I want to do a longish trip either this summer or next and the only limiting factor is the best rear mileage I can get out of my favorite M/C rear tire (T30) is about 5K, and that was a fluke due to the type of miles. My usual rear tire mileage up in the mountains is 2,800 miles or 1,800 if I play rough. So for a whopping $88 I picked up a 205/50/17 from Discount tire and nomar-ed the thing on...1 mm at a time...somewhat difficult install.
500 miles of testing later says it can get the job done and it has not ruined my riding experience. The stray wiggles and steering oddities sap a bit of confidence at first but it is all manageable and I adapted quickly. I suspect the tire is not the best choice for mileage but it was readily available and I followed Yellow Wolf last summer for a lot of miles so I knew it stuck; it is for CT feedback only. I have a new Cogent front suspension with Ohlins valving and a new Penske rear shock with special order ride height which I maxed out and have gradually lowered to something(?) higher than stock. The ride height is an important note as the bike has much more lean angle than stock so I have some concern, even with a M/C tire, that I could lean the ST to an angle it should not go without touching hard parts. So far I have leaned it to boot touch-down with the Falken and no issues.
Strange thing with the car tire is if I just tool along at the speed limit I notice the slightly (actually feels just like Michelin PR2s to me) heavier steering and I feel all sorts of little "things" that remind me I am on a CT. If I ride aggressively the car tire disappears and the slightly heavier steering acts like a lightly weighted power steering system and in no way detracts from the total package. My new ride height and suspension set-up makes the ST a very quick steering bike so I suspect it still turns easier than most large sport touring bikes.
I should be putting a lot of miles quickly on this tire and I don't expect it to last long so I will try and keep this site informed on my test observations.
Some action shots, very similar to what a lot of you have already posted many times.
KEB
500 miles of testing later says it can get the job done and it has not ruined my riding experience. The stray wiggles and steering oddities sap a bit of confidence at first but it is all manageable and I adapted quickly. I suspect the tire is not the best choice for mileage but it was readily available and I followed Yellow Wolf last summer for a lot of miles so I knew it stuck; it is for CT feedback only. I have a new Cogent front suspension with Ohlins valving and a new Penske rear shock with special order ride height which I maxed out and have gradually lowered to something(?) higher than stock. The ride height is an important note as the bike has much more lean angle than stock so I have some concern, even with a M/C tire, that I could lean the ST to an angle it should not go without touching hard parts. So far I have leaned it to boot touch-down with the Falken and no issues.
Strange thing with the car tire is if I just tool along at the speed limit I notice the slightly (actually feels just like Michelin PR2s to me) heavier steering and I feel all sorts of little "things" that remind me I am on a CT. If I ride aggressively the car tire disappears and the slightly heavier steering acts like a lightly weighted power steering system and in no way detracts from the total package. My new ride height and suspension set-up makes the ST a very quick steering bike so I suspect it still turns easier than most large sport touring bikes.
I should be putting a lot of miles quickly on this tire and I don't expect it to last long so I will try and keep this site informed on my test observations.
Some action shots, very similar to what a lot of you have already posted many times.
KEB