Which Darkside to go for?

[ Angels or anyone not into the dark side, please don't clutter this thread with advice not to use car tires.  This question is for darksiders only. ]

Time for a new rear tire on my 2006 Swing with 18,xxx miles.  I'm having a hard time finding a Darkside tire that I like the tread pattern on.

Which Darkside tire, still available for sale, have you used and how did you like it?

How is performance on grooved roads or bridges or road snakes?

First, I am leary of going withe a 175/70/R13.  Seems the wheel well tolerances will be tight and I am concerned about acceleration even if I change to Dr. Pulley 26g or 24g sliders.  So I am targeting 165/70/R13 tires.  I also want a T speed rating.  There seem to be few at reasonable prices.

Raptis TR1 - only 4 tread bands and seems rounded from pictures - I think I would actually prefer a more square radial and let the sidewall do the work of keeping the tread flat.

Goodride: SP06 and Joyroad TOUR RX1 seem to have wide straight grooves - scary thinking of going over a grating or grooved road with straight tire slots like that.

Ironman: RB-12 - maybe.  Still some concern about straight grooves but look like a possible option.

Ironman: iMove - asymmetrical - I am concerned about different feel when cornering.  I think I want symmetrical tires on a bike.

Winter Claw Sport SXI - anyone try a winter tire? I like this tread pattern from what I can tell. http://simpletire.com/catalog/compare?ratio=70&rim=13&width=165&select=1&compare=62791,89227,104721

Several brands I looked up were no longer being made.    Are the Darkside choices for the Swing really that dim?

Tire size conversion chart:  http://tire-size-conversion.com/tire-size-comparison/

If your looking for a flatter tire to stay more uo right then the 175 70 13 is the tire for you .If your looking for a profile closer to a MC tire go to a 155 70 13 .The platinum 7,has a speed rating of 210 klph,and they come in a wider thread pattern. 155 , 165, and( ? 175). I am on my second 155 70 13 hercules raptic. 45 k kl on the first one ,35 k kl on the second one and good for 20 k kl to go.Both with my Trigg Trike kit installed. Most small tires are Chines ,Asian suppliers,and Cooper UK tires. My only concern with the 175 70 13 tire is the wall thickness.( Harder to pop the bead IMO. Mike.

Moving this thread to the Darkside Car Tire corner. You'll have to register there to continue with this topic.

Thanks for the reminder Meldrew.

Tim

This part of this post has been added by model28a (AKA Roger).
The OP asked "Angels or anyone not into the dark side, please don't clutter this thread with advice not to use car tires.  This question is for darksiders only."
So I've removed all posts not relevant to his questions. Tim I hope you don't mind, I edited your post instead of adding my own to save clutter.    
Roger  

"Ish", "Tinman",
Hi... I've been hard pressed in my research to find any Sumitomo or Hercules Raptor TR1's for the last couple of days while doing my research.  Ordered a Raptor from Simpletire.com yesterday and got an email this morning saying they don't have those anymore.  Stopped in at Big O tires today because they were advertising Sumitomo on the radio and they had "none" in the 13 in sizes.  Does it still exist??  

There is a Mr. Tire dealer here in Topeka that I just found on the net and I "requested a quote" from them on a Raptor that I should receive tomorrow.  Just might stop in there tomorrow anyway to see if they have any better access to one of these.  I did locate an "Ironman" RB-12 at a Firestone dealer for about $45.00, with maybe a $3.00 service (ship-in) fee and one or two day delivery at the store.  Would you believe that Big O tires quoted that same tire at $76.00???

Being a newbie in this darkside arena makes me very hesitant.  Would like to be more sure about the Ironman unit since it seems to be the most readily accessible tire right now.  Also wish I could find some info on someone's previous use (mounting ease / pressures / actual riding) of this tire.  I also found an independent shop that would (attempt ??) to put the tire on for $25.00.  Oh well; live an' learn. Guess I'll give it a shot.  Just hate to possibly be throwing my money away.  Let me know if you find anything else out.

Note: I started this out in the "darkside" department. Hope it stays there??

The Ironman rb12 is made by the same company as the hercules raptic. Go on Google they show all the options available. Perellie make a nice 155 70 13 winter tire .

Thanks for the info Tinman... I did Google it to confirm the Hercules connection. Very interesting that they did that. May go ahead and get it.

I would have to go out and check the size on my rear tire to be able to tell you but from the rear it looks HUGE!!!!

