Darkside: No Taxi Tire...now what?

[Sassy]

Thanks again for the input Jim.
Still some stock issues up here as well. Have decided to give the Michelin a run.
Yes same size tire (130 70 18) on 89 - 1500.
Ordered online, should be here in a week or so, will update.
Fred

[Sassy]

So just today got my front 2xdark Michelin mounted with a couple ounces a balancd beads and went for a short ride. Starting at 38 psi and will adjust from there. Tire feels good, smooth and nothing out of the ordinary, which is good!
Took a Dunlop elite 3 off. Checked the date code, 4313 so 8 year old tire that I checked for cord after every ride it was so smooth. It gave a full life, aged out miled out with no plugs or patches.
Fred

[Sassy]

Was out for a decent ride yesterday.
I never realized how badly the worn front tire could
hurt the ride feel so much.
I'm now very comfortable on the bike. Yes the rear car tire picks up the uneven pavement and concrete edges more than a bike tire would and at parking lot speed I need to pay attention to that.
There are slight differences in the way the car tire handles which I've become accustomed to as well but ,,, I ride quite aggressively on curvey mountian roads dragging the pegs occasionally so ya, the sidewall of the car tire gives a bit.
Enjoying thd 2xDarkside!!
Fred

[WingAdmin]

There is now a new alternative to the Austone taxi tire available in the US, from the same online retailer that originally sold the Austone version of this tire:

Maxxis Taxi Tire:
https://www.universaltire.com/maxxis-ti ... kwall.html

The Maxxis and Austone tires are clones of the original Dunlop taxi tire, which is no longer made.

[WingAdmin]

Our member PedroTQ in Australia just posted the most amazing series of pictures documenting his conversion.

The Australian DOT refused his car tire on his GL1500's rim, because the bead surfaces are different.

Not to be defeated, PedroTQ CUT APART his GL1500 rim and grafted on an automotive rim, turning it into a frankenwheel. Of course, that didn't fit in the swingarm, which led to more modifications, which meant other things didn't fit, so they had to be modified...

This is a lesson in perseverance!

He originally posted his story on this thread, I decided it deserved a thread of its own, so I moved it here: Car tire on a Car Wheel on a GL1500!

[Britwanders]

Seriously hoping one of you very experienced and knowledgeable types out there will give me the information I need. I can build a Gold wing out of balloons, but knowing how to navigate tire conversions is way outside of my skillset.

I have an 1995 GL1500SE. It's my primary transportation, I ride distance a lot, and extra money, unfortunately, has rarely ever been a part of my life experience. I can't afford to experiment with putting a tire on and then replacing it if it doesn't fit. I'm presently running a Metlzer ME888, 160/80B16 on the rear. It was put on due to an emergency and has lasted less than 7k miles. It's now so bad that I'm afraid to ride it to the end of the block. With the cost of MC tires skyrocketing while my income is dropping, it's time to seriously consider the darkside.

So my question is this: in the simplest, most straightforward way possible (list, perhaps?), what car/truck tires can I put on my 'wing without having to do any modifications? And since I'd heard that getting a shop to put them on the rim is basically impossible (I'm presently in Las Vegas) anyone know how I can get it installed on the rim, if not on the bike itself? Hopefully I'll get answer quickly as I am stuck in place until I can get this fixed.

[Rambozo]

There are guides here for doing the mounting yourself. Some independent bike shops or tire shops will sometimes do it. One tip that has been mentioned is that if you take in just the wheel and not the bike, that will often make it ok. Some have told them it's for a sidecar rig as they often use car tires, too.

[cycledoc2016]

I am currently running a 185/75R16 on the rear of my 89 GL1500 wing my friend has a 175R16 (purchased from priority tire.com)on the rear of his 89 wing no issues with either on clearance both fit inside swingarm easily, hope this helps with you problem we take the wheel only to a local independent shop (no dealer will mount it) for mounting with no issues, charges $20 and faster than doing it myself.

[erkmann]

Coming up on the 24-month anniversary of what turned out to be a pretty popular (10,000+ posts!?!) topic, generated out of my interest in going dark as we all saw the disappearance of the revered Austone Taxi tire. Many good suggestions since that time (as well as initially a little simmering debate) but overall a bunch of collective good info added to the 1500 forum. As for me, twenty-four months and 17K miles later my 175R16 Maxxis Blackwall on the back is doing great, plenty of tread left, and looking forward to another season without having to remove that rear wheel. (Don't forget that driveshaft lube tho!) Chris

[FM-USA]

Available in S. California,
Vitour 175R16 tire $89.00 (free ship), tho 6-ply.
Might be rough riding for some. Can anyone in Cali vouch for this tire?

https://www.performanceplustire.com/tir ... s:175-16c/

[offcenter]

Available in S. California,
Vitour 175R16 tire $89.00 (free ship), tho 6-ply.
Might be rough riding for some. Can anyone in Cali vouch for this tire?
https://www.performanceplustire.com/tir ... s:175-16c/

99 mph speed rating. 6 ply.
Looks good to me.
Very much like the Austone to me.
But I still have a way to go on my Austones, so I won't be buying a rear for a while yet.

