Car Tire on a Vmax rim??

[one2dmax]

The father-in-laws harley had a car tire on it. I could actually take corners decent though they said it looked really funny when it would go clear up on the corner. Still, not like a regular tire handling by any stretch. Of course we have no curves here. Before you doubt the power level of that bike lets just say it ran neck and neck with my 05 (tried it a few times). Not even close to stock engine though I will admit.

Sean

 

[Geek_Law]

I ride with a 245/50/16 car tire on my bike daily. This will be the very first mod I do to my new V-Max once I find one and bring it home. Here's a pic of the rear of my bike.

This is from a while back when I installed this tire, which replaced the previous car tire which was a 225/50/16. I went wider and also got an all season tire rather than a summer tire which I had mounted before this one.

Anyway, the bike is down in my office parking lot as we speak, so it is possible. Of course ... I can only go straight. No left or right turns are possible :confused2:

 

[[email protected]]

Are those vmax turn signals on the rear of the H-D?

 

[gldean]

Hey Geek-Law . . . I resemble that remark.

I wanna do the same to a V-Max. Gotta love 20K+ mileage.

Course you do need to have a little more strength to turn, but take off and stopping is off the hook! :eusa_dance:

 

[one2dmax]

As a matter of fact! It's all I had when I needed to put something on while we were deciding what we were going to do. I was going to french in some led's in the fender but we sold the bike and he upgraded to a Vmax and saved me the trouble.

Sean

 

[Geek_Law]

Here is a pic of a car-tire on the rear of a V-Max:

 

[jedi-]

Great! I'm going to put M/C tires on my car!

 

[4gasem]

In my mind if they were meant to fit then they would... For a bike with a side car I can totally understand it as it never leans (unless its a leaning side car) but for a bike you want to ride through the turns? NO WAY. Especially on a Vmax. It handles loose stock let alone with it on the lugs of a tire.

ME880's last a damn long time and ride nice.

Chris

 

[Geek_Law]

I'm not sure what the original poster's intentions are or were, but I will say that it is definitely NOT for everybody. I'm quite used to riding with the car tire on my bike, both with and without the sidecar attached, but it is certainly different.

The downsides are:

[] increased countersteering pressure required as the bike tends to resist leaning a bit.

[] At slow speeds, the flat profile will unexpectedly lean into uneven surfaces, such as a driveway lip, a pot hole, or even a small rock.

[] Whilst maneuvering switchbacks, a bit more effort is required (similar to the countersteering above) to flip the bike from one lean to the next.

You do get used to each of these issues, but again, its all about personal preference.

The positives are as follows:

[] Dramatically increased traction for rear braking and accel.

[] Far superior traction in the rain, which we have quite a lot of up here in the NorthWest. I just moved from a summer tire to a wider "all season" tire and really like grip much better.

[] It's very unique, and always seems to stir folks up ... if you like that sort of thing.

[] Significantly increased tire wear life.

I would do it on any bike that I buy, mainly because I'm used to riding with them already. But that's just me. The main reason that I posted here was simply to clarify that it can indeed be done.

If you search the internet for "darkside" motorcycles you will find a sizable cult following of folks that have done this to their bikes.

But again, its not for everybody. If anyone does try it, you'll find that tire pressure is extremely important. You just have to try different pressures and see what works. I run with 30 psi. Most folks I know run in the 28-33 psi range. If you get the tire too ridged, the tire gets down right squirelly. Also, you have to get the tire a good scrubbing to rough it up, just like on a new MC tire. Finally, expect it to take about 100 miles or so before you are really used to the quirks of the tire. After about 500 miles you'll forget its even there until somebody mentions it.

 

[gldean]

I would agree with you on the car tire usage . . . it's not for everyone.

If you are ultra-high speed cornering rider . .. better stick to the MC tires.

If you are a cruiser that likes explosive exit ramp launches . . .there's nothing like it.

I've got over 4000 miles on my car tire and it works well on the beast I have it on. I'ts not a V-Max, but I too wouldn't hesitate riding one full out with it.

I know the car tire was very common in the 60's and 70's as well.

BTW . .. love the picts of the Vmaxes and the side cars. :clapping: