GoodYear Eagle F1 245/50R16 on a 2005 R3 Report with 2020 update

Hello fellow Darksiders,

 This is an update on my current GoodYear Eagle F1 245/50R16 tire:

Install Date: May 2008

Cost: US$183 + US$5 mounting (I did 1/2 and balanced it myself)

Report Date: August 16 2008 roughly 3 months since assimilation by the force

Poundage: ~ 29 PSI

Mileage: 16,650 miles ( I typically got 8,500 pushing Metzlers to the cords )

Riding Conditions: All except below 50 degrees. Pushed the tire in extreme twisties,
                           torrential down pours, across 120 degree desserts, super slab and
                            country roads.

Remaining tread life: possibly 3-7K - tire looks and feels great

Issues: None with the tire itself.
          The width of the tire poses some problems with slow speed maneuvering - especially on
          uneven surfaces and pot holes as it wants to follow the contour of the road.
          I can't really lower the PSI as it rubs a bit on the drive shaft cover (but that doesn't appear
          to impact cornering capabilities).
          It's a lot harder to do burnouts with that much surface area (Conversely an occasional wheelie is easier).

Satisfaction Level: 9/10 -  I've already gotten double the standard MC tire mileage for 2/3rds the cost
                            so the small cornering performance I gave up and the need to pay attention a little
                            more on takeoffs and landings is well worth it for me.

Next Tire: Definitely DarkSide and probably the same one as it is too damn gnarly looking and
               I love the tire pattern as it matches my tribal paint.

Recommendation: DS is for experienced riders only. Ride at least 2-3 years before trying this.

Comments: Tire continued to get better over time and peaked at 8,000 miles (where the Metzler
                  would have given up the ghost). The second 8K was excellent all around.



Jim

Jim,

Excellent update and good data for any one wanting to try the darkside! Thanks and great info! We sure do appreciate you here at the site.

Darkside Rulz!


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

.

Great info, thanks for the report

Jerry

I found a Goodyear g-Force Sport in the 245/50/16 for $108 from discount tire.

Hey Jim, great report, thx. I'm missing something though !
PICTURE(S).

P.S. I was in doubt installing a 235, but found it safer to go with a 225 on my rims.

Wow, forgot to update this thread.

Goodyear Eagle F1 = 24,500 miles

Replaced with Toyo Proxes in 2009. Just took that one off at 24,500 miles too $180 installed.

Replaced with Ripkin Raptor - $140 installed and I like this one the best of the three. Hope it gets similar milaeage!!

Toyo Proxes at 24,500 miles - not to shabby!

New Riken raptor going on:


After burning off excess paint:

While the Riken Raptor beats the Toyo which beats the Goodyear for handling, The Goodyear still
looks the best - both the Toyo and GY are no longer sold now (6/2011) in 16"...

Nice !!!

Thanks for your in-depth and educating post! it help me tremendously in making my decision! and with what tire I chose to go with!!

Shame that Goodyear have seen fit to discontinue that D3 tread design for the F1.
Still one or two in tyre places though.
It's on my list.

Toyo Proxes still available here in Spain. Raptor sadly not.

My local tyre place managed to find a 225/55 Goodyear Eagle F1 (GS-D3). I think they found it in Holland.

Was fitted last Wednesday and I've not done many kms yet. The only near disaster was that once fitted there was not much clearance to the non-standard exhaust. This was my own fault for not asking the right questions.

Once I've 500-1000kms on I'll post my thoughts on handling. Wear will take MUCH longer to determine. It's my first D/S. I've over 30 years on 2 wheels - but generally on old (classic) bikes with skinny tyres and generally more sports/touring orientated.

One point. A lot of the European tyre mfrs are phasing out symmetric tread profiles. They're keeping some - especially the very wide and low profiles needed on sports cars used in street-homologation races (this maybe an EU thing). Otherwise it seems they're being phased out for asymmetric and apparently quieter (when fitted to cars) patterns.

So let’s start. Prior to buying the R3 I’d never even have considered trying a car tyre on a bike. And if a decent motorcycle alternative existed here – I may never have even considered it. I don’t personally believe that the available € rated tyres to fit standard rims at the date of testing are adequate for the R3 under my form of usage.

