Think I'm going to like this tire.

[John Schmidt]

Kuhmo Ecsta PA31, 195/60r16, V rated which I didn't need but couldn't get an H. The old tire was a 205 but the tread appears to only be just under a 1/2" difference(.39"). I like the appearance of the round shoulders, it should handle quite well. The old tire had a lot of tread left but was showing signs of aging....kinda like me.    Lots of rain this weekend so will be a couple days before any test rides, but at least I was able to replace the messed up dampers and give everything a good cleaning. Soon as the balancing beads get here I'll mount the wheel. I assume 3 oz. is sufficient for a c/t.

[Bighead]

That is a sweet looking tire John

[The emperor has no clothes]

3 oz. is what I've been using. Good looking tire 

[John Schmidt]

3 oz. is what I've been using. Good looking tire 

I only have 1 oz. left over from changing my front tire and have been waiting since last Monday for a delivery of more, the tracking # says by next Tuesday. That's ridiculous, I've rec'd. parts from Big Bike Things in New Zealand in that amount of time. Want to put them in before putting the wheel back on, so much easier. I'm almost tempted to drive 50 miles to a Loves truck stop just to get some. 

[The emperor has no clothes]

Maybe one of the auto parts stores near you might have some. Might be worth a couple calls.  

[sixlow]

Good looking tread on that tire, I can't believe the beads are taking so long, last time I ordered from amazon they took 2 days to arrive. 

[baldo]

Kuhmo Ecsta PA31, 195/60r16, V rated which I didn't need but couldn't get an H. The old tire was a 205 but the tread appears to only be just under a 1/2" difference(.39"). I like the appearance of the round shoulders, it should handle quite well. The old tire had a lot of tread left but was showing signs of aging....kinda like me.    Lots of rain this weekend so will be a couple days before any test rides, but at least I was able to replace the messed up dampers and give everything a good cleaning. Soon as the balancing beads get here I'll mount the wheel. I assume 3 oz. is sufficient for a c/t.

I know there must be a story behind the Goldwing with the Valkyrie tank.....

[Bighead]

Whole thread about it on the Florida board.

[John Schmidt]

Good looking tread on that tire, I can't believe the beads are taking so long, last time I ordered from amazon they took 2 days to arrive. 

Well, I took someone's suggestion and started checking the "net" for local auto parts shops that carry them. Found O'Reilly's carries them so gave the one I use a call, had five minutes left for them to order stuff from the warehouse(cut off was 3pm), picked them up about 5:30 Sat. evening. It's a 10oz. bag for $18.99+tax. The Amazon order estimates Tuesday delivery, very poor service so I'm going to see if I can return them. Now I can get the Valk back together.

Baldo, re. the Valk tank on an old Wing, it's an '84 Std. I picked up as a basket case a couple years ago. The OEM tank was rusted through so it got tossed, never liked that set-up anyway. I found the '99 Valk tank on ebay for a decent price and it's almost perfect. I added an elevated bracket to the frame in front near the steering neck for the front tank bolt. At the rear, I added a flat crossmember with a hinge welded to it and a nut welded underneath. That's for the rear tank bolt. Now, if I need to check fuses or access the air filter, I simply unbolt the front and tip the tank up. I had to split the case and replace a piston/rod...swallowed a valve. Did some repairs to the frame and rebuilt everything so far; forks, final drive, all calipers, new tires, fuel pump, has Valkyrie bars and controls, SS overflow to replace the OEM plastic junk, new wheel bearings all around, new SS brake/clutch lines, Valk shocks(OEM were 1.5" longer)....and now the front tire is flat for some fool reason.    When I'm ready, the friend that made my Valk leather apparel is going to build a seat for me. Should make it easier to sell.

Here's where I am on it at the moment, I'll be replacing the ugly OEM gauges with something smaller and more functional. Still needs all the lights except headlight.



The polished SS overflow.


Valk bars/controls.


I have since reshaped the bracket at the fender to match the width of the brace. I welded a bracket to the swingarm just forward of the axle to mount the brace. On the right side I just cut a piece big enough to go over the axle and under the nut. On both I welded a plated nut on the back side.


