Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg in ND
I just finished reading where Rich L. said there is currently no car tire size replacement for the 1500's, and Rich does his research, so I guess I'm S.O.L.
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I'd have to look it up again, but I don't think Rich ever said there weren't "any" options for the 1500/1600 classics ...I thought he just said there weren't "any perfect" ones.
...and we all know how Rich is
. He also said at lease one time that the narrowest tire he could find for a 16" wheel was a 205 ...granted, 195s are fewer and farer between, but I found a whole list of them. I think Rich is looking for "perfect", I'm the kind of guy with low enough moral and ethical standards who will go with "good enough".
Will a 195 simply not fit on a 1500/1600 classic?
I'll be the very first to admit the Vanco Contact 2 isn't the "perfect" tire. In fact, the
only reason I went with it was because of the size. It was the smallest in width (for clearance), tallest in height (no increase in speedo error and engine rpm ...which I haven't validated yet) I could find for a 16" wheel. It would have been "perfect" to find a tire in that size, in a runflat or with significantly reinforced sidewalls, and an symmetrical tread. There *is* a tire exactly like that ...it's called a
motorcycle tire. Looking back at the tire choice thread, I could've gotten most of those options in other tires (the Goodyear Ultra Grip GW3, Dunlop Sport 5000A, and ContiProContact SSP are all excellent tires and people have used them on motorcycles) ...I just wasn't willing to take another 10% hit in speedo error and engine rpm going to a 55.
I need to copy and decipher all of the markings on the Contact 2, but I did notice one bit of information I never found on the internet ...it is apparently a 4-ply tread with a
single-ply sidewall. That concerns me a bit ...and, by 'a bit', I mean 'a lot'. I thought most tires were at least 2-ply sidewall these days. Seems strange to me that a tire rated so high in load would be only a single-ply.
At the moment, I'm just testing stuff out. I have not completely and absolutely made up my mind that I'll be keeping this tire on the bike. I'm not one of those people who exagerates benefits of something to justify the cost. Trust me, if I get down the road and feel like I've made a mistake and the whole idea is just plain unsafe, this thing gets yanked back off at the earliest possible opportunity. I have no problem admitting that I was wrong and eating the money. We live, we learn ...it's just part of life.
Edit: I just looked and Rich stated in the other thread that there weren't any "acceptable" options for the 1500. *shrug*