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Author Topic: Why did you stop using a Car Tire?  (Read 2978 times)
Kilroy
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Posts: 106


Clearwater, Florida / Overland Park, KS


« on: September 27, 2009, 11:48:15 AM »

Sorry for another CT thread, I was thinking that many of our group have tried Car Tires and many have stayed with and really like having a ct on the back of their Valks.   There are others that have tried the ct and have gone back to a motorcycle tire.  I am in no way looking for bashing of the ct, it is definately an individual decision on what we put on our wonderful machines.

If you have tried a car tire and gone back to a motorcycle tire would you let us know how long you used the ct, maybe what tire you tried and some of the reasons you decided to return to a motorcycle tire.  Thanks, I think this could be interesting.
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R J
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Posts: 13380


DS-0009 ...... # 173

Des Moines, IA


« Reply #1 on: September 27, 2009, 12:03:30 PM »

I went back twice.

Both times I was on the road & couldn't find anyone who would mount a ct for me.

Wore out the motor tire & went back to a ct.

Currently running a ct.
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44 Harley ServiCar
 



 

DFragn
Guest
« Reply #2 on: September 27, 2009, 03:12:08 PM »

Since I mount & balance my own it made it easy to change out the tires 5 times over a period pf about 5k miles.. There's a difference, but I settled on the CT and finally left it there. Personally, I prefer working the Valk over guiding it. It keeps me more alert so to speak. I have a tendency to day dream...  uglystupid2
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Bugslayer
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Posts: 783


Lubbock, Texas


« Reply #3 on: September 27, 2009, 06:33:06 PM »

Sorry for another CT thread, I was thinking that many of our group have tried Car Tires and many have stayed with and really like having a ct on the back of their Valks.   There are others that have tried the ct and have gone back to a motorcycle tire.  I am in no way looking for bashing of the ct, it is definately an individual decision on what we put on our wonderful machines.

If you have tried a car tire and gone back to a motorcycle tire would you let us know how long you used the ct, maybe what tire you tried and some of the reasons you decided to return to a motorcycle tire.  Thanks, I think this could be interesting.


 I tried a Mastercraft ZHP, 205/55/16, 91W for about six month's. It looked cool, and felt good on flat highways, but overall.... it wasn't for me.

First, I didn't like how the tire tried to steer the bike at slow speed's when I rode through rut's, pot holes, or bump's in the road. (Usually when approaching traffic lights and such.)

Second, a lot of my riding is on Farm Market road's which have a lot of "crown" to them. I found myself having to counter steer the bike while going straight just to keep the bike going straight. The flat profile of the tire wanted to steer the bike towards the shoulder.

My problem may have stemmed from the tire I selected. I can't remember reading about any one using this particular tire. I've thought about trying it again with one of the more "popular" DS tires, but I've already got one perfectly good car tire in the shed. I don't want another.
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Dumptruck
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Posts: 12


« Reply #4 on: September 28, 2009, 08:16:16 AM »

I don't like the feeling of going up into a corner. Straight ahead they are great but for cornering it just bugged me.
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Bob E.
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Posts: 1487


Canonsburg, PA


« Reply #5 on: September 28, 2009, 08:38:39 AM »

I still have an Altimax on the back of my bike.  And if it weren't for the rubbing, it would probably stay there.  There are some handling issues that I'm not crazy about, but being cheap, I'd probably learn to live with them.  But like I said, it is rubbing pretty badly now and I need to do something to either eliminate the rub or just switch it out back to a mc tire.  I had hoped to get a chance to look at it this weekend, but that didn't happen.  So hopefully this coming weekend, I'll get a chance to tear into it.  For now, I'm riding it short distances as it is and keeping an eye on the sidewall.  Undecided
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Steve K (IA)
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Posts: 1662

Cedar Rapids, Iowa


« Reply #6 on: September 28, 2009, 09:51:54 AM »