I changed F&R OEM Metzlers to an Avon Cobra Front fitment 150/80VR17 (OEM spec) and a Goodyear Eagle F1 (GS-D3) 225/55ZR16 Car Tyre on the rear. 37psi front 34 psi rear. I suppose I could have put a rear fitment M/C tyre on the front. Avon do a Rear Fitment 140/80ZR17 tyre and I did consider it.

I’ve deliberately NOT changed anything between fitting and this report. It’s been exactly 2 weeks and I’ve done over 850kms. This would be pretty much normal mileage for me – it would have done more had it not tipped down with rain over Easter – I don’t do wet rides for the hell of it.

To put this in perspective, that’s over 10% of the life of the set of previous Metzlers.

Testing has been on a mix of deliberately chosen poor roads (all speeds) and some longer fast highway runs to see friends and to have a service done. The latter a mix of good and under repair (shitty) surfaces.

The first noticeable feature is that the rear is VERY sensitive to changes in camber at LOW speed. This has not lessened or worsened in the test period. How low a speed? - About 10km/h or less. It’s disconcerting when paddling the bike about on tiled/cobble surfaces and (over here) in small or historic towns where town centre roads have not been modernised. It’s even worse, if they’ve been re-cobbled for touristic aesthetics. The tyre “tips” and you need to be aware.

It’s an especial PITA for me as the drive to my garage is concrete tiled and will all sorts of odd angles and cambers. Some of this however is tyre width – as with the Metzler it was also an awkward experience – and even the Buell was wont to steer badly on the drive. But I really do not like this aspect of the DarkSide.

At the beginning and for the first 250kms or so – this camber sensitivity was also disconcerting at moderate speeds in what I term flip-flop situations. By this I mean slow to moderate speed (under 40km/h) L->R or R->L flicks – the main initiative to do so being small traffic roundabouts (where tbh the cambers changes are also generally more obvious) R->L->R manoeuvres.

I was also hyper-sensitive to this phenomenon at first on shitty roads (Spain has its fair share of them) – but really more because it was an alert to the state of the poor road – which may actually be a good thing. It does mean you have to be more attentive. For an idea of the sensation – imagine having a new and nervous passenger on the rear.

This seems to have lessened – Some of this without any doubt is due to a change in riding practise – some maybe becoming accustomed – and some I believe due to a bit of the “square-er” tread edge wearing under more aggressive cornering.

At faster speeds – I’ve not gone past 160km/h yet – the camber sensitivity fades to near imperceptible. Unless the road is heavily cambered – it’s not noticeable. It can sometimes be felt when crossing the crown of a road to overtake – but it’s rare. If the road is well and properly cambered in bends – the R3 auto-steers. If the camber is wrong – I don’t feel I need to over-compensate to adjust.

I’ve perceived no “White lining” – no “tracking” in the scour marks from bodged resurfacing – either in curves or on straights. It has once tracked on the tar join between Concrete slab road-way – but this was equally as likely to be a pronounced camber change between the slabs. Still one has to be objective. In fact I’d say the rear Metzler handled these events worse.

Initially I was very conscious of a moment entering bends where there was an appreciable pause in rolling over when entering bends (especially flip flop bends). My guess is that this is the moment when you basically come up onto the tread edge (maybe also due to a change in tread shape). This has lessened.

What has genuinely surprised me is how well it tracks through bends once you get off the “flat”. It’s easily as good as the Metzler in general – and in a couple of particularly nasty wallowing bends near me – better. What is also noticeable is that as you come up off the flat – steering effort diminishes. If you’re expecting to have to wrestle it down – you may well overcook it.

Did initially find some resistance getting up off the flat – and I was uncomfortable doing so at first - But undoubtedly some of this was just testing nerves. But I’m always nervous on new tyres and the bike itself is till “new” to me. It takes me a good 10,000 miles to know a bike well.

I do notice over time (hours in saddle) that the bike seems to take less effort in left hand corners than right hand corners. This may be that my left wrist is still not 100%. But warrants mention.

I wonder if these moments of coming up off the flat is where the “additional counter steer” comments come from. Initially I was confusing this with the flip flop phenomena. Overall – The bike counter steer effort is LESS. It’s my opinion (going off track a moment), given the very poor wear pattern on the OEM front Metzler, that the fault lies more with the OEM Front Metzler. Spanish garages do not seem to like them either – they rate Avons higher for Spanish roads.

