Dunlops SP 5000 195/60/16 Ultra High Performance

I'm Damn close to going Darkside. I'm sick and tired of changing out the rear tire every spring. I've been looking at the Dunlop SP 5000 195/60/16 ultra high performance all season tire. With it being slightly under 200mm wide and a 60 profile, it should be a decent fit on my 03 1800C. Have any of you had any experience with this tire, or have you looked into it?

It ought to fit without a problem

Specification --Sidewall---- Radius------Diameter-----Circumference---Revs/Mile---Difference
180/70-16------- 5.0in-------13.0in--------25.9in---------- 81.4in------------778---------0.0%
195/60-16------- 4.6in ------12.6in--------25.2in---------- 79.2in------------800______-2.7%

There's a comparison between the stock rear and the one you are looking at, sloppy, but it should give you an idea......

I do not recall anything about that tire off the top of my head...

Why go with Dunlop when the Goodyear Triple Tread is the same price and a little wider?
I'm moving in the direction of darkside as well (in the next 2-3 months), Goddyear is the way I'm going. I like the look
and performance of that tire

plutovtx2002 wrote:Why go with Dunlop when the Goodyear Triple Tread is the same price and a little wider?
I'm moving in the direction of darkside as well (in the next 2-3 months), Goddyear is the way I'm going. I like the look
and performance of that tire

I have no experience riding on the Darkside, so these thoughts are not supported by actual experience. My sense is that the wider the tire, the more input required to turn, and the more likely the tire is to struggle when it's rolling through a trough in the road. I like a bike that turns with minimal input and handles the imperfections of the road well. Plus, I don't want to get into a clearance issue. I was considering 200mm as the limit of how wide I wanted to go. I'm satisfied with the look of the 180 I have on there, but would like it to be a little wider. 195 seems just about right.

Plus, from the pictures I've seen of the SP 5000, it looks to be a bit more rounded on the edges than some of the others. I really want to see it in person before I buy, because you can't know for sure what the size and sidewall ratio are in the tire shown in the photo. Still investigating.

All good points, keep us posted.

I had forgotten what it felt like when I first went darkside. It all feels so natural now that if I didn't feel a rut now and then I would think something was wrong. A flat bottomed tire will always want to ride on the highest part of the road. So any rut you get into it is going to try and get you out of. I just let it, and think oh another rut.
Added input becomes second nature after a couple hundred miles. But since it does react a little slower than a mt you just leave a little extra room between you and the car in front of you. Which is a good saftey feature.
The differance between a 200 and a 205 is less than 1/4".

Jerry

My good friend Jerry is on the money. I have a little over 800 miles on my GYTT. This is my first Dark Side on the 1800C. (I rode the same tire on my 1300C for the past 2 years.) There is a difference in the 1800 since it weighs in at around 800 pounds. Play with the air pressure. As Jerry said it takes a few miles to get used to. Now ... I'll scrape pegs with the best of them.

Well, I waited since Sat. to get the tire in, and when I went to pick it up last night (thur. the 29th), I discovered that they shipped a 15" tire instead of the 16" that I ordered. So I wait...again. Fortunately the weather is crappy today and will be most of the weekend.

BTW, when I went to get the SP5000, they could only find it in an asymmetrical tread design that is a little more stout on the outboard edge (for better handling on cars), which I don't think I want on a MC, so I ordered the Dunlop Direzza 195/50/16 all season. My concern is that when I compared the OD to the stock (70 series), it's about 2.25" shorter because it's a 50 series sidewall ratio. My Cobra slipons already drag more than I like, and now I'm concerned about the bike being too low.

Well, it's an experiment anyway, so I'll let you know when I get it, and I'll post some pics of it.

It will be too low if you're borderline now. I would order at least a 60 series, especially if you want to stick with a 195.
Many say 205/55's are too low, a 195/55 is lower, and with a 195/50 You'll be draggin more than pipes

Dan: I appreciate the input. That's what I was concerned about. I was hoping (in denial) that I wouldn't have to re-do the order and further delay getting back on the bike. To be safe, I'm going to make the change and just accept the delay of a few more days. Thanks.

Mike

probly a good idea!