GYTT Won't Play Well w/ My MBW Wrap-Around LED Rear Turn Signal :(

I just had my GYTT (205/60 R16) mounted a week or so ago, and had only ridden it about 50 miles. I rode about 300 miles on the tire this weekend, and I really got used to it. Every time I ride on it now, I have an extra feeling of safety in the back of my mind, and freeway trips definitely feel smoother. It has been great in every way, and I thought this was another mod that brought my bike closer to perfection.

Unfortunately, I was stuck again by the "mods and aftermarket parts often don't play nice together" game, and I think my time on the Dark Side will be coming to an end very soon... Unless another solution presents itself. Just before my ride this past Sunday, I was showing somebody my wrap-around LED rear turn signal, because they asked about it. I'll mention that this is pretty much my favorite piece that I have added to the bike. Anyway, at our gas stop, one of my friends came over and informed me that one side of the signal bar was completely out. I took a closer look, and the wire feeding it had been cut right through, at the point where it enters the sealed LED lens, so there would be no way that I could fix it.



I called the vendor yesterday (Custom Dynamics), who got me in touch with the manufacturer (MBW). They said I could send it to them, they would break apart the lens, put my LEDs into a new one, and give me a new wire. It sounded like they would do this for free, because I had just finished expressing my dissatisfaction with the design of the thing, with the flimsy wires coming out, not secured or protected, and right next to a tire that is spinning very fast and throwing up all kinds of debris. As I was talking to the manufacturer, I noticed that this damage was not caused by debris, like I had originally thought... But BY MY NEW CAR TIRE! Another friend had originally suggested that maybe I hit a bump, the shock compressed, and my tire made contact with the signal assembly. Seeing how much clearance I seemed to have back there, I originally thought no way... But I now believe this is actually what happened. The tire also wore away part of the hard plastic LED lens! Once MBW sees that the plastic has been ground away, they'll know it was not from road debris, and will probably tell me I have to pay for the repair, too. It just doesn't seem like these 2 mods will be able to coexist... Unless... Is there a GYTT that will fit my 1800C rim, but is not quite as wide? 200 may still be too wide, as there seems to be more than just 5mm of grinding on the LED lens. I don't want to waste money on another tire that won't work out, pay for another mounting, and throw away 2oz of Dyna Beads... I know that!

My shocks are adjusted just how I like them, and I had very little weight on the bike at the time this happened. If I were to add my wife on the back, that additional 60 pounds or so (LOL) would certainly make it compress even more, and the damage would be worse (might just snap the thing off). Even if the manufacturer fixes the light for me, this same thing will happen again and again, with this car tire on the back. SO AGAIN... As I have encountered so many times already... Many mods fight with each other, and you can't always have everything you want. The tire is great, and will also save me a lot of money in the long run, but I cannot part with this LED rear signal. To me, it's the coolest and most unique mod that I have done, and I absolutely love seeing it on my bike.

Seems like I will have to pick up a new MC tire (probably the Bridgestone BT020, which I had on it before -- July 4th sale coming up pretty soon), and blow money to get that mounted. Then I'll have to sell the GYTT to someone local, who is looking to do this mod. Of course, I also have an extra 1800C rim, so I could sell the two as a pair. Without the same LED signal that I have, folks will be just fine!

In this battle of the "Light" and Dark Side, Dark Side loses. This is as it should be, but I just wish I didn't have to make a choice. Why can't everybody just get along?

Lots and lots of skinnier tires out there...Just not the Good Year Triple Tread.

You can use a 195 series tire and it will be a narrower, but if the tire is throwing up debris...aint no stopping it with a narrow tire!


Good luck.................bobby

Nope, you're right. Debris was not the issue here, though... I have ridden for 2 years with this LED signal, on a MC tire. The issue was definitely the width of the tire -- I must have hit a bump, and the tire ground the heck out of my beloved signal.

