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Tire Comparison - Soft vs Stif Sidewalls

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Vahoagie
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Tire Comparison - Soft vs Stif Sidewalls Empty Tire Comparison - Soft vs Stif Sidewalls

Post  SLO_VTX Thu Sep 01, 2011 7:21 am

My current Pirelli P4 isn't even halfway done yet at 13K+ miles.... still looks new .... and I have to send my rear rim out for chroming but when it gets back I want to put a new CT on it. (I still have the spare rim with the Pirelli on the bike now).
I wanted to know if anyone has had experience with soft sidewalls vs stiff sidewalls. The Pirelli is a stiff sidewall tire like the HE, GYTT, Grabber... etc.
The Yokohama Avid Touring is a soft sidewall tire and I wanted to go that route but am not sure if the additional flex in the sidewall would suit me. The P4 offers great handling in the twisties, so much so that I bought the titanium peg sparklers to add some "color" to my twisties experience. I don't want to lose the cornering confidence but wouldn't mind a softer ride either.
Anyone have any thoughts/experience on this?

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Post  greenie Thu Sep 01, 2011 12:54 pm

I would say skip the Yokohama..Just talked a friend of mine into a c/t..and thats just what he tried ..found it online somewhere for less that a 100.00. His was 195-60-16 on a new street glide and he hated it...He is a good and hard rider and he just could not put up with the side wall flex on the corners...We usually ride pretty equal and it's the first time I could just walk away from him in the corners...I also run a c/t but mine is Dunlop 3000 Runflat...No sidewall give..After watching him I see there is a big differance in the two..The tire is for sale cheap if you want to try....Good luck deciding..

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Post  Beermand Thu Sep 01, 2011 2:20 pm

I can only speak to the GYTT but mine is awesome and although I don't have the fancy titanium sparklers, I do scrape the floorboards from time to time with no fear and I swear it grabs in the twisties even better than the ME 880 I had on there before. Just my .02
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Post  twin1300 Fri Sep 02, 2011 12:24 am

Me....I like the soft side walls. Because i know it's sticking and the softer side walls for me just makes for a smoother ride even in the hard scraping turns. JMO



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Post  Dudester60 Sat Sep 24, 2011 9:55 am

I'm using the Hankook Optimo, which has a soft sidewall, and personally, I love it. It's true, that in a curve on rough pavement, the rear tire might bounce a bit if I'm going too fast, but that's just the tire telling me the condition of the road(s), telling me to kick it down a notch. Other than that, the softer flex sidewalls is a dream to ride. I can lean as far as I dare with the Hankook, and have scraped the floor boards on numerous occasions. I'm using 195/60/16 CT for my Vulcan Classic 1500. On windy days, I do get a slight side to side wobble at 90+ mph, but if I hold the bars loosely, it seems to settle itself. Below 90 mph, bike rides straight as an arrow. I now have 11,000 miles on the Hankook, and it looks as new as the day I had it installed, so there is definitely a difference in longevity. I honestly feel safer with a CT on my bike. It grabs much better in the rain, (and dry), tar snakes are no longer felt, nor are steel grated bridges. All in all, I have to say that I feel very comfortable with the CT, and will never go back to the MCT....I mean, why would I ???? hmmm
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Post  Vahoagie Wed Sep 28, 2011 11:52 am

I am running the same tire on my HD Ultra and was wondering what psi you run.
Thanks
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Post  coldweatherfreak Wed Sep 28, 2011 12:47 pm

Dudester60 wrote:. On windy days, I do get a slight side to side wobble at 90+ mph, but if I hold the bars loosely, it seems to settle itself. Below 90 mph, bike rides straight as an arrow.

not sure if my General Altimax Artic would be considered soft or stiff sidewall, I get a little wobble at high speeds, prolly induced by the knobby tire I'm runnin in front, I have a serious wobble problem when under full throttle acceleration going thru the wake of a large vehicle, so until I get a fork brace & steering damper installed, I wait to pass trucks & busses to when I don't have to make a full throttle pass

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Post  SLO_VTX Tue Oct 04, 2011 11:59 pm

Vahoagie wrote:I am running the same tire on my HD Ultra and was wondering what psi you run.
Thanks
Hoagie

