Austone Taxi Tire

[Renovator]

Hello fellow riders,
Can anyone tell me just "how" much taller the Austone Tire would be over the Dunlop E-3's ? I know that they are "taller"...just not sure how much. This of course is for a GL1500.


Renovator

[WingAdmin]

Hello fellow riders,
Can anyone tell me just "how" much taller the Austone Tire would be over the Dunlop E-3's ? I know that they are "taller"...just not sure how much. This of course is for a GL1500.


Renovator

The stock 160/80-16 rear tire has a diameter of 26.08 inches. The Austone Taxi Tire has a diameter of 26.90 inches. So the difference between the two diameters is 0.82 inches. Half that is 0.41 inches, which is how much higher the bike would sit with the Austone.

[bellboy40]

According the RoadRogue, the Austone is about 3/4 inch taller than the stock tire size. That changes the overall gearing enough to lower the cruising engine speed by about 250-300 rpm. Here is a link to a thread that discusses the Austone tire.
viewtopic.php?f=10&t=34317

[Stew]

My rear tire will need to be replaced probably at the end of this riding season, maybe sooner if get out there more. I have been looking at the Austone and really like it but as someone without a lot of miles under my belt I wonder if I should stick with a MC tire for this upcoming replacement and get the Austone the next time around after some more experience.

Currently I have an E3 with some cupping on it.

[Renovator]

"Thanks a Bunch" for the Replies Fellow Wingers !! Much appreciated.

Renovator

[Renovator]

Thats not at all bad with the "height" . That would knock down the RPM's just a bit so as to get a 'little' more mileage. Here in Canada they are $315.00.....delivered...by mail. With the longevity of the tire compared to the MCT.....it still works out to a good deal me thinks


Renovator

[hugger-4641]

I am running this tire on my '94 Aspencade. The tire itself did not raise my bike that much, but I have to run my suspension air pressure a little higher to stop scrubbing the inner fender on big dips and bumps. So my current riding position is probably 1 1/2 to 2" higher that what I was on a MC tire. This was enough to pick my heels up a little when stopped whereas I used to be able to sit firmly flat footed.

[shomann]

I know this tire change is fairly popular to do, but doesn't it severely decrease the handling on twisties? It may be fine for casual cruising but can't handle as well as a good MC tire for spirited riding.

Anyone regret making the switch?

[minimac]

There is just the slightest bit of gyroscopic effect which you might notice in the first five minutes of riding. It's not any different than the difference you'd experience when changing from a worn tire to a new one. You will notice the handling is much more improved, especially if you happen to ride when it's wet. The tire is a six ply radial that works well with the bias ply front, or if you really want to notice better handling, with a front radial. Do not run the Austone low on air!!! Mine works well between 48 and 52psi, depending on if I'm one or two up and loaded or not for traveling. You'll also notice better 'cushioning" due to the higher sidewall height.

[Renovator]

Thanks for the response Minimac,

I agree....there will be "some" new feel to it. But like you said...no different than going from old tire to new. I really like the look and the Tread pattern !


Renovator

[Alan_Hepburn]

...Mine works well between 48 and 52psi,...

I admit I don't know much yet, but I'm curious: what pressure are our wheels speced for? I've heard that car tires and bike tires don't have the same bead placement or something, but I've never seen any discussion on exceeding the max pressure causing a wheel failure. Are they really rated high enough to not have to worry? I know that for cars, trucks, trailers, etc. the OEM whels are usually rated for the same, or slightly higher, pressures than the OEM tires and going to a higher load rating to take advantage of higher pressures can be problematic.

[WingAdmin]

...Mine works well between 48 and 52psi,...

I admit I don't know much yet, but I'm curious: what pressure are our wheels speced for? I've heard that car tires and bike tires don't have the same bead placement or something, but I've never seen any discussion on exceeding the max pressure causing a wheel failure. Are they really rated high enough to not have to worry? I know that for cars, trucks, trailers, etc. the OEM whels are usually rated for the same, or slightly higher, pressures than the OEM tires and going to a higher load rating to take advantage of higher pressures can be problematic.

The wheel is never going to fail because of excess air pressure, unless there is already something wrong with it (i.e. cracked, bent, etc.). The tire would fail from overpressure long before the aluminum wheel would fail. The more air pressure, the harder the bead is pressed against the rim, which is what creates the seal.

[RoadRogue]

I know this tire change is fairly popular to do, but doesn't it severely decrease the handling on twisties? It may be fine for casual cruising but can't handle as well as a good MC tire for spirited riding.

Anyone regret making the switch?

