Get Your Sumitomo Tire For No Shipping Cost

Go to your local Sumitomo tire dealer (or other reputable local tire dealer - but NOT one of the "brand name" tire dealers), order the tire, pay for it, and pick it up there. There is RARELY a shipping charge.

Hi Slick. Good point. I just ordered a Sumi from Tirerack, and paid $46.00 plus $15.00 for the shipping. Had a local dealer mount it and couldn't be more pleased with the handling, performance, and overall looks of the Sumi on my 03 Silverwing.
Are you spooning this tire on yourself?
For those considering the Sumi, I have nothing but good things to say. YES.....it does change the character of the bike....the way she rolls into the lean is at first foreign, and then becomes entertaining. The Sumi has actually increased the fun factor for me.....and the projected 20 to 35k tire life is nothing to sneeze at. Take care.....Jeff.

Slick-Tenn wrote:

Go to your local Sumitomo tire dealer (or other reputable local tire dealer

I tried to locate the "local" Sumitomo (http://www.sumitomotire.com) tire dealer ... but the website was not helpful to identify any local tire dealers.

Jeff Rosenkranz wrote:

YES.....it does change the character of the bike....the way she rolls into the lean is at first foreign, and then becomes entertaining.

It sounds like you are steering through the turns versus counter-steering. If you counter-steer into and (and very lightly) through the turn, then you would not feel any difference.

Bill,

It is virtually impossible to steer through a turn at any speed above 20 mph or so.

I think that there is an adjustment required when riding with a car tire. There is a break point on the car tire that is a function of the transition between the tread face and the sidewall. As much as people want to deny it there is a difference - it is easy to see when a tire is viewed in cut-away. Motorcycle tires are round and car tires have a flat tread face.

I'm not saying one is bad or one is better. I am saying that I believe given the cross section profile of a car tire there is likely to be a transition point that requires a little adjustment.

Not every thing related to handling glitches with the car tire is a counter steering issue.

Has anyone looked into the insurance ramifications of using a darkside tire? Here is why I ask.

In addition to riding, I used to be an avid RV'er, and currently work in an RV resort. There has been much discussion among those towing a heavy RV with a truck that us, by law, underrated for the load being towed. It will wortk until you get into an accident. Once the insurance companies find out that you were using an underrated tow vehicle, watch out!!! There are potential lawsuits out there.

Now look at the bike situation. You have an accident where you were unable to stop in time, and have a collision. Does not matter if you are at fault or not. You have a car tire on a motorcycle. Do I hear the sound of lawyers sharpening their knives?

Has anyone looked into the possibilities here, or know of someone who this happened to?

I wish that I could explain the feeling of a Sumi in a scientific manner........but........my Jethro Bodiene, 6th grade education prohibits me, and Granny will get a switch and take me to the woodshed if I dont get this right.
It feels as though the pivot point.... has somehow raised about a foot! Normally you lean, and feel that your pivot, is on a plane with the contact patch of the tires. NOW.....when you initiate your lean/turn.....it feels as though your pivot point is about seat height!!!. I know that I'm not explaining this effectively, but it feels as though if your head has leaned six inches off the vertical to the left, it feels as though your tires have moved 6 inches off the vertical to the right. I'm sure that this doesn't make sense......but it actually feels this way.......and it's kind of cool. Pulling the trailer feels great, actually better than OEM's.
I will say this....I'm usually really good about offering friends, who have proven themselves to be very good riders, to ride any two wheeler that I've owned...........But.........due to the change in feel of the Sumi over the OEM, I cannot in good conscience, offer any one the keys to my Silverwing........unless they are SW owners who want to know what the Sumi feels like. To sum up....There is a learning curve.......but I'm very pleased with the results. Jeff.

Gary,

There is a ton of anecdotal evidence flavored with entrenched opinions. There are even reports of some real responses from major insurance company agents.

I view it as a risk (my perspective), but it is a risk that many feel is worth taking to gain some longevity out of rear tires. To each their own. For crying out loud riding a motorcycle is a risk that I personally feel is worth taking, many do not agree.

I think it would be interesting to conduct a survey of the major MC insurance providers. Not local agents, but the HQ.

Again, I am not saying a car tire is better than a MC tire on a bike or that a MC tire is better than a car tire on a bike.

jdeereanton wrote:

It is virtually impossible to steer through a turn at any speed above 20 mph or so.

I constantly practiced my steering by picking any bump in front of the Silverwing at all speeds ... (as I improved I would pick a spot closer to the Silverwing).

At first I would barely miss the front tire, but the rear tire would always hit the bump.

I learned to apply some counter steering pressure throughout the maneuver, the front tire would miss the bump by quite a bit but the rear would still nick the bump.

The more counter-steering pressure I applied to initiate turn, the more both tires missed the bump.

The first two took more maneuvers took more physical work, the last maneuver was less physical work.

With the heaviest Manic Salamander bar end weights does change the handling characteristics, but there is a huge difference between pushing down on the bar (still counter steering) and pushed away on the bar ... would not be surprised it was the same without bar end weights.

With a backrest (or buttrest), the more pressure I apply to the backrest ... the more counter steering I have to apply to overcome. In the twisties, I will lean slightly forward which makes a huge difference for same level of steering.

All "counter steering" is not the same ... there are a lot of factors that effect "counter steering".

jdeereanton wrote:

There is a break point on the car tire that is a function of the transition between the tread face and the sidewall.

