New Darksider

[trosco]

Joel and Night Flight, the 195/65/16 Vanco is (IMHO) a good choice as side wall is almost identical to the 128mm of my 160/80/16 and that Vanco is a lite truck tire with the re-enforced side wall/bead that is a standard feature on MT's.
I was really concerned about the one Ultra Poppy mentioned which was a 195/75/16 and not becuase of the width but because of the height. That one's diameter is significantly larger than our two tires. In our more common measurement terms that tire is nearly 2 1/2 inches taller than the OEM size. That is a bunch!
Just hope that the thing fits for him and doesn't change the gearing so much that it negatively effects the bikes performance if it does fit.

[nightflight1]

Ross, I understand that some tire sizes affect the 4th. gear speed to the extent that you are riding in 4th. at the lower highway speeds...........i.e. 55 mph. I know I shift into 5th now in the upper 50's range so would not want to be riding in 4th at a higher speed.

[trosco]

NF, Alot of my FL riding is secondary roads at 50-60 MPH. With the OEM size tire my 07 would run comfortably with no feeling of being "lugged down" as long as I stayed above 45 MPH in 5th. Now with the bigger tire I start to get that lugged down feeling if I drop to 50 or below.

Our other home is in NC and I spend a lot of time up there in the twisties. The gear change has also made 4th gear a real nice 40-70MPH gear for getting through all those turns marked 30 & 35 MPH.

[poppy]

Originally Posted by Night Flight

I searched the net for that Vredestein size and could find nothing in the U.S. I understand that size will correct the 10% speedo error. My tire did not correct it, but did get it a little closer. I think I will take the tire pressure down to 30 on the next ride.

I found it here. They had to order it from Holland as no one had it in stock.....


http://www.tiresbyweb.com/p-8480-vre...n-comtrac.aspx

[poppy]

Originally Posted by Poppy

good to hear you are liking it. My bike is currently on the jack, wheel removed, waiting on a Vredestein 195/75/16. I went with a size mentioned on the darkside forum, close to the metzler upgrade size. I did not want to modify the swingarm and thought this might be a perfect fit. Keep us updated on your progress.

Dee dee dee; I should have stated 175/75/16....D'oh! NOT 195/75/16!

[nightflight1]

Poppy, that tire should clear easily, just a little narrower than mine but a little taller maybe. Let us know how this tire works out for you. I was on 35 psi but now am down to 28. Hope that works for me.... may need to put nitrogen in it when I finally fine the sweet spot.

[poppy]

I believe the Vredestein 175/75/16 will be very close to the Metzler upgraded size I'm currently running; 160/80/16. Another 1500 owner wrote extensively on this 175 tire and had no issues with fitment, or required any modification to the swing arm, i.e. filing or grinding. I used the tire calculator and compared several sizes, making an Excel spreadsheet and researching them all, to the point of going cross-eyed sometimes. Certainly can't say I haven't done my homework.

I think that's what is important when someone is considering crossing over to the DS....research the subject and make sure it's what you want. If it does not work out for me I will just switch back and move on.

[trosco]

Poppy, glad the original size was Typo! The 175/75/16 is (again IMHO) a very viable size choice. It would be my first choice for a CT on the back of a 1600 nomad. The tire's width is an excellent match to our wheel width and is not a clearance issue with the swing arm and the side wall comes out in the 130-135 range that is (again IMHO) optimal for correcting speeod w/o fender or swing arm or trailer hitch clearance issues.
Let us see some pics and hear a report once you have it on!

[poppy]

Originally Posted by trosco

Poppy, glad the original size was Typo! The 175/75/16 is (again IMHO) a very viable size choice. It would be my first choice for a CT on the back of a 1600 nomad. The tire's width is an excellent match to our wheel width and is not a clearance issue with the swing arm and the side wall comes out in the 130-135 range that is (again IMHO) optimal for correcting speeod w/o fender or swing arm or trailer hitch clearance issues.
Let us see some pics and hear a report once you have it on!

I'll post some pics when completed. I'm currently waiting on the tire(3 week alleged delivery time) so there is time to perform some routine/extra stuff. The following link has some pictures of the results of installing a zerk fitting for greasing the swing arm bearings, per Gadget's site. Also installing new EBC brake pads. May install a zerk fitting for the steering head bearings too. Fortunately, I own a Hayabusa so I'm still able to commute/ride while the Nomad is up on blocks!

http://www.vulcanbagger.com/phpBB3/v...ic.php?t=16521

[sharps45100]

I'm currently running a Vredestein 175/75/16 light duty truck tire on my 1600 and I love it!!!. I'm currently at 30 psi and the rear end feels like its glued to the road. Very happy with this tire! Poppy you will like it but I must say be gentle the first 100 miles as the mold release wears off.

[poppy]

Sharps, thanks for the information. I'll definately be taking it easy during the break in period. I'm certain the tire will be the right choice, based on the amount of researching I did. I'm also eager to hook on my HF trailer, after break in, and pull some stuff around. Will be doing some camping trips soon and will have the trailer loaded with that stuff.......

[blowndodge]

My truck tire is 138.75 tall and it still didn't fix "all" of the speedo error. 75 is now 73-74 actual. close enough for me. My odometer is now slow 3%... I run the 185/75/16 Conti... in my signature footer...

[nightflight1]

Finally checked the speedo error using the new Conti 195/65R/16 on my 1600 Nomad. GPS speed of 70 shows 75 on bike speedo. It did not fix the speedo difference but it did bring it closer than it was. We had 4 bikes riding today and they ALL had the same readings at 70 as I did. I can live with it........... and may even dodge a speeding ticket once in a while with that error. LOL

[johnmj]

Just wanted to chime in here, I'm running the same size Vanco2 (195/65R16) on my 02 1500 and just had a slight rub on the front where the seam of the cross over piece was welded to the drive shaft tube. it only rubbed on certain turns but it's stopped now that it has a little more room ;) I expect it'll rub a little more once I drop the air pressure, I'm still at 40 for break in, only got about 200 miles on the new tire atm. On the plus side I took my rear rim with the old MC tire on it into the dealership where I bought my bike and they mounted the CT with no hassles or bitching. The guy who mounted it said he does about 2 a month on the bigger cruisers like the nomad and voyager. He did go though a little bit of the differences in running the CT and MC, how it wants to stay upright more and needs more input in turns, and to watch out for our states fresh hot patches on the roads as their normally not the same level as the rest of the road and will throw the bike into an angle easier with the flat profile of the CT as opposed to the MT.

[nightflight1]

John, I notice a little difference on curves and uneven roadway but nothing drastic. I rode last Wed. with 28# PSI and did a panic stop on the freeway to pick up a flag that came off my friends bike. Could not believe the difference in stopping distance and we were doing 70. I used to slide thru traffic lights on the yellow so this was a pleasant surprise. Your 1500 may be a little different than my 1600 on clearance for the tire. Mine seems to have plenty of room and I have not noticed any rubbing.