My Falken 512---Not so sure

[Rio Wil]

I have 5K miles on my Falkin 512 mounted a month ago, for the most part I really like it .  Coming back from a ride to Yosemite the back end seemed to be getting a bit loose so the following morning I inspected the tire, found 24 pas inflation and a dang 3 inch nail!.  Plugged the sucker and inflated back to 42 which it seems to like.  My issue tho is, when going around long sweepers on the freeway at about 85-90 and encounter a rough bouncy road surface (typical for the suckiest hwys in the country--California) the handle bars begin a slow oscillation that is down right unnerving...thought it was going to be a tank slapper. If the road surface is smooth, it doesn't seem to happen and feels quite stable.  This alone is almost enough to toss the tire, but I really like all the other attributes. Has anyone else found this behavior, the front tire is a dunlop e3 at 40psi.  Oh yeah, there bikes eat you alive in maintenese, 95 K, one alternator, two rebuilds of the petcock and some o rings.  Might have to spring for some new plugs at 100K and "inspect" the cam belts.....where does it all end...;o(

 
 

[Tundra]

I certainly am not a Darkside expert, kind of a rookie. This is what I did and how I chose my air pressure...
  I asked people here a lot of questions before I switched, chose the right tire and size for me (based upon my test rides, I feel the 205/60/16 rides better and handles better than the 205/55/16 or 205/50/16. I think the taller sidewall gives more cushion and flexes more in the corners). I have no proof of this, just my personal observation.
  Then I aired it up to max pressure and hit the road with my air pressure guage, on the same road, back and forth. After each ride of this 10 mile road with sweepers staight aways and varied road surface, I would drop my air pressure and try again. I here of people running anywhere from 28psi to 46psi. I settled on 33psi for several reasons. Most of all it just handled best at all conditions. I do like to get in the corners and this worked for me. Some guys like it over 40psi and ride in a straight line, that's ok, not for me. Just find what works best for you and your riding style.
  I have never experience what you said with the front end, maybe a totaly differant issue? ???

[stude31]

I have 5K miles on my Falkin 512 mounted a month ago, for the most part I really like it .  Coming back from a ride to Yosemite the back end seemed to be getting a bit loose so the following morning I inspected the tire, found 24 pas inflation and a dang 3 inch nail!.  Plugged the sucker and inflated back to 42 which it seems to like.  My issue tho is, when going around long sweepers on the freeway at about 85-90 and encounter a rough bouncy road surface (typical for the suckiest hwys in the country--California) the handle bars begin a slow oscillation that is down right unnerving...thought it was going to be a tank slapper. If the road surface is smooth, it doesn't seem to happen and feels quite stable.  This alone is almost enough to toss the tire, but I really like all the other attributes. Has anyone else found this behavior, the front tire is a dunlop e3 at 40psi.  Oh yeah, there bikes eat you alive in maintenese, 95 K, one alternator, two rebuilds of the petcock and some o rings.  Might have to spring for some new plugs at 100K and "inspect" the cam belts.....where does it all end...;o(

Rio,

I am no expert on this but I do run this tire and I have never experienced your discription of the handlebars shaking going around a rough curve at 80+.  I have been on the road for about 3000+ miles and I endured the wonderful roads of Ohio and Michigan.  I have gone around rough curves over 80+ and didn't experience anything like you mentioned.  Many of the times it is a patch job that the city tried to do and is very uneven.  If it is really rough I would imagine that when you hit the surface in question it is "bouncing" the bike around and you are losing your weight on the road...  Front and rear switching weight can cause handling issues but my question is that if the roads are that bad I don't think I would want to be going over 80 and be sacrificing safety...   my 2 cents

[Daniel Meyer]

I'd suspect it's time to replace the head bearings...

(and inspect the swing arm bearing tension)

[Ricky-D]

If you are going around a sweeper at 80mph or 90mph and it is a little bumpy what do think you should expect?

Of course it's going to unsteady the bike, you're only on two wheels.

It's mainly because of the front to rear weight distribution so if you have more weight like bags or a passenger it will even feel worse.

I guess you slowed down a little bit.

That's what I would have suggested anyway.

***

[Larry]

I've found a similar issue with my IS and GYTT. The thing I try to remember was make sure I had a good steady grip on the bars and that seemed to keep it solid. I suppose like Dan said could do that too. The softer sidewall of a CT in corners tends to amplify things like that, especially with lower pressures. Just my 2c's. 

[Rio Wil]

If you are going around a sweeper at 80mph or 90mph and it is a little bumpy what do think you should expect?

