Looks like Im picking up a clean, well maintained, low mile 85 FLHT
looking for dark side tire size and reccomendations
thanks

 

Stock tire that came on the bike will be Dunlop D402's. The treads last dam near forever, but once the tire does get about 8 years old, starts to go out of round and needs to be replaced. So always start with the C dot on the tires, and if older then 8 years, need to be replaced for age/going out of rounds instead.

Question comes down to if you want more grip that will require the tires to be change more than every 8 years, or can live with the less grip of the D402's instead.
So if your looking for a tire that you will not have to replace for 8 years, they will be it, but keep in mind they they do not have the grip of the newer more gripper tires, that the treads will wear out well before the 8 year tire replacement mark.

I'm running the Michelin commander II's,since can still find them, but would advice against the commander III's.

The Dunlap amercian Elite is another good sticky tires, but same problem as the commander II's, which will need to at least replace the rear tire as it center wears every few years.
Note on the com and AE, will get about two tire lives out of the front tires in most cases.

Metezer has the cruisetec tire that has a harder center rubber to get more miles out of the tire to slow down the center wear, but kind of a mixed bag, since not the traction of the above two tires, but a little more than the D402's instead.

As for the rest,, being the cheaper value brands like the Shinko, just say pass, since they can have problems from the start that may have to play the replacement game to get a good set to start with so they ride correctly, or even worse, quicker wear feathering problems as well.
Hence you have a bike that is coming in close to 1K in weight, and unless you go with the harder rubber compounds like the D402's so the tread last longer, then playing the other side off the coin, with softer more gripper rubber compounds, that are going to wear out faster than the 8 year period that a tire is good for to start with.


As for none stock tires sizes, then need to first figure out what will fit in the fenders to begin with, and what will not end up rubbing on the belt from being too wide as well.

 

I'm pretty sure that the OP is asking what size car tires will fit his application.

 

correct
thanks

 

https://www.hdforums.com/forum/the-dark-side-167/

Check here.

Dano, good post. I went with Metzelers in the past and liked them in the south Florida rain and they are now due to be replaced from age, not wear. I bought a new set but haven't installed them yet. I just put American Elites on my Fatboy but haven't ridden it yet...maybe today. I look forward to comparing the two tires.

 

Here is what I don't get, since not a flat plainer that is going to put all the miles on the bike on straighter highway or road,
and the car tire is more about getting a season or more out of the tire over all costs, since they are paying someone to remove and reinstalling the tire from the bike in the first place (with that cost being in the hundreds to begin with); over just running the Metezer cruisetec, that will be a hell of lot safer if you do end up in the twisty's isntead.

Hence Evo forum, where most of use wrench on our own bike, and when it comes to tires cost over just the tire cost alone, $25 at the most for the shop to mount and balance them, when you drop off the rims to the shop to replace the tire on the rims.

Hence where I see the car tire on the back trick, is the Goldwing riders that don't wrench on their own bike, and the shop cost to pull the rear tire and put it back on in labor cost alone, can be in the few hundred dollar range to start with. Throw in a few more hundred for the tire and install cost on the rim once its off the bikes, could be dancing at close to $500, and even at that, still not worth the safety factor of getting a season more out of the rear tire, that could end up killing you in the twisty's or wet (even if you do have flat tracking experience).

 

I ride hand shift motorbikes from the 30’s & 40’s so safety isn’t high on my priority list.
change tires in my garage.

 

WLA's myself and never considered them unsafe with hand shifter and pedal clutch.

Really, responding more for the newer riders, that may be on the edge of going dark since, and they really weight the pro's and cons, isntead of like the goldwind riders with all highway mileage only, and morose, the reduction in labor costs, since car tire will go longer before the center tread does wear out (since the entire back tire, is really only just center tread to begin with)..

And why I bring up the WL's, you can get that styles in flatter radius, still the less rounded profile on the back to get more miles out of them, and the bead lock on tire, does the match the bead lock area on the motorcycle rims.
https://www.antiquetyres.com.au/taxonomy/term/530

Unless just going for the drag strip type look/use, wide back tires instead.
If yes, then would suggest that you get a rear tire that is slightly too wide for the rim, since that will balloon the tire on the rim, to at least give the the tires a slightly more rounded profile, instead of flat one.

 

Pros and Cons of a car tire aside, not sure you can get one under an Evo era bike. Gold wing guys have been doing it for a while but I believe the HD crowd only started when the *** of the bike got wider with the Rushmore bikes. Before then nothing fits under the fender. Now a full custom job, sure what ever make you happy. But an Evo dresser, I think the space under the fender is going to make this a no deal. Give it a look.