Only read a few pages... My favorite so far is this one.
"I had read about the darkside and every time the subject comes up, you get two very different sides. There's the people that have tried it and love it and then there's the people that condemn it as the worst possible thing in the world to do. They won't try it and insult anyone who has the gall to put a car tire on a motorcycle.
Personally, I thought it would handle like ass. I really thought it was a bad idea. But, then why are there so many people in favor of it? Out of all my research, I only ever found one person that tried it and decided it wasn't for him.
So, being of a scientific mind and experimental nature, I decided that when my MC tire wore out, I'd try it. I picked up a nail in the road about 3 months ago and decided it was time.
I mounted a car tire to my bike, and went out on a test ride with the intentions of creating my own opinion and of being the informed voice to tell all those darksiders how bad of an idea it was. I could test it myself and prove to them how much the handling was negatively affected. I was will to risk $70 on a tire for an informed opinion knowing full well that I would likely take it right back off and pony up the $200 for a "real" tire.
I failed. I couldn't prove the darksiders wrong. The handling was by and large unchanged. Really, there was no real difference that I could feel. I've been riding motorcycles for 30 years. I've had this one for the last 6 years and know it well. There really was nothing to get used to. The bike handles like a bike.
The only real differences were all good ones. Riding on gravel, for some reason, was drastically improved. I can't explain it, but it feels so much more secure. My bike used to feel sketchy on gravel roads, but now I'm perfectly comfortable at 60 mph and it's alot of fun powersliding around corners.
Traction on the rear tire is greatly increased - in all situations. I expected straight line acceleration and braking to be better - and it is. But, even hard acceleration out of the corners is better. I used to be able to break the back end loose and step it out a little. But, it stays planted now. Which is even more impressive considering that the tire is a little smaller in diameter, so the bike is geared lower. If the traction were the same, it'd be even easier to break the tire loose.
I really don't see any reason to go back to a motorcycle tire on the back of my cruiser. My lean angle is limited by hard parts way before it is limited by the tire - even with me hanging way off to the inside. "
