Auto Tire on the Rear, GL1800

[tsmith325]

It is time to change tires and I was looking for some updated information regarding the use of automobile tires on the rear of my GL1800. The last chatter I saw suggested a Mini Cooper tire. Some say they will never go back to MC tires while others complain it is difficult to push the bike into a lean during a turn, due to the shape. Who among you have any new, or supportive information. ...thanks

[jimreed1]

I am sixty-nine years old (don't go there) and have been riding various motorcycles for more than fifty years. I have tried auto tires on some of the bikes I have owned with some limited success and also some handling problems. Some of the handling abnormalities were minimized after the tire wore in and became rounded at the edges. I have aslo found that there are vast differences in the "flex" of the sidewalls of auto tires and the ride can seem strange. At this point in my life I would stick to M/C tires as I do not need the possible problems of different technologies..

Good Luck,

Jim reed

[frostypop]

and i would look into, is your insurance going to cover any damages with a car tire on, if in an accident, God forbid none of us are.

[nandyman1]

Ive been riding motorcycles for years and had a friend introduce me to the darkside (car tire on rear) and so far it has been something I like although it takes some getting used to and like another poster mentioned not all tires act the same and change with the pressure. There are pros and cons you will have to weigh them for yourself but for me I think the ct will work. All I can say is do alot of research before you decide. Be safe

[dtoth]

I have used car tire on the rear of my Nomad both 2004 and 2008 then the Goldwing have not had any problems with them. Start out with around 38 psi then lower a little at a time till you find the sweet spot (you will know it when you find it) most of the time I ran between 30 and 32 psi depends on if I am riding two up and bag full for trips.(now that I have a trike I run 24psi in both) Just take it slow till you feel comfortable with it.

[nsjoe]

I'm running a CT and won't go back to a MT. It works just fine. There are many options, both standard and runflat. Tons of info can be found on the gl1800riders site under the darksider subforum. Also, a list of tires being used can be found there. I called my insurance company (Progressive) and they assured me that as long as it is made of rubber and fit on the existing rim with no modifications to the frame or suspension, it was fine with them. Enjoy.

[Red Ron]

The most popular size is 195X55X16. A lot of "Darksiders" use a runflat with Kuhmo being a very popular brand. I use regular non-runflat. I have tried a Falken 912 and a General G-Max. I prefer the General. There are a couple of other brands I want to try out (if I can ever wear out the General presently being used).

[tsmith325]

I would like to thank all that took the time to answer my question. It seems there may be a pretty even split on the notion. Ride safe!

[Sally]

I run a ct and I'm as happy as a pig in ----. will never go back.. But I found that a 195/60/16 is better than a 195/55/16 closer to the same size the 195 makes the bike lowwer.about an inch I didn't need to do that.. the only thing is you are limited on the 195/60/16 a bit harder to fine. Sally

[Viking]

Harleys used to run car tires, and my 1974 FLH had them. Cornering was a skill with those bikes, not a difficult skill, but a skill. I did not even know it was a skill till I put Michelin Radial Motorcycle tires on that bike and all of a sudden did not need the skill, lol. If I ever trike my Wing, I will definitely put car tires on the rear. (a joke there ) In the mean time, the only benefits I see to car tires on the back of the bike is lower cost of tire and perhaps longer life. I kinda like the way my wing handles with it's motorcycle tires, so I, personally, will remain with them for now, and this could change in the future as car tires get rounder corners. My opinions are totally my own and need offend no one.....

Viking

[DustStorm262]

I am running with a Hankook Ventus V4ES 195 55 16 on my 08 GL1800 with 6oz of ride on. My local tire dealer installed ( had to put rags on the jaws as not to damage the rim ) Tip.. once tire is seated deflate for easy install and re-inflate. 42 psi for me riding one up and 45 with 2 up. Different tires will run at different pressures and you will have to find your own sweet spot. Yes it corners differently but after a couple of rides I no longer feel it. Still dragging the pegs through the corners and the wet traction is something else.. This is not for everyone as some will say I am going to crash burn and die. This is however something I have done quite a bit of looking into before going to the dark side . Do your research. A place to look into is http://forums.delphiforums.com/DarkSiding there is a section there just on the Gold Wings. But I stress again this isn't for every one this is just my personal experience and preference. Good Luck !