I have have 30,000 miles on my darkside tire and have never been on the side wall. I felt the tire react differently one time, but the riders watching behind me confirmed that the tire still has 1/2 to 2/3 of the tread still touching the ground (which they could not believe) ... which explains why after 30,000 miles I still have both the upper and lower sidewall nibs.

When I had the Bridgestone hoops, after 4-5K I could feel the transition
from the worn middle flat spot during the turn. I have never felt any transition for a darkside tire.

jdeereanton wrote:

As much as people want to deny it there is a difference - it is easy to see when a tire is viewed in cut-away. Motorcycle tires are round and car tires have a flat tread face. I'm not saying one is bad or one is better. I am saying that I believe given the cross section profile of a car tire there is likely to be a transition point that requires a little adjustment.

Look at my original picture ( http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:5gD_IAb3gzEJ:silverwing.org/cgi-bin/topic_show.pl%3Ftid%3D2467+honda_silver+sumitomo+tire+htr+site:silverwing.org&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us ), the second picture shows

1) The sidewall (upper and lower) nibs I mentioned above
2) DVD case sitting on top of the Sumitomo (without air) which shows the tire is not flat

jdeereanton wrote:

Not every thing related to handling glitches with the car tire is a counter steering issue.

As an experienced darksider ... I would have to disagree. There are many factors that can effect the counter steering or effectiveness of the counter steering.

Counter steering is not intuitive which is why is has to be taught in MSF classes and explained multiple times.

Jeff Rosenkranz wrote:

I wish that I could explain the feeling of a Sumi in a scientific manner.

What PSI are you running??

Hi ya Bill! Thanks for asking and again thanks for your guidance with the Sumi. Thanks to Dale also for the offer of the 13incher at that reduced price.
Bill, when I picked up the tire/wheel at the shop, she was carrying 34lbs. At the 200 mile mark I have dropped the pressure to 30 just to experiment. A quick ride along the river felt great, but didn't really feel much different. What have you found to be the optimum. I weigh 200, and with the 150lb trailer/kayak attached, there is 10 to 12 pounds on the hitch. Dont always pull the trailer.
Again, I am really pleased with the Sumi. Your pressure recommendation? Jeff.

honda_silver wrote:

jdeereanton wrote:

It is virtually impossible to steer through a turn at any speed above 20 mph or so.

I constantly practiced my steering by picking any bump in front of the Silverwing at all speeds ... (as I improved I would pick a spot closer to the Silverwing).

At first I would barely miss the front tire, but the rear tire would always hit the bump.

I learned to apply some counter steering pressure throughout the maneuver, the front tire would miss the bump by quite a bit but the rear would still nick the bump.

The more counter-steering pressure I applied to initiate turn, the more both tires missed the bump.

The first two took more maneuvers took more physical work, the last maneuver was less physical work.

With the heaviest Manic Salamander bar end weights does change the handling characteristics, but there is a huge difference between pushing down on the bar (still counter steering) and pushed away on the bar ... would not be surprised it was the same without bar end weights.

With a backrest (or buttrest), the more pressure I apply to the backrest ... the more counter steering I have to apply to overcome. In the twisties, I will lean slightly forward which makes a huge difference for same level of steering.

All "counter steering" is not the same ... there are a lot of factors that effect "counter steering".

jdeereanton wrote:

There is a break point on the car tire that is a function of the transition between the tread face and the sidewall.

I have have 30,000 miles on my darkside tire and have never been on the side wall. I felt the tire react differently one time, but the riders watching behind me confirmed that the tire still has 1/2 to 3/3 of the tread still touching the ground (which they could not believe) ... which explains why after 30,000 miles I still have both the upper and lower sidewall nibs.

When I had the Bridgestone hoops, after 4-5K I could feel the transition
from the worn middle flat spot during the turn. I have never felt any transition for a darkside tire.

jdeereanton wrote:

As much as people want to deny it there is a difference - it is easy to see when a tire is viewed in cut-away. Motorcycle tires are round and car tires have a flat tread face. I'm not saying one is bad or one is better. I am saying that I believe given the cross section profile of a car tire there is likely to be a transition point that requires a little adjustment.

Look at my original picture ( http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:5gD_IAb3gzEJ:silverwing.org/cgi-bin/topic_show.pl%3Ftid%3D2467+honda_silver+sumitomo+tire+htr+site:silverwing.org&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us ), the second picture shows

1) The sidewall (upper and lower) nibs I mentioned above
2) DVD case sitting on top of the Sumitomo (without air) which shows the tire is not flat

jdeereanton wrote:

Not every thing related to handling glitches with the car tire is a counter steering issue.

As an experienced darksider ... I would have to disagree. There are many factors that can effect the counter steering or effectiveness of the counter steering.

Counter steering is not intuitive which is why is has to be taught in MSF classes and explained multiple times.

Thank you for all of the words on the topic of car tires and countersteering.

honda_silver wrote:

Slick-Tenn wrote:

Go to your local Sumitomo tire dealer (or other reputable local tire dealer

I tried to locate the "local" Sumitomo (http://www.sumitomotire.com) tire dealer ... but the website was not helpful to identify any local tire dealers.

Most independent ("home town") tire dealers can order virtually ANY tire from their distributor. Just give them the specifics and pay them. Your tire will be at his shop in a day or two.