PS: Harley mufflers.    And.....that's the story on the Wing with a Valkyrie tank.

[TJ]

Wonder were I've seen a Kuhmo  before....

[John Schmidt]

Wonder were I've seen a Kuhmo  before....

I give up.....give me a hint.   TJ, is that a 205?

[Pappy!]

Lots of great siping on that tread. Should be super grippy and a winner in the wet stuff.

[John Schmidt]

Lots of great siping on that tread. Should be super grippy and a winner in the wet stuff.

I hope you're right on the gripping power. Got it all back together late this afternoon so didn't get a chance for a test ride. After seeing how the dampers were messed up I'll bet the ride will be a lot smoother.

[baldo]

Good looking tread on that tire, I can't believe the beads are taking so long, last time I ordered from amazon they took 2 days to arrive. 

Well, I took someone's suggestion and started checking the "net" for local auto parts shops that carry them. Found O'Reilly's carries them so gave the one I use a call, had five minutes left for them to order stuff from the warehouse(cut off was 3pm), picked them up about 5:30 Sat. evening. It's a 10oz. bag for $18.99+tax. The Amazon order estimates Tuesday delivery, very poor service so I'm going to see if I can return them. Now I can get the Valk back together.

Baldo, re. the Valk tank on an old Wing, it's an '84 Std. I picked up as a basket case a couple years ago. The OEM tank was rusted through so it got tossed, never liked that set-up anyway. I found the '99 Valk tank on ebay for a decent price and it's almost perfect. I added an elevated bracket to the frame in front near the steering neck for the front tank bolt. At the rear, I added a flat crossmember with a hinge welded to it and a nut welded underneath. That's for the rear tank bolt. Now, if I need to check fuses or access the air filter, I simply unbolt the front and tip the tank up. I had to split the case and replace a piston/rod...swallowed a valve. Did some repairs to the frame and rebuilt everything so far; forks, final drive, all calipers, new tires, fuel pump, has Valkyrie bars and controls, SS overflow to replace the OEM plastic junk, new wheel bearings all around, new SS brake/clutch lines, Valk shocks(OEM were 1.5" longer)....and now the front tire is flat for some fool reason.    When I'm ready, the friend that made my Valk leather apparel is going to build a seat for me. Should make it easier to sell.

Here's where I am on it at the moment, I'll be replacing the ugly OEM gauges with something smaller and more functional. Still needs all the lights except headlight.



The polished SS overflow.


Valk bars/controls.


I have since reshaped the bracket at the fender to match the width of the brace. I welded a bracket to the swingarm just forward of the axle to mount the brace. On the right side I just cut a piece big enough to go over the axle and under the nut. On both I welded a plated nut on the back side.


PS: Harley mufflers.    And.....that's the story on the Wing with a Valkyrie tank.

Wow, that's a mouthful! That's going to look fantastic. Are you changing color or matching the tank?

I have an 84 STD also, but it's a mess. Definitely a solid project bike, I don't have the time. I need to put it on CL and/or eBay. Tired of paying for storage...

[John Schmidt]

Wow, that's a mouthful! That's going to look fantastic. Are you changing color or matching the tank?
===========================================================
Well....you asked. It's difficult to tell a story by writing just one paragraph, so I expanded on it. Re. the color, yes....I was able to find a very close color match for the front fender so I figured I'd just paint the side covers and rear fender to match. At this point the engine is questionable. The #4 piston had swallowed a valve, reason for that was the belts were new but installed so loose I removed them without loosening the tensioners, that let it jump about 3 teeth on the left side. It scored the #4 cylinder wall pretty bad and I couldn't hone it all out so once I get it out on the street and see how it runs, then I'll make a decision on whether to replace the engine. I commented once that it's a love and attention project.....I'd love to be done with it. The only reason I got it was to have something to do when I'm stuck at home. My wife has health problems and spends the majority of her time confined to the house, no longer able to travel, drive, hardly walk most days, now weighs 92 lbs. fully dressed. That means I am also and this gives me something to do.

