You won't believe this..

[DarkSideR]

Holy Crap! An actual DarkSide review where the reviewer actually DarkSides!!!

https://youtu.be/hEZeR9E3JyY

[Ken aka Oil Burner]

Watched it this morning. I had written a long comment, but then decided not to post it. Didn't feel like getting into a YouTube pissing match. I know better. I sell Amsoil. You want to talk about a subject that each side is "right"? Amsoil is definitely one of them, no doubt. Here is what I wrote, but didn't post on the video:

 "One of the bikes I own is damn near famous for darksiding; the Honda Valkyrie. I've watched many videos about the negatives of car tires on motorcycles, yet 95% of the heavy touring riders that have gone there won't go back to a MC tire (BTW, I am running MC tires). One of the biggest reasons that "darksiding" came to popularity was for safety reasons, believe it or not. It wasn't the cost back then. Touring bikes got heavier than ever, and the MC tires of the day weren't up to the task that the owners were putting them through. A fully loaded (overloaded, more often than not) tourer with two adults and a week's worth of stuff in the bags and strapped on top of every available surface was more than many "touring" tires could handle. Rear blowouts were a real thing back then, often as immediate loss of pressure at highway speeds. I can't speak to other bikes, but it was also well documented that the factory tires on the 1st gen Valkyrie were prone to delaminating and irregular handling issues. Many were replaced long before wearing out. As Ryan stated, the other "benefits" of darksiding helped make it more widespread among those who weren't overloading their bikes. The initial cost is a benefit, but that is amplified by the fact that the car tire lasts through what would be multiple MC tires. $1000 worth of motorcycle tires vs. $149 once over the 20,000 mile period. Traction during acceleration as well as braking is often noted as better, especially in the wet. Is it for everyone? Hell no. Is the experience the same on every bike, or every class of bike? Also, certainly not. Is every car tire built the same? Also no. Some have a very square transition from tread to sidewall, and some are very rounded. Said to make a difference.
Thousands of motorcyclists are "darksiding". Thousands are not. Luckily, you get to decide for yourself. But, those who say it "can't possibly work" are incorrect. It "works" for many, many people. I've looked for darkside-related tire failures online, and have come up with nothing but spoof videos and people claiming that it can't work.
Great video production as always, Ryan."

If I'm off base, let me know. This is how I remember it and currently see it.

[Jess from VA]

The review is pretty good.

I'd never seen the bead issue so well presented.  Since no one in CT history ever had the bead let go (that we've heard of), I'd call it a red herring.

He never mentions air pressure, and it looked like he had his rock hard.  And that was a very light bike.  So unlike on my Valks, he seemed to get on the edge in any turn.  I know my sidewalls do flex in moderate turns keeping most of the tread still on the road, and only gets on edge at extreme (part dragging) lean.  But I think my edge on a 205 is still a fatter contact patch than his (in the video). 

Except, handling is not sh!t, at worst it's a bit different.  Now maybe it was sh!t on his bike, but not on mine.

Run one for 37K miles (or maybe 1-2K), and it's not different anymore.  It's just normal. 

[ShiftHappens]

I liked his line at 10:07 - We are motorcyclists, masters of measured risk.

[Beardo]

Ryan has some of the best motorcycle content on YouTube. Do yourself a favour and subscribe and watch his older ones.

[CoreyP]

I second that Fortnine/Ryan does a good job.

[Valkorado]

I never knew car tires mounted on bikes will spontaneously uninstall themselves.  Good thing I'm running light truck tires on both my Valks!

[0leman]

So is this  "spontaneously uninstall themselves" the cause of Darkside tires causing a firey death that many have said will happen when car tires on put on a motorcycle?   

I am still waiting after 90K miles of having a CT on my Valk.

[Avanti]

If you uninstall your own car tire you will find that they definitely do not and will not spontaneously uninstall.

[gordonv]

Thanks for the post. I liked the presentation. I can agree with everything he said. It also doesn't mean that it isn't different for others, that are on opposite ends. Ones that it work for, and ones that is doesn't

I noticed a few different things.

A Beautiful British Columbia license plate.
FortNine is a Canadian online business (I bought my new helmets from  last year).
Snow, deserted winding road. I think he drove up to Cypress Bowl (never having been there myself) to get snow and a parking lot.
Street scene, I think it was Vancouver's skyline. Looks like the N Shore mountains.

I think I'll see what I can do to contact him. Offer Ryan to try out my bike when I get the ATT tire mounted. That along with Dag's video of a GTT flat tire at road level.

Now I just have to figure out how to find his contact, I don't use or know about Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

[nogrey]

Thanks for the post. I liked the presentation. I can agree with everything he said. It also doesn't mean that it isn't different for others, that are on opposite ends. Ones that it work for, and ones that is doesn't

I noticed a few different things.

A Beautiful British Columbia license plate.
FortNine is a Canadian online business (I bought my new helmets from  last year).
Snow, deserted winding road. I think he drove up to Cypress Bowl (never having been there myself) to get snow and a parking lot.
Street scene, I think it was Vancouver's skyline. Looks like the N Shore mountains.

I think I'll see what I can do to contact him. Offer Ryan to try out my bike when I get the ATT tire mounted. That along with Dag's video of a GTT flat tire at road level.

Now I just have to figure out how to find his contact, I don't use or know about Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

His name is Ryan Kluftinger. You can contact him through fortnine’s email or call them direct. Their email is cs@fortnine.ca  and their phone number is 1-877-526-7415

[Factor]

I think he left it at 80 psi. That or that bike weights about 90 lbs.

I would only characterize the handling as crap when under 5 mph on uneven ground (which I'm assuming he does a lot with that bike).  Beyond that, I don't notice anything other than being a bit different.

[gordonv]

Now I just have to figure out how to find his contact, I don't use or know about Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

His name is Ryan Kluftinger. You can contact him through fortnine’s email or call them direct. Their email is cs@fortnine.ca  and their phone number is 1-877-526-7415

Thanks nogrey. I emailed him a couple of days later, but haven't gotten any reply back.

But I've also been checking over some of their other posts, and have found them quit good too.

One I think we should all see, is the one on
First Aid Protocol With A Paramedic - How to Save a Motorcyclist's Life
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiXhoFGFxyo

We're all on bikes, and it's nice to know what to do when you're on site. It's been years since I've done a refresher 1st Aid, like more than 10, and nice to hear again some things and different things specific to a MC.