Dark side

[bosticjb]

Has anybody went to the dark side with their rear tire and what is you thoughts

[da prez]

You must be new. Many of us are dark side. I doubt if I would ever use a M C tire on the rear again. I have run the Tail of the Dragon and many other so called trying rides.
 There are many choices and even more opinions.

             da prez
 
 

[Jess from VA]

Bosticjb, I started to reply, but thought you were joking.

There may be more threads and posts on darkside on this forum going back 10-15 years or so than any other single subject.

Type in Darkside, or Car Tires in the Search box in the upper right, and start reading the threads that show up below.  It will take hours (maybe days).

I'm not trying to be a smart ass.   Welcome to our forum. 

Many of us have been running car tires (of various types and sizes) for years and years. 

Me too.

[bosticjb]

Thanks I have not been on this forum for a couple years, My 99  has good tread on the tires but they are old and I'M concerned about dry rot I can not see  that's why I asked the question . I don't think anybody is trying to be a smart a , thants for the input

[old2soon]

        Well ain't NO One could run fast enough or wave enough money at me to git back on a M/C specific rear tire. My learning curve for D/S was about 16 and a half minutes!  RIDE SAFE.

[bosticjb]

Thanks  for the info, I have visited the Dark side forum and got a lot of info. MY 99 Standard only has 16000 miles on it but the tires are original and I m concerned about the age of them so I will replace them for my peace of mind , any suggestions on size and brand will be helpful, I' m 5'5 and 180  single up 

[ridingron]

You may have to vary the tire pressure until you like the ride.

If you're replacing both, you can go double dark with a motor cycle rear tire on the front wheel. It's usually done for the more miles you can get vs. a front cycle tire.

[Oss]

or you can get a 200/60 motorcycle tire  I have a new bridgestone exedra
Handled great in the rain yesterday and today
More contact patch, not as much as the car tire but if your roads have tons of ruts

Well that was the only downside for me on car tire  Ran it for a year or so then switched back to 200 series motorcycle tire   I am in the minority I do believe

Nothing beats a car tire in heavy rain when pulling a trailer  nothing

[Jess from VA]

Thanks  for the info, I have visited the Dark side forum and got a lot of info. MY 99 Standard only has 16000 miles on it but the tires are original and I m concerned about the age of them so I will replace them for my peace of mind , any suggestions on size and brand will be helpful, I' m 5'5 and 180  single up  

The original Dunlops were none too great even new.  And at those miles and age, I can't believe they're any good now.  

All tires have a manufacturer's date on them (you'll need a flashlight).    The last four numbers represent the manufacturer's date. The first two numbers indicate the week, while the last two indicate the year. (For example, a tire with the number 2910 was manufactured in the 29th week of 2010.)


The standard darkside replacement for the rear 180 bike tire, was a 205 60 16 (for the same ride height) (always with a rounded edge design for less quirkiness in the leans and curves), but some went with a 55 profile which is slightly shorter (maybe a quarter inch) (but slightly higher rpms, and less MPG), and some went with 65s which is taller with lower RPMs and better MPG, and more likely to rub wires, esp on a lowered shocks bike.  The 205 fits the rim and the bike, but it is a tight fit, often with a credit card (or two) clearance to the swing-arm (but don't rub unless you let the air pressure get stupidly low).

But over the years, many here have switched to 175 or 185 profile car tires because they give all the good car tire benefits and higher mileage, are still plenty of good contact patch, but gave less quirky ride characteristics.  And not so tight a fit to the bike.  

I'm not going to discuss quirkiness of car tire ride other than to say that no matter how round the edge profile, none are as neutral in steering and leans as a bike tire, and running over half a raised manhole cover or pothole can jerk you harder than any bike tire will (which will not cause any mishap, but will surprise you).  Car tire benefits (contact patch, grip (esp in rain, and hard launches and stops), carcass strength/endurance and high mileage) far exceed these detriments, and most of us acclimate to them in a few weeks of riding on them.  Everyone experiments with car tire air pressures (all car tires are not the same) to personal taste, generally starting at 40psi, then lowering to suit what they like, if any.  

Do not forget to do a complete rear end clean, inspection, lube, Oring replacement and get rid of the rubber valve stem and elbow support and put in a proper all metal 90 degree valve stem with (metal oring cap) with the tightening nut on the outside, not inside.  And same on the front tire too.  Car tires will generally far exceed the recommended 10K mile rear end service interval.

https://www.amazon.com/Show-Chrome-Accessories-5-802-Degree/dp/B00HYYNW5K/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=motorcycle+metal+90+degree+valve+stems&qid=1655113320&sr=8-2  

And, you need to know that many (most?) bike and tire shops will outright refuse to mount a car tire on a bike rim for liability fears, so you don't tell them it's for a bike, you tell them it's for a trailer or a motorcycle sidecar.

Again, I commend you to a search and reading of the 1000 discussions on here about them.  