I'd love to find a good FI engine from an '86 or '87, then convert it to carbs and run that. The engine in there now is an '85 but not very strong.

[Hook#3287]

John, did you do any mods to get the Valk shocks to fit?

[TJ]

Wonder were I've seen a Kuhmo  before....

I give up.....give me a hint.  TJ, is that a 205?

Yes sir it is....

That's a pic of it on the wing but I have the same on the Valk with 11 1/2 in. shocks... No problems,
you're going to love it....

[John Schmidt]

TJ, it's a 195....not as wide appearing as the 205 I had on there. I'll try a few hard stops to see how it acts when I lock up the rear, I figure 5:00 o'clock traffic on I-4 would be a good test. 

[John Schmidt]

John, did you do any mods to get the Valk shocks to fit?

Nope, slips right in. There is one difference....the upper stud the top of the shock mounts to is longer so a spacer is needed to let you attach anything to it. I'll take a closeup pic, you can see the spacer needed isn't very big.

[John Schmidt]

Finally was able to get the bike out on the road with the new tire. Ooh yeeaaah!  That's one sweet handling hunk of rubber in back, put about 10 miles on it and turning the sharp corner down the street coming home I inadvertently scraped a peg. So, now the Phat Lady has new tires front/rear, new front bearing, rear are both double row and are fine, fully serviced drive line from u-joint back, new dampers. Rides great, shifts nice and smooth now. Next project is valve adjust, after 45k I have one a bit noisy. Balance beads in both tires so I'm wanting to get out on the highway to test it at speed. Should be ready for a long ride if the chance comes. 

[Tailgate Tommy]

John, what did you put on for a front tire?

[John Schmidt]

John, what did you put on for a front tire?

Metzeler bias ply, stock size. Had one on with the last c/t and balancing beads in both, finally changed it at about 17k due to age, still had good tread. Age was also the reason I changed the c/t this time, now everything is new at the same time. 

[Tailgate Tommy]

John, what did you put on for a front tire?

Metzeler bias ply, stock size. Had one on with the last c/t and balancing beads in both, finally changed it at about 17k due to age, still had good tread. Age was also the reason I changed the c/t this time, now everything is new at the same time. 

Cool thanks. Great looking bike!

[John Schmidt]

I'm really liking this tire. It rolls into the curves and corners real smooth and doesn't feel like it wants to stand you up. Went to a local mall with large empty spaces and locked up the rear a few times. Not a problem so far, very straight. On the way to the gym this P.M. I had to do it on the street, the light went from yellow to red in a split second(obviously a problem there), I grabbed some front and rear brake and got a little squeal out of the back but no sliding sideways. I've had it up to 70 before having to shut down for a turn, feels real smooth with those beads front and rear....2 oz. front, 3 oz. rear.

Before mounting the tire(from Tire Rack) I checked the mfr. date(4115)....mid October, 2015. Only five months old, glad to see that. The front Metz was early 2015 so I'm good for a few years. 

[big poppa pump]

I'm really liking this tire. It rolls into the curves and corners real smooth and doesn't feel like it wants to stand you up. Went to a local mall with large empty spaces and locked up the rear a few times. Not a problem so far, very straight. On the way to the gym this P.M. I had to do it on the street, the light went from yellow to red in a split second(obviously a problem there), I grabbed some front and rear brake and got a little squeal out of the back but no sliding sideways. I've had it up to 70 before having to shut down for a turn, feels real smooth with those beads front and rear....2 oz. front, 3 oz. rear.

Before mounting the tire(from Tire Rack) I checked the mfr. date(4115)....mid October, 2015. Only five months old, glad to see that. The front Metz was early 2015 so I'm good for a few years.  

Good to hear this. Was looking for another DS tire that is not Yokohama. What PSI are you running on this tire?

Just looked this up and I am not finding a 205/60, looks like it's only available in 195/60.

Thanks

[John Schmidt]

Running 36 psi at the moment and seems to ride quite comfy. I want to give it some miles on the interstate at a good speed before experimenting with different pressures. That's the same psi I ran in the 205 I had previously.