[FM-USA]

Available in S. California,
Vitour 175R16 tire $89.00 (free ship), tho 6-ply.
Might be rough riding for some. Can anyone in Cali vouch for this tire?
https://www.performanceplustire.com/tir ... s:175-16c/

99 mph speed rating. 6 ply.
Looks good to me.
Very much like the Austone to me.
But I still have a way to go on my Austones, so I won't be buying a rear for a while yet.

I pulled the trigger and ordered one, should get it mid-next week.
I have a spare rear rim & will see how it fits & inflated specs.
I'm hoping the 6 ply sidewalls are stiff enough to run-flat (even for a few miles) but won't know until installed and DE-flated.

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[Rambozo]

Looking forward to your report. That looks like rounder profile edges than a lot of tires.

[offcenter]

Also looking forward to your report.
But we'll also need a second report after you've put some miles
on it and it gets broken in.

[FM-USA]

ONLY pix I found for tread profile.

I considering on shaving this one's outer edges a bit rounder.
My 3 Austone's, I wore the outer edge to about 25% (tread left).

I ride year round so this Vitour's aggressive pattern should suit me.
(not that purposefully go out in snow).
.

[FM-USA]

Tire came in today, took Fedex 2 days attempted delivery.
Driver wrote in notes ''No one at location to accept delivery 1:39 PM''.
I was on my (warm) porch at that time, 45 mins before said time & 1:30 after... no truck went by.
..

..

..

So I wondered... maybe the tire size was the issue?
To make it fit, I'll have to do a little frame expanding...
..

[Solo So Long]

I ride year round so this Vitour's aggressive pattern should suit me.

This looks like a good solution for a lot of people, if it plays nicely with Wings.

When trying this, please report on:

Ride firmness

Controllability changes, both high and low speed (give it a try in the cone course, maybe)

Noise

Temperature differences

How is it going over railroad tracks, both straight and angled

Turns over gravel-covered pavement?

What pressures you're using.

[Solo So Long]

Our member PedroTQ in Australia just posted the most amazing series of pictures documenting his conversion.

The Australian DOT refused his car tire on his GL1500's rim, because the bead surfaces are different.

Does Australia have a tire-age limit?

If not, a solution might be to get a spare wheel, put the Darkside tire on that, then take it for inspection with the old wheel and tire (that still has legal tread depth, of course) -- swap to the car tire for riding, then next year, swap them for the next inspection. I know someone with a Beechcraft that does this so that she can use a better, lighter and more-dependable (but not Herbert-approved) battery.

[Sassy]

Australian Dot needs to watch the runflat on the yellow Honda vid!

[FM-USA]

NOT the Vitour tire, it's the Austone rear.
Front is a rear bike tire.
.
Photo this morning, 1/2 inch of light powder.

.

Vitour tire, not mounted.

[Torupilli Juss]

Hi all!

Weirdest twist - I just received a brand new good ole' Austone taxi tire off british eBay, with production date stamp 3021, which means it is made some time in august 2021.

I was under the impression that they were discontinued? An year ago I could not find any - they were all gone...

Is there hope for us yet?

[Rambozo]

They are still being made, just not imported into the US anymore.

[WingAdmin]

They are still being made, just not imported into the US anymore.

Correct. We just need to convince a distributor in the US to buy some from the Chinese manufacturer, and we could have them here again.

[Rambozo]

Perhaps we can organize a group buy. How many is the minimum ship quantity? Pallet, container, etc.?

[FM-USA]

Perhaps we can organize a group buy. How many is the minimum ship quantity? Pallet, container, etc.?

Last (late?) summer I suggested that and got ZERO responses.
I had an outlet, of course china, but like you're saying it has to be a 20 ft container...filled with their minimum BEAUCOUP BUCKS order.

Vitour (V) tire I posted, which I now have in my stock & waiting, looks to be a fine replacement for the Austone (A).
While the 'A' is a taxi tire, V is not. The V tire's sidewalls are a little stiffer but putting my foot & weight on the unmounted bead it collapses maybe 1/4 less than the A tire. That should translate to needing less air pressure in the V tire than the A tire to hold up our Wings.

Vitour tire I got from Calif., $101.44 with tax & free shipping (Feb-2022). Austone from Universal Tire was DOUBLE!

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