Inundated with Darkside info Update, it done and has 150 mile on it

[Dragoon]

Today, I am going to the dark side. After reading volumes of info I thought I have nothing but a few hundred dollars to loose and it seems to be compatible with my riding style. I have purchased a very good quality unidirectional 205/55/16 Yokohama for the back.

Here’s my question. During my reading, I came across a few who have put a rear tire on the front in the reverse rotation. They claim this is for safety and stability. So, is this something that you would recommend or should I start with a regular front tire?

I would appreciate your thoughts today as late this aft, it will all go down.

[storm]

First I would consider running a 60 on the rear tire - I run a 65 series. I have been running Bias rear tires on the front for year and never run them backwards but it's a bias so if you decide to run it backwards I don't think it will do anything - good or bad.
35psi on the front is about right and 26-28 on the rear seems to be the spot - I have tried as low as 12psi with no ill effects so don't be concerned not running 45psi. (high pressure is a hard habit to break)
What I have found is handling goes down hill if the CT is run over 30 psi as then the sidewalls don't flex and leaning becomes harder to do smoothly.
I have been running CT / bias for two years on both the Valk and GL. Pretty much 30-35k life on the CT's

People ask me how it handles with a car tire - I tell them "beats me I can't tell the difference"

[Dragoon]

Damn,

I bought the 55 already. The mechanic doing the work said that it was only reasonable to run the rear tire in reverse on the front if I opt that way. I did not have my info with me so i had to go back and see what that reference was too and it was for the rear tire up front. I chose the 55 after a long chat with the tire guy and a load of documentation i had from this and other forums. He tells me for the concept and the yokohama, that the 55 would probably be the best choice.

Am I right that the dunflop elite three is a bias ply tire? I thought i was told that that was why they performed better for me then my ME880s did, which in its self, was a huge surprise

About pressure, i have seen folks all over the place. I ride one up as you can see from my bike with the only load being my tools (3-4lbs) and my shocks are set at the factory (2). Any advice. IE do you still think 35 front and 28 rear is a good start?

[storm]

The 55 will be OK and if your short legged this my be good. the 65 drops the RPM a bit is all and helps with mpg's. I would try 35 / 28 and see how it feels - drive it a couple K before tweaking as mentally your going to imagine it's mushy or odd. Once you get used to the idea then you can experiment.

The whole theory on the CT and pressure is that running too much pressure does not allow the sidewalls to flex so when going into corners the tire must ride up on the edge thus increasing the axle to surface length and lifting the rear of the bike. Although this is a subtle move it does force you to steer into corners rather than just drop into them normally. Also the life of the tire goes down to that of a standard MC tire as on the straight only the center of the tire is taking the wear so you end up with bald center and new tread on the edges. Anyway just ride it until you get used to it then play from there.

I can tell you - it's nice to change tires every 2-3 years rather than twice a year. And especially nice when your on a long trip and all the others are paying dealers $200-250 to install new rear tires and yours is still brand new after 12k

[Dragoon]

Thanks VERY VERY much. I am a bit nervouse but hell, if i have to return to a MC, then i have only lost $140 on a tire and the labor, but iat least i tried ;)

[storm]

I think most darksiders will agree - once you switch to a CT you don't go back. We used to run 4" truck tires on our old choppers in the 60's and 70's so it's nothing new (ran 10psi to make up for ridged frames)

[willness33]

Thanks VERY VERY much. I am a bit nervouse but hell, if i have to return to a MC, then i have only lost $140 on a tire and the labor, but iat least i tried ;)

You sound exactly like I did just 3 weeks ago.  You'll be happy with it.  I've got just under 1K miles on the CT and honestly, it feels totally atural now.

