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Car Tire as Rear Bike Tire - WHATDOYOUTHINK?

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Wasn't a matter of cheap Kevin. It was a matter of tire life. I was changing rear tires on that bike 3 to one on the front. The car tire solved that for me completely. Once laced on, that was the last rear tire I bought for the bike.

Again - if you haven't actually tried it - regardless of your theoretical analysis - you can't comment on it's performance or safety with any authority.

Hope you all have a great day.

Personally, I'm off to Amarillo for a ride to a Waffle House in memory of friend Curt Gran - on my RT - with a motorcycle tire on the rear....:wave

LOVE the Waffle House!
Enjoy your ride. :wave
 
Well, we've finally got a new topic to chew on. :ha

Meanwhile, the Word Association thread approaches 40,000 replies and 1.5 million views.
 
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strangest thing is I had a dream last night (or nightmare depending on how you view it) that I came home and saw my R1200R with a car tire on the rear... how weird is that? :sick
 
A valkyrie showed up with a car tire.

There is quite a discussion on the BurgmanUSA forum about this and some there are real advocates of the darkside. I asked the Suzuki mechanic at the shop where I had bought a Burgman 650 about this and he said that so many Valkyrie owners had done this - and subsequently destroyed their rear bearings - that it was hard to find Valkyrie bearings.

There is video out there http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwSSXHanpv0 that shows how the car tire loads the rear bearings unevenly.
 
This has been going on since the invention of the motorcycle. Unfortunately, no one keeps statistics on car tire failures when mounted on motorcycles. Obviously it works for some folks and they are willing to accept the risks (which they see as non-existent). Not for me. :fight

bob
 
There is video out there http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwSSXHanpv0 that shows how the car tire loads the rear bearings unevenly.

If you watch the video, you will see the farther the bike leans, the LESS the contact patch becomes. That is exactly the OPPOSITE what a bike needs and what bike tires do.

I can see how mileage would increase, but bike handling WILL be negatively affected.
There will be those that would suggest that they can can not tell that the handling is negatively affected, but that has more to do with the fact that they never use the full capabilities of their bikes. The fact that this tire choice is more predominant among Valkarie and Wing riders as opposed to BMW and Ducati riders, probably tells volumes about the owners riding styles and priorities. Light truck tires get good mileage, but I wouldn't put them on my 635 Bimmer.

If the peoples idea of "handling" is making it around a corner at the posted speed limit, then we are not talking about the same thing. That is traveling NOT handling!



:dance:dance:dance
 
When my bike rear tire gets(later in it's useful life) a fairly pronounced chicken strip,as you lean the bike into curves I can easily feel the transition as the tire goes past the edge of the "strip". I would think that with most car tires one would feel the edge of the tread corner in an even more pronounced way?
 
When my bike rear tire gets(later in it's useful life) a fairly pronounced chicken strip,as you lean the bike into curves I can easily feel the transition as the tire goes past the edge of the "strip". I would think that with most car tires one would feel the edge of the tread corner in an even more pronounced way?

Absolutely. :thumb

I can feel the transition on my Z6s at 6000 miles and I HATE the way it feels. Wish I was more affluent....I would change tires at each oil change to keep that effortless and smooth cornering that a new set of tires gives. :violin

I came up on Harley Electra Glides and the tire of the day, until Dunlop introduced their "round" tires around 1981 or so, was the Goodyear Speedgrip. Wore like iron and was great on the interstate but hang onto your arse if you tried to lean it over much....falling down is the best way to describe the feeling of reaching the squared off shoulder.

Seems like car tires are the same thing......so, no thanks.... Been there, done that, got the scars to prove it. :banghead
 
car tires on bike

A friend of mine has been doing it for years on his Valkari. He doesn't do foot peg scraping turns. Sometimes you have to think outside the box.
 
Coloring outside the lines

I think Polar Bear's comments to be spot on. I personally applaud those who shun conventional thinking, those who aren't satisfied with the status quo. It's because of these people, along with those who bitch and moan that things get better.
And while I do think that tire prices are insane for what you get, I'm not sure I'd take the plunge even though with my riding style, I probably could get away with it. Too much crap on the roads around here all the time to play Johnny Racer, but to those who love that aspect of motorcycling, have at her. Personally, I like to just cruise along at moderate speeds and look at the country-side.

