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01-17-2012, 09:58 PM | #1 |
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Location: Warsaw, Indiana
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Yeah, another CT thread...
I don't know which side of fence I am on, but read all the CT threads and hope to make a decision before I need a new tire on my Vaq.
just thought would post this I cam across from Motorcyclist Online Car Tired A friend of mine recently mounted a car tire on his 1800cc metric cruiser because it was cheaper, cooler, lasted longer and, he claimed, all his friends were doing it with no adverse effects. I have ridden behind him and observed the bike teetering on the edge of the square-profile tire with no contact patch at all. The last time we rode together he carried his 8-year-old daughter on the passenger seat and commented that I was having trouble keeping up. He is an aggressive rider and I just didn’t want to take a chance of hitting him. Have you heard of problems caused by car tires mounted on motorcycles? There doesn’t seem to be any information about what is fast becoming a common practice. Gene Quies Fort Atkinson, WI Car tires may actually cost less, last longer, ride smoother and make your buddy’s 1800 look cool. But mounting automobile rubber on a motorcycle’s wheels is still dumb, for a host of seemingly obvious reasons. Start with this one from Michelin’s Motorcycle Fitment Guide: “Tires designed for passenger cars can be dangerous when used on motorcycles and motorcycles with sidecars, as bead-seat diameters of motorcycle rims and passenger car rims are different.” Though that difference may not be obvious to the inexperienced eye, it can lead to what experts call “sudden, catastrophic deflation,” which is guaranteed to ruin your day. Just in case that’s not enough, your pal’s gangsta whitewalls are probably edgier than he thinks. Cars don’t lean much, so car tires are supposed to keep most of their relatively flat tread area on the pavement most of the time. Motorcycles lean to turn, which is why a motorcycle tire’s profile is contoured to lay down a consistent contact patch—upright or cranked over. Automotive tread designs don’t work so well leaning on one edge or the other, especially when it comes to channeling water away from some compromised contact patch. The indecisive cornering feel that comes with it generates more anxiety than confidence; enough to put most right-minded people back on bike-specific rubber. Still, your friend and other adamantly like-minded individuals roll on automotive rubber for the same reason dogs lick their other orifice: because they can. And can, as any good dictionary or tire engineer will tell you, doesn’t mean should. Read more: http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/ho...#ixzz1jm4nJlNe
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01-17-2012, 10:13 PM | #2 |
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I'd rather take the advice of people who have tried the car tire than some magazine editor who hasn't. I have been following car tire threads for a long time and have yet to hear of anyone who crashed because they were running a car tire. Riders on motorcycle tires crash all the time. I'm not saying you can't crash with a car tire, just that I've never read or heard of one.
I rode on a car tire on my 2007 Nomad for 22,000 miles and never felt the anxiety that the editor describes. It was a smooth, stable ride with improved braking because of the greater contact patch. But what do I know? I don't write for a magazine.
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01-17-2012, 10:23 PM | #3 |
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I read that online too. I have over 25K on CT's on my 99 Nomad. I know a bunch of others here that have similar and more miles on them. Not one of them has had an accident caused by CT failure.
Go to north GA and ride with Dick (dkdixie), Cliff (VulcanE) or to TN and ride with Goose. They lay over their Nomads and ride them like nobody's business. I've seen GW's with them on that are ridden by IBR finishers. Tell the editor to do a little research in the real world and see that they do work.
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01-17-2012, 10:40 PM | #4 |
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Running on a car tire is a choice we can all make ourselves, its not for everyone. But reading from people that have tried it firsthand goes a long way in giving the topic some credibility. I didn't find a huge difference in handling after switching tires, and had I not felt comfortable I would have switched back.
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01-17-2012, 11:00 PM | #6 |
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While there is a slight difference in the area where the bead seats, the motorcycle rims are the ones that are a little larger. That's why it sometimes takes a little more pressure to seat the Car tire on the Motorcycle rim. While it is theoretically plausible that a Motorcycle tire may loose pressure on a Car, the reverse is highly unlikely.
