Post your Darkside miles

[DarkSideR]

I only have 20k Darksiding.

Funny story. The Colorado chapter did a Labor Day weekend ride. At a lunch stop I surveyed the rear tires to find only 1 of the 13 Valks had an actual motorcycle tire on the rear. I went back into the restaurant and asked "Who is the weird guy with a motorcycle tire on the rear of his bike?"

[Hoser]

0 miles, no particular reason.  ???  Hoser

[Willow]

1,759,000 miles between 25 replies so far!!

Yap....convinced.....car tires are not safe!

You really can't make an assessment on safety.  The posts are simply number of miles, not the number of safe miles.

Your replies also are way, way short of the total number of us experienced on tires not originally designed, manufactured or marketed for use on motorcycles.  You've also lumped all of those tires unreasonably into a single category.  

Hey Willow...take a chill pill. Was not being serious with that reply!

I understood the sarcasm perfectly well, Pappy.  I don't use it much myself, but I do recognize it.  I consider it most usually below me.  I have been known to use a fair amount of irony and occasionally some subtle ridicule.

Incidentally, sarcasm and serious are not at all mutually exclusive.

My point was straight forward.  I don't necessarily disagree with the point you're trying to make.  It just appears to me that you're trying to make that point with the wrong evidence and very little understanding.  

BTW, I've never been much interested in chill pills.  I find they're most usually pushed by latent juveniles.  

[KY,Dave (AKA Misunderstood)]

I only have 20k Darksiding.

Funny story. The Colorado chapter did a Labor Day weekend ride. At a lunch stop I surveyed the rear tires to find only 1 of the 13 Valks had an actual motorcycle tire on the rear. I went back into the restaurant and asked "Who is the weird guy with a motorcycle tire on the rear of his bike?"

 

For the record,I'm at about 20k as well.

[Mr.BubblesVRCCDS0008]

Between two bikes a tourer and an interstate over 150,000.  no problem. they don't turn so all that was in a straight line.

[Daniel Meyer]

Between two bikes a tourer and an interstate over 150,000.  no problem. they don't turn so all that was in a straight line.

...and on fire too right?

[Fourtyniner]

Went dark out of necessity after a bad experience with a tire balancing, puncture sealing product. My dark tire is a KUMHO 195/55/RF16 Ecsta SPT that I already had. I like the car tire, to me the bike is easier to ride period. The one thing with this tire is it sets the bike closer to the ground and probably is slower overall speed VS RPM's. Mileage about 4,500 miles so far. The next tire will be taller. I like the darkside, run flat no problem. Also Ride-on can ride on in my opinion, no confidence brother.

[Smokinjoe-VRCCDS#0005]

Went dark out of necessity after a bad experience with a tire balancing, puncture sealing product. My dark tire is a KUMHO 195/55/RF16 Ecsta SPT that I already had. I like the car tire, to me the bike is easier to ride period. The one thing with this tire is it sets the bike closer to the ground and probably is slower overall speed VS RPM's. Mileage about 4,500 miles so far. The next tire will be taller. I like the darkside, run flat no problem. Also Ride-on can ride on in my opinion, no confidence brother.

Good to see you posting again 

[Earl43P]

Back from the dead.....thread resurrection. Add 32,400 miles!

Just had to get my 99 IS inspected and renew the registration, so I looked at the mileage. Total of 22,400 miles with a darkside rear (2nd car tire is now a 195/55-16 Avid Envigor) and a rear Michelin Pilot Activ 130/90-17 with a couple thousand on it. Intend to stay double-darkside!

I also put a 93 GL1500I on the road the first week of April, with an ATT on the rear and the same Michelin rear tire on the front, stock front size though. I had never ridden this bike with any other tires. It's my daily driver.

I just rolled over 10,000 miles on it and I kid you not, that front tire looks like new. The ATT HAS to be over 42 psi to keep the high speed weave away. Can't call it a wobble since it's such a low frequency, but if you spend much time over 80, pump that baby up! The downside is that the ATT makes the bike considerably taller than stock. I use a chunk of 2x4 under the sidestand at home and am tall enough that it doesn't bother me at stops. It really makes the Valkyrie seem so much lower when I switch over. We did a 5 day, 2600 mile trip (NC to Michigan UP to North Bay and back south on I-81 at Watertown) at the end of June and I was tickled to average 40 mpg that whole trip on the 93.


I'll probably go back up to a 65 series rear tire on the Valk if I ever wear the /55 tire out. It does like to accelerate with that shorter rear tire on it....keeps the flames at bay.

[R J]

I don't know how many miles, but I'll say one thing it is a bunch on 3 TT's. Oops, only need 2 'T's.  LOL.

Had I of not converted MGM to a Trike, he'd of still been on an illegal CT that would have gave me a flaming death.

With the Trike kit, it has some ungodly excuse for a CT on the rear now.    Looks like 6,000 will be the life of these 2 tires.

[Super Santa]

I have put 140,000 on my Interstate with maybe 15-20,000 on motorcycle tires. 

First c/t was Goodyear TT, did not care for the stiffer sidewall.  All since have been on General Altimax, 205/60 which I love.

