Car tires on bikes...and more...

[theshnizzle]

So there I was one day, enjoying my coffee anfter a lovely ride up north..( huh..snow....?) and up comes a cruiser, I nod off he goes to get his java,next another cruiser on my right pulls up. We all get to chatting,steam rising gently from our cup o' joe, undulating in the air like the opening credits of " I dream of Genie"....and I notice that cruiser guy on my right has a car tire on the rear.

He goes on to tell me that he gets great mileage out of that tire,how great the bike handles ect,ect....

Dude on my left tells me that he just had two tires installed ( it took him FOREVER to find someone who who do it for as cheaply as possible..) and he didn't want the guy to balance the tires, I can't remember why, but the tires are put on the bike not balanced and he goes on to tell me how great the bike rides and how well it handles....

I really had no idea what to say to these guys, they were pretty pleased with how they had set up thier bikes,who am I to dispute thier.." setup"?

I just don't see this kind of thing as often on sportbikes or ADV's. Hey, thats not to say that pple don't bastardize those types of bikes but,maybe I was just lucky to run into both these guys at the same time....but all was saved when a really nice brand new Super Tenere arrived..

[chesthing]

A tire that lasts 50k sure beats 5k, especially when you don't give a flip about handling. Me, I'd rather just drive than ride a cruiser on straight roads.

[wibornz]

If you're not racing.  Run the Road Pilot 3 tires or at least the Road Pilot 2 tires.  I ride hard, wheelies and peg dragging on the c14 quite regularly, and I get 12,000 plus miles out of the Road Pilot tires.   Why run a car tire.  

[greench440]

For more views on car tires, head on over to fjrforum.com and search for darksider.

12k from a PR3 on a C14? Wow.

[Cablebandit]

Must be mostly upright.    

[SLK50]

Must be mostly upright.    

Nah. It's an average between front and rear since he
"wheelies regularly".

[DredheadV2.0]

If the bike never leans, I guess they'd be OK.  But there's a reason two-wheeled vehicles have rounded-profile tires, not square.

[wibornz]

Usually the tread is gone on the sides before the middle.  The Road Pilot tires wear well.  

[AzItLies]

Honestly... I think it's insane.

but guess if you never drag a feeler, never lean it much at all in a corner, never worry about emergency swerving...

what the hell you riding a bike for then though?

just don't get it personally.

[ZZR12]

It really confuses my why people think cruisers can't turn, or we only ride them in a straight line. My Warrior has upside down forks, better brakes than most sport tourers, and a lot more torque and HP than most of you guys. But unfortunately I have seen a trend on the Warrior site of people putting car tires on for better wear, and then low siding in a corner. If your to cheap to run a motorcycle specific tire you should be trading your bike in for a Can-Am.

[veefer800canuck]

If you can't visualize in your mind how a motorcycle corners, as viewed from behind, then I guess a flat car tire makes sense.

If you have half a clue how it actually works, then the round tire is the only logical conclusion.

If its a dragbike? Yes. Anything else, even a cruiser or a wing needs round tires period.

[Scratch33]

A topic that has literally been beaten senseless on the Gold Wing circuit.

[CosmicCowboy]

I just don't see this kind of thing as often on sportbikes or ADV's

I was told on another forum that it was "catching on big" with sport-touring. I don't frequent that place much any more.

[Cablebandit]

[dan88z]

It really confuses my why people think cruisers can't turn, or we only ride them in a straight line. My Warrior has upside down forks, better brakes than most sport tourers, and a lot more torque and HP than most of you guys. But unfortunately I have seen a trend on the Warrior site of people putting car tires on for better wear, and then low siding in a corner. If your to cheap to run a motorcycle specific tire you should be trading your bike in for a Can-Am.

Compared to a sport bike or ST bike, a cruiser can't turn as well. Sure they can ride the same roads, but they are not going to take the same turn at the same speeds. How can you with less lean angle? As far as hp and torque, what bikes are you comparing to? A stock 600cc sport bike has more HP than a Warrior. Most liter bikes will have comparable torque, and even if they don't, they are still going to smoke a power cruiser in every aspect- handling, accelleration, and yes, braking.  

As far as the car tire deal, I agree- use a motorcycle tire. I can see riders who do long trips on the slab and don't do a lot of twisties, but for anything else, I'm going to use what is made for my bike.  

[county]

If the bike never leans, I guess they'd be OK.  But there's a reason two-wheeled vehicles have rounded-profile tires, not square.

Well, that was true before radials, today it is mostly about fender clearance and fitting on the rim....

[AzItLies]

Okay... Okay...

I figured it out. The riders going with car tires also have ABS! and they know that will save their bacon... so they're not worried.

[county]

Okay... Okay...

I figured it out. The riders going with car tires also have ABS! and they know that will save their bacon... so they're not worried.

Yes, car tires have been made for ABS for years....

[theshnizzle]

It really confuses my why people think cruisers can't turn, or we only ride them in a straight line. My Warrior has upside down forks, better brakes than most sport tourers, and a lot more torque and HP than most of you guys. But unfortunately I have seen a trend on the Warrior site of people putting car tires on for better wear, and then low siding in a corner. If your to cheap to run a motorcycle specific tire you should be trading your bike in for a Can-Am.

Well ,you wanna put that statment to the test? My Hayabusa against your Warrior....for pinks. And let's draw a line at the end so we can see about who has the better stopping power. And I will even do it blindfolded with one hand tied behind my back!.......

Umm...that video of the car tire totally freaked me out. Do you see how that tire is....OMG....is that even safe? Or fun?

[DredheadV2.0]

Well, that was true before radials, today it is mostly about fender clearance and fitting on the rim....

You're absolutely right.  The old non-radial tires on my '74 CB750 were completely square.