Meanwhile back at the facts, I intentionally took the same twisties before and after changing to a CT. Before (M/C tire) I had slower speeds and scraped the boards. After (CT) better handling, tighter corners, faster speeds, and I did not drag the boards. I also did my own "road patch" test on straight and deep cornering by putting some water on the road just before a turn on a dry road. Car tire wins again. Also had several opportunities to compare stopping power. Car tire wins hands down. IMHO the only reason for anyone to object to a car tire on a motorcycle is that they have a personal financial interest in selling motorcycle tires at their inflated price. JBTW at the time I made the change, I could afford any motorcycle tire made. I chose the Goodyear Assurance Triple Tread 205/60-16 for my '06 Nomad because it is the best traction/performance choice available for the machine I own.
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01-17-2012, 11:21 PM | #7 |
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"enough to put most right-minded people back on bike-specific rubber"
LOL!! I think most people would say that right-minded people don't ride motorcycles.
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01-17-2012, 11:22 PM | #8 |
Join Date: Mar 2009
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Here's a blog post I wrote a long time ago that shows several different bikes, some in very tight turns, all on car tires and a few vids.
http://www.utahmotorcyclist.org/2009...dark-side.html
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01-17-2012, 11:53 PM | #9 |
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You also have to remember, since that guy does write for a magazine, he's is legally bound to not advise readers to do things that are not recommended. If he said "it was the greatest thing since sliced bread" (which it may be, in my opinion), and someone actually did get hurt because of it, he and the magazine would have a large law-suit on their hands.
I've never experienced an "indecisive feel" while cornering. I've actually felt more comfortable corning on a car tire than I did on the motorcycle tire. Some people just don't have an open mind to trying it. When I was getting mine installed, I actually almost got into an argument with another customer that commented how stupid it was. "I'd never put a car tire on a motorcycle, that's just stupid!" So, I asked why he thought so and then if he had ever tried it. He said he never had and never would and never gave me an answer as to why. I told him that when he became more intellectual, then I'd have the conversation with him and I walked away. I've never doubted my decision to put one on my bike. I'll put another one in a few years when this one wears out. :)
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01-18-2012, 12:08 AM | #10 |
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I don't mind at all anyone thinking my truck tire is stupid. I ride to many biker hangouts in So. Cal and here both sides. I've asked them if any of the nay sayers had data that car tired motorcycles have a higher incident of accidents than regular motorcycle tires... Of course nobody has any historical evidence that car tires are more dangerous. Car tires have been run on motorcycles since WWII.
I'll be honest, I like that not many people do it.. The rare one's that I meet running a car tire ask me the same thing, "how many people think your stupid to run a car tire". We have a good laugh. There must be a reason most of them say they're never going back.
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01-18-2012, 12:42 AM | #11 |
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I haven't gone to the darkside yet (but will with the next rear tire change) but keep one thing in mind when you're talking about contact patch. Most that run CTs, DON'T run very square rubber. The GYTT (and others) is a fairly round CT. The few I've seen with very wide, very squared off CTs are the bikes that just don't corner much (i.e. Boss Hoss). I'd like to get a new rear tire by spring (depending on funds). Once I do, I'll let you take it around the block so you can see for yourself.
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01-18-2012, 02:21 AM | #12 | |
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01-18-2012, 06:49 AM | #13 |
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Heh heh. The "I'll let you take it around the block" part was for Bob (as he only lives about an hour away) but if you're gonna have cookies, it might be worth the ride to NC. Nice, soft snickerdoodles, please.
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01-18-2012, 07:53 AM | #14 |
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These car tire threads do intrigue me. I do know that cruiser riders ride and brake differently than sport bike riders, but I also know that a lot of sport bike riders are young guys who can barely afford to change tires every 1,000 to 4,000 miles. I have yet to hear about any sport bike rider putting a car tire on their motorcycle. Is it because 17" tires are hard to come by, or is it because they don't want to take the chance.
I have had conversations with CT guys who tell me that you do notice a difference compared to running a MT. They tell me that it takes a little more pressure on the bars to drop into a turn and constant pressure to hold it there. They tell me that irregularities in the road surface tend to push the bike around so you have to stay on your toes. Of course there are Motorcycle tires with blocky tread patterns and a single groove running down the center that are affected by road surface as well. When my motorcycle tires are near the end of there useful life I feel a lot of the same things that the CT guys describe. I don't like the way the bike feels at that point which is why I never run tires down to the threads like some guys I know. I would love the opportunity to ride a bike with a CT, but I am not willing to spend the time and labor to try one out. Especially when I can get 16,000 miles out of a motorcycle tire.
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01-18-2012, 07:58 AM | #15 | |
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