What's the best way for me to see a list of good CTs, that others are using and like, around 190 or 195? I have no idea what to look for. I chose this GYTT because of the great things I heard about it, for the VTX, on the VTX1800 rim. I need something good, that is more narrow, but still will fit my rim.

Thanks!

I got to tell you.....almost any car tire is great. From my $54 Walmart tire to the $160 car tire, they mostly work great and way better than the motorcycle tire. Do you have to have a directional tire???



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

Yep, looks like a directional tire. Thanks for the feedback... Just trying to figure out what others use, that is more narrow than this GYTT 205. I would like something that has been tested by others and gets good reviews.

FeTT-X wrote:Yep, looks like a directional tire. Thanks for the feedback... Just trying to figure out what others use, that is more narrow than this GYTT 205. I would like something that has been tested by others and gets good reviews.

$54 Wallworld tire....Douglas Rain and Snow tire, only it's a non-directional and many great and trouble free miles on it. This one won't hurt your pocket book and it comes in a 195 series. Check it out?


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

OK, please don't shoot me, I'm not a tech guy, but here's my thought about it.
1) Are you sure a 195 will not cause damage also?
2) Is it not possible to weld a piece inside the fender which could take the bump
instead of the lights?
Robert.

CaribCruiser wrote:OK, please don't shoot me, I'm not a tech guy, but here's my thought about it.
1) Are you sure a 195 will not cause damage also?
2) Is it not possible to weld a piece inside the fender which could take the bump
instead of the lights?
Robert.

I'd prefer that nothing have to take the bump and make contact with the tire. As for the size, I'm not certain that the 195 will work either -- had to measure in order to really know. I measured just now, and I need a tire that is 7 1/8" wide (or less), I think, in order to clear the signal and wires that I cannot relocate. Converting that to mm, I get 180 and some change. However, measuring the width of the 205 GYTT, I see about 7 1/2", which converts to 190.5mm -- where does the 205mm come from, in the tire size? It doesn't seem to match the actual measurement that I took in inches -- looking at the tire, the actual width seems to be 7.5"

I guess I will have to get the signal repaired, and then go put it up against a 195 tire in person, before I buy one, to make sure the tire would fit thru the U-shaped signal. Can't afford to break another one, or to buy another tire that won't work. Someone on VTXOA said they use a Dunlop SP5000 195/60x16, and like it better than the GYTT that they had before. I might have to see if I can locate one of these locally, for a visual check.

Well, I'm not a technical guy, so no help from me unfortunately.
Seems to me you have a unique problem, as far as I know. I hade more or less the same problem when I was running the 225, but by then I had a customized fender which was placed much lower than normal. Therefore so now and then the tire bumped against the fender. I also had a led rear and brake light. We had welded, let's say a bar within the fender, and placed the led strip against this bar, so this bar took the bumps. The strip was located just under the fender. It was pretty nice though.
Looking at your led strip I'm wondering if it is not possible to cut it, or bend the end parts, because it seems to me that only the last 1/2 inch on both sides are giving problems.
Below a pic from the rear of my old bike.
Good Luck.

Hey, what a badass looking bike! So your tire would bottom out on the metal bar when you'd hit big bumps? The light can't really be modified -- it's molded a certain way, filled with LEDs, and the wires come out right where the LEDs stop. I have to fix the problem by changing the tire, but it all comes down to which one I can use. I guess I will have to physically measure a 195 at a tire shop, to see how wide it really is, in inches. I wonder if all 195s will be the same actual width? You would think so, but what do I know? If all else fails, I'll have to go back to MC tire, but that is certainly not what I want to do.

Yes, this bar took the bumps, but later on I had it changed. I had the fender attached to the
swing arm I think you call it, so it was fixed with the wheel. Doing this I was able to get a minimum
clearance between fender and tire. By then the shocks were also cut and later on removed completely.
Anyway, sold the bike and you still have a problem, which no one has faced yet.
I have absolutely no idea if a 195 will solve your problem. I know that tires with the same measurement
still can vary a lot.
Good luck, hope more tech guys can help you out.
Robert.