[cbx4evr]

In the September Insight newsletter from the GWRRA was a short article about the use of car tires on bikes. The article didn't necessarily say much but what was of interest was the cutaway pictures of both a car and Goldwing tire, the rims and rim/tire combos. Of particular interest was the thickness of the motorcycle tire, especially the sidewalls, versus a car tire.

If you are interested int he article the PDF of the newsletter is here:

http://med.gwrra.org/newsletter/newslet ... er2011.pdf

[ernest62]

Has anyone experienced problems getting warrenty work done with a car tire on? I would think Honda would jump at the chance to deny coverage to any rear suspension parts of drive line parts if you installed a CT.

[frostypop]

In the September Insight newsletter from the GWRRA was a short article about the use of car tires on bikes. The article didn't necessarily say much but what was of interest was the cutaway pictures of both a car and Goldwing tire, the rims and rim/tire combos. Of particular interest was the thickness of the motorcycle tire, especially the sidewalls, versus a car tire.

If you are interested int he article the PDF of the newsletter is here:

http://med.gwrra.org/newsletter/newslet ... er2011.pdf

i went and checked out the newsletter and looked at the pics. i am not going to the darkside after looking at those pics. i never have thought it was a good idea. it does not look like the car tire is even built right to conform to the mounting lip of the rim. i know the reason the car rim is thinner, is because it looks like steel and not aluminum. but just lookin at the tire sidewalls should be enough to convince anyone it is not a good idea...

[nandyman1]

I currently run a non runflat ct on my wing and like it 35 psi when it wears out I will probably go to a run flat as the sidewalls are much thicker. Kumho 195/55-60 most popular size it does take a little more effort when making turns but it doesn't take long to get used to. Whatever you decide ride safe.

Randy Lawrence
DS # 1040

[cbx4evr]

In the September Insight newsletter from the GWRRA was a short article about the use of car tires on bikes. The article didn't necessarily say much but what was of interest was the cutaway pictures of both a car and Goldwing tire, the rims and rim/tire combos. Of particular interest was the thickness of the motorcycle tire, especially the sidewalls, versus a car tire.

If you are interested int he article the PDF of the newsletter is here:

http://med.gwrra.org/newsletter/newslet ... er2011.pdf

i went and checked out the newsletter and looked at the pics. i am not going to the darkside after looking at those pics. i never have thought it was a good idea. it does not look like the car tire is even built right to conform to the mounting lip of the rim. i know the reason the car rim is thinner, is because it looks like steel and not aluminum. but just lookin at the tire sidewalls should be enough to convince anyone it is not a good idea...

I tend to agree with you Frosty. I have a tire changer and have mounted both motorcycle and car tires. Car tires are much easier to mount because the sidewalls have a lot of "give". Bike tires take a little more effort to mount.
To me it's the only thing between the bike and the road. Sure you can save a few bucks using a car tire but I just don't feel comfortable with the risk.

That being said I don't deny those who want to try just like those who choose not to wear a helmet or riding gear.

[nsjoe]

Take those GWRRA pics with a grain of salt. If you pick the correct tire, you will have more sidewall... Check the pics listed here:

http://gl1800riders.com/forums/showthre ... re+cutaway

[druidcat1115]

Here is what I would call the most non biase study of this question. It does not draw any conclusion just gives you some innformation. I came away from it, with new knowledge. Take a look and note the difference in the mc tire and car tire sidewall and also the shape of the tire bead and shape of the rim on each. See what you think
http://med.gwrra.org/newsletter/newslet ... er2011.pdf

[frostypop]

In the September Insight newsletter from the GWRRA was a short article about the use of car tires on bikes. The article didn't necessarily say much but what was of interest was the cutaway pictures of both a car and Goldwing tire, the rims and rim/tire combos. Of particular interest was the thickness of the motorcycle tire, especially the sidewalls, versus a car tire.

If you are interested int he article the PDF of the newsletter is here:

http://med.gwrra.org/newsletter/newslet ... er2011.pdf

i went and checked out the newsletter and looked at the pics. i am not going to the darkside after looking at those pics. i never have thought it was a good idea. it does not look like the car tire is even built right to conform to the mounting lip of the rim. i know the reason the car rim is thinner, is because it looks like steel and not aluminum. but just lookin at the tire sidewalls should be enough to convince anyone it is not a good idea...