Never going back.  165,578 and counting.

[DarkSideR]

17,000 GYTT
16,000 Vredestein Sportrac 3
120 Hankook Optima

[Crackerborn]

I had about 26k on the big twin lung VTX with Goodyear TT. On the Big Girl I had some where between 8-9k on a Yoko Avid Envigor when I picked up some road debris at highway speed that did this to the tire.



A new Yoko was called for that now has around 5k on it. I also went double darkside with a Michelin Pilot Active at the same time. When the first one went flat, I was able to get to the side of the road without massive trauma, hence the same tire again.

I have run CT on other rides but never kept those bikes long enough to say what the actual miles may have been.

[houstone]

I am on my 6th GTT, but only one really wore out.  4 others have all succumbed to road debris of one sort or another, and the last is on the other bike.  About to replace one on the Tourstate which has about 10k and 4 plugs in it!  Total about 77k. 

[Jess from VA]

A new Yoko was called for that now has around 5k on it. I also went double darkside with a Michelin Pilot Active at the same time. When the first one went flat, I was able to get to the side of the road without massive trauma, hence the same tire again.

OE Valk front is 150/80 17.

On your Michelin Pilot rear, did you use a 140/80 17?  How does it look at 5K, and how do you like it?

I tried the Michelin Commander II radial front in 140/75 17 and it rides great, but wont go 8K (7300).  I bought two, so am on the second one now.  Previously tried an Avon Roadrider 130/80 17 rear on front, and did not like it.  

[art]

Had about 130000 miles darkside and 30000 mc tires. My last ct I had a new Avon cobra and decided to use it since it was there. I almost went down twice in the rain and did go down with some frost on the road. I do think a ct would have saved a low side crash. Sold my beloved Valk an sure do miss it.

[Fla. Jim]

Michelin Hydroedge at 30k in 12/2013 with 5/32nds of tread left.  Pic below. 40'ish k now, to lazy to go out and look or find the tread gauge.

[Crackerborn]

130/90-17 bais tire on the Pilot Activ. Mostly highway miles at 42 PSI. I have noticed a slight amout of road noise on some surfaces, more than the worn out Avon it replaced. I think I will get close to 15k out of it if it continues to wear like it has so far. I have not been in any toad stranglers with the Michelin but the few wet times out, traction has been very good. 4.5 stars out of 5 so far. I will be testing some very crooked roads later this month and can update the results then. I seldom do highway miles like I have so far this year so this is not a good indication of my normal tire wear. Avon front tires seldom made 8k normally. After two Dunlops failed on me, I won't use them again and Metzlers have been about the same as Avon. None of this was on the Big Girl so all numbers could change from one bike to the next.

But I doubt my riding style (or lack thereof) will change much.

[Jess from VA]

Any particular reason you chose a 90 over an (OE) 80?

An on-line calculator tells me a 130/90 has a .2" (5mm) taller sidewall than a 140/80, and turns 1.4 revolutions less per mile than the 80.  So that's not much difference. (Though the 140/80 is .4" (10mm) wider tread (or width) than the 130/90.)

What is really peculiar is the 130/90 is listed at 36lbs, but the 140/80 is listed at only 16.6lbs (on Amazon).  Both bias.  That does not seem right.

The 140/80 is listed at $137.30, and the 130/90 at $132.94. 

I continue to search for longer lasting front tires, that handle/perform. 

Please report back on it.  Thanks in advance.   

[RainMaker]

On my 3rd car tire (Falken Ze512 now).  79K on car tires, no flaming death as of yet.

[R J]

On my 3rd car tire (Falken Ze512 now).  79K on car tires, no flaming death as of yet.

Rainmaker, you is a just lucky on the no flames.    LOL.

[Rounder]

I don't have a darkside on my Valk yet (PO) just put on a new tire before I bought it,  but have run them on previous bikes (Wings and 1500LC) some with sidecars on them which will ruin a tire in no time. The Darkside tire is my choice. Handles the same (for my riding) and lasts forever.

[RainMaker]

On my 3rd car tire (Falken Ze512 now).  79K on car tires, no flaming death as of yet.

Rainmaker, you is a just lucky on the no flames.    LOL.

RJ, I did say "as of yet"

[R J]

On my 3rd car tire (Falken Ze512 now).  79K on car tires, no flaming death as of yet.

Rainmaker, you is a just lucky on the no flames.    LOL.

RJ, I did say "as of yet"

And I said "ya'll was lucky".   LOL.

[Oss]

had a Toyo Proxes T1R for a year or so before I gave it to BigD   
Somewhere between 8-10000 miles, then I went to rear Cobra, then Battleaxe 200 and then Exedra 200
(my favgorite) then E3 cause of road debris dammit on the way to IZ this year


BigD wore the crap out of the Toyo after that I dont know what he got over the next few years he rode it

Would definitely consider the austone when I get tired of the E3 in fact I may put one on my spare wheel some day just to be ready

LOTS of ruts here in the road in NYC area, the car tire was superb in rain and gravel just a PIA on local NYC roads