I can feel the rear lift sideways under cornering – This effectively sharpens the steering angle – It also makes hero-blobbing less likely. Not that I’ve any intention of doing so. No sign of getting near the sidewall (yet!). I’d be concerned if I did. And it will come off if I do.

There is less juddering & jarring transmitted to the spine over transverse bumps. Small bumps are no longer perceptible – larger ones can still be felt. Big surging bumps are maybe slightly worse – though this may simply be the increase in unsprung weight.

Sharp nasty “sleeping policemen” speed bumps are still a major PITA. This ime is a problem with many shaft drive bikes. What has been shown up though is that the forks need attention. There’s now noticeably more jarring from the front than the rear now.

After about 100kms or so I noticed that I was staying in lower gears longer under acceleration. This I’ve since corrected but the result is less acceleration of course. This was a bit annoying at first on small roundabouts – but as some of this was to compensate for my own indecision regarding the flop flop sensation – I was taking them slower and compensating with the throttle.

Over the course of the “test” however I’ve realised that on longer runs I need to make far fewer throttle corrections to keep a steady speed.

It had me flummoxed at first – but I believe this is due to a “flywheel effect” from the rear tyre. Not only is it heavier – but the weight distribution in distance from the axle centre is more “binary”.

This results in more effort (work/power) being required to accelerate the mass of the tyre. But it requires less adjustment to maintain steady speed.

In conclusion –

This testing has shown me one failing in my prior riding style of the R3 – it is DON’T WRESTLE IT. White knuckle bar grip will get you into trouble imo. You need to leave the bike latitude to move – though this required a bit of rethought to my riding style.

My previous bikes have mostly been nimble chassis with often slim tyres, mainly sports bikes and Italian. All of them allowed last minute intuitive correction of line in corners. The only prior “Cruiser” I’ve had (A Softail) I really did not get on with – for many reasons.

The R3 maybe not be a “Cruiser” and is for its size remarkably nimble – but it remains a 380kg deadweight. Certainly with the Goodyear on – You have to enter corners, roundabouts etc decisively. Choose the line – and it tracks through very well. Enter nervously and expect to be able to do nervous threepennybitting – you’ll not enjoy it at all.

D/S imo is certainly not for those used to and with predilection for nimble almost nervous handling. It’s not lazy but requires a decisive rider. Folk used to big cruisers will notice less I guess.

I do not know if I’ll ever repeat the exercise. Once the bike is 4 years old the continual MoT testing will make the effort of tyre swapping too much like hard work. I’ve asked and whilst not illegal – they’re not homologated.

But I certainly will not be whipping the Goodyear off in a state of panic to fit another bike tyre.

I still have to test with a pillion on board – if my wife does not like it – it’ll come off. This will not happen before my wife’s exams mid- May. I’ve no idea how long it will last – that may or may not become part of the test.

I will also be looking at the rear pressure – it’s been suggested that this may resolve the flop-flop sensation.

I’d certainly NOT RECOMMEND inexperienced riders to try DarkSide. Actually I’m not going to say I recommend it at all. But neither will I tell you not to. I hope my findings above allow you to take your own decision.

If you generally ride on good roads and do long hauls or distance work, you may be OK.

If you’re more inclined to go racing up hairpin ripe mountain passes – I doubt you will.

If off the lights acceleration is your thing – You’ll almost certainly find your times suffer.

This forum appears inactive but here is a quick status report:

2008 - installed 1st Rear DS CT - Goodyear Eagle, about 25,000 miles
2010 - 2nd CT Toyo Proxes - 25,000 miles - could have gone 30K easy
2012 - 3rd CT Riken Raptor - 25,000 miles - could have gone 30K easy
2015 - 4th CT Raptor - 25,000 miles - could have gone 30K easy
2019 - 5th CT Raptor (price dropped to $97 for 245/50ZR16) - 10K and looks new
2019 - Went Double Dark - Michelin Pilot 5 150/17 flipped backwards - best FT so far vs 13 ME880/Avon Cobras

2018 - Went DS on second bike - - 9K and looks new

Just because you can doesn't mean you should? For me it does... 119,000 incident free DS/DDS miles.