Time for Darkside (F/R)

[Gypsy Dragon]

Originally Posted by rozie

how bad was the slip on wet pavement? now Im wondering if I should have gone with the metsler 888 instead? I had them on my vstar and never slipped at all. I think im going to air down the front to 38 psi and see how that feels. 42 psi does feel a bit hard.

I'm not going to engage in the ups and downs of darksiding, or argue about tire choice, since it is so personal, but I can offer this. I have tried the stock Bridgestones, the Pirelli Night Dragons, the Commander II's, and the Metzler 888's.

I hated everything about the Bridgestones. Soft sidewalls that caused wallowing in sweeping turns, terrible wet traction.

Loved the Pirelli's. Great grip, good in the wet, but didn't get good mileage.

Commander II's had good stiff sidewalls, but the grip was very lacking, and were like ice skating in the wet. Only barely better than the Bridgestones for me.

The 888's are by far my favorite. Best wet traction, good dry traction, great profile, very stiff sidewalls, and decent mileage.

I am an aggressive and daily rider and performance takes a back seat to longevity. I have messed with tire pressure and have settled on 34-35 on the front, and 36-37 on the back.

Hope this helps a bit.

[warrbucks222]

Originally Posted by rozie

how bad was the slip on wet pavement? now Im wondering if I should have gone with the metsler 888 instead? I had them on my vstar and never slipped at all. I think im going to air down the front to 38 psi and see how that feels. 42 psi does feel a bit hard.

Slip is not bad. Nor a deal breaker for Commanders, as I drive hard & fast. No problem even this winter, though I was cautious when wet. Poured on power on hiway on ramp & felt it spin a bit, Shoulda been 1 gear up.
Based on these posts, I may try Metzler 888s next. One concern is load rating, since bike is 900, 2 up pits me at 1300+ 2 up. Thus, dark side is tempting.

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[rozie]

thanks for the replys and appolagies for highjacking a thread on darkside tires. Ive put about 200 miles on so far at 38 psi. feels much better than before. I only ride solo and mostly on the highways at or around posted speed limits. for a new tire michelin does NOT put much rubber on the center part of the tread. I tried the old trick of putting a penny in the center tread and I`ll say there is not a lot of rubber left on top of old lincons head!!

[warrbucks222]

Originally Posted by rozie

thanks for the replys and appolagies for highjacking a thread on darkside tires. Ive put about 200 miles on so far at 38 psi. feels much better than before. I only ride solo and mostly on the highways at or around posted speed limits. for a new tire michelin does NOT put much rubber on the center part of the tread. I tried the old trick of putting a penny in the center tread and I`ll say there is not a lot of rubber left on top of old lincons head!!

On the other hand, the Michelin commander rear puts all rubber in b the center & deep tread cuts. Long time til tread wear beats thisctire, unless it cuppa as previously noted. I'll try Metzler 888s next before I try dark side. 27k & counting daily.

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[hayes]

This literally has nothing to do with my original question. Does anyone have recommendations based on the initial post?

[smokier]

Originally Posted by hayes

This literally has nothing to do with my original question. Does anyone have recommendations based on the initial post?

The "195/60r16" is alot wider than the stock 170. Going to a 205 might be too much. If a recomendation is what you are after, it would be 195/60r16.

The front is so narrow, trouble finding a tire close in size that is NOT a SPACE SAVER/TEMPORARY/SPARE. By the time you get to a 175/80 (130/90 orig), that is a lot of extra width to pack on a rim...
Not sure a recommednation of a tire that much wider would be good.

Just thoughts of OMHO
Ride safe,
Smokier

[hayes]

That's what I was looking for. Thanks. As for the front, I've heard people do it but it might not be worth me effort. The front lasts quite awhile.


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[farmertk]

Hello Hayes, I have an 09 voyager with a 205/60/16 Avid touring purchased at NTB for I think 50 bucks. For me it is not about being cheap, I ride a lot and got tired of replacing the stock Bridgestones after every long trip. Seemed like everytime we decide to take off somewhere I was at half tread or lower. Like they say time is money and its a pain in the a** to do the rear tire on this bike. I will say that with this tire on I have a VERY hard time dragging the floor boards, They used to hit at parking lot speeds before and there is NO comparison as to wet weather traction, just my opinion. If you have any questions I'll do my best to answer.

[hayes]

That does help. Thanks! I think I've made my decision. When I get back from Red River, I'll be replacing the tire with a 205.


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[omgyouresexy]

Keep us updated. I've got a hack rig and I'm sure if i decide to put some real miles on it I will be changing tires very frequently. However, I'm also planning on using the bike as a non-hack tourer every so often, and don't really know how the darkside effects handling in that condition. I will research a bit before deciding, but glad to see the discussion.

[Huddleston]

I can't express a recommendation as to size. I have 205 r60 16 Kuhmo's on my 1700 Nomad and have no complaints.