This is my first Darksided scooter and there was a small learning curve involved: The Scoot is absolutely rock solid on the Interstates and smooth highways. It does tend to 'wander' a bit on irregular surfaces. I tend to feel a transition at drop in on a corner for just a micro second, compared to a normal scooter tire. The concerns I initially had about high speed cornering were misplaced at least so far but these have been 99% dry roads. Cornering on wet roads, with painted stripes, tar snakes, sand and gravel etc makes me slow down on everything I ride, Darksided or not.

I like it so far and I especially like the fact that the tread is at least twice as deep as the best scooter tire and the footprint is twice as large, so the mileage before replacement should be fantastic.

***** I do have a concern though about the ABS settings that may be somewhat 'fooled' by the vastly larger rear footprint of the car tire as the feeling under maximum braking effort just seems 'different' than stock--it works but it feels a little odd to me.

So far though, I'm sold!

Sam:)

In the US there is at least 12 different tire to chose from.Google (155 70 13 tires US) It will take you to suppliers like Tire easy.com and many other suppliers with different prices for the same tire.

Ishkatan wrote:

[ Angels or anyone not into the dark side, please don't clutter this thread with advice not to use car tires.  This question is for darksiders only. ]

Time for a new rear tire on my 2006 Swing with 18,xxx miles.  I'm having a hard time finding a Darkside tire that I like the tread pattern on.

Which Darkside tire, still available for sale, have you used and how did you like it?

How is performance on grooved roads or bridges or road snakes?

First, I am leary of going with the a 175/70/R13.  Seems the wheel well tolerances will be tight and I am concerned about acceleration even if I change to Dr. Pulley 26g or 24g sliders.  So I am targeting 165/70/R13 tires.  I also want a T speed rating.  There seem to be few at reasonable prices.

Raptis TR1 - only 4 tread bands and seems rounded from pictures - I think I would actually prefer a more square radial and let the sidewall do the work of keeping the tread flat.

Goodride: SP06 and Joyroad TOUR RX1 seem to have wide straight grooves - scary thinking of going over a grating or grooved road with straight tire slots like that.

Ironman: RB-12 - maybe.  Still some concern about straight grooves but look like a possible option.

Ironman: iMove - asymmetrical - I am concerned about different feel when cornering.  I think I want symmetrical tires on a bike.

Winter Claw Sport SXI - anyone try a winter tire?  I like this tread pattern from what I can tell.  http://simpletire.com/catalog/compare?ratio=70&rim=13&width=165&select=1&compare=62791,89227,104721

Several brands I looked up were no longer being made.    Are the Darkside choices for the Swing really that dim?

Tire size conversion chart:  http://tire-size-conversion.com/tire-size-comparison/

The 175/70 is much taller but I like how it rides better than others I have used... But I am relatively light  (160#) and ride solo so I wasn't too worried about it scrubbing the underside. That was done as part of an experiment. I sold it to a guy to use on his S-wing trike

The tire I use is a ROADSTONE CLASSE PREMIER 165/65R13  rated 77T.. It has that "V' kind of symmetrical tread pattern you are probably seeking. Made in Korea.. probably by Nexen as I have seen that name associated with ROADSTONE when looking for tires. I got it off of ebay since I couldn't find one locally.

But part of the reason I wanted that particular size was so that it would be as close to the stock tire diameter so that there would be no problem with the ABS braking system. It works with no issues at all with the ABS and has only a very small effect on the speedometer/odometer.

It has that more squarish profile since it has the 65% sidewall and works fine, but is not as smooth transitioning the leaning left to right as the taller tire with a little more rounded shoulder. And throttle off, the 175/70R13 seemed to keep it rolling and rolling and rolling.... and did help with the fuel economy a little... at least that is what I found during my experiments with that taller tire.

Still, I like the 165/65R13 just fine. No troubles while riding.. Haven't had opportunity to take it over bridges, didn't notice anything unusual on grooved pavement, (but that will make ANY tire feel a little squirmy) I've not noticed any hydroplaning in standing water (but I do slow down in rain so...) we don't have too many tar snakes here where I ride mostly, but no issues with ones I have encountered. I've gone down dirt/gravel unpaved roads without issue. (but part of that is a rider skill thing) Still, I think it is a good tire.

Ordered my Hercules Raptis TR1 today from a local tire store; will be in on Monday. $56 out the door. Now I gotta' get my lazy butt out there and get the wheel off. Will pick up the muffler gasket on Wednesday hopefully. With a little luck at the local bike shop, won't be long now before I'm back in action. Thanks to everyone for your comments !! Wish me luck !

