Installed my third tire today

Just installed my third darkside tire. First was the kumho 165. It was a used tire to see if I liked it and put about 3k miles on it. Really liked the tire as it rode a lot like a motorcycle tire.

Went wide with my next tire. Installed a Douglas 205/65. Really nice handling tire on the superslab. Liked the wide look too. Got 17k miles out of this tire for $65, so not a bad deal. It had 3k worth of tread left on it, but needed a change.

This tire is the General Altimax HP 185/65 which I purchased on line for $65. This tire comes highly recommended from the 1300 folks. I has a nice tread patter, rounded shoulder, and nice specs.

The tire went on flawlessly. Bead set the first time using pledge as a lubricant. We saved the dynabeads for later use, but balance the tire with stick on weights. Took just 1oz of weight to get the tire manually balanced (rode nice and smooth home).

Here is the back of the bike with the General Altimax HP 185/65 installed. Nice width, nice round shoulder, and nice tread pattern.



When changing the tire, we found a screw in the old Douglas. It had been in there for awhile. Probably a half inch screw that did not get passed the steel belts.



Here is the 205 adn 185 side by side. The 205 is worn and would be a lot taller with all of it's tread. Wish they made a 185/80.



Notice the hard shoulder of the Douglas. Of course, it has 17,000 miles on it, but the shoulders are much more square than the Altimax. It' a bit wider also. I noticed that the Altimax was better in slow corners and weaves than the douglas...noticably. I liked the douglas, especially the 17k miles I put on it for $65, but the 185 handles better.

Thanks to DS-WingNut for the help installing the tire! Took us just 2 hours start to finish.

that's a great write up , thanks for posting it.
wow 3 darkside tires , someone racks up the miles don't they?

Nice harbor freight tire changer I see there. Is that wingnuts?

What size motorcycle tire did your bike come with?

New tire looks great, hope you enjoy it. Now that you're on your third car tire, have you received your cookies yet?

Looks like a good tire! I think your fuel tank makes me look closer than the tire does these days. I think I need to copy that setup.

Horse: have 21k miles over the last 2 years. The bike actually pays for itself when I ride 10k a year. Although....some of those are pleasure miles and shouldn't count....

Olds: Yes, it's wingnuts harbor freight. It gets a lot of use! Tire came with a 170 I think...been awhile! No cookies, but I DID receive a lovely box from twin!

Tim: My bike has 33,800 miles on it now. It may be for sale with tank one of these days..... Then again, it has some sentimental value. I was talking with Dave about the mods on my bike. I like all of them but the gps and tank are outstanding. I can go an extra 120 miles with it. It reduces stress on long rides (not so worried about running out) and don't have to fill up nearly as often. New tourtanks are kind of pricey but worth every penney in my book. Come to Dallas sometime and check it out.

thanks for the help on the 185 80 15 steve-o much appreciated.1 question...how much wider in inches would you speculate the federal 185 is compared to the 165 kumho ? it looks like with the kumho i have about a 1/2" driveshaft clearance to play with.love the kumho,allways have since it was put on my bike.however,i would like to go a tad wider but will never put on a 205.you think i will have enough room for the 185 ? best regards, kenny
P.S. i now have 6500 miles on the kumho and from the looks of it,15k will probably be time to change it out.

185-165=20mm a little over 3/4" or 3/8" on each side of the tire.

Jerry

Three DS tires?
Dont that constitute a Trike?
You go Brother. This is the first time I have heard of someone moving back in width. This tells me a lot about the rider too.

Ride safe
Moon

jedishon wrote:185-165=20mm a little over 3/4" or 3/8" on each side of the tire.

Jerry

allright thanks !

When I went from a 205 to a 185, I gained about 1/4 inch (maybe) on each side. tire width varies by mfg. you can't totally go by the numbers. I think if you are going from a kumho 165 to a federal 185, you should be in good shape.

I'm interested in that federal tire too. Only one I could find in a 185/80.

Steve-O wrote:When I went from a 205 to a 185, I gained about 1/4 inch (maybe) on each side. tire width varies by mfg. you can't totally go by the numbers. I think if you are going from a kumho 165 to a federal 185, you should be in good shape.

I'm interested in that federal tire too. Only one I could find in a 185/80.

i'll shoot for the federal then and hope it fits.thanks for the help !!

Put 1k miles on the new tire this weekend. Handles really well on the super slab. Nice smooth ride. Really happy with this tire.