other way around.

Around here in NH we say If you don't ride in rain, you just don't ride at all.

In winter in snow we say Here HOLD the Beer and Watch This!

[rickyboy]

Originally Posted by macmac

Well Rick, Flavor and me with others ran here in NH in rain. Flavor and i run that SP 5000, and I guess the only difference in the ride in rain is the rooster tail

Flavor and I took turns following just to see the rooster tail

Wet is wet, and I doubt yer wet is any wetter than my wet or the other way around.

Around here in NH we say If you don't ride in rain, you just don't ride at all.

In winter in snow we say Here HOLD the Beer and Watch This!

Originally Posted by cactusjack

Rick,

I ride twisties all the time, and the car tire handles it with no problems at all. Last month I rode through about 90 miles of twisties on a mountain road in eastern AZ. It was raining the entire time and the roads were very wet. I'm talking hundreds of curves in 90 miles with no problem at all. I have yet to experience a situation where I have even had an inkling that the car tire was going to "let go".

The improved traction and braking capabilities would be a benefit to someone in your part of the world where you frequently ride on slick roads.

WOW!! mac, that's a pile of the white stuff you got there. Reminds me of my days as a kid living in Winnipeg, Manitoba. I don't think they get those kind of winters any more.
Thanks to both you and Scott for your reassurance on the C.T.,
And you're right mac,...wet is wet no matter where you go I guess.
I'll have to convince myself somehow, that it's OK. What was it that made you sure it was the way to go? Not just the money surely !!
I mean that would be like the guy that posted recently about "cheap tires".
Scott you stated that the handling is better with a CT than with a MT.. Really ????????
I don't get the feeling that either of you "candy coat" things and would say anything that wasn't true but would you [or anyone] be quick to say that the car tire isn't all it was cracked up to be if it wasn't all that great, after you put one on?

[macmac]

Well the SP 5000 isn't a cheap tire. It costs just under what a cycle tire costs, it just runs many more miles.

I was totally against the idea. At the time i was about to run my fool mouth and bitch, from out of nowhere i realized I had seen all these tires with a square profile before, looking at bikes I used to have some of, browsing in antiques.

BAM !!! look there is a 1960s Pan head and it has square tires! And there is a 59 500 thumper an it has square tires, That's RIGHT you old fool you had bikes before with square tires, I SAID to my SELF.

So whats one more bike with a square tire? tell ya one thing I will never ever go back. If i can't get a SP 5000 for another rear for some reason, I will just find another car tire as good or better.

The catch 22 is you must do the swing arm service like you really mean it, because you won't be there again for a long time.

Note: i only called me an old fool no one else

LOL maybe Trip will ban me for that anyway, but i doubt it. ::)

And that SNOW isn't here right now. I got this box called a Spirit Catcher, It captures sprits and you see my spirit standing on the snows sprit because i won!

It''s all in the bible, you know where it says to let in the light? Well for me to let in the light some snow has to go..

[waterman]

Ricky,

I haven't run in the rain as of yet with the CT on the motorcycle. Here are my thoughts on the CT.

When I first put it on it really felt squirrely. However, after about 30 or 40 miles it really started to feel much better. The first real run on the CT was the SW rally. Had no questions about it after the rally running in the mountains. Heck, I even scraped the pegs for the first time. Ya ya, I know the toughts of I don't ride hard enough. I have followed riders before and they were constantly scraping and I have never once touched.

One of the areas that I really like the performance of the CT over a MT is in the wind. You and Mac talk about "If you don't ride in the rain, you don't ride", well out here it is if you don't ride in the wind you don't ride". Have done several rides where we have 30+ mph cross winds. The CT seems to handle them better that what I can recall with the MT.

The only thing I don't like so far, is riding in grooved pavement. Acts a little squirrelly yet. Reminds me of the 1500A with the narrow front tire. Just seems like you were constantly moving side to side but after a couple of miles you forget about it.

So far no regrets. I will be giving it another long haul in the middle of September when I head for Eureaka Springs.

[cactusjack]

Originally Posted by rickyboy ... #00722

WOW!! mac, that's a pile of the white stuff you got there. Reminds me of my days as a kid living in Winnipeg, Manitoba. I don't think they get those kind of winters any more.
Thanks to both you and Scott for your reassurance on the C.T.,
And you're right mac,...wet is wet no matter where you go I guess.
I'll have to convince myself somehow, that it's OK. What was it that made you sure it was the way to go? Not just the money surely !!
I mean that would be like the guy that posted recently about "cheap tires".
Scott you stated that the handling is better with a CT than with a MT.. Really ????????
I don't get the feeling that either of you "candy coat" things and would say anything that wasn't true but would you [or anyone] be quick to say that the car tire isn't all it was cracked up to be if it wasn't all that great, after you put one on?

Rick, I meant on wet roads the car tire is superior to the motorcycle tire. Never been to BC, but I'm sure you do plenty of riding on wet roads. The car tire would be a big benefit for you.

[recumbentbob]

Originally Posted by rickyboy ... #00722

[quote author=macmac board=general thread=19280 post=292816 time=1282662316]
I don't get the feeling that either of you "candy coat" things and would say anything that wasn't true but would you [or anyone] be quick to say that the car tire isn't all it was cracked up to be if it wasn't all that great, after you put one on?

I put my first CT on my 08 Nomad in April of this year. At 4500 miles I started having weird squishy feeling in the tire. It was a load range C truck tire really a heavy tire a continental Vanco 2 in 195-65-16. Tire was great until problems came up. As near as I can tell the tire had a belt inside the tire shifting, could happen to any tire. I eliminated everything on the bike and then I removed the tire and replaced it with a Bridgestone Touranza 195-60-16 car tire. Have 500 miles on it now and it's great.

I'm sold on the CT thing, awesome in the rain and a really nice smooth ride. I don't even notice a CT being on the rear.
But you have to have patience and find the tire pressure that feels the best to you then check it regularly.

Bob

[macmac]

I hate hard cross winds... When I was in NM and into Tx, headed east on I-10 the cross winds were enough the triple piggy back rigs rode the guard rail at the passing lane with the last box fully in the breakdown lane and rolling out around 90 MPH on the uncorrected speedo.

So I guess about 80 real MPH. I sure as hell didn't like that trap. 1 rig ahead another behind, no where to go......

I missed the first off ramp because i couldn't see it.

[skeeter]

More comfy with the CT especially in slow maneuvering. Stearing is a bit stiffer. Hard to discribe but to me it feels heavy. She don't fall over so easy but she go where she's pushed. Meaning the balancing act is a bit easier. More rubber with rain grooves on the pavement makes for a bit of peace in the rain as well as handling dirt and gravel washed from the neighborhood driveways. Still have to be careful but it's not so bad. Takes the twisties just fine.

[macmac]

Skeeter, I don't know what to call that feel either, but on cars it is called understeer, so that's what I have been calling it.

As stock i felt the bike was kinda squiggly, and have oversteer. I prefer the slower seemingly more steady application of counter steer pressure. It isn't that much more from stock.