I keep a muffler gasket on hand just in case I need it. In fact the muffler gasket I have was a gift from John Grinsel when I bought his Givi Airflow off his first Silverwing. But in over 54,400+ miles I'm still using the one that came on the scooter when new. I keep the muffler gasket, a new drive belt, a set of front and rear OEM Honda brake pads and a small bottle of touch up paint on hand so I never need to wait for them when needed.
To get back on topic I also have a spare rear rim for when I'm finally ready to go to the "dark side"

I'm disappointed to hear that simpletire.com doesn't carry the tire anymore DickO. That's where I got mine and they are local to me in TN.

I hope mine lasts a long time! So far I am loving it and plan on replacing it with the same model.

Yes, DuggleBogey, I was certainly surprised when I ran in to that situation. Especially when many had used that as a source. Of course I was also disappointed because I wanted to use what others had already proved as a viable product; the only problem I had researched was, I believe, "Dimond" who had considerable difficulty trying to install one in a home shop environment and consequently backed out on using one. Anyway, was glad to find it in Topeka thru the local dealer.

Make sure to place the tire in the hot sun it helps to set the bead in place,and 2 once of tire balancing beads that you can keep re using with every tire change .If the tire shop has concern in blowing up the tire to hight put 60 lbs of air and leave it in the sun to do the rest.My 2 tires ( hercules Raptic)was very easy to install as a MC tire.

Just installed my 3rd DS tire . I decided to install the 175 70 13 Aurora from Walmart,that has been sitting in my shop for 3 1/2 yrs.I pic it up for $5.00 ( left over ). The tire was to tall when my swing was a 2 wheeler. Now with my Trigg trike ,it does not matter ,I don't have to put my feet down at a stop .

I have been unable to find the tires others have talked about locally.  Just wrecked my FJR 1300 by hitting a deer - got lucky and didn't even go down but the plastic is $6K.  Anyway, I bought a Hercules Ironman RB-12 165/70/13 tire and am going to try to mount it this weekend.  

For balancing I plan to use plastic beads - I don't want to wait for mail order Dynabeads so will try to find Airsoft pellets - but WalMart no longer carries them.  

One thing about the Ironman RB-12 - it's profile is very curved - looks promising for a bike - but the grooves are very wide - not sure if that is great for rain but a bit scary if I hit grooved roads... TBD

Uploaded this picture it to my personal album.

I would hold of on those plastic beads unless approved for tires. install the tire without the beads until you get the wright balancing beads , Counter act ,or Dina beads. A 13 " tire is not likely to vibrate for you to notice it. The balancing beads can be installed later by using a potable hand sander held against the valve stem to help the beads go in faster. Or wait for the beads and install with the tire.

So I went to the dark side with a Hercules Ironman RB-12 165/70r13. I wanted to get the tire locally and reasonably cheap and it was one of the few almost symmetrical tires available without waiting for mail order. I had not seen on in person and was disappointed to see really wide grooves the tread pattern. I had hoped from pictures that the grooves would be narrow.

I also used 2.5 oz of Airsoft pellets to balance it instead of weights. BTW, I also installed 26g DR Pulley weights during this exercise.

If you have a darkside, what pressure are you running your darkside tire on a Non-triked bike?
I measured mine at 31.5 psi on the first test ride, a short loop.

My impression is that the bike feels like it is on rails and wants to stay upright. I think I can feel the 2 rubber tread strips controlling the ride.

1) Going down the straightway I want to take my hands off the steering and would expect it to go straight. Well, given the 2 rubber strips with wide grooves it is sort of on rails.

2) Turning seems require extra handle bar pressure. It felt mostly like the bike had decent grip but I was afraid to push it hard into turns so the entire ride was a bit conservative, though I did go 55 for a short burst in a 35 mile hilly/meandering section I took any sharp turns slowly and never got close to 45 degree lean. I am not sure how much is my imagination and how much is real feel of changing from the middle 2 treads to the outside treads holding the bike.

3) Going over a new asphalt edge felt squirmy but not out of control.

4) The road seemed bumpy for a bit at certain speeds – around 20… I am not sure if it was the road or the Airsoft pellets before distribution inside the tire. If it is the pellets then it is a reason not to go past the minimum required. But it could be the local country roads too.

