trying for dark

[csj]

...and not having much luck. It appears that 175/xxr16 is not available anywhere. I have also tried finding 180 and 185 width
tires with no luck.

This is a last ditch attempt by asking this board, does anybody know where to find darkside that'll fit gl1500 swingarm.
Oh, and I live up in the Great White.

[offcenter]

175R16 at Universal Tire
https://www.universaltire.com/maxxis-tires.html
This appears to be the replacement for the
Austone Taxi tire that so many of us are using.

[csj]

Thank you for this lead. I'm digging in to it.

[blupupher]

A few have had some luck running a 195/60/16, but some say that they rub on the swingarm with it.
No rhyme or reason as to why some fit and some don't. Just small variances in manufacturing of the bike as well as tire differences even in the same size between brands.
Most that say they don't rub just have a few MM of clearance.

[Sassy]

I've run a 195/60 and now have a 195/55 run flat on my '89 1500 .
A small plastic rub on inner fender that was fixed with a heat gun. About 8 mm clarence on the swing arm.
Procedure to getting it in place has been documented elsewhere.

[csj]

So I tried a maxxis dealer here in ontario. Guy actually got pi$$ed at me for asking.
I didn't bother trying maxxis in penn state thinking i'm likely gonna get similar treatment.

So then I looked at a local bike shop who likes Shinko. Went with the Shinko bike tire for the rear.
I took a lot of time to get the bike apart, clean and inspect all the parts uncovered. There was
actually 23 yr old dirt on everything. None of the previous owners had ever cleaned up.

Considering how everything has increased in price, the shinko wasn't too bad, but what was a
shock was install and balance. $94. wt@.

We get hosed bad in Canada. Anyway, I've been riding my girl's red '99 wing trike while I worked
on the two wheel blue '00 wing. The trike is about like a buckboard. So rough.
The '00 wing is like riding on a cloud lined with velvet. Tire works well. No problems.

[WingAdmin]

So I tried a maxxis dealer here in ontario. Guy actually got pi$$ed at me for asking.
I didn't bother trying maxxis in penn state thinking i'm likely gonna get similar treatment.

So then I looked at a local bike shop who likes Shinko. Went with the Shinko bike tire for the rear.
I took a lot of time to get the bike apart, clean and inspect all the parts uncovered. There was
actually 23 yr old dirt on everything. None of the previous owners had ever cleaned up.

Considering how everything has increased in price, the shinko wasn't too bad, but what was a
shock was install and balance. $94. wt@.

We get hosed bad in Canada. Anyway, I've been riding my girl's red '99 wing trike while I worked
on the two wheel blue '00 wing. The trike is about like a buckboard. So rough.
The '00 wing is like riding on a cloud lined with velvet. Tire works well. No problems.

Shinkos haven't traditionally had great results on GL1500's. They have a load rating of only 75 (compared to 80 and higher for most other touring tires). I would avoid loading up your bike with passengers and luggage on those tires. Even then, I think you're going to find that they wear and cup pretty quickly. You might want to read this thread: Shinko tires and poor handling

[csj]

I would really love to have put a 195 darkside on the wing. After reading many posts on this site, it appears that more than 50%
of those who tried it had a Bad rub on the swingarm. And having that bad run-in with the local maxxis dealer, no 175 possible, I decided to stick
with a bike tire. I've put three shinkos on the front of two different bikes, with great results, no cupping. Front tires are always ~40psi.

This is the first time I've put a shinko on the rear. So far it's handling well.

On my '98 Valkyrie, I've had three 205 car tires on it. Each one lasted At Least 50000 km.
There's only a credit card space to the swing arm, but it works every time.

...you're going to find that they wear and cup pretty quickly.

I'll keep this rear tire at ~40psi, should keep the cupping down.

[Sassy]

I find it hard to believe that Honda allowed over a 1/4 inch width tolerance on the swing arm construction in the area of interference. Or, that a 195/55 tire on the same rim and at the same pressure can vary a 1/2 inch in width.
I had a 195/60 on the bike prior to the 195/55 and mounted at pressure they measured the same width.
I will say the 195 tire will only fit in the arm mounted and inflated with the axle spacer and black plastic dust ring removed.
Happy riding on whatever tires you run.

[pocketchange]

Was looking on eBay and noticed a seller in "Jolly Old England" is selling what you are looking to find.
Maybe you could locate someone near you and get the better deal (X2). PC

[WingAdmin]

There is a member here who recently ordered an Austone Taxi Tire from England and had it shipped to the US, and it surprisingly did not cost as much as I thought it would.