First Heritage Darksider~afaik
First Heritage Darksider~afaik
I looked and couldn't find any old Heritages running a Darkside tire, so I may be the first. Whatever.
70 lbs. air popped the old tube. Put a new one in and they had no other problems, again took
70 lbs. to seat beads. I now have a working back brake!!! :cheers:
I'll be used to the different feel in about a day, I think. I've been scraping boards in the neighborhood
to buff off the mold release and even off the bat, she don't slip any at all! Left-right crossover is
virtually nonexistent and I get the "running on rails" feeling cornering over 30 mph.
I tried some object avoidance and the bike handles the same. Weaving has a tall feeling in the center, but of
course, the bike is 1/2" taller for real. I like the gearup of 4mph from the larger tire too. The tire looks like it
belongs in there, with the size of the bike as it is:
Oh, and as a bonus, my speedo is now dead on! It was about 4mph fast. And the softer
rubber is grippy as Jack Benny with a Dollar!
70 lbs. air popped the old tube. Put a new one in and they had no other problems, again took
70 lbs. to seat beads. I now have a working back brake!!! :cheers:
I'll be used to the different feel in about a day, I think. I've been scraping boards in the neighborhood
to buff off the mold release and even off the bat, she don't slip any at all! Left-right crossover is
virtually nonexistent and I get the "running on rails" feeling cornering over 30 mph.
I tried some object avoidance and the bike handles the same. Weaving has a tall feeling in the center, but of
course, the bike is 1/2" taller for real. I like the gearup of 4mph from the larger tire too. The tire looks like it
belongs in there, with the size of the bike as it is:
Oh, and as a bonus, my speedo is now dead on! It was about 4mph fast. And the softer
rubber is grippy as Jack Benny with a Dollar!
Last edited by Quadancer; Jul 13, 2010 at 05:53 PM.
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 3,928
Likes: 1
From: Desert S. West
Touchdown! Very cool!
Thanks for breaking the ice on the earlier model Softail's. I understand the frame's are all basically the same on the various Softail's so this tire should fit all of them.
Really looking forward to hearing what you have to say about it after you get a chance to really put some miles on it.
It looks very good on there.
Thanx Bob, for all your input too. The rain finally went by and I couldn't just sit here and DREAM about it...hit the I-75 and some backroad twisties. Curves she just locks in on, but will take a little experience to adjust to the different way of entering. (slightly more aggressive)
I got just a teeny bit of wiggle at speed, like going down a grooved highway, but less noticable. Took her up to about 90 and it was like sliding down a giant stick of butter! Smoooooooooth...and I notice the bumps thru the front end but the back just swallows them.
It's actually slightly better than I expected, and I took some mountain curves on the floorboards (under 50) just for fun. Wow.
What's this thing gonna be like when it breaks IN??? WOOT!
I got just a teeny bit of wiggle at speed, like going down a grooved highway, but less noticable. Took her up to about 90 and it was like sliding down a giant stick of butter! Smoooooooooth...and I notice the bumps thru the front end but the back just swallows them.
It's actually slightly better than I expected, and I took some mountain curves on the floorboards (under 50) just for fun. Wow.
What's this thing gonna be like when it breaks IN??? WOOT!
Oh wow... my bad!
Here is the ONLY tire I could find save the one suggested by Bob for antique cars, which was thinner. I came up with about 1/4" clearance on the fender left side and 3/8" from the belt, which is PLENTY! 175/70/16 Vredestein Comtrac.
http://www.tiresbyweb.com/p-8480-vre...n-comtrac.aspx
Now, to compare to whatever tire you are running, you will get all necessary info by putting the sizes in this calculator:
http://www.barretire.com/calculator.htm
If you would like to go tubeless, read this thread:
http://mcdarksiders.forumotion.com/g...rims-t1376.htm
Bead are recommended for looks and performance:
http://www.innovativebalancing.com/gallery1.htm
...and if you have metric buddies like I do, send this chart to them, and peruse it yourself for fun to get an idea of bead seat pressures, and so forth for the different tires:
http://darkside.nwff.info/database.php
Like Bob and many others, this is by far the best mod I've ever done to a bike! Now, they say you can scrape pegs in the rain, but that FRONT tire comes to mind, and I for one don't plan on finding out about that trick. I hope all this is enough to get anyone started if they wanna get wild and stop buying tires every few months. I'd put it on even if it didn't get the miles.
