So......I just put white wall tires on my bike last Friday. 
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So......I just put white wall tires on my bike last Friday.
They look good but are high maintenence because the brake dust from disc brakes sticks to the white walls.You either clean them all the time or they look dirty/dingy. Steve
+1 That parking lot video shows the contact patch shrinks considerably when the bike leans into a turn. Isn't one purpose of the rounded profile of a bike tire, to allow more of the contact patch to remain usable when the bike goes into a corner or turn? If I were a rider, I'd be very hesitant to switch to car tires for this reason - think of how easy it is to wipe out on a bicycle with skinny tires when the pavement is wet....
I think the car tire on that rear wheel would have better traction on wet surfaces.
Motorcycle tires have deeper tread depth than car tires yet wear out faster for a reason, rubber compound. Tire traction is a function of tire flex which heats the compound. You could make a motorcycle tire that lasts 50,000 miles but no respectable manufacturer will do it because it is a safety issue. Theres no margin for error for the rider, lots of guys have had wrecks because they ran out of tire even on heavy cruisers. And you can tell me all day long it handles almost as good as a regular profile bike tire but when I swapped tires on the wing I could always feel a major difference between the flat spotted tire with 10K and the brand new donut.
I wish you the best of luck with it.
I wish you the best of luck with it.
Nope more surface area and lighter weight per wheel leads to decreased pumping effecincy,also signifgantly harder compounds lead to reduced traction car tires are designed for cars.
I have two Victory cruizers and an FZR1000 and you won't see me putting a car tire on any of them. I don't care if the tire only lasts 1,500 miles. I want the stickiest thing available. You never know when you're going to need it.
Now a drag bike...that's a different story.
Tony
Now a drag bike...that's a different story.
Tony
I am amazed at how many motorcycle tire experts there are on here. I should have come here before I spent a month doing research on my own. Man, I really wasted my time.
I have over 600,000 miles over 35 years. I taught motorcycle safety for 5 years. This bike is number 43 for me. I have ridden more bikes than 99% of the general motorcycle community. I have raced on and off road. I have raced everything from a YSR50 all the way up to a GS1100 (old school crotch rocket) I have ridden a 13cc pocket rocket up to a 2300cc triple can. From a bike you could carry in your hand to a 1500 pound trike. I have just about done it all. I have been down I40 at 187mph on an old V-Max years ago. Been 190mph on a drag track back in the early 90s. I have done the twisties, towed a trailer with a bike, and ridden a bike that was 12 and a half feet long, chopper, not swing-arm. I would not put anything on my bike that would be unsafe. As with everything, you guys have to site the extreme to win your argument. I am not racing, I didn't ask anyone to put them on there crotch rockets, and yes, there is an argument for car tire on a motorcycle. But most of you are just talking out your a$$es. Compounds, side wall, rain, yada yada yada. There are HUNDREDS of motorcycle tires I would NEVER put on my bike. Like lets say, a Moto GP tire. Way to soft, would only last about a couple thousand miles or so and would really suck in the rain. Now, I can say I have driven a motorcycle with a car tire on it. It corners very well and has more than enough grip. My bike is heavy, and this tire is a lot wider than the one I took off. I don't do twisties, I ride for pleasure. If I wanted to jack around corners at a hundred miles an hour, I would have a bike for that, and it would have a tire made just for that kind of riding. The big problem with cruisers is finding a tire that allows you to go across country without having to change it every 3 or four months. This tire can accomplish that. Without compromising safety, ride stability, or traction. Like I said, I have done it, it handles perfectly and I expect that I will be just as happy with it in 15,000 miles, as I am now, and as hundreds of other darksiders are with theres. The funny thing is that in all my research, I could not find one person who put a car tire on there bike, that went back to a mc tire, not one. No reports of a biker that crashed and burned because he put a car tire on his bike. In fact, for 50 years, that is all you could put on a bike. Radials no less. Vintage bikes had them, Harley homebuilts had car tires on them. History is full of bikers who never knew anything but car tires. So why do they even make bike tires? Money, improved performance, better traction, better ride, safety? All of the above. But just because they make a tire specifically for a bike, doesn't mean that everything else is wrong. In my humble opinion, if you have not tried it, then you don't know what you are talking about. I don't care how many miles you have on a bike, or how many years experience, until you have tried it, don't knock it. You guys do make me laugh though.
