A car tire on the ST1300???

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Feb 21, 2007
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Warrenton, Va
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07 ST1300A
It does require a little more counter-steering when cornering, much like riding any other wide rear tire bike, like a Boss Hoss, etc. But it isnt insurmountable. It typically takes a short time to get used to it. At least it did me, and many others I know that have tried it. If your friend didnt like it, then it wasnt for him, and that's cool too.
 

Gonzo

3/4 Century of Trivia
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Shucky Darn! I read this entire thread to this point hoping to find that someone had volunteered to be the first to try it out. I have over 27,000 miles on my front BT020F but the rear had to be changed twice due to large metal objects within the tread interfering with traction and the ability to hold air.

Most of my miles are commute on the superslab and I would dearly love to have a higher mileage rear tire.
 

Gonzo

3/4 Century of Trivia
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As I said, it's mostly commute on the super-slab. I didn't do anything special. Always checked the air pressure before the ride. 42 psi front and rear. I'm not a very aggressive rider, at least not yet. And I average 43+ MPG, using the standard Odo readings with no compensation.

I definitely can see the front is slightly squared off, about a 1 inch wide flat area.

I have a spare front wheel in my garage and I am looking for a rear wheel so I can have ready spares for any emergency.

I also have a new unmounted set of BT021's ready to go in the event the front needs replacing, and I will put both on at the same time. Current rear not looking great.
 
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louisiana
I am brand new to this web site. Since I have been a Darkside member for the last 5 years I was wondering if anyone had tried a CT on a ST. They do just fine on Valks, and other big crusiers. I chased a RT down Mt. Magizine in AR and he was amazed that I was able to keep up with him on a VTX and with a CT too boot. LOL With my last VTX I am on my 3rd set of pegs in 25,000 miles.

One of those sets was sportbike pegs. I did achieve lean angles that I thought impossible for a VTX, but I also scared my buddies. I almost went past the point of no return and ran out of tire. That would have hurt at 90mph+. My conclusion is that a CT is just fine for certain types of bikes and certain conditions, but not all. And never put sportbike pegs on a crusier!!!!
 
Joined
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Warrenton, Va
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SWSVENDING, glad to see another DSer here, welcome. :D (Ok, I'm a former DSer ;) ) Careful here, this is a sensitive topic. PM me if you'd like to discuss this more.

What are you riding now?
 

mrspock

professional student
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Apr 19, 2008
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canada
I am going to jump in here and say outright that this would be a HUGE and quite possibly fatal mistake . Car tires are great for straight up ONLY contact but dang , one corner and the contact patch is , well , almost nothing . A bike tire is designed to have about the same contact patch straight up or leaned over so this is the safest and smartest option .

I know some people think that you can save a **** load of cash with a car tire being cheaper and lasting longer . I say to that , WRONG . the ONLY time a car tire makes sense , and I repeat , the ONLY time is if a person is riding with a SIDECAR since the bike and sidecar combo will remain up right all the time , no leaning ( with the exception of the flexit sidecar )

Hey , its your life so ya , if you want to think you will save tire wear and money , wel , go ahead but dang , please , WILL me the parts from the bike WHEN you crash in the foirst corner you take , I need a bike .

spock
 
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I question whether any car tires are narrow enuff for the ST. The Gold Wing swingarm is considerably wider at the bearing end and at the axle end.
 

Gene

That's MR CUPCAKE to you!
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Hey Greg I'm pretty sure H20rider would try one if he could find one that fits, he has been mounting up ct's for some goldwing and scooter folks he knows in the Tn area. Shoot him a pm if you have any tires to suggest
 
Joined
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Warrenton, Va
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Funny how this is always such a controversial topic. All I will say is on the right bike, it works very, very well. It's not for everyone, but it is for a lot of folks, including me. I rode on one for almost 2 yrs, and never had a problem. If I still had my VTX, or had a wing, or a valk, I have no doubt what I would be running on the rear.

For those interesting on reading on the topic, here are just a few links:

This is probably the site that started it all.
http://lifeisaroad.com/stories/2004/10/27/theDarkSide.html

http://lifeisaroad.com/stories/2006/02/10/darkWingdarksideGoldWingcarTireOnAGoldWing.html

The GL1800riders.com board dedicated a forum to the topic
http://www.gl1800riders.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=17&sid=36d575ec52781c71daa97b6c0231d0d7

A group of VTX owners started their own DarkSide forum, for many different brands of bikes.
http://vtxdarksiders.forumotion.com/index.htm

Here's the thread that started it all on VTXOA. It's long (84 pages) but a lot of good info.
http://www.vtxoa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=138135

More info.
http://www.vtxoa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=224027
 
Last edited:
Joined
Feb 21, 2007
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526
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Warrenton, Va
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07 ST1300A
Hey Greg I'm pretty sure H20rider would try one if he could find one that fits, he has been mounting up ct's for some goldwing and scooter folks he knows in the Tn area. Shoot him a pm if you have any tires to suggest
Will do. Thanks Gene. :D
 
Joined
Mar 20, 2008
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Edmonton AB Canada
I have a friend who uses a CT on his Valk Interstate and he loves it. Check out VRCC or Valkyrie Rider Cruiser Club and there are lots of articles about the `dark-side' or using a car tire on their message board. Yes you do get far better mileage, however you still have to take the wheel off and grease the splines on schedule. Takes more effort to counter-steer however it doesn't hinder the Valk in corners. It will also give you better braking and handling in the rain.
I am a former Valk owner and just got an ST a couple of weeks ago. I don't think I would try CT on a ST.
I used Avon Venom R tires on Valk and they gave me 3x times the mileage of OEM Dunlops. I will be switching to Avon Storms for the ST when my Dunlops are due for replacement hoping that they will also give better mileage, improve handling and I know they are great in the rain.

Earl
 
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If I had a Wing I'd put one on in a heartbeat. (after the original wore out)

What pressure do the Wing guys run in a CT?
 
Joined
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Warrenton, Va
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Ditto, if I had a wing in the garage, no doubt in my mind what would be on the back end right now.

It depends on the tire, and the kind of ride you like. The VTX guys that are running CTs, run varying air pressure, it all depends. But they typically start out with the MFG recommended pressure and adjust it up or down from there.
 

JZH

International Bodger
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Feb 26, 2006
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London, UK/So.Cal.,USA
JZH said:
Spencer said:
Proof is that the precedent has been set in federal court. Insurance companies have tried to refuse claims and lost every time.
Precedent? Are you sure--in a District Court? Which District? Was a decision published? The reason I ask is that people frequently refer to court decisions improperly, and when the legal claim being made goes against what I would expect to see based on my experience, alarm bells go off.

It would be very interesting to read what a court had actually said about this matter.
I'm still following this thread with interest, but have yet to see anything to back up the claim that mounting a CT on a bike has been proven in federal court to be without legal consequence. Is this because no such proof exists? :shrug2:

Ciao,
 
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I'm still following this thread with interest, but have yet to see anything to back up the claim that mounting a CT on a bike has been proven in federal court to be without legal consequence. Is this because no such proof exists? :shrug2:

Ciao,
In the past 3+ yrs that I've been following the topic, including running one on my VTX for 2 yrs, I never heard of any substantiated proof. A whole lot of speculation however. I suppose eventually it could happen, stranger things than this have been been made an issue in the courts, so who knows. :shrug1:
 
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