5) Right now the scooter feels funny and my comfort level is not high. But then I have not really ridden it for a couple years. Before the tire change I took it out and it felt weird and too maneuverable – yeah, I know. But I am used to riding my FJR 1300 AE with 17 inch wheels and am not used to riding the scooter (2 years now). I need to acclimate to the scooter.

6) I want to tighten the steering column – right now it flops if the front wheel is unweighted. Probably affects handling a bit though it does not feel loose.

7) The tire was gently warn after a 10 mile ride in cold weather.

While I felt a little “undulation” at a particular speed it did not last while accelerating or decelerating. I am not sure if it is the Airsoft pellets or the road but at any other speed the wheel does NOT seem to add vibration that I can recognize. The bike seems to be running a bit smoother with the new DR Pulley weights.

9) 26g DR Pulley weights seem to want me to rev my engine at around 4000 rpm to get moving - anything from 0 to 50 mph.

10) I plan to reduce the tire pressure to see if the handling improves at 30, 28, etc. I wish I had someone to take a picture of the tire with me sitting on the bike. It sort of makes sense that the tire would work better at lower PSI – it is wider so bigger surface area to support the weight and made for 900 lb loads but getting under 400 even with me on board. Final judgement is still out.

Some lessons:
1) Some motorcycle and some car shops will not mount a car tire on a motorcycle rim.

2) The Honda bike shop wanted $37 while Rice tires agreed to do it for $18 and since I ended up helping and did not want balancing charged $15.

3) For those wanting to remove the tire yourself:
a. Getting the old tire off was a PIA. Motorcycle tires are stiff. I used C clamps to break the bead but it was tough going to keep clamps and wood blocks from slipping and took a lot of time.
b. There was no way I was going to get the tire off the rim with the tools I had. The beads need to be in the center of the tire and the tire (Diablo) was very stiff and hard to position by myself even with C-clamps. – you really want 2 people or to clamp the wheel down on a work bench.
c. I finally decided to cut the sidewall which is another tough job. There is a metal band inside the bead. You really need metal cutting disks to get through it. Use lots of padding / cardboard to protect the wheel, check work often and go slow. There will be lots of dust. I ended up drilling the sidewall in a series of holes then using metal cutting disks. Keep the bead at the center of the tire to avoid cutting the wheel. I still put a tiny nick in mine.
d. Once I got one bead off I was able to lever the other bead off using long bars.
e. Having the tire off was nice as it let me clean the edges of the wheel. Lots of rubber stuck to the rim and needed a Scrungy scrubbing.

4) Tire Mounting
a. Car shop machines may not have a spindle thin enough to put the bike rim on a machine. That was the case with this car shop. They had to do it manually on the floor – but they did have a couple tire irons.
b. Take the disk brake off. I did not and was constantly worrying about the shop damaging the disk break. They also wanted to take it off but changed their minds.
c. At one point they had 3 people kibitzing and working on mounting the tire. I was finally allowed in the shop to assist the poor guy assigned the job. I gave advice, pointed out when things were going badly – like the tire coming off on one side while being pushed on the other (needed a stopper – which ended up being me holding the tire bead down with another tire iron). Also had to tell the kid that he should not try to pop 12 inches but do one inch at a time alternating irons. That finally did it.
d. Once we had the tire loose on the rim the mechanic sat on the sidewall while I poured in 2.5 oz of Airsoft pellets. Probably too much but I figured a little too much is better than too little.
e. Seating the tire onto rim was also an effort. He filled it to 60 several time and used TONS of lube. One side popped on nicely on the first try but one area on the other side just would not seat. Ended up beating the tire with an iron and deflating and inflating several times with more lube each time. Phew.
f. I had them put it at 36 psi per their machine. When I checked with my meter at home several days later after getting it on the bike it was 31.5. I will be checking pressure regularly to see if I have a leak (valve stem?) or if the meters vary. Also expect to play with pressure vs. ride.

P.S. Please don’t quote the entire post if replying to a small section.

I've run my Raptis tire at both 40 and 36 without noticing much difference overall. Finally left it at 36 just for a "conceived" softer ride. Max for the tire is 44 IIRC. My tread doesn't have the grooves like you speak of so taking the corners is not that much of a factor for me. I've gotten so use to that slight increased "tip-over" point going into a curve that it's just a non-issue now. I didn't have my assembly balanced and even left the old weight on there. So, no balance issues for me either. I did notice that I lost a little air right at first but after resetting the pressure and going for a ride to heat things up everything seated in okay. No air loss after that.

