sport touer goes darkside

Hey.
Dan in Graham(crackerville) WA
Been running a car tire on my '01 Kaw Concours since May now with 16k mi. Rode to TX in June including the COG (Concours Owners Group) rally in CO. This one has 106k mi amnd my last '98 had 125k mi. Not bragging but I do get to ride a lot.
Love it. Summer issue in the Concourier has an article on the conversion.
To make it short.. I wuz touring Australia last year (whoo hoo) on a DL650 and met with some Concours (GTR 1000 over there) riders there. SidecarDon had the setup. Had to use the Eliminator 15" rear wheel as no tire available in the mazimum (swingarm width limit) narrow 165 (stock is 150) width and the stock 16" wheel. Then 10 months later I read about power cruisers and heavy tour types using the car tire on two wheels. So decided to do the experiment getting an Eliminator wheel from the salvage yard.
This setup is nearly identical to stock tire diameter with rpm's 150 more at 90 mph.
Yes, have run into all the same neagtive feeback listed on other forums. Does not change that it works for me. I have been biking since '62 and do dirt/ d/s, sport tour and adv riding. Not an expert but so far pretty good at surviving.
Tried the Nankang tire first but after 10k mi the excessive sidewall flex was too much to continue without trying another tire. Now using a Federal SS657 165/80R15 and do not feel sidewall flex. Runs smoother also. Still limited to four tire selections again due to the narrow width.
Traction is very, very good. I can ride the aging platform of the Concours agressively and it corners on rails with the ct IMO. I like to say.. better traction in all conditions and attitudes (leaning, acell, braking whatever!). IMO that also relates to a safer tire with the improved traction.
Thanks for the site and the Q&A that I can show to the doubting Thomases. Hee hee
Dan

Welcome sir.

You do have a bit of mileage under you belt, that counts for something I'd say.

Australia. Lucky you.

Welcome to the site, nice to have a sport tourer around......Got any pictures???

Jerry

"Summer issue in the Concourier has an article on the conversion."

http://www.concours.org/concourier.html

Doesn't look like the magazine is on line. Can you post the article for us?

Welcome!

Toasted_311 wrote:Welcome sir.

You do have a bit of mileage under you belt, that counts for something I'd say.

Australia. Lucky you.

Thanks for the welcome.
I am a lucky SOB!
My WONDERFUL brother Al had a newish DL650 over there and said why don't i go over and ride it. After 14k mi in 80 days (?) riding the circumference of the mainland and Tasmania I would like to go back and see the other 99%

Yes the Concourier summer issue is not online. Like many club magazines they are also protected.
I took some pics of my hard issue and posted them on my webshots album: Connie Mods:
http://rides.webshots.com/album/33184237DzxCmD
Clicking on the individual photo twice enlarges it to read. Sorry it is not an easier format.
The first three pics of the ct is the first one I tried, a Nankang. It had too much sidewalll flex so went to the next in the piucs, a Federal. Very limited choices for the bike and the sidewall is tall being an 80 series. It is almost exactly the same diameter as the stock tire tho.

Steve-O wrote:"Summer issue in the Concourier has an article on the conversion."

http://www.concours.org/concourier.html

Doesn't look like the magazine is on line. Can you post the article for us?

Welcome!

Have put 12k mi on the Federal brand tire running on the '01 Concours including two trips to TX from Tacoma WA state via ID,MT,WY, CO KS OK on ther 2nd trip.. It does not have the sidewall flex issue the Nankang brand did. No wobble with the more stiff sidewall although both are one ply side wall construction.
Very pleased with the Ferderal tire. Great traction in all conditions and attitudes. Superior to the prior sport touring radials I have used in traction and especially mileage. My sport touring brethern have a VERY hard time accepting the part about superior traction and great cornering quality.
I am hard on tires. Usually 7-8k mi on a rear sport tour radial tire. The CT's used so far now look like 20k tires if not more.
Dan

After putting on 19k mi on the Federal 165/R80-15 it was down to one tw indicator.
I had a prior purchase of a Vredestein 175/R75-16 for the stock wheel. It is a LT tire! Very stiff.
Well it was a bit truckish in the handling dept. still it cornered Ok but not real sportingly so. Maybe a 8/10. Also was about a 9% overdrive due to overall larger diameter compared to stock. That was fine in the touring mode. The Concours has a buzz and the OD reduced that.
After a trip to Mt Shasta in Sept for the COG regional rally via the slab from Tacoma I decided to save this tire for the really long haul.
As I was delighted with the prior tire Federal went to Les Schwab again. I installed another on the 15"" wheel (sourced from the Eliminator model that uses the same shaft drive.) Sweet! Went to 40 psi this time as the wear before was slightly more on the edge of the tire using 35 psi.
After 40k mi I still can say i won't go back to the mc tire for the rear.

Congrats mate and welcome to the wonderful world of the darkside!



.......................bobby


.

I want pictures.
Have you not heard that Coon-Asses cant read?

Welcome thanks for the write up.
Peace
Moon

OK first time I have imbedded images.. here goes...

Nankang tire 165R80-15 on Eliminator wheel
http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2570311690033639341PRgxMk


Federal tire 165R80-15
http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2179294000033639341tBQmKS

http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2062948860033639341BnOsRR


Vredestien 175R75-16 on stock wheel
http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2802128800033639341nVyrwn

http://rides.webshots.com/photo/211519624003363934

http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2592306860033639341ZDgumT

http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2261406950033639341aHWChJ

I have tried the image posting using both photobucket and webshots but it does not post an image?

Any suggestions?
Thanks.

OK, I had to copy image location clicking on photo not page location...
Photo 1 is Nankang 165R80-15 on Eliminator wheel
2 Federal 165R80-15
3 Vredestein 175/75-16 on stock wheel ( about 9% overdrive)




.

My eliminator 15" wheel arrived today.
The Federal 165/80-15 has been shipped.
My new Bridgestone 709 has been shipped for the front.
The local shop (Bent Lever Motorsports on 117th Ave in Vancouver, WA) will install for $25 m/b using dynabeads.
I just need to get some new wheelbearings and do the switch.
I am pretty stoked and can't wait to get them all scrubbed in. (Connie is also excited)
Reports to follow.

Welcome to the darkside rp3.

Jerry