Has anyone used a car tire on the rear of the GL1500? I am installing a Voyager kit on my wifes GL1500 and will nolonger need the bike to lean so if it is possible I would like to use a car tire for longer milage.

Thanks

Steve

G'Day Steve
I'm new to this site so hope I'm not stepping on anyones toes.
I have a 94 gl1500 with a sidecar. I run an Excelsior 5.00 150.16 I think thats the size. If you live in the States, I think you blokes get them from Coker or something like that. The problem I have with this tyre is it gives you too long of legs and takes a bit of getting used to taking off. (You have to use higher revs). Also due to the increased dia you wear away the rubber skirt that keeps the weather out of the battery area. Not Good. Firestone make a lower profile tyre but from memory the load rating is insufficient. Would love to be able to get a 15" wheel made here in Oz. Oh yeh! these tyres are not common and hard to get when worn out on a trip. Cant give you any figures on mileage as wore 2 of them out in a 14000klm trip, but chair wasnt set up right, my fault.
Hope this helps.
Mark

There are folks who run CT's on their GL1800 Wing. It seems that Kumo's are a favorite brand. I don't know if you can on a 1500. I think they are bias ply tires and the GL1800 is a radial tire. You could check some of the other forums and see if someone there can be more help or more specific.

Unfortunately the 1500 is a completely differant animal to the 1800.
Those lucky people can run a 195/16. (I think) What I wouldnt give to be able to do that. The 1500 swing arms are too close together to enable us to run many tyres. If I am wrong please, please let me know as I would love to run a differant tyre.
Mark

THere has been lots of research into this and sad to say that you cannot run a car tyre on a 1500. The swingarm will not allow the clearance. you can on an 1800 as the clearance is a bit wider. There has been lots of info on this on other goldwing forums. Do a google search and see what comes up.

Unfortunately the 1500 is a completely differant animal to the 1800.
Those lucky people can run a 195/16. (I think) What I wouldnt give to be able to do that. The 1500 swing arms are too close together to enable us to run many tyres. If I am wrong please, please let me know as I would love to run a differant tyre.
Mark

Mark do you have any idea what size car tire will go on a 2005 Goldwing? Gene

Take a look at the GL1800riders forum and look for the "darkside" forum. You will find all kinds of information on CT's.

I have been looking and it seems that dunlap has a tire that will fit . it is a 175-60-16. I read it on a forum and found the tire I will give it a shot and see it this tire will work it cost $139 but if it givems me for miles I will pay keep you informed on if it is a worker or not. the tire is the dunlop sp winter sport 3D run flat.

ekib, see this is your first post. Welcome to the forum from Pennsylvania. Hope you like the site. Where is home for you?? Ride safe and enjoy..

I live in North Carolina lots of good riding here just took a trip to MO and South Dakota on my new bike. But I keep my 93 gold wing in shape it is the back up and front up bike. I just started looking for a better tire that will last longer . and ran across this fellow trying tires also. The tire I saw is on tire rack it is a winter tire. I am looking into seeing really if it will work. The compound is suppose to work in the snow and ice and dry so I will do more reasearch and have to get one and see. Tire rack has it for 139 other places will cost you 200 a tire that is not savings so I will get one from tire rack as soon as I can and try and get more milage out of my tires. My new bike will take a 195 care tire so that one works fine but the 175 is a hard tire to find. talk later

Welcome to both of you Mark and ekib. The absolute only way I would consider a car tyre is on a hack rig or a kit like the Voyager. Too many opposing forces working against themselves vs a m/c tyre under standard operating conditions.

Hello,The different tires don’t have any marks rightly different. They also enter in the different measurements. Your tires of car should always go the type of vehicle that you drive. Examples of several types of tires for the vehicles are temporary and tires of the type of the light truck. If you get a smaller dimension that is appropriated, you could get in danger or finish by paying more for interview of the tire.

Most of you will reckognize that I am not a fan of the "darkside" and there are many reasons for this. Over and above the handling (no need for rebuttal you CT guys) there are other issues as well. While the mileage and run-flat ability might be a benefit, has anyone ever considered what the legal ramifications could be in the event of a crash (single or multi vehicle)? What about insurance coverages when running a Kumho or whatever? What about warranty issues on a newer bike? I sincerely doubt any service writer would put through a claim on a "darkside" bike, let alone actually bringing it into the shop for service. Not trying to start discontent guys, just being realistic is all.

desert fox
I have a Voyager on my 1993 GL-1500A and I use a standard motorcycle tire in the rear. As long as you keep the preload correct, the tire pressure on the Voyager @ 20psi, the bike tire @ 41psi and the air shocks in the rear @ 46psi you should be fine. increase the preload on the Voyager from 1/2" to 3/4" and this will take more lean out of the set up.

I have 5,000 miles on a dark side tire listed below. No problems.

