Beag's in da Darkside hizzouse!

[BikerBeagle]

Read here for history and tire choice discussion ( http://www.kawasakimotorcycle.org/fo...re-choice.html ).

Got the car tire mounted this afternoon ...what an experience that was. The only place I could find to mount it was a little independent, old-school grease shop ...real nice guys, knew what they were doing - even though it wasn't done exactly the way the manual probably says to. I was wondering if I had made the right decision when the owner couldn't work the perfectly good motorcycle jack, threw it across the garage and grabbed a good ol' floor jack used for cars. So, while he jacked it up, 3 of us were holding the bike from falling over, and another guy pulled the tire ...lol. It worked out in the end, I suppose. I grew up with a dad who worked on cars exactly like that so it didn't freak me out ...too much.

Absolutely no clearance issues whatsoever. I have about 1/4" clearance at the shaft case. Plenty of room in all other areas, front, back, fender well. I have about 36lbs psi (tire rated for 70lbs).

Ok, so the mounting cost me $120 because they 1) had 4 guys working on it and 2) had to remove the trailer hitch which involved lowering the pipes. *shrug* ...$112 tire, $120 mount ...and I'm still under what it would have cost me for a Metzler and mount. The tire I bought was a Continential Vanco Contact 2, 195/65R16, from TireRack.com.

I only have the 7 miles from the shop to the house on the clock. First impressions are, so far, that it's different. I really had no problems leaning into and making turns, maybe *slight* resistance requiring *slightly* more countersteering, and the bike wanted to stand right back up afterwards which felt a little strange. Overall, it feels ...well, a little squirrely ...like I have a tire on the back with half of its rated psi ...which is what I have. I'm going to play around with the pressure and see what makes a positive difference. I had it up to 60mph for a short distance and didn't feel any real problems, but I'll hold that opinion until I really get some road time.

Well, that's the report for now. I've attached some pics for your visual entertainment ...

[LVCigarz]

Looks good! I am interested in your future reports. Be Safe.

[NewRoadie]

I'll be interested to hear your future report. I am curious regarding the side-loading that a motorcycle will put on the car tire. It looks like you actually lose about half of the possible tire contact and it is on the side stand. Hmmm . . .

[TVoyagerXII]

Hey, Beagle, what's the diameter and width of that tire? Might fit on the Voyager.

[Greg in ND]

Sure looks different with the rib tire than the mc tire. Is it much wider? How much clearance do you have with the two sides of the hitch in the fender well? I bought a trailer now, and got ahold of Gilbert to get one like yours for the 1500. Thanks for telling me about it, I love the fact that it goes in the same holes that are already on the bike, and all I will see is the chrome reciever and ball!!

If you end up liking the car tire, I will probally get one too as I will be needing to put a tire on before Redlodge. For the cost, 7 or 8k on these mc tires is crazy
Keep us up to date...... Thanks........
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.

[BikerBeagle]

Originally Posted by NewRoadie

I'll be interested to hear your future report. I am curious regarding the side-loading that a motorcycle will put on the car tire. It looks like you actually lose about half of the possible tire contact and it is on the side stand. Hmmm . . .

I noticed that as well, but the tire I have has a load weight max of 1984lbs with 70lbs psi. It's pretty stiff. I sat on it when I first got it, no wheel, no air, and barely got the tire to flex much. Just sitting there ...no real weight on it, maybe the pressure is still a bit high ...I'm not concerned, much. Obviously, I can't watch it as a I ride, but you can kind of tell in the second picture where the wear pattern on the side is at. I'm going to keep a pretty close eye on it and take it real easy for a while.

Originally Posted by TVoyagerXII

Hey, Beagle, what's the diameter and width of that tire? Might fit on the Voyager.

You mean, inches? It's a 195/65 tire, so whatever 195mm is in inches ...and I think someone in my other thread said it would be just a smidge under 26" tall. Like I said, I have 1/4" at the shaft. Nothin' but open space in every other direction. I'll take a tape measure out tomorrow and get some good numbers. I'll have to remember to take a reading from the tire to the rear cross bar (trailer hitch), but it was such a visual distance that I wasn't in the least bit concerned about it.