I am at 36-37 psi. Any higher and it just gets harsh, like a MCT. Any lower and wobble becomes an issue, the wobble starts at 90 MPH when the pressure drops down to 32 psi (ish) and comes on sooner the lower the pressure. When I first mounted the tire it had only 28 psi (from the shop). Rode like a dream, soft and cushy, and since I was taking it REALLY easy the first few hundred miles it was a great ride. When I felt it was scrubbed clean of tire release gunk I aired it up and hit the twisties rather hard... no way this bike is ever going to see a MCT on the rear while I own it.
Right now it's at 32 to give me a softer ride... my back has a bulging disk that requires surgery so I am taking it easy on it ... I don't mind the wobble issue since I rarely ride at those speeds anyway. And I know it will stick no matter what whether the pressure is 30 or 36 ... sticks like glue. And I tow a trailer 100% of the time ... nothing like having a big trunk! lol
I am thinking the new tire on the chromed rim is going to be 195/75 ... to bring the speedo a little closer to what it should be and to give me a wee bit more clearance inside the new fender. (putting a 1800 Neo rear fender on with a custom trailer hitch tucked inside out of sight).

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Post  Darbre Wed Oct 05, 2011 6:37 pm

greenie wrote:I would say skip the Yokohama..Just talked a friend of mine into a c/t..and thats just what he tried ..found it online somewhere for less that a 100.00. His was 195-60-16 on a new street glide and he hated it...He is a good and hard rider and he just could not put up with the side wall flex on the corners...We usually ride pretty equal and it's the first time I could just walk away from him in the corners...I also run a c/t but mine is Dunlop 3000 Runflat...No sidewall give..After watching him I see there is a big differance in the two..The tire is for sale cheap if you want to try....Good luck deciding..

Absolutely do NOT skip the Yoko. I had a GYTT, got 32,000 miles out of it and replaced it with a Yoko Avid Envigor. Best thing I ever did. After replacing the GYTT, I am now of the opinion that it is NOT a good tire for a bike. The Yoko is incredible!

Ride Safe


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Post  twin1300 Thu Oct 06, 2011 7:45 am

Darbre wrote:
greenie wrote:I would say skip the Yokohama..Just talked a friend of mine into a c/t..and thats just what he tried ..found it online somewhere for less that a 100.00. His was 195-60-16 on a new street glide and he hated it...He is a good and hard rider and he just could not put up with the side wall flex on the corners...We usually ride pretty equal and it's the first time I could just walk away from him in the corners...I also run a c/t but mine is Dunlop 3000 Runflat...No sidewall give..After watching him I see there is a big differance in the two..The tire is for sale cheap if you want to try....Good luck deciding..

Absolutely do NOT skip the Yoko. I had a GYTT, got 32,000 miles out of it and replaced it with a Yoko Avid Envigor. Best thing I ever did. After replacing the GYTT, I am now of the opinion that it is NOT a good tire for a bike. The Yoko is incredible!

Ride Safe


Darbre

That's the tire I think I am leaning toward next...the Envigor! Thank you for your post!


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Post  Larry Simpson Thu Oct 06, 2011 11:51 am

I on the other hand have been well pleased with the GYTT and believe it is an excellent choice for a bike. Shrug Shrug
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Post  Dudester60 Thu Oct 06, 2011 12:17 pm

I know for me, I'll probably buy another Hankook Optimo. I have 12,000 miles on it, and still looks as new as the day I installed it. I'm use to this tire and like how it performs, and I'd be afraid of changing brand, and not liking how it handles etc. My philosophy is "if it ain't broke don't fix it", although sometimes change is good, and sometimes..... banghd
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Post  Larry Simpson Thu Oct 06, 2011 2:41 pm

I have the same belief but find myself trying new things that at the onset seem to make a little sense (looks good on paper) ,proubably 70% of the time I end up banghd banghd but hey,that is how I got here yeah yeah
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Post  quadancer Fri Oct 07, 2011 8:23 pm

I'd say that regardless of sidewall, your sweet spot pressure is individual and necessary to find it. I wonder if your buddy was not low on air, which would make a soft tire wallow badly.
I ride the Comtrac and scrape virtually every corner, twistie and many of the sweepers. It's very soft in sidewalls. 36 psi.
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