I have 2 Valks, an I/S and a Std.  Everyone was saying how a car tire was the way to go. So, the cheap bastard in me thinks...cheaper, more mileage, conversation starter.....OK.   Posted messages to see if anyone else was using the tire I decided to go with, and sure enough a few guys in Canada were running it.  Said they liked it.  After putting the tire on the Std,  I didn't go 30 feet before going over a speed bump. I didn't approach it straight on...why would I?  Right then and there it almost threw me off with the bike making a violent shift from left to right.  I thought to myself, what in the hell did I do to my bike...putting this tire on?   
It rode real nice out on the concrete Interstate.  Blacktop secondary roads, where most of my riding is done was a whole different story.  On 3 separate occasions, it scared me so bad, I thought I was going to die.  Needless to say, that bike didn't get ridden much.  Then I met the Lady I would marry...when she seen that Purple and White Std, she laid claim to it right there.  I only let her ride it a few times with that tire on there.  She claimed it was alright, but when I change it back to a MC tire, she thanked me profusely.  Come to find out it scared her also but didn't want to say anything.
Riding a cruiser style bike shouldn't be exhausting.  That's what it was like riding with a car tire.  Having to muscle the bike around corners and through curves and trying to keep it going straight down the road isn't how a motorcycle is supposed to handle.  I'd be going on my merry way when all of a sudden it would want to shoot me towards the ditch or into oncoming traffic.
If you pay attention to what the CT users say, it should send up a red flag, but I didn't pay attention.  They will always state...."once you get used to it".  My opinion is that you shouldn't "have to get used to" the tire you just put on your motorcycle.  A motorcycle should fall into a curve or corner with very little input to the handlebars. It shouldn't be a chore.
So now, I just think of it as an expensive experiment. I know several people who are using a CT.  They say they like it.  OK......  It's their bike and they have every right to do what they choose.  And possibly, the tire they have handles much different than the one I tried.  But for me?....I'm pretty certain that I will never try that "experiment" again.
BTW, the tire I tried was a Dunlop Sport........
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States I Have Ridden In
Sasha47VSSS
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*****
Posts: 32


Malo les Bains, France


« Reply #7 on: September 28, 2009, 12:06:12 PM »

Just because the insurances here (France) are damn good in finding reasons not to reimburse the cost of repair in case of an accident! On top of it, the police is way to attentive to any change of the bike configuration. Anything what is not "original" is not allowed.
I've replaced a CT after over 6k km and downed the Valk after 250km! It would have never happened with a CT!
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asfltdncr
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Posts: 528


« Reply #8 on: September 28, 2009, 05:39:01 PM »

I still have an Altimax on the back of my bike.  And if it weren't for the rubbing, it would probably stay there.  There are some handling issues that I'm not crazy about, but being cheap, I'd probably learn to live with them.  But like I said, it is rubbing pretty badly now and I need to do something to either eliminate the rub or just switch it out back to a mc tire.  I had hoped to get a chance to look at it this weekend, but that didn't happen.  So hopefully this coming weekend, I'll get a chance to tear into it.  For now, I'm riding it short distances as it is and keeping an eye on the sidewall.  Undecided
Not trying to hi-jack thread but do you know where it is rubbing?
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humshark
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Posts: 172


Spring Hill Tennessee


« Reply #9 on: September 28, 2009, 07:24:58 PM »

Ran a 205/55/16 Goodyear F1 for 22k miles and went back to MC.

I really didn't like the RPM increase with the tire I had.  Handling was great on the interstate at speed.  I loved the fact that it didn't track over grated bridges either.

It REALLY SHINED riding two-up, but most of those days are gone as my wife rides her own bike.

"Bump steer" was a serious issue as well for me as I have heard others state.  I didn't like fighting it in the parking lot.  The sudden changes in geometry while parking confused others as well as large amounts of steering and hefting were required sometimes.  Riding double lane and approaching a stop light was more of a challenge since holding a perfectly straight line in my part of the lane was more difficult coming to a stop at intersections.

My wife wouldn't ride the Valk w/ the CT mounted because of the low speed issues.

I may try another CT someday now that a few different profiles have been identified and the size/rpm issues have been matched.  The F1 was so flat that the bike stood noticeably straighter on the stand due to the lower profile height of the tire.  I never felt unsafe, and while I prefer the twisties with MC tires - the CT was well behaved and easily tolerable in these conditions.  As I said - I put 22k on mine!
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SANDMAN5
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Posts: 2176


Mileage 65875

East TN


« Reply #10 on: September 29, 2009, 01:25:43 AM »

Quote
If you pay attention to what the CT users say, it should send up a red flag, but I didn't pay attention.  They will always state...."once you get used to it".  My opinion is that you shouldn't "have to get used to" the tire you just put on your motorcycle.

I have to disagree on this point. IMHO, anytime you change tires there is an adjustment period,
however long or short. Whether it is to a different brand,tread or even to a new tire of the same
kind your bike is going to handle differently. Personally, I've never encountered the bad things
some people mention. I can see where a mc tire would handle a little "quicker" in the tight twisties,
but how often would it really make a difference? Unless it was a race....and I don't race. In all other
circumstances, the car tire is equal to or better than a mc tire, at least in my opinion. YMMV
On my second Goodyear Triple Tread, over 31,000 combined miles. cooldude   
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"Evolution" is a dying religion being kept alive with tax dollars.