[Thunderbolt]

Ditto what has been said, if the tires are in fact the original tires, they should be changed at least with something new.

[Moonshot_1]

Lot's of good insights posted here!

I used to run a dark side tire. Goodyear triple tred.
Don't anymore.

Would still like to but I don't do tires, or any mechanic work, on my bikes.

It has become difficult to find someone willing to do it so it is just easier to run M/C tires on the back.
Got 2 valks hence the plural.

Now if I was continuing to log the miles I used to log on the bike, 10k+ per year, (Lots of PGR rides and before my wife changed jobs and lost vacation time we would do 2 week bike trips every year. No more) I would be much more inclined to get a car tire on the rear. I like them.

If you do a lot of interstate riding the flatter profile of the car tire wears a lot better and it will still stick in even the hair pinniest of turns. (Hair pinniest - made that one up myself)

But if you're not doing long distance riding, or a lot of riding, it is probably not going to be worth doing unless you do your own tire work.

If you are just more of a weekend rider and log less than say 2k a year then you are probably not going to like it. Depending on the tire you can expect quite a different handling profile. There are tires that would minimize this but the bottom line is that the more riding you do the better you will become accustomed to the handling profile of that tire.

You generally don't have that learning curve with the M/C tire.

If 100 miles on a weekend is a lot of miles to you, the odds are the dark side isn’t for you.
If you are just getting warmed up at 300 miles on the day, then, oh yeah, check it out.

And they look just bad ass on the rear too.


Just my opinion.

[Rams]

I've been riding darkside for a lot of miles.   My only advise would be to determine just how wide of a darkside tire you want to go to.   I'm not sure of the maximum width before you have to do the "Nut Cage" mod but, there is a point that those nut cages have to be cut out.

For me, I've determined to not go so wide as to need to cut those nut cages out.   But, there are differing opinions on that.   You do what ever is good for you.   Just wanted to make sure you knew of that restriction.

Rams

[Jess from VA]

The nut cages should be removed for a 205 (65, 60 or 55) car tire.  (forgot to mention in my earlier post) (it may not be necessary for 175 or 185 car tires, but I can't speak to those)

It's really no big deal.  It makes removing the fender strut screw easier since the inside nut is captured by the cage, but it's not that hard to reach under and put a wrench on it if you need to.  You only lose a convenience, not a necessity.

Same deal with cutting off the interstate scoops so the great Kuryakyn 4050 highway pegs and big clamp will mount up where they should be.  Those scoops remain a pure mystery.  Cooling?  

Same deal with cutting the T's off the wheels that hold the elbows supporting the crummy rubber valve stems, so billet flat valve stems (not the usual 90 degree ones) will lay flat on the wheel, oriented to the high side of the bike.  It's not like anyone should ever want to go back to rubber stems and elbow supports.

Nut cage removal.  (you don't need to remove the lower fender half.  With the bike safely on a lift and the tire off, you can easily slide in there to work) (I did not reuse the big fat square nuts for fear they might rub the tire, so I used smaller nuts.  But I could have used them with no clearance issue (as it turned out).

https://lifeisaroad.com/stories/2005/08/24/valkyrieRearFenderNutCageMod.html

AND, remember all Valkyries are not identical as assembled in the factory.  Some few not only need the nut cages removed, but also needed the fender washer mod, to create even a bit more space for the car tire my shimming the fender over with some washers.    http://www.s2s-accessories.com/photo/fndrmod/

[Pappy!]

With your height I would suggest a 195/60-16 on the back. I am 5'9" and typically ran the 205 size but this time I dropped to the 195 and although it is a minor change it all works better including servicing the rear drive as the tire makes it a touch easier to service (more room).
I am on my 2nd Vredestein now. Loved the first one and the new one is even better.  I cannot even feel when it transitions over into a corner. Tons of siping and smooth as silk to ride.
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/vredestein-quatrac
Hope this helps.

[valkmc]

With your height I would suggest a 195/60-16 on the back. I am 5'9" and typically ran the 205 size but this time I dropped to the 195 and although it is a minor change it all works better including servicing the rear drive as the tire makes it a touch easier to service (more room).
I am on my 2nd Vredestein now. Loved the first one and the new one is even better.  I cannot even feel when it transitions over into a corner. Tons of siping and smooth as silk to ride.
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/vredestein-quatrac
Hope this helps.

I agree, I run the 195/60  now after using the 205 on my earlier Valk. I'm 6' 200lbs and ride two up with the wife and never have a rub. No alterations and I agree there is more room during a tire change! RPMs a higher but if I'm going on a long trip I take the F6.

[Pappy!]

I just did 5700 miles on a trip. Barely any more RPM with the 195 vs the 205. Still got better mileage than one of our other riders running a 205. Running close to him the RPMs were almost in sync.

[The emperor has no clothes]

A 195/65 will put you just about on the money as stock. As long as I can still get them, that is my preferred size.