Hey Marshal, I do want to see them white walls. I bet they look good on that bike. If you get a chance, would you post some pics?? I have always wanted to put whitewalls on a bike, I just don't think they would look good on my mags. I may end up putting spokes on mine and putting whit walls on it someday, I just like the old school look. I think it is funny that you told us you put them on, and in the very next post, someone has to knock them. You guys crack me up. And it is always the same guys who just think they know everything about everything. I am going to start a thread about baking bread just to see how many people know it all.
Peace
I have over 600,000 miles over 35 years. I taught motorcycle safety for 5 years. This bike is number 43 for me. I have ridden more bikes than 99% of the general motorcycle community. I have raced on and off road. I have raced everything from a YSR50 all the way up to a GS1100 (old school crotch rocket) I have ridden a 13cc pocket rocket up to a 2300cc triple can. From a bike you could carry in your hand to a 1500 pound trike. I have just about done it all. I have been down I40 at 187mph on an old V-Max years ago. Been 190mph on a drag track back in the early 90s. I have done the twisties, towed a trailer with a bike, and ridden a bike that was 12 and a half feet long, chopper, not swing-arm. I would not put anything on my bike that would be unsafe. As with everything, you guys have to site the extreme to win your argument. I am not racing, I didn't ask anyone to put them on there crotch rockets, and yes, there is an argument for car tire on a motorcycle. But most of you are just talking out your a$$es. Compounds, side wall, rain, yada yada yada. There are HUNDREDS of motorcycle tires I would NEVER put on my bike. Like lets say, a Moto GP tire. Way to soft, would only last about a couple thousand miles or so and would really suck in the rain. Now, I can say I have driven a motorcycle with a car tire on it. It corners very well and has more than enough grip. My bike is heavy, and this tire is a lot wider than the one I took off. I don't do twisties, I ride for pleasure. If I wanted to jack around corners at a hundred miles an hour, I would have a bike for that, and it would have a tire made just for that kind of riding. The big problem with cruisers is finding a tire that allows you to go across country without having to change it every 3 or four months. This tire can accomplish that. Without compromising safety, ride stability, or traction. Like I said, I have done it, it handles perfectly and I expect that I will be just as happy with it in 15,000 miles, as I am now, and as hundreds of other darksiders are with theres. The funny thing is that in all my research, I could not find one person who put a car tire on there bike, that went back to a mc tire, not one. No reports of a biker that crashed and burned because he put a car tire on his bike. In fact, for 50 years, that is all you could put on a bike. Radials no less. Vintage bikes had them, Harley homebuilts had car tires on them. History is full of bikers who never knew anything but car tires. So why do they even make bike tires? Money, improved performance, better traction, better ride, safety? All of the above. But just because they make a tire specifically for a bike, doesn't mean that everything else is wrong. In my humble opinion, if you have not tried it, then you don't know what you are talking about. I don't care how many miles you have on a bike, or how many years experience, until you have tried it, don't knock it. You guys do make me laugh though.
Hey Marshal, I do want to see them white walls. I bet they look good on that bike. If you get a chance, would you post some pics?? I have always wanted to put whitewalls on a bike, I just don't think they would look good on my mags. I may end up putting spokes on mine and putting whit walls on it someday, I just like the old school look. I think it is funny that you told us you put them on, and in the very next post, someone has to knock them. You guys crack me up. And it is always the same guys who just think they know everything about everything. I am going to start a thread about baking bread just to see how many people know it all.
Peace
Well now you know all these experts are here do you don't have to waste time doing research anymore, just ask them they are experts from guns to motorcycles to re-tiling your bathroom floor blindfolded.
He He.... I do need my bathroom floor re tiled. Ever try Portuguese sweet bread. I have my own recipe and this stuff melts in your mouth.
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