Of course it's going to unsteady the bike, you're only on two wheels.

It's mainly because of the front to rear weight distribution so if you have more weight like bags or a passenger it will even feel worse.

I guess you slowed down a little bit.

That's what I would have suggested anyway.

***

I would expect the bike to be at least as stable as with a m/c tire, I have put over 80K miles on this bike in the past 3 years and have never experienced this behavior.  This instance was on a 6 lane freeway with traffic running 85 or so, the reason for posting this is to solicit feedback from a few others that have mentioned a instability at higher speeds and have seemingly opted to run the tire at moderate speeds and...... what.....go back to a mc tire when it is worn out or they can't stand the restriction anymore.  Oh yes, I asked for opinions on the "behavior of the bike" and can care less about your  suggestion.

[Rio Wil]

I've found a similar issue with my IS and GYTT. The thing I try to remember was make sure I had a good steady grip on the bars and that seemed to keep it solid. I suppose like Dan said could do that too. The softer sidewall of a CT in corners tends to amplify things like that, especially with lower pressures. Just my 2c's. 

The side flex is kinda what led me to a fairly high tire pressure, I am at 42 psi now after starting at about 32.  It seems you could actually feel the side of the tire wrinkle upon heavy acceleration when coming out of a corner.  Bumping up to 39-40 seemed to make that go away so I settled for a few psi more. Because of the tall sidewall (205-65-16) it still yields a softer ride especially when running over bumps, potholes, etc. So are you limiting your riding exuberance to lower speeds or just carefully pick your opportunities.

[Rio Wil]

I'd suspect it's time to replace the head bearings...

(and inspect the swing arm bearing tension)

Dan, when I put the c/t on a month ago, I did check the rear swing arm for excess looseness, sideplay, etc and it seemed OK. I replaced the front avon with a dunlop e3 about a thousand miles ago and this happened with about 800 miles on the e3.  When changing the front tire, I always check the head bearings for looseness and indexing of the races, but this might be worth looking at again.

Hey, do you know a guy named Mike Barley, about 20 miles outside Houston....yeah I know TX is a big place, but I am a Okie so I can ask anyway....)  I bought my I/S fron him 3 years ago, flew down there from Sacramento, went for a test drive, decided this was my ride, paid the guy and took the long way home, 2400 miles in three days.  I rode for three days with a constant grin plastered on my face, I swear my face muscles were worn out....

[Rio Wil]

I have 5K miles on my Falkin 512 mounted a month ago, for the most part I really like it .  Coming back from a ride to Yosemite the back end seemed to be getting a bit loose so the following morning I inspected the tire, found 24 pas inflation and a dang 3 inch nail!.  Plugged the sucker and inflated back to 42 which it seems to like.  My issue tho is, when going around long sweepers on the freeway at about 85-90 and encounter a rough bouncy road surface (typical for the suckiest hwys in the country--California) the handle bars begin a slow oscillation that is down right unnerving...thought it was going to be a tank slapper. If the road surface is smooth, it doesn't seem to happen and feels quite stable.  This alone is almost enough to toss the tire, but I really like all the other attributes. Has anyone else found this behavior, the front tire is a dunlop e3 at 40psi.  Oh yeah, there bikes eat you alive in maintenese, 95 K, one alternator, two rebuilds of the petcock and some o rings.  Might have to spring for some new plugs at 100K and "inspect" the cam belts.....where does it all end...;o(

Rio,

I am no expert on this but I do run this tire and I have never experienced your discription of the handlebars shaking going around a rough curve at 80+.  I have been on the road for about 3000+ miles and I endured the wonderful roads of Ohio and Michigan.  I have gone around rough curves over 80+ and didn't experience anything like you mentioned.  Many of the times it is a patch job that the city tried to do and is very uneven.  If it is really rough I would imagine that when you hit the surface in question it is "bouncing" the bike around and you are losing your weight on the road...  Front and rear switching weight can cause handling issues but my question is that if the roads are that bad I don't think I would want to be going over 80 and be sacrificing safety...   my 2 cents

I have gone around rough curves over 80+ and didn't experience anything like you mentioned.
but my question is that if the roads are that bad I don't think I would want to be going over 80 and be sacrificing safety...   my 2 cents

Do you read what you write?  This was a 6 lane freeway with traffic running about 85 and not some city maintained road, I have traveled this freeway hundreds of times and never found its bounciness to be a issue before the c/t.

[SANDMAN5]

This alone is almost enough to toss the tire, but I really like all the other attributes. Has anyone else found this behavior, the front tire is a dunlop e3 at 40psi.