How did your bike behave in the stormy weather on your recent trip Larry? It would seem to me that the c/t should have a definite advantage in wet and low traction conditions, at least in a straight line.

I didn't have any bad weather until we came over Snoqualmie pass. It was raining mixed with a little wet snow. My bike handled very well at 65 with the trailer behind it.

I find it a comfortable tire to ride with. The gearing has changed.... and it seems like I get to OD faster. The higher RPM is something to get used to due to the higher pitch of the engine but once you realize that the engine has proportionately less load on it and fuel mileage is similar, you settle down unless you want to run the bike at high speed, then I think it might bother some. I run about 65 - 70 and it is no problem. 35 miles to the gallon at 65 or 70 mph.

The dead quiet tire may be making the engine sound more predominant as well. I hear zero road noise, just the noise coming from the wind and the motor.

Due to the smaller tire, getting the bike on the center stand is more of a chore. I don't attempt it with gear in the bike. Side stand until the bike is empty. Some people using this tire have adapted to using a 1x6 or 1x8 piece of wood and run their rear tire up on it to be able to use the center stand. I get mine up on the center stand, but usually only when I am parking it for the night and then not even then so much.

To be honest, I bought my bike with tires that needed to be changed. I only rode my bike about a 1,000 miles before I made the tire switch, so I don't really remember much of how the bike handled prior to going to the car tire. When I got my bike, I joined a few Goldwing Forums and started reading all I could about the bike. I found a few threads on car tires and continued to do the research on this and found that most people who did this never went back..... so I continued to look for people who had experiences with a car tire and went back to a motorcycle tire.

After doing my research, I felt I could always go back if I felt I made a bad decision. I would never make a recommendation to someone to try this. I just know that I am ok with my decision and I will review it again when I get another 20,000 miles on this tire. Maybe by then there will be a manufacture that sees an opportunity to sell some motorcycle tires to the cruiser market that will adopt some of the characteristics that make this favorable.

The question is simple to me. Why buy a tire that will get 15,000 miles when I can buy one that gets 30,000 for less money? All things are not the same. There are pros and cons to it.

The last question: Do I worry about that rear tire when I am going 70 miles per hour and going into a sweeper? No. I worry about the other drivers on the road.... and the road conditions at the moment..... I have confidence in that tire, or I wouldn't run it, no matter what the price I already paid to install it.

NO BUYERS REMORSE HERE. I would post that for sure.

If you run a car tire you may want to check with your insurance carrier. I have heard horror stories that if they discover you are riding with a car tire and you have an accident the insurance would not cover the damage due to the tire not being an O.E.M. tire.

If you run a car tire you may want to check with your insurance carrier. I have heard horror stories that if they discover you are riding with a car tire and you have an accident the insurance would not cover the damage due to the tire not being an O.E.M. tire.

Absolutely untrue. A car tire is rated for any vehicle in a specific weight and speed category. If you have a specific case file or a link to some information regarding this, then by all means, please post that information.

A good link to some valuable information that addresses this and many other questions can be found here:

http://lifeisaroad.com/stories/2004/10/27/theDarkSide.html

I have about 3000 mi. on a dunlop wintersport runflat 175/60/R16 on my 91 aspy.
went ahead & put a rideon ride off stand for the shorter tire. Have a crotch rocket rear tire reversed on the front. I think that combination will give me a lot of miles. 90% of the time she is hooked up to a sidecar. On 2 wheels I have a little ass end wiggle, with radial in the rear and bias in the front. Hooked up she rides perfect. The sidecar has a car tire radial also.

I have researched putting a rear motorcycle tire on the front. I might do just that when this Dunlop wears out as I put a new one on at the same time I put the ct on.

However, I might not own this bike. If I continue to let this bike grow on me, I will probably be riding an 1800. We will see how it goes. My other bikes are getting less and less riding time.

I have about 3000 mi. on a dunlop wintersport runflat 175/60/R16 on my 91 aspy.
went ahead & put a rideon ride off stand for the shorter tire. Have a crotch rocket rear tire reversed on the front. I think that combination will give me a lot of miles. 90% of the time she is hooked up to a sidecar. On 2 wheels I have a little ass end wiggle, with radial in the rear and bias in the front. Hooked up she rides perfect. The sidecar has a car tire radial also.

I had a little ass wiggle at first.........it was corrected by adding some extra air pressure in the rear tire and a little more air in the suspension.

My tires now run 40 front and rear with 45 lbs in the shocks. No more ass wiggle at all.

Larry,
I don't know if it's made, but have you researched a higher aspect ratio to increase the tire diameter?

Larry,
I don't know if it's made, but have you researched a higher aspect ratio to increase the tire diameter?

The car tire I am using is one that has been tried and trued by many other 1500 wing riders. There is not a big selection of tires that will mount up on the 1500. I understand that the 1800 has a better selection.

