sizes of radials arent the problem, they are not load rated for the weight of baggers.that could be the difference on your raod star lighter bikes ussually have radials tires.

 

My Bad gent's I thought you meant just from the tar and asphalt patches, not molten/semimolten or wet tar patches. Here is Michigan the tar rarely gets hot enough to be a problem, and when it's wet it's just like those traffic marking stickers they use instead of paint. but for uneven surfaces and cracks, a bagger brace definately helps on my FLH

 

I have Avon Venoms on my bagger and I dont seem to feel anything unusal in the road except the uneven surface or deep grooves which you'll have on any bike or tire.

 

The new D407/408 Dunlops are great. For those of you lamenting tar snakes, come visit out here where they're everywhere and the temps are frequently 100F+.

 

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3032/...da601334_m.jpg

Let the air temp get up into the 90s under the hot sun and these babies WILL move under your tires.

 

Like bobernet said come to Nevada where the ground opens up and makes large cracks to fill. the crack sealing material is a form of live rubber that is heated when put down and is kept soft so it can expand and contract with heat and cold but they can be scary

 

wet tire snakes are real danger i avoid them if possible and in the summertime

riding to vegas they get sticky and all over your bike i hate that crap-ride safe

 

Im laughing at some of these remarks, not because there funny , but because we've all been there, In fact this last friday at the Dundee exit in michigan going to Cabelas off of US-23, it was 90 degrees , we made a nice sweeper around the corner the tires broke, as my wife says WOOOOohhh, and I say sh** hold on,. Yes, what a feelin, So I am here to say,, the tar snakes are in Michigan Tooooo... TIm

 

Tar snakes and grated bridges make my heart skip a beat, but what I really hate is a windy road that just had the big asphalt grinder go over just before repaving. Those grooves are deep and I have to keep reminding myself to loosen my death grip and let the bike track into a better spot.

 

FWIW, one reason we get bike squirm, especially in a straight line, is the differential in tire width. The way the front tire tracks over a pavement anormally is slightly different than the way the wider rear tire tracks. That causes the bike to react differently when each tire contacts the snake, groove, crack, whatever. As an example mount a set of narrow tires on front of your car or truck and a set of wide tires on the back. That vehicle will "nibble" back and forth going down the road as the tires encounter longitudinal cracks and ruts. Ummmm, I own a tire company - I can't help myself - I have to weigh in on this stuff