Come to the Darkside!

         Darksider:  The term commonly used for somebody who uses a car tire on there motorcycle   

   Car tires on motorcycles is nothing new but still one of great debate. Back in the '60s and 70's it was very common to run a car tire on the rear of a chopper, Goldwing riders do it on a regular basis and I've even seen BMW GS1200's equipped with this setup.  So why all the debate?  Using a car tire on the rear wheel of a motorcycle offers obvious advantages, in my opinion anyway.  Not only will it last 4-5 times longer then your average motorcycle tire it also rides smoother, stops faster, grips better and can handle a larger load when traveling.  In addition, they tend to be considerably less expensive.  The skeptics will tell you that the problem with a car tire is that because they are more square they don't corner well, that when you round a corner you roll up on the edge of the tire and have virtually no contact with the road. Go ahead and You Tube this and you will see all sorts of "scary" videos of guys with there GoPros mounted so that you can see this occurring, then of course safely get through the corner, come to a stop and tell you how dangerous it was and certain death will ensue if you try it. Doesn't really add up in my opinion. Shouldn't the video show them sliding out followed by the pretty flashing lights of an ambulance?  Further more, have you ever looked at how much rubber is really contacting the road on a motorcycle tire? Not much.

        I'm not going to sit here and tell you that a car tire is for everybody and great in all conditions because that would be a lie.  If you are racing a sport bike on a track you probably ought to use a motorcycle tire.  But, If you ride a hard tail, big miles or a giant touring bike then it might be worth looking into.  I use a Vredestein Sprinter Classic 165/60-15.  Thats right, a 15" rear wheel.  Replacing my 16"x3 stock wheel with a 15"x4 wheel opened up my options with the car tires.  The Vredestein is the exact diameter of a 16" Dunlop therefore not throwing off your gearing and speedo.  But, with the taller sidewall, rides considerably smoother.  I also had my spoked wheel lined to eliminate the need for a tube, making roadside repairs easier.  

       My experiance is this-  The car tire rides smoother, last longer, handles great even up here on the twisty roads of Colorado, stops faster (especially on wet roads)  and in my opinion looks great!  So if you were already thinking about it I say do it, and if you think it's the worst idea in the world...well,  so be it.