Bob E.
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Posts: 1487


Canonsburg, PA


« Reply #11 on: September 29, 2009, 05:28:29 AM »

I still have an Altimax on the back of my bike.  And if it weren't for the rubbing, it would probably stay there.  There are some handling issues that I'm not crazy about, but being cheap, I'd probably learn to live with them.  But like I said, it is rubbing pretty badly now and I need to do something to either eliminate the rub or just switch it out back to a mc tire.  I had hoped to get a chance to look at it this weekend, but that didn't happen.  So hopefully this coming weekend, I'll get a chance to tear into it.  For now, I'm riding it short distances as it is and keeping an eye on the sidewall.  Undecided
Not trying to hi-jack thread but do you know where it is rubbing?

Yup...on the driveshaft side of the swingarm...right on the welded seam that protrudes about 1/8" around the inside of the steel plate bracing.  With no load on a jack, it just barely brushes it.  But apparently the tire flexes a bit while running that it is dragging and has worn off a stripe through the lettering on the sidewall.
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Puffs Daddy
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Posts: 265


« Reply #12 on: September 29, 2009, 06:41:30 AM »

Car tires, ape hangers, and choppers. Choices I simply do not understand. No criticism implied. Just a mystery to me.
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98valk
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Posts: 13487


South Jersey


« Reply #13 on: September 29, 2009, 07:00:14 AM »

Car tires, ape hangers, and choppers. Choices I simply do not understand. No criticism implied. Just a mystery to me.

2 wks ago I saw a V-rod with ape hangers. I figure the guy isn't too bright in the first place by buying a bike that needs its porsche engine dropped every 6k to adjust the valves. only a $500 job at your local harley steeler. The mystery continues.
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1998 Std/Tourer, 2007 DR200SE, 1981 CB900C  10speed
1973 Duster 340 4-speed rare A/C, 2001 F250 4x4 7.3L, 6sp

"Our Constitution was made only for a Moral and Religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the goverment of any other."
John Adams 10/11/1798
Rocketman
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Posts: 2356

Seabrook, Texas


« Reply #14 on: September 29, 2009, 08:21:31 AM »

the police is way to attentive to any change of the bike configuration. Anything what is not "original" is not allowed.

Wow.  That sounds painfully paternalistic.  How far does that go?  Progressive shocks?  Aftermarket pipes?  Add-on electricals?
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98valk
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Posts: 13487


South Jersey


« Reply #15 on: September 29, 2009, 09:03:02 AM »

the police is way to attentive to any change of the bike configuration. Anything what is not "original" is not allowed.


Wow.  That sounds painfully paternalistic.  How far does that go?  Progressive shocks?  Aftermarket pipes?  Add-on electricals?


aka socialist control through the EPA already here in the USA, slowly being enforced. the frog doesn't know he is being boiled alive.
http://www.lawfulpath.com/ref/greening.shtml
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1998 Std/Tourer, 2007 DR200SE, 1981 CB900C  10speed
1973 Duster 340 4-speed rare A/C, 2001 F250 4x4 7.3L, 6sp

"Our Constitution was made only for a Moral and Religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the goverment of any other."
John Adams 10/11/1798
Tinman
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Posts: 112

Manvel Tx


« Reply #16 on: September 29, 2009, 12:07:08 PM »

Yup they would not change my oil at wally world because my 215k mile car was leaking oil they said.
IDIOTS!!!! I broke the power sterring pump resovoir and drove it to the repair shop about 8 blocks.
Power steeringing fluid spewed all over.
No spots under my car. Leaking right! Still full on the dipstick after 3k plus miles.
Ok rant over!
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Tinman
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Posts: 112

Manvel Tx


« Reply #17 on: September 29, 2009, 12:25:05 PM »

Ok to answer your question. I ran a goodyear triple tread for about 6k plus.
Got a BIG nail in it. And after much thought about being on a trip and finding someone to repair replace decided to go back with a mc tire. I like the CT in every way and yes uneven road will stear it. But knowing that you pay attention to the road more.
Which you should be doing anyway. Long story short I liked the CT just was afraid of getting caught out so decided on a MC tire.
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Gangman036
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Posts: 262


Terre Haute, IN


« Reply #18 on: September 29, 2009, 10:06:42 PM »

I've not stopped...........I put on a GYTT this summer and have loved every minute of it. Handles well even on un-even road surfaces and  going slow in parking lots and the stopping power is second to none.
 As far as "on the road" repairs to a CT....just about any privately owned MC shop will do the repair. My tire guy has his own Harley shop, but will service all kinds of motorcycles.
When I first asked him about putting a CT on my fat lady....he never batted an eye and said " You buy the tire, I'll put it on". 

So far all I've had are good experiences with a CT even 2 up.....just bump the pressure up a few pounds.  I've been fortunate not to have had any problems with mine as some that post here. When a problem does arise........one of these guys on here WILL come up with a fix for it.
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