Originally Posted by Greg in ND

Sure looks different with the rib tire than the mc tire. Is it much wider? How much clearance do you have with the two sides of the hitch in the fender well?

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.

Surprisingly, it didn't look impressively wide sitting in my living room, I actually thought height would be the bigger issue, but when they set it up beside the fender before putting it back on ...yowza ...it looked plenty wide then. That's the first time I started getting worried it might not fit.

Not sure what Gilbert's brackets look like for the 1500, but on the Nomad, the bracket sides goes well outside the fender and bolt into the existing mounts that hold the pipes and the bottom of the hard bags. There is a rear horizontal bar going across the back (replaces the stock sway bar), but I didn't see any clearance issues there. The tire would hit the shaft drive, then the pipes before it gets close to the trailer hitch bracket on the sides.

Gonna have a good ride this weekend on it, so should have plenty of info Sat night or Sunday.

[HemetRider]

I think if I can find a car tire that fits a 1500, I would do it. I plan on riding 20k+ a year (if I stay at my current job) and can't imagine buying 2-3 mc tires a year.

[FL Vulcan Rider]

WOW! That looks awesome and it seems smart being that buying tires left and right is ridiculous. Can you take some pics from behind but a lil bit further so you can see the whole bike from the back? GOOD JOB BEAGLE!!

[BikerBeagle]

Originally Posted by FL Vulcan Rider

WOW! That looks awesome and it seems smart being that buying tires left and right is ridiculous. Can you take some pics from behind but a lil bit further so you can see the whole bike from the back? GOOD JOB BEAGLE!!

Here you go.

[BikerBeagle]

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.

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*

[therogue]

Good info Beagle. I've been interested but scared of the handling downside. Watching for your future impressions.

[jeebee]

If your experience is like mine, you'll like it more as you get use to it. At first I was cautious, then began to realize it was holding the road better than the M/C tire I had been using. No doubt that it is a different feeling at first. You have it in your mind that you're riding out on the edge of the tread, but it isn't that way. The tire tread spreads out into a good sized patch. As long as I ride a cruiser style bike, I'm probably going to run a car tire on the rear.

JeeBee
2006 Nomad

[MrClean]

It'll never work! Can't wait to put mine on.

[MachoDC]

Looking forward to hearing more Bikerbeagle! Thanks for the link on KawaNOW.org!

Nico

KawaNOW Message Forum - Login

[NCDave]

I wish someone made one for my 1500

[N3FOLN3FOL]

Nicely done. BikerBeagle. The car tire looks great on the Nomad. Just remember, it takes a few miles before your rear tire heat up for a grippier ride. Nevertheless, I think it is worth it in the long run. Enjoy the darkside.

[RichLockyer]

Thinking out loud....
The Zuk' LC1500 is a popular darkside conversion. The difference is the LC1500 uses a 15" rim, while the Vulcan (seemingly the same bike) uses a 16" rim.

PERHAPS the LC1500 rim will mate with the Vulcan 1500 final drive and swingarm.... or if not, then the next logical step would be that perhaps the LC1500's final drive housing will mate with the Vulcan's shaft?

It would take a buddy with an LC1500 willing to spend a Saturday swapping parts between the bikes, but it should be pretty obvious if the wheel will fit.

Dropping to a 15" rim opens up a LOT of possibilities in narrower tires with taller profiles (175/80-15, etc...)

Still gotta watch overall diameter, while the speedo healer can correct the speedo, a smaller tire will still increase highway cruise RPM.

[Guitar7272]

YouTube - Car Tire on a Goldwing.. rightside up!

Someone posted that a couple of days ago in another thread and after watching it, I will never consider a car tire for my motorcycle. Just not worth the cost savings IMHO.

[RichLockyer]

I believe that 'wing is running either a run-flat or a Z-rated tire at a higher inflation level, which reduces sidewall flex.

Keep in mind that while you are seeing a big change in footprint from upright to leaned, even at full lean, there is still as much or possibly more contact than a rounded MC tire would have.

[zedx11]

Originally Posted by RichLockyer