Car Tires

[tbruno]

Hi, I am thinking about putting a CT on my bike. Can anyone tell me what I should be looking for once they are on. How do they handle in the rain? What is the best tire to put on. I always ride two up and I also put a Givi wheeless bag on the back, I also travel alot, and take long rides on the weekends. I will be heading to Mobile Al, this summer doing all back roads from Albany NY. Thanks for any info that you can give me.

[Steve F]

You'll love it! I'm on my second CT, both of them the MICHELIN ALPIN PRIMACY ZP run flat. I love the traction it affords and have never felt like it was going to slide out in the turns. The ride is smoother, and my wife appreciates that for sure. The run flat aspect is a must in my eyes, and I'll never worry about a catastrophic failure from sudden loss of pressure like can be experienced on all motorcycle tires. I'm running the 195/55-16 and it's a bit of a squeeze getting in, but once you get past the tight spot, there's no problems with clearance.

[Fatwing Chris]

You'll love it! I'm on my second CT, both of them the MICHELIN ALPIN PRIMACY ZP run flat. I love the traction it affords and have never felt like it was going to slide out in the turns. The ride is smoother, and my wife appreciates that for sure. The run flat aspect is a must in my eyes, and I'll never worry about a catastrophic failure from sudden loss of pressure like can be experienced on all motorcycle tires. I'm running the 195/55-16 and it's a bit of a squeeze getting in, but once you get past the tight spot, there's no problems with clearance.

What he said.

[Steve F]

I might add that if you're riding slowly, say through a parking lot and there is uneven pavement, be careful as the sudden drop off from high to lower can sometimes make the bike want to steer to the lower side suddenly. This is because of the wider contact patch the CT has with the ground, and moving the contact point from center of the bike to suddenly left or right can shift the balance point. To me, this has happened twice, but wasn't something that will throw the bike over, just something you should be aware of.
Once you get a half hour of riding on the car tire, you'll never notice the difference.

[mgarrett]

I too am thinking of going "dark side" on the rear tire. From what all I have read on my 2012 GW with the TPMS I will need to reprogram the front to the rear and rear to front to "fool" the TPMS. The lower tire psi. in the CT will set off the TPMS until tire temps rise and as I ride a lot in winter will need to fool it. Also if you use a plastic "Wal-Mart" bag on the sides of the tire it helps it to slide into place easier. The re-programing device costs about $100 online and takes just a few minutes to perform the trick. There is a very specific procedure you have to follow to get the re-programing done and it can all be found online as well. I hope I have not left anything out and am sure you more experienced riders will fill in the details.