sport tourer 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 sidewall flex so went to the next in the pics, 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

Report, report!

rp3 wrote: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.

Report Report.. OK... I'm late for a very important date!
Have some 30k mi on the 165-80R-15 Federal tire now.
This tire does not have the excessive sidewall flex the Nankang has. Great traction and expect to go 40k plus miles. I tell the naysayers ' better traction in all conditions and attitudes' compared to a radial sport MC tire. Discontinued at local supply house. Not sure if avalable elsewhere and got the last one (for next tire change) locally due to that.
The 170-80R/16 Vredestein tire fitted on the stock Connie wheel is a light truck /VW van tire. Have 1000 miles on it. Fine for avg riding. Ok for riding a heavy sport touerr like the Concours C10 at a moderate pace and can lean fine on dry pavement. I would expect the hard compound would favor a slower pace on wet roads due to expected less traction. I have it off to the side to be used on a looong ride. Taller, maybe 5% overdrive result.

Danodemotoman wrote:
The 170-80R/16 Vredestein tire fitted on the stock Connie wheel is a light truck /VW van tire. Have 1000 miles on it.

Where did you get the 170/80/16 Vredestein and can they still be had?

What a great review of the Vredestein and Federal tires. Thanks so much ! Love the look of both tires. I'm starting to wonder if they make them in the size I need (195/60/16), maybe I could try one of them for my next DS tire. Right now I'm using the Hankook Optimo H426, and I'm very happy with it....so far. I'm curious to find out how many miles I'll get out of it. I'm running 36psi, because I read on here that at 40psi, my tire wouldn't last as long, and would wear out in the middle.

I did not keep a record but had to order the Vredestien from a supplier on the East coast (I'm a leftie)

eidolon wrote:

Danodemotoman wrote:
The 170-80R/16 Vredestein tire fitted on the stock Connie wheel is a light truck /VW van tire. Have 1000 miles on it.

Where did you get the 170/80/16 Vredestein and can they still be had?

I see your problem with the Comtrac - the bike is much lighter than my Heritage. I even have to run 36 lbs. in it. Best tire I've ever had; too bad they quit making them. Austone coming next, and I'm glad to see the OD is the same - Harley is a torque monster anyway and lower revs equate to longer life.

Good reviews BTW, kudos.

Fall 2015, Oct, did a 8k mi tour from WA state to FL. Great trip, using GPS to avoid major highways.
The CT was even more beneficial towing a leisure lite camp trailer. Riding a Kaw Concours modified with ZRX 1200 motor and forks.
The improved traction was noticed puling the lite loaded trailer of approx 300#  total.
I would have had to replace the rear MC  at least once compared to 50% tread left on the Federal car tire.
I have since sold the trailer as was to be used mostly for the trip and was not fond of pulling in general. However it nearly paid for itself compared with alternative motel fees.
Tetons near Jackson WY:

BUMP!
Starting 10th year darkside on rear of the Kaw Concours C10.