I should add this about safety and knowledge: http://darkside.nwff.info/Safety.htm
Here is the ONLY tire I could find save the one suggested by Bob for antique cars, which was thinner. I came up with about 1/4" clearance on the fender left side and 3/8" from the belt, which is PLENTY! 175/70/16 Vredestein Comtrac.
http://www.tiresbyweb.com/p-8480-vre...n-comtrac.aspx
Now, to compare to whatever tire you are running, you will get all necessary info by putting the sizes in this calculator:
http://www.barretire.com/calculator.htm
If you would like to go tubeless, read this thread:
http://mcdarksiders.forumotion.com/g...rims-t1376.htm
Bead are recommended for looks and performance:
http://www.innovativebalancing.com/gallery1.htm
...and if you have metric buddies like I do, send this chart to them, and peruse it yourself for fun to get an idea of bead seat pressures, and so forth for the different tires:
http://darkside.nwff.info/database.php
Like Bob and many others, this is by far the best mod I've ever done to a bike! Now, they say you can scrape pegs in the rain, but that FRONT tire comes to mind, and I for one don't plan on finding out about that trick. I hope all this is enough to get anyone started if they wanna get wild and stop buying tires every few months. I'd put it on even if it didn't get the miles.
I should add this about safety and knowledge: http://darkside.nwff.info/Safety.htm
Last edited by Quadancer; Jul 13, 2010 at 08:59 PM.
Video Comparisons
Think a CT has less contact in the twisties? Think again:
Valkyrie comparison of CT and MT!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwSSX...watch_response
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIfrF...watch_response
...considering that the tires were maximally inflated at 40psi, I get nervous now at the
lack of contact the MT has!
Valkyrie comparison of CT and MT!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwSSX...watch_response
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIfrF...watch_response
...considering that the tires were maximally inflated at 40psi, I get nervous now at the
lack of contact the MT has!
Last edited by Quadancer; Jul 14, 2010 at 03:11 AM.
Trending Topics
Tourer
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 455
Likes: 2
I'm no expert and don't pretend to be. This is an interesting idea but after watching the videos it seems like with the car tire at least a third of the contact patch in the curves is side wall. Is that right? What does it feel like to you? Any scuffing on the sidewalls? Seems like balacing a bike on a flat contact patch going straight on the hiway might feel a little wierd too. Awesome music in those videos by the way.
HD Forum Stories
The Best of Harley-Davidson for Lifelong Riders
8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In
Verdad Gallardo
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Verdad Gallardo
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept
Verdad Gallardo
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Verdad Gallardo
10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy
Joe Kucinski
10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026
Verdad Gallardo
Southpaw Super Glide: A Left-Hand-Drive 1979 Harley FXE Built to Fit the Rider
Verdad Gallardo
No noticable difference going straight except for the slight wiggle at speed I and a few others have noticed - and I'm still experimenting with pressures, and have yet to put the wife on.
The tire flexes in a turn, keeping half the tread on the ground. Get behind one and you'll see - we've been watching in the N. Ga. mountains and I'm convinced. You can learn a lot more here:
http://mcdarksiders.forumotion.com/
In that safety link I posted, he mentions why you'll not see these on race bikes - the lean angle is too much. But it works fantastic on our cruisers with their weight and leans. I wouldn't put one on say, a Honda 350. Not enough weight to press the tire.
Oh, last night's ride had ANOTHER surprise, after I rode over Red Top mountain and down the freeway at 80-90 mph and stopped. The FRONT tire was warmer than the back one!
The tire flexes in a turn, keeping half the tread on the ground. Get behind one and you'll see - we've been watching in the N. Ga. mountains and I'm convinced. You can learn a lot more here:
http://mcdarksiders.forumotion.com/
In that safety link I posted, he mentions why you'll not see these on race bikes - the lean angle is too much. But it works fantastic on our cruisers with their weight and leans. I wouldn't put one on say, a Honda 350. Not enough weight to press the tire.
Oh, last night's ride had ANOTHER surprise, after I rode over Red Top mountain and down the freeway at 80-90 mph and stopped. The FRONT tire was warmer than the back one!
Tourer
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 370
Likes: 3
From: MCAS SC
This has all been very encouraging. Glad to see the CT works on the narrower model as well. Curious about the wobble you mention. You are feeling it straight down the road? Trying to picture the feel is very difficult. Is it like getting stuck a bit in a road groove? Sounds like you are thinking it is a matter of finding the right tire pressure. All very encouraging though.