I've been Darkside for over 30,000 miles, on Goodyears, and never had the problem you mentioned.
EXCEPT when I had an E3 up front!! I wouldn't have another one if it was free! Not saying it's
your problem, but didn't it start AFTER you put on the Dunflop?

[Larry]

So are you limiting your riding exuberance to lower speeds or just carefully pick your opportunities.

No limitation, just hanging on and keeping the pressure on that inside handle bar. 

[Larry]

I've been Darkside for over 30,000 miles, on Goodyears, and never had the problem you mentioned.
EXCEPT when I had an E3 up front!! I wouldn't have another one if it was free! Not saying it's
your problem, but didn't it start AFTER you put on the Dunflop?

My front tire is just slightly off and I'm thinkin some of my wobble is because of that. Don't feel like replacing it again until it is worn down more. Might go with a reversed rear tire on the next change.

[PAVALKER]

the front tire is a dunlop e3 at 40psi. 

Consider your front tire as a  potential issue.  I had a set of E3's and my front tire never felt quite right, was probably out of round and wore out at the same time the rear tire did.

[stude31]

I have gone around rough curves over 80+ and didn't experience anything like you mentioned.
but my question is that if the roads are that bad I don't think I would want to be going over 80 and be sacrificing safety...   my 2 cents

Do you read what you write?  This was a 6 lane freeway with traffic running about 85 and not some city maintained road, I have traveled this freeway hundreds of times and never found its bounciness to be a issue before the c/t.

Rio,

I don't understand why you have your attitude I was merely making a suggestion.  You are telling me to read what I wrote but I replied to your very first post it suggests nothing of you going on a 6 lane free way with other traffic going over 80 mph.  I was simply making a suggestion and your original post never asked for "feedback" or "suggestions" it was almost like a statement....  Anyhow... I was being truely sincere when I posted with no sarcasm and you fire back because I made mention to slow down.... Obviously you were looking to bad mouth car tires or were looking for a certain reply and didn't get it.... I am sorry for adding to your post...  I don't post to get reactions I was only trying to help...  I don't see you making friends with comments that you made...  End of discussion for me...

Rick-D... I agree with you...

[Rio Wil]

Thats pretty interesting that there are issues with e3's surfacing by multiple people, I normally run avon and maybe a bridgestone or two, this is my first e3......kinda asking myself 'what have I done".  I wonder what is so different about the construction of a e3.  The mounting and balancing was pretty straight forward, I added 1/4 ounce to the rim to balance it.....that wasn't hardly worth doing, not sure I would have noticed anyway.  I had also thought about going rear - front to get a bit more tread depth and with a slightly larger size help correct some of the I/S speedo error.  However, I wound up going that 'one more ride' and returned home with more wear than I wanted to ride further on, so this e3 was available same day and I did it.

[Rio Wil]

I have gone around rough curves over 80+ and didn't experience anything like you mentioned.
but my question is that if the roads are that bad I don't think I would want to be going over 80 and be sacrificing safety...   my 2 cents

Do you read what you write?  This was a 6 lane freeway with traffic running about 85 and not some city maintained road, I have traveled this freeway hundreds of times and never found its bounciness to be a issue before the c/t.

Rio,

I don't understand why you have your attitude I was merely making a suggestion.  You are telling me to read what I wrote but I replied to your very first post it suggests nothing of you going on a 6 lane free way with other traffic going over 80 mph.  I was simply making a suggestion and your original post never asked for "feedback" or "suggestions" it was almost like a statement....  Anyhow... I was being truely sincere when I posted with no sarcasm and you fire back because I made mention to slow down.... Obviously you were looking to bad mouth car tires or were looking for a certain reply and didn't get it.... I am sorry for adding to your post...  I don't post to get reactions I was only trying to help...  I don't see you making friends with comments that you made...  End of discussion for me...

Rick-D... I agree with you...

My issue tho is, when going around long sweepers on the freeway at about 85-90 and  (not a city maintained road)
but I really like all the other attributes (no bad mouthing)
Has anyone else found this behavior, ( asking for feedback on the behavior)

?????

 

[Farther]

Has anyone else found this behavior, ( asking for feedback on the behavior)?????

  Yours or the bikes?

[Rio Wil]

Chuckle.....well said...

[DeathWishBikerDude]

Dunflops are horrible tires.
I know a few members like them,but for the most part,they are more problems then they are worth.
Try an avon or metzelor.
I run my 512 with anywhere between 50-60 psi.