The Austone tire is more than capable of any spirited riding you may want to throw at it, I did. I live and ride in the mountains of British Columbia, lots of twisties here. I would regularly scrape the pegs on both sides. I found that the Austone offered more traction than both the E3 it replaced and my beloved Avon Venoms. I found I could carry at least 10mph more into my favorite set of twisties with absolutely no hint of tire slip, even wet. scraping pegs on a 1500 isnt all that hard to do, but with the taller Austone tire that same peg scrape is ALOT farther over . I got 40,000 hard Km out of my Austone incuding at least 20,000km pulling my heavy tent trailer all over BC and AlbertaI could easily have gotten another 10-15,000km out of that ire if I didnt ride so aggressivly, but where is the fun in that? No regrets here going to the Darkside

[Dusty Boots]

Austone Taxi Tire with 52,871km/32,853mi on it

Leisurely riding the Dragon

Like Todd, I've scraped a lot of metal off my bike, especially out on SR 36 in CA, which is known as one of the top sport bike roads in northern California.

Other than the rub issue, great handling/wearing tire!


I have since gone to a Yokohama Avid ENVigor ZPS 195/55R16 run flat to get away from the Austone's rub issue

It is a very tight fit/install though, but NO rub issues with my bike.

Dusty

[Renovator]

That looks quit a bit smaller in Diameter Dusty than the Austone. Probably more along the line of the Bridgestone Run-flat. I guess, at the end of the day, your going to be either snug on the sides...or snug on the Top when going "Dark side'. Not all bad.


Renovator

[hugger-4641]

I quite often practice my high speed maneuvering skills by slaloming the reflectors on the 4 lane highway near my house late at night when no one else is around. If I do this at 70mph, I am really throwing the bike back and forth pretty hard. I notice with the taxi tire that I feel a little more resistance in the beginning and a little more reaction between transitions. In other words, when I go from being straight up to being leaned over, I have to push on the opposite bar a little more than I used to until I get leaned over some. And, when I go from being leaned way over to straightening back up, I feel a little bit of reaction once I am straight up again that I didn't have with a MC tire . With that said, I can still throw it around just as good with the taxi tire as I could with the MC tire and the wet traction is definitely better.

[gwjturner]

So Dusty Boots, did the Yokohama tire have any affect on the speedometer? Also, any rubbing when riding two up?

[Dusty Boots]

The size of the rear tire has no impact on the speedo, as it is driven off the front wheel.

No, no rub issues at all. The run flat has stiffer sidewalls than normal tires, yet the ride is good.

[Wing--Man]

I looked into that Yokohama Avid ENVigor ZPS 195/55R16, the specs say it is a 24 inch diameter tire. GL1500 rear OEM is a smidgen over 26 inch.

Also, in a price search I noticed the Austone is priced at $182 in the USA, the ENVigor $just under $100.00, both shipping inc..

Dusty Boots, have you had steep lean angle scrapes earlier than usual?

[FirstWing1982]

Will the 1982 GL1100A have enough clearance for this tire? I read some old posts which said no to going Dark, but hopefully there is something else out there.

[Sask_Aspencade]

Yes, I have an 83 Aspy. Also curious if any of these car tires will fit on the back of mine, too. My bike eat tires simply because of my 240 pound body and the 50 pounds of camping gear I haul during my August bike trip. Not to mention driving 120km/h so as to not get constantly passed by aggressive drivers. Unlike cars, where getting new rubber on a tire is a fairly inexpensive and rare mission, I don't look forward to forking out (pun!) hundreds every time I need to change the back tire.

[Dusty Boots]

The Yok 195/55R-16 has a diameter of 24.44 vs the 26.08" of the 160/80-16, for a difference of - 1.64'' in total difference, but half of that for ride height difference.
I don't ride as aggressively as I used to, so scraping parts earlier are not really noticeable for me.

BTW, I'd make sure the price you got on the YOK is for a ZPS tire and not just an Avid ENVigore non run flat.
Cheapest price I could find was at Tire Rack for $133.xx plus shipping when I bought both of mine.

[patbrandon1]

This may sound like a very silly question, but...

Do all of you mount the darkside tires yourselves? Or do dealerships do this?

[WingAdmin]

This may sound like a very silly question, but...

Do all of you mount the darkside tires yourselves? Or do dealerships do this?

I mount all my own tires - and while I've done it in my garage with tire irons and sweat, I now cheat a bit - I have a friend with a professional motorcycle tire mounting machine in his shop.

[ZAN]

Can someone tell me the model number of the Austone Taxi Tire? Is it CSR-81? Thanks.