I tend to agree with you Frosty. I have a tire changer and have mounted both motorcycle and car tires. Car tires are much easier to mount because the sidewalls have a lot of "give". Bike tires take a little more effort to mount.
To me it's the only thing between the bike and the road. Sure you can save a few bucks using a car tire but I just don't feel comfortable with the risk.

That being said I don't deny those who want to try just like those who choose not to wear a helmet or riding gear.

Well i do not mean to say that they are completely wrong in what they are doing. because some of these people have said they have never had a problem with running ct on thier bikes, i just do not think it is for me. but i was wondering if the run flat ct had thicker sidewalls? and maybe we will find that out in this forum. and i happen to be one of those that does not wear my helmet or riding gear all the time, so i really can not condem them for the ct. they could very well ride with all there gear on everytime they get on thier bikes.

[eddard49]

After years of thought and research, I recently put a car tire on my 1800. I'm impressed with the handling, and I'm actually pushing through the twisties a little harder than I did with a MT. It also "mitigated" some of my odometer error.

I won't try to sell anyone on "darksiding", but in the thousands of articles and posts I've read, I haven't seen one case where a car tire actually failed and caused an accident. Yes, some people have run them too long or at low pressure and ruined them (which happens with motorcycle tires all the time), but if there was a case of the tire actually causing a wreck, the naysayers would be all over it.

[nsjoe]

I agree and I'm not selling the idea either. But I did do my homework before I switched and I do have a clue about the concept. Someone wanted to argue with me about this and his argument was that it was never "tested" to be reliable. So let's do some math....

On the gl1800riders site there is a list of darksiders. As of 5 minutes ago, there were 1087 darksiders listed. Now to keep things simple, lets round down to 1000. And then lets say that each of those riders rides his wing 1000 miles this year. Probably a conservative number for a wing rider, but a nice round number. So, how many miles is a thousand thousand? Don't be embarassed if you need to take your shoes off folks, we won't laugh out loud (well, not real loud).

I came up with one million. Now remember, that is a really conservative number, because there are way more darksiders than the ones listed on that site, and most ride way more than 1000 miles a year. And that is for one year. This has been going on for a while now. So there have been, according to my very accurate, scientific calculations, approximately a whole bunch of miles put on car tires mounted on motorcycles. So I feel that is probably a good number of "test" miles in real world conditions.

I still haven't heard of a verifiable case of a CT causing the rider to crash and burn, so I feel pretty confident that my CT will hold together. So if you are interested, do your homework and see if it's something you'd like to try. If not, ride on...it's all good.

[dearley]

iLL TELL YOU WHAT I HAVE IF UR INTERESTED.
I MOUNTED A BRIDGESTONE ECOPIA EP100 195/65/R16 ON MY 03 GL1800.. I HAVE 17,00 MI NOW AND ITS ABOUT HALF WORN OUT.I DONE A 4000 MI TRIP TO STURGIS RIDING 2UP PULLING A LOADED TRAILER. NO PROBLEMS AT ALL. I WONT GO TO A M/C TIRE AGAIN.I RUN 36 LBS PRESSURE. YOU DO WHAT YOU WANT. IF YOU TRY IT I DONT THINK YOU WILL GO BACK. A COUPLE ON A HARLEY WENT WITH US AND I WAS CHECKING TIRE TEMPS AND MINE SEEMED TO RUN MUCH COOLER. WE WENT THRU YELLOWSTONE AND I HANDELED THE TWISTIES AS WELL AS HE DID. JUST SAYIN........
IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE PM ME AND I WILL GIVE YOU MY CELL NUMBER AND WE WILL TALK,,

[dearley]

I SEE YOUR FROM GRAPEVINE TX. I WAS BORN THERE.

[okstay]

With all the talk about car tires, I wonder why we would put a car tire on instead of a mc tire? Probably more mileage? Then why the heck don't the tire manufacturers use the same rubber compound that they use on car tires to make mc tires? I guess it is all about the money. They tell us it is about more traction but I don't believe it. Car tires have good traction, I own a sport utility and a pickup. Both seem to have good traction and wet weather grip. I think the tire manufacturers are taking advantage of bikers. It is a shame how little mileage we get out of mc tires. What do you think? Chris

[frostypop]

they say the softer rubber grips better in the curves as you are leaning to get through the curve, the tire is rounded for that reason. at least that is my undrstanding of what i have read.