Max pressure on my 165/65R13 is 44 PSI. I run my tire at about 40 PSI. Running it too low will heat
up the tire promoting wear, it will be noisier, use more fuel and might get to the point of being
squirmy. I would start out at the max PSI and work it down in say 2# increments until it started to
feel not right.  Then bring it back up to the mid point between max PSI and the low point and run it
at pressure around that point where you like it best.

The stiff sidewall of a MC tire supports the rounded profile of the tread face. So in turns, the
contact patch doesn't change shape as much as it does using a CT. That is partly why it is smoother
with the MC tire; it does not have a "transition" like it does with a CT.

That "transition" is the thing that is so different with a CT than it is with a MT and eventually can be
accounted for and adapted to. And with a CT, the sidewall compresses and flexes to allow some of
the tread face to flex and stay flat on the road surface. There is a tendency for the tire to resist doing
that. And that is the resistance felt during the initiation and holding in a turn. Even more so when
steepening the turn and banking over further. That is why it feels like it wants to "stand up" because
... well it does want to stand up; to become stable and equalize tension/compression on both sides
of the tire. It just takes getting used to that and adjusting how turns are handled. Turns can become
just as predictable and consistent as it becomes more automatic in a manner of speaking. But if that
is something that one is too uncomfortable with and/or unwilling to adjust to then maybe using a car
tire is not the thing for them to do. If one is OK with it, then know it becomes even easier the more
you ride; 2nd nature with muscle memory.

after LOTS of reading on the DS debate and talking to 2 pals who ride big bikes, both use DS tires .. here is my reason for going DS ... ive been a scoot rider for 12 years and in June upgraded to a 600 SW, 16k miles and bald R tire so first thing i did was order a new one, NEW MICHELIN CITY GRIP URBAN/TOURING SCOOTER TIRE REAR 64S, 150/70-13 6,000 miles later that tire is bald .... and very unhappy with its performance and life... so yesterday i Purchased a NEW Joyroad TOUR RX1 165/70 R13 79T TL ....
i have my own tire changer from harbor freight, the tire was a BEACH to get the over the rim but got r done, issues with getting the beads in and need more, while on stand and watching rotation seems to be very smooth and even. i really like the way it likes to ride upright but jury still out and not as hard to ride as some have suggested, BUT seams to have a bit more vibration than before.

DJ Charles wrote:

To me, this looks like what can happen to a tire run with air pressure chronically too low.

no idea but psi was at 32 everytime i ched it..... only thing i can think of and what google says is my riding habits, lots of curves and hills and not so good roads and staying to right side of my lane to much. even used 3 dif psi cheakers cuss thought they might be bad.

running 40 psi on the new DS tire

I noticed tire put on is radial----wasn't SilverWing designed for bias tires?? Car Tire radial might really screw up handling.....in addition to MC rims not being right for car tires?

John,

You are right that the SWing was designed for a bias ply tire. I'm not sure if this applies to a DS tire though since I never had a DS tire.

Perhaps... Just a thought since it was mentioned... but maybe being a radial tire is what makes the DS tires work satisfactorily on a two-wheeled vehicle ??

you said my thoughts to a T .. my exact sentiments, so far my dark side tire has 4k miles on it and absolutely perfect ware .. and still looks new cant tell if any tread has been used.

Porkie wrote:

I would have to go out and check the size on my rear tire to be able to tell you but from the rear it looks HUGE!!!!

This is my first Darksided scooter and there was a small learning curve involved: The Scoot is absolutely rock solid on the Interstates and smooth highways. It does tend to 'wander' a bit on irregular surfaces. I tend to feel a transition at drop in on a corner for just a micro second, compared to a normal scooter tire. The concerns I initially had about high speed cornering were misplaced at least so far but these have been 99% dry roads. Cornering on wet roads, with painted stripes, tar snakes, sand and gravel etc makes me slow down on everything I ride, Darksided or not.

I like it so far and I especially like the fact that the tread is at least twice as deep as the best scooter tire and the footprint is twice as large, so the mileage before replacement should be fantastic.

***** I do have a concern though about the ABS settings that may be somewhat 'fooled' by the vastly larger rear footprint of the car tire as the feeling under maximum braking effort just seems 'different' than stock--it works but it feels a little odd to me.

So far though, I'm sold!

Sam:)

about 4k miles so far.