People assume all sorts of risk every day, if someone decides after after some thoughtful consideration to roll the dice, I wish them well.

Chuck
 
There is a time and a place for everything.

On a long tour, where you will be racking up the miles, maybe to Alaska where the deeper tread and tougher belts might be an advantage, car tire could be a wise choice. TPS could be wise.

They will steer with higher effort, takes some joy out of the twisties, like a worn tire, only worse.

There is a time and place for everything
 
If this phenomenon gains a lot of traction, maybe a motorcycle tire manufacturer might consider designing a high-milage hybrid car/cycle tire to capture a market trend.

Even if they do come out with a hybrid tire, I will stick with the pure motorcycle tire. My personal safety and my families financial and emotional well being are worth the extra cost to me.
 
I've read several comments alluding to thinking outside the box. I revere the concept and use it on a daily basis in my mining research job.

But on the other hand, just because someone thinks outside the box with an idea doesn't mean that said idea is necessarily a good one, no matter how many straw arguments they come up with. Physics is physics.

Let the mental munchkins run car tires and preach about how superior they are.

It is very entertaining....very much akin to the zeal of the "loud pipes save lives", and no helmet crowds. :thumb
 
If switching to a car tire doesnÔÇÖt make sense then riding in public at the limits of traction of high performance M/C tires makes less. Unlike track conditions, no one is monitoring the road ahead and alerting us of hazards - bumps, holes, junk, slow traffic, slippery fluids, animals and idiots. A multitude of other factors separate road and track conditions. A crash at speed will cause an insurance total or at least thousands of dollars of damage to your ride. I donÔÇÖt ride that way and you donÔÇÖt either.
I bought a R1150RT for a variety of reasons that I like, but itÔÇÖs not the motorcycle I want. My fatherÔÇÖs Honda 350-4 had plenty of power and was much smoother but who misses a greasy chain and four carburetors. My Ossa Pioneer had all the ground clearance and suspension travel anybody except a state fair stunt jumper could want but would please anyone with a 28ÔÇØ inseam. If I wanted a dirt bike today it would only be available with the saddle height of the average camel. My 650 twin Yamaha was a good ride but no weather/wind protection. I once cornered my ÔÇÖ53 FL fast enough to fold up the left footboard onto my foot with tires as square as a carpenterÔÇÖs dream. I never EVER killed the engine of that old sucker letting the clutch out. I miss that. A friend just loaded up his camping equipment and went to a state park for the weekend on his 49CC SCOOTER.
So, whereÔÇÖs this going? In my experience modern motorcycles perform extremely well in almost any conditions and adequately in ridiculous conditions. So if manufactures canÔÇÖt sell adequate or good or even excellent and get anybodyÔÇÖs attention, what can they sell? MAKE-BELIEVE. For Zero Per Cent and no money down I can BE a Baha 500 winner or a Daytona 200 knee dragger. TheyÔÇÖve sold us this line for so long that we believe it. WE NEED THOSE 60 DEGREE TIRES AND FIFTEEN HUNDRED DOLLAR SHOCKS BECAUSE WEÔÇÖRE THAT HOT.
Wonder how wide a car tire needs to be so I can get rid of the side stand that wants to hide so close to the shifter that well you know, you ride the Best Motorcycle in the World too.
 
Remember?

Some of us, maybe most of us remember what our folks/ relatives said when we became motorcycle crazed! I was the first in my family to "think ouitside the box", wanting a bike instead of a car:) at a very young age. I was NUTS according to about everybody. The theory continues, those willing to do the unobtainable and push envelopes are always going to be ahead. The tire phenom here we speak of is just another topic that speaks loudly of such folk willing to blaze a new trail. IT does not have to be safe or even make sense to most. Yeager, Armstrong, Petty and too many to list have all been there, done the most dangerous things, unproven all. Our tires are just another and I can only hope things change, with some adventurous folks on bikes leading the way with their stupid antics. These are the times we need to be wise and risk change and make life on a bike better. Expensive, WAY expensive tires,etc is "not better" and will only keep m/c'in an elite sport for the rich. Randy
 
I see where you're coming from Polarbear, problem is this is a very conservative crowd when it come to modifying your ride. Anything not approved by der vaterland is going to have a hard time cutting the mustard.
 
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