[RussL]

I have reciently installed a Protenza on the rear of my 650... I like it and the way it has smoothed out the ride and corrected the speedo...

Has anyone gone dark on the front tire??? Will it work??? Pros/Cons???

Thanks

 

[SteveE]

You can get away with the shape of a CT on the back. Although the rounder the profile the better. But on a motorcycle the rounded profile of a true MT is a must or the handling will truly suffer if not be downright dangerous. Some people have gone with a bias ply MT for the front with success, I think it's jokingly referred to as "shadysiding".

 

[ErikDK]

Double Dark means car tire rear, rear motorcycle tire front.

Quite popular with the GoldWing darksiders.

 

[Dave_J]

ONLY to be done on a sidecar/trike setup.

Now if you are wanting a lower cost tire do a search on Ebay for a Gold Standard BIAS ply. I am running a Car radial ply tire rear and a motorcycle BIAS ply Gold Standard on the front.

I have run a motorcycle rear tire on the front only you have to mount it in the reverse rotation direction. You can get some nice tire compounds and widths for road racing this way.

 

[Just Me]

I have reciently installed a Protenza on the rear of my 650... I like it and the way it has smoothed out the ride and corrected the speedo...

Has anyone gone dark on the front tire??? Will it work??? Pros/Cons???

Thanks

After all the nay saying about rear car tires and then doing it I don't believe any of the bull anymore about doing it to the front. I understand the Boss Hoss came from the factory with car tires front and rear at first. Both times I dropped mine it was the front tire that went out NOT the car tire. If I could find a car tire that fit the front I'd try it in a heart beat.

 

[Dave_J]

I have reciently installed a Protenza on the rear of my 650... I like it and the way it has smoothed out the ride and corrected the speedo...

Has anyone gone dark on the front tire??? Will it work??? Pros/Cons???Thanks

After all the nay saying about rear car tires and then doing it I don't believe any of the bull anymore about doing it to the front. I understand the Boss Hoss came from the factory with car tires front and rear at first. Both times I dropped mine it was the front tire that went out NOT the car tire. If I could find a car tire that fit the front I'd try it in a heart beat.

Boy, I hope I'm not included in the Naysayer group. :twisted: :blackeye:

I have zero experience in Darksiding the front. But I also will NOT be the first to try it.

 

[ErikDK]

@JustMe: If you insist on breaking new ground there is actually a car tire that will fit the frint rim of a Burgman 650:

Golden Tyre 125/80R15

It's a knock-off of vintage Michelin X tires made for Citroën 2CV and VW bugs.

It would be a no-brainer for the trike crowd.

 

[Just Me]

Boy, I hope I'm not included in the Naysayer group. :twisted: :blackeye:

I have zero experience in Darksiding the front. But I also will NOT be the first to try it.

After $100,000+ medical bills, 6 months of rehab , and a year and half of pain with possibly many more, because the FRONT wheel let go I would feel honored to be the first to try it. After my experience going darksider with the rear tire and finding out the naysayers were nothing but jaw flapping cra#pers I would love to try it. As far as I'm concerned, until the nay sayers are ready to put their money where their mouth is they are nothing more then farting out the mouth. The front wheel may be ok on concrete or blacktop surface but leaves lots to be desired on wet grass, snow, pea gravel rain washed onto blacktop, or just a plain gravel driveway. If Boss Hoss could do it I see no reason it can't be done to Burgman if the right size tire can be found.

 

[Just Me]

@JustMe: If you insist on breaking new ground there is actually a car tire that will fit the frint rim of a Burgman 650:

Golden Tyre 125/80R15

It's a knock-off of vintage Michelin X tires made for Citroën 2CV and VW bugs.

It would be a no-brainer for the trike crowd.

Thanks! I just tried to order one but apparently they do not ship internationally. Form will not accept my postal code or my phone number. Argh!

 

[ErikDK]

It's also sold under the Vee-Rubber brand.

Reviews are not that enthusiastic though.

 

[Dave_J]

Coker Tire has some to fit the front. These are 125 R 15's but I have no idea on the load rating and tread life. The load rating has to be well above what a Burgmans load requirement calls for. http://www.cokertire.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=125R15

The biggest tire I think that would fit the front would be a 145 R 15 like this http://www.cokertire.com/michelin-xzx.html .

If you do this then the standard Yadda Yadda about safety and Practice on braking and cornering apply. This is my disclaimer as I do not recommend nor plan to try it in the near future.

 

[QuantumRift]

Hmmm....another example of using the right tool for the job.

If you want a car or car-like tire on the FRONT, then TRIKE it right. Though I have seen very few triked Goldwings with a 'car tire' on the front. :|

http://www.motortrike.com/trikeThorough ... llion.aspx

If you want TWO car tires on the front, then get a Spyder.

Front Tire Aspect Ratio 65
Front Tire (Full Spec) KR21 165/65 R14
Front Tire Width 165
Rear Tire Aspect Ratio 50
Rear Tire (Full Spec) KR21 225/50 R15
Rear Tire Width 225

Read more: http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/2012/ ... z2JtoXcji4

 

[ErikDK]

Back when they didn't have an alternative:

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/404088_10151278976893140_1964409723_n.jpg

 

[mbqmbq]

These are the tires that the Citroen 2CV guys likes the best. (And it's in Denmark.)

http://4autos.dk/product.php?id_product=2140


Good luck

 

[ErikDK]

Go ahead Magnus, buy one and get it studded for riding hard-packed snow and ice.

Or better this one: 135R15 Michelin M+S 89

 

[mbqmbq]

Maybe that's what I need. It would be nice to have a spare front wheel to install it on.
(I'd rather be driving on my Metzler tires in summer time.)

 

[ErikDK]

Maybe that's what I need. It would be nice to have a spare front wheel to install it on.
(I'd rather be driving on my Metzler tires in summer time.)

I bought a spare rear wheel from a breaker in France for my ongoing darkside experiment, but they don't have a front wheel currently: http://www.agpl.net

But here's a Frenchman selling a brand new one for 60 Euros: http://www.leboncoin.fr/equipement_moto/243298373.htm

http://www.leboncoin.fr/equipement_moto/243298373.htm

I'd be scared stiff to ride on icy roads with my Burgman

 

[mbqmbq]

It's sometimes not so relaxing driving in the snow and ice. I put a clip on YouTube.
I used a small camera on my helmet in December. On this day it wasn't very much snow. The temperature was at -13C and the lake in downtown Stockholm was not yet frozen. That's why you can see fog in the end of the shot.

http://youtu.be/XcSLUolF19Q

 

[mbqmbq]

I don't think the winter tire will fit without removing the fender. It's a 40 mm larger diameter. And the tire profile is that of a car tire ;-)
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/tireca ... -130-80r15

The 125 tire is "only" 32 mm larger diameter.
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/tireca ... -125-80r15

Good luck
Magnus

 

[born1928]

It's sometimes not so relaxing driving in the snow and ice. I put a clip on YouTube.
I used a small camera on my helmet in December. On this day it wasn't very much snow. The temperature was at -13C and the lake in downtown Stockholm was not yet frozen. That's why you can see fog in the end of the shot.

http://youtu.be/XcSLUolF19Q

Magnus: Thanks for the nice scenic tour of Stockholm at minus 13 celcius = 8.6 Farhenheit. Brr, that's cold for two wheeling . Did notice you passed a bicycle rider who obviously was not afraid of the cold. I also noticed he later passed you at a traffic signal. Do the bike riders come out en masse when the temperature is milder? It's been many years since I visited Europe but bike riders ruled the downtown streets back then.