Got 25K and some change on my 205/55 - 16 General G-Max. Bought a Hankook Optimo H426 in a 195/60 - 16. I liked the General but my speedo was off 5 mph. When the speedo said 80 the GPS was saying 75. I have a Pro Race Tuner but have no idea if it will adjust the speedometer. I've read some good things about the Hankook Optimo on the Dark Side forum and am also hoping the taller tire will help the speedo read a little closer to actual speed. Rode the G Max on several long trips, through the Dragon twice, twelve straight hours in the rain, not to mention the numerous other times I've been in the rain. Scraped the boards numerous times. Not once did I ever feel nervous or uncomfortable with the tire. If I don't like this Hankook, I'll go back to the G-Max and live with the speedo error.

SugsPa

 

Good to hear. Guess it's gonna be a while 'til we hear on the Hankook eh? Good luck and ride safe.

 

Rode it to work today, about 35 miles down the superslab. Set the cruise on 80 mph for about 20 miles of it and it rode great. Looks like I'll get to wet weather test it in the morning on the way home (Damn!). Didn't put the GPS on it to check the speedometer but will do that on the way to the Dragon on Saturday morning. I used 4 oz. of DynaBeads to balance it (called for 3 oz, but all I had was 4 oz bags and didn't want to guess at 3). I used Ride On when I put the G-Max on and it rode great also. Couldn't find anyplace around here to buy it and didn't want to take a chance of it not getting here in time for me to get the bike ready to leave Saturday morning. The rim cleaned up really easy when I washed the Ride On stuff off of it, wasn't any problem to clean up. I let the rim dry out over night before mounting the new tire with the DynaBeads. More info: the tire bead set at 32 psi. I've heard of guys taking them to 50+ to set the bead, but this one wasn't that bad. Don't know why more people don't mount their own tires. It's as easy as any bicycle tire I changed when I was a kid. Get yourself a couple of 4 X 4 blocks to lay the rim on and some tire changing irons from Harbor Freight. Oh yeah, I forgot to add, you will need a bead breaker to break the bead when you remove your old tire.


SugsPa

 

Great info!

Please let us know how this tire compares to the GMax when you get back.

Enjoy and stay safe.

 

Still on my first CT, and it is the Hankook, got 27,500 miles on it with 5/32nd let on tread. Not to shabby , was thinking of going with a runflat with a stiffer sidewall, still in the air ion thar, but the Hankook is a great tire,,,,EDIT FROM ORIGINAL, MY BAD i AM RUNNING THE Yokohama AVID Ascend, SORRY

 

Just got back from a 1600 mile trip last Friday (a week ago). Had the bike loaded pretty heavy. Hit a lot of rain, even on the Dragon. Set the cruise control on the interstate at 75 mph per the GPS, speedometer was reading around 78. Didn't have any issues, the tire was smooth and performed well. The tire maintained its grip, even in a "frog strangler" rain for about 2.5 solid hours. I didn't set the cruise in the rain but I didn't slow down a whole lot either, maybe down to 70 and no hydroplaning. I did feel like the General G Max cornered better in the curves when I was on the Dragon. Could be cause this tire is a little taller, don't know. Also, the tire had less than 400 miles on it by the time I got to the Tail of the Dragon, so it wouldn't be fair to say it was broke in good yet.

SugsPa

 

Got over 2500 miles on the Hankook Optimo and if I were to choose between the General G Max 205\55 16 or the Hankook 195\60 16, I would pick the General. I think the General went in to curves a lot easier and was a little smoother ride. Also, felt a little better in the rain. Not saying I don't like the Hankook, I just liked the General better. Anyway, for what its worth, if anyone is looking for a tire, that's my opinion.

SugsPa

 

Thanks for the great info!

 

Great run down bro, thanks for taking the time. Ride safe.

 

question- and I'm asking out of genuine curiosity- how different does it feel when leaning through turns vs. a motorcycle tire? I'm well aware of why car tires last a lot longer than bike tires, I'm just curious about the handling differences.