Some questions on a car tire.

[BigDragon]

Hello all, I am new on this forum but have been riding my Valkyrie Interstate for 8 years now. Plagued by rear tire cupping on the last (2) Venoms I must now try a something different. Almost all the time we are riding 2 up with us, heavy leathers and everything the wife can jam into the saddle bags. Also want to go with a trailer later this year. All of this is leading up to my questions.

I have read allot of the forums here and understand the Nut Cage Mod, but since this is first for me I want to be successful the first try. I am leaning towards the Goodyear Triple Tread 205-60R-16 tire and given that we are riding heavy does this choice seem to be OK with no rubbing fender issues or should I consider a different size? I dont know what my shocks are set at but have never bottomed out.

I did the last tire change out myself (not the mounting). Do you have to pull out the rear drive unit to install the CT?

Also I was reading somewhere in here about gluing the tire?

Many Thanks in advance!

Dave
Illinois

[Valker]

I run the 205/55 without problems of rubbing.
You should ALWAYS pull the final drive unit when you replace a rear tire (and sometimes between changes) to lube the splines. Not doing this makes the splines very likely to fail.

[timk519]

I put a Michelin Primacy on my I/S's back end and pulled a trailer over 15K miles last summer. There was no gluing involved, and it pulled my trailer nicely.

Something to avoid is letting the trailer's or the bike's rear tire's pressure fall too much - the trailer'll get all wiggly going around corners, and that's never a good sensation.

I believe I put a 205/60 on the back end, nut cage mod, and don't have any problems with rubbing.

It is a different sensation having all that stopping power and not having to worry about the bike going sideways when the back end breaks free.

[R J]

I have run a car tire for over 100,000 miles with out a problem.

Once you get used to it's different handling, you will never return to a bike tire.   I like being able to STOP if needed.

I am currently running a Goodyear Triple Tread at 36#.     Make no difference if 1 up or 2 up, same pressure.

Check the pressure before every ride, or once a day, which ever occurs 1st.

I run a Metzler on the front with 45 # in it.   Like the wider tread pattern with the Metzler. 

[bigdog99]

do you have problems with the front also? i put a 205/55/16 on the rear and then went with the bias ply rear tire in the front. approximately 16,000 miles on car tire and over 5000 on the "rear" front tire. i will do that for the rest of my Valks life. i never want another mc tire in the back. when i look for a new motorcycle it has to be able to handle a car tire also.

[R J]

NO problem with the front......

[NITRO]

I've been running the GYTT in that same size since September 4th and have put a little over 6,000 miles on it in that time. I removed the nut cages and switched the stock bolts out with carriage bolts from the inside-out (thanks to MP's suggestion). There is a TON of space in there and you'll never have to worry about rubbing if you do it that way. I recently rode with a passenger that made my extra-tall heavy duty progressive shocks bottom out twice, but the tire never rubbed.

Everyone has thier own opinion, but I'll never switch back to a cycle tire. I'll be switching back to Metzler's front tire (currently have an Avon Cobra), but that's a different story.

My favorite part, besides the improved traction in all road conditions, is the tread wear! I can't tell much of a difference at 6K miles on this tire. With cycle tires, I couldn't get them to last more than 8K even with 42+ psi in them.

[cookiedough]

No question if putting over 5K per year driving, a car tire is the way to go.  With me pushing only 3K per year though, I figure at 10-12K (4 seasons tops), I can justify the added expense of a rear cycle tire. 

Nitro, I noticed you mentioned you are going to switch to a Metzeler front tire after your Avon Cobra wears out.  May I ask why?  Reason being is about at 1500 miles (mid summer of this year) on my new Avon Cobras, my front Avon Cobra shakes somewhat ONLY between say 30-40 mph enough to wobble my handlebars.  Enough wobble in the handlebars that if I let go of the handlebars for even 2 seconds, the bike would surely crash.  I thought it was just the road I was on, but the front tire (I'm guessing it is the tire) does the same shaking of the handlebars on a very smooth newly blacktopped road.  Very odd, any ideas-maybe I should've started a new thread on this?  The shaking of the handlebars goes away above say 45 mph and also below say 25 mph.

[R J]

Sounds like one of my Avon's I took off and ended up cutting it up and putting pieces of it on our push tractor at the shop.

Never really found anything in the cords, but the wiggle went away after a new Metzler was put on the front.

One dealer I dealt with said it was only out of balance.