So I got to ride the bike to work and back a couple times before cold weather set in. I played with the air pressure and found that I could feel that slight "fall off" in a turn at 36-38 psi and above. The tire still seemed to have good grip but "felt hard". I think I put in too much weight with the beads - depending on terrain, acceleration etc. I feel a bit of a "pumping" from the rear wheel between 30-40mph. I tried breaking the bead with the wheel still on the bike (C-clamps) to take out a few beads but it did not work - too hard to move the bead over far enough to get a vacuum tube into the tire. (Airsoft pellets don't fit through the valve stem.) I decided I can live with what I have after some more play with tire pressure.

Dropping to 34 psi feels more comfortable. It still has that edge fall off but a lot less. There is less of the pumping from the beads, almost negligible. I also put 1.5 oz o beads in the front wheel. There was minor vibration at 70 mph from the front and the beads reduced that though I still get some as I go up to just under 75. So some but not much difference. Could even be psychologically adjusted perception.

The bike rode great at 31 psi. The tire does feel a little soft but the grip is very good, not squirmy. I was surprised but it is only warm to the touch after a 20 mile trip at 30-40 mph but not hot. Pretty much the same as at other pressures. The sidewalls are meant to flex at at 30 psi they do. This also seems to disturb the beads so I don't feel the pumping. I suspect the tire is flexing and throwing the beads up so they re-distribute faster and more. Or the road was bumpy enough to cover it up.

I have my Swing up for sale on Craigslist but if it does not sell I plan to ride it as a commuter this spring until it does sell... The reasons for planning to sell it are: I want an Adventure bike or a Goldwing and there is no room in the garage and if I ride the scooter it takes a few rides to get used to it and the feel. Then if I switch to the FJR 1300 that feels weird and there is an adjustment period. Then when I switch to the Swing there is that adjustment period again. I blame it on the wheel size of the scooter - much smaller on the scooter making it very maneuverable but you feel the bumps. Bigger on the FJR so harder to turn but more stable at high speed and better on rough pavement.

Oh, the Darkside tire at the lower pressures makes the ride smoother... I am going to aim for 34 psi and let it drop naturally with time to 30 (though it seems to really hold well) and just play games with the feel in that range. Particularly on days when the radio says the traffic is heavy (so variable speeds for which the Swing is ideal).

Ishkatan wrote:

I also used 2.5 oz of Airsoft pellets to balance it instead of weights.

You can get used to shifting from a bike to a scooter. I had no problem going back and forth from My GL1800 to my SW. Once you're used to both going from one to the other isn't a problem at all. No tendency to grab a brake to find out it's a clutch.

So bike did not get any serious offers. But... I put it on the center standd and ran the wheel and saw that the tire has a wobble! The Rim is running true so it is something with the mounting of the tire or the tire itself. Either I damaged it with all the playing around with C clamps getting beads in or it never seated true. I just got a Goldwing so I put the Silverwing in the corner and rode the Goldwing and FJR. Then I pulled out the Silverwing last week - still had 30 lbs of air in the darkside and 27 in the front. I put the front at 29.5 and decided to ride the it with the lower pressure. No weird vibration at 30-40. But, like bandito said, it is starting to feel squirrely in turns and especially when riding on parallel road cracks. I feel it has _lots_ of grip but when I lean in a turn it feels like the rear tire wants to go straight. I just have to compensate and lean a little more and turn the handlebar into the turn... I get an image of dirt riders going around the turns real fast with their rear end swung way out (only mental image - not really visible as the degree is very minor). While it feels strange, especially compared to my other bikes, if feels like the bike goes and will go where I want it. Just have to be aware of different handling.

Oh, riding the FJR changed my riding style a little - I am a bit more aggressive than I was a while back...

I am contemplating dropping the air pressure until the tire is almost flat then riding it locally to see if the beads re-seat and it straightens itself out (bring a pump). If that does not work I may just ride it at 30-31 PSI for a while and see how it wears.

At this point I am alternating between the 3 bikes for my commute - depending on traffic on the news and where else I have to go. The Scooter gets used when traffic is at it's stop and go worst - no shifting. Goldwing goes when I need to carry a lot and long distance and FJR when I am in a hurry in light traffic. Boy talk about 3 different rides.

bandito2 wrote:

DJ Charles wrote:

To me, this looks like what can happen to a tire run with air pressure chronically too low.

I would also say check alignment - especially if the baldness is on one side.

To many right hand turns, oval track racing IMO.