[Dragoon]

So I bought a rear tire and told them to install it on the front (from a poster in another thread) and run it in the reverse direction. I am certain I will love it. However, today I came armed with some stuff from this andother forums including some diagrams and some info from Dan Meyers site. When I told the service guy what to do, he went on to the "flaming death" speach. He even drew a pics of the contact patch in several degrees of lean and then finished it up with a pic of a huge ball of fire and my back tire rolling down the street ;) ;)

I simply handed him the volumes of info I printed out and told him that after reading that, only then can he call him self an expert on Valks ( as he claimed last week)

I will do hundreds of miles this week as i have one tour booked for saturday (www.dragoon-tours.com) to Big Bear so I will know if I am a darksider or not by then. I will add to this post with pics and impressions.

I do want to thank everyone on this forum for thier information both inside and out of the "darkside" forum. I am actually quite excited.

[storm]

huge ball of fire and my back tire rolling down the street

Yes a common reaction - and most common are "how can it lean when it's riding on the sidewalls?" What can I say...........

Worse yet you get those who think motorcycles are "designed for" radials and go goo goo over that. I am a firm believer that motorcycles are designed around two wheels and tires are designed to fit motorcycles. I guess the CT flies a bit in the face of normal reason but then again why not be a leader rather than a follower?

Be one in a million rather than one of the millions!

[dennisraz]

I run a bias ply kenda rear on the front,in the reverse direction,and the tire handles just fine,even at triple digit speeds,even when wet.
I may just run it in the correct rotation next time,to quiet the tire some.
The tire is slightly smaller,which bothers me a little bit,but for $60 from dennis kirk ,it's a cheap experiment.
I run the falken zx 512 radial in the rear,also costs about $60 from discount tire.

Now that I'm confident with my darkside purchases,I will try some more expensive tire compounds,to see what I like best.
I will never go back to m/c tires and their outrageous pricing.

[willness33]

Not to hijack the thread, but what would be the purpose of running a bias back tire on the front other chan the cost difference?  I just ordered a new Avon for the front, so I'm just curious.

[dennisraz]

$60 for a tire with twice as much tread.
Bias ply constructed tires for the rear are made to keep the plies together when under torque.
When installed on the front,braking pressures pushes the plies away from each other,so installing the tire in reverse rotation keeps the tire plies stable.
I refuse to spend $400 a year on over priced motorcycle tires.

[storm]

I agree I spend the same for both front and rear combined over a single MC tire then run 3-4 times as long. Not only saving money but not near the downtime.

[Dragoon]

Its dome, somewhat.

I put on a 205/60/16 on the rear. I purchased a rear tire to run reverse in the front but it was a different size rim (on the standards any way) so I ended up putting on a E3 from Dunlop, which they gave me a great deal. The minute I saw it mounted I was very impressed and very worried at the same time. There appeared to be NO clearance between the tire (at 28PSI) and the shaft. I did not do the nut mod. The mechanic who did the work said I needed new brake pads on the front and he would put it on for the cost of just the pad since he had it all apart. I chose to go with HH rated racing pads and after 150 miles, I am very happy I did. The mechanic then went to test drive it and he looked very worried as he started her up and slowly began his test drive. He arrived back with a he smile and a lot of confusion as to how it could work so well.

I  checked the gap between the shaft and I could easily fit two credit cards in. So off I go with new tires and brakes Not something I like to do ( change brakes and tire at the same time). I felt both a ringing (more like a jingling) that sounded like my gremlin bell, but it was coming from the left side and my bell is on the right. I was very worried. I also felt a rubbing and was sure I would have to do the nut mod. I pulled over and changed my preload from 2 to 4. I also found what was causing the  ringing. It was my d-rings on my helmet. I had forgot to strap it up. Once I really got going, the change in preload had done the trick. I then took a 150 mile ride and made sure to take some road that I knew had bumps and pit as well as some tight twisties. The tire preformed fantastic. It is true that I had to actually steer the beast but not as much as I thought.

So, bottom line is that I am converted. If it only get better as the tire wear in, then I will never go back .

Thanks to all who help me with info and encouragement.

[willness33]

Get some more miles on that tire and you'll love it even more! ;)

Try playing around with pressures in the rear tire.  You'll be suprised at how much a few pounds will change.  Personally, I'm quite content with 34psi, but I'm sure tire size and manufacturer throws a cruve ball into what works for some and not others.