I just told him he couldn't sheet me, as I was an old turd and l like him too much to pass.

He walked away, and said no more........    Next time I was in he told me he had a tire for me.   I said oh, he said he finagled his Avon rep and got a new one.      Told him to sell it as I wasn't interested in the tire.    Reminded him that was the 2nd out of 2 we had installed and there would not be a 3rd.

[NITRO]

No question if putting over 5K per year driving, a car tire is the way to go.  With me pushing only 3K per year though, I figure at 10-12K (4 seasons tops), I can justify the added expense of a rear cycle tire. 

Nitro, I noticed you mentioned you are going to switch to a Metzeler front tire after your Avon Cobra wears out.  May I ask why?  Reason being is about at 1500 miles (mid summer of this year) on my new Avon Cobras, my front Avon Cobra shakes somewhat ONLY between say 30-40 mph enough to wobble my handlebars.  Enough wobble in the handlebars that if I let go of the handlebars for even 2 seconds, the bike would surely crash.  I thought it was just the road I was on, but the front tire (I'm guessing it is the tire) does the same shaking of the handlebars on a very smooth newly blacktopped road.  Very odd, any ideas-maybe I should've started a new thread on this?  The shaking of the handlebars goes away above say 45 mph and also below say 25 mph.

I've heard of a lot of problems with Avons lately. Personally I haven't liked the Cobras as well as my Metzlers. I notice that they get "squirmey" on tar snakes and just don't handle the way I remember the Metzlers. I can still lean the bike over far enough in a corner to catch my highway pegs, so they definitely hold the pavement, but I'll be going back to Metz just the same. Finally, I noticed that there are very tiny cracks between the tread. I don't know if they're anything to worry about, but for a one-year-old tire, this is unacceptable in my book.

[R J]

In the sidewall lcode is a built date.

Go to a tire place, and ask them to define your #.

It might be a tire that was built 4 to 7 years ago.

[NITRO]

I believe it is about a year old from what I remember reading on the date code. This is the Cobra, I don't think they made them that long ago.

[Mike S.]

I have used Avon tires for the last four years - 12 - 14K on the front and 8 and 3K on two rears, the 3K broke a belt, and the 8K picked up a drywall screw and I ran a plug for about 1000 till I replaced it. The front has worn as close to perfect as possible, never less than 42 lbs, the rears got light flat spot, but no cupping, always kept them at 44 lbs single, 47 lbs two up - 85% of my riding is single.
Love these tires for traction! Riding around town and the backroads of NC, I routinely scrape my left foot on banking turns, and I have nothing but the greatest of respect for the Avon cornering ability and stickyness.

Now, all that said, how do other tires rate performance wise on the IS? And, even more specifically, how does the car tire handle when you get off the highways and stick to twisty backroads? I have riden behind a VTX that has a CT rear, and noticed how funny it looked in the corners - actually up on the edge of the tire - that does not look very faith inspiring.

[oldman]

Mike, I put a CT tire (HyrdoEdge 205:60-18) on my Valk about 7K ago.  The tire will out perform my riding abilities.  I have found that I have to use more effort in "counter steering" going thru curves

Several members who have gone to the CT do scrape foot pegs, so performance is not a problem.  One comes to mind is Smokinjoe, he has to replace his foot pegs every so often.  He loves riding the curves.

As far as how much rubber is on the road during a curve, take a good look at Motorcycle tire when it corners.  You will find that there is not all that much rubber touching the road.

[bigdog99]

I have used Avon tires for the last four years - 12 - 14K on the front and 8 and 3K on two rears, the 3K broke a belt, and the 8K picked up a drywall screw and I ran a plug for about 1000 till I replaced it. The front has worn as close to perfect as possible, never less than 42 lbs, the rears got light flat spot, but no cupping, always kept them at 44 lbs single, 47 lbs two up - 85% of my riding is single.
Love these tires for traction! Riding around town and the backroads of NC, I routinely scrape my left foot on banking turns, and I have nothing but the greatest of respect for the Avon cornering ability and stickyness.

Now, all that said, how do other tires rate performance wise on the IS? And, even more specifically, how does the car tire handle when you get off the highways and stick to twisty backroads? I have riden behind a VTX that has a CT rear, and noticed how funny it looked in the corners - actually up on the edge of the tire - that does not look very faith inspiring.

MIKE, JUST TOOK MINE TO S DAKOTA  TO DO THE TWISTIES AND SPARKED BOTH SIDES!