My tire has a smaller diameter but it has no effect on mileage whatsoever. I got 42 - 44 mpg last weekend over a 500 mile trip. It does effect the gear ratio a little bit, which means that I hardly ever have to down shift on the highway to account for a traffic slow down or whatever. I know the bike will still travel much faster than I normally ever travel.

The bike sits a little lower. I never had a problem with flat footing the bike, but it is easier now.

Putting it on the center stand takes a little more (a lot) effort so I think before I just throw it up on the stand. Some folks have taken to riding the rear tire up onto a 3/4 inch board to make it easier. I don't like to leave a 3/4 board laying in my car port, so I don't bother with that, but it helps get it on the center stand. I am a big guy, going 250 lbs, so when I push down on the center stand and pull up... it is gonna go up.

I doubt I will wear out this tire before I go and get myself an 1800. I believe I will probably buy one in the next couple of years.... and this tire has 20,000 miles left on it, if it doesn't get damaged first.

I run a Dunlop 404 on the front...... and in the next 5000 miles or so, I will have to replace it. I will re think that tire soon enough to get one ordered in time. I will probably put a rear motorcycle tire on the front and by the others that have done so, have reversed the arrow rotation on the tire.

I am not inventing anything here. I am just following some experiences of wing riders who put a good amount of miles on their bikes and got sick and tired of paying $200+ for a tire and it goes for 10,000 miles. So far, everything they have experienced, I have too, a quiet stable ride.... I keep thinking I am riding an electric motorcycle.

I doubt I will wear out this tire before I go and get myself an 1800.

That brings up a good point Larry. You will have to replace that CT with a MT or you will suffer for it in resale value. I know if I was buying a bike & it had a CT on it I would deduct a new one plus some right off the price I would pay.

Thanks for the reply.
Well researching this, I find that 195/55/16 or 195/60/16 is the sizes others are using for the GL1800's.

Bridgestone Turanza 195/60/16
Kumho ECSTA RF 195/55/16
Dunlop SP Sport 5000 195/60/16
Hancook Ventu 195/55/16

The Kumho interests me the most, being a runflat, and getting good reviews from car folks, but all the riders seem to like what they have on. And not a one complains about riding issues in corners.

Thanks for the reply.
Well researching this, I find that 195/55/16 or 195/60/16 is the sizes others are using for the GL1800's.

Bridgestone Turanza 195/60/16
Kumho ECSTA RF 195/55/16
Dunlop SP Sport 5000 195/60/16
Hancook Ventu 195/55/16

The Kumho interests me the most, being a runflat, and getting good reviews from car folks, but all the riders seem to like what they have on. And not a one complains about riding issues in corners.

I'm opting for the Kuhmo.No special reason other than a few riders I know in my area have them.

Punch in "DARKSIDE RIDERS" in your search engine. Love my CT!!

That brings up a good point Larry. You will have to replace that CT with a MT or you will suffer for it in resale value. I know if I was buying a bike & it had a CT on it I would deduct a new one plus some right off the price I would pay.

Thank you for your comment.

I don't think the resale value will be affected one way or the other. I bought my bike with cupped E3 on the front and a 9 year old E3 on the back. I just did my research on the "dark side" tire and ordered my tires. I bought my bike based on the over all quality of the bike and the low miles, not the condition of the tires.

Well I have almost 7,000 miles on the car tire now. If a prospective buyer rode my bike, they wouldn't be able to tell that it had a car tire on the rear. Of course, I would fully disclose that it was on the bike.

Who knows what a buyer would want or not want?

I know this, if I do buy an 1800, when the tires wear out on my new bike, I would put a car tire on that one as well.

8,000 miles on the car tire without any problems.

How my tires look at 8800 miles. I will put 1800 on it in the next two weeks and will report back then.

http://www.goldwingowners.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=131&pictureid=573


http://www.goldwingowners.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=131&pictureid=574

I just got home this morning. 1975 miles in 6.5 days. I had a great time. I would go right back and do it all over again. I have over 9,500 miles on this tire now.

Camping and motel costs: $90 (One night at Econo-lodge $42.00)

Food costs: $150

Fuel costs: $200 (42 miles per gallon average) Paid $5.10 for gas at Crater Lake

Park entrance fees: $20

Dairy Queen expense $20


No tee shirt.... no souvenirs just some digital pictures.

Dookoo just finished posting this video on u tube. He put a car tire on his 1800 Wing, mounted a camera on the side and took his Wing to the track.

Thanks for this demonstration of the car tire....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jm_pR_v3tJI&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jm_pR_v3tJI&feature=player_embedded


Any questions??? Address them to the track man Dookoo. I just ride my Wing slow enough to read mailboxes. Sometimes I pull a trailer and sometimes I do it two up. I have 11,000 miles on my car tire now and I think I am just about half way towards the wear bars.