Hankook Tires ?

Hey guys, thanks for the replies. I'll keep you updated as soon as I get the tires here and have them mounted.

I have another question though. In the past week or two I've been getting a high pitched whining noise from the lower side of the bike I believe. My current tires have 14,000 miles on them, but they definitely are over due to be changed, especially the rear. Is it possible that the whining noise, which gets louder the faster I go, could be due to the poor tire tread?

Jake

Is the wife on the back?

quadancer wrote:Is the wife on the back?

LOL!!! Nicely played!

JakeInMa wrote:Hey guys, thanks for the replies. I'll keep you updated as soon as I get the tires here and have them mounted.

I have another question though. In the past week or two I've been getting a high pitched whining noise from the lower side of the bike I believe. My current tires have 14,000 miles on them, but they definitely are over due to be changed, especially the rear. Is it possible that the whining noise, which gets louder the faster I go, could be due to the poor tire tread?

Jake

Mine was shot too with 12,000 miles on it when I took it off, and I never heard any wining noise with mine. Is your bike belt driven ? One thing you'll notice with the Hankook H426......it's dead quiet, I mean you hear nothing from that tire....which was the first thing I noticed in the curves with this tire....kinda weird actually, but in a good way.

It's even smoother looking than the Vredestein - and that dude is dead silent, or at least with my pipes I couldn't hear it.

This pic is at 7k, by the way.

quadancer wrote:It's even smoother looking than the Vredestein - and that dude is dead silent, or at least with my pipes I couldn't hear it.

This pic is at 7k, by the way.

I have the stock pipes, so it's really quiet with mine. Use to sound like I had a nail in the tire when I would take a sharp bend. Now, all I hear is the rumble of the engine, and the wind.....dat's it, which is beautiful.

Dudester, any idea how much psi it took to seat the bead? Also, what are you running for tire pressure? I'm having my tire installed on Monday and want to give the shop as much info as possible.

Thanks,

Jake

Jake
My bead seated at 60 psi. Right now, I'm running 36 psi in the Hankook, and 40 up front. I find anything below 36 psi feels kinda weird, but some others are riding as low as 28psi, which I really don't quite understand how they can ride like that, unless their tires have a firmer sidewall than the Hankooks. You'll have to play with it yourself, starting at 40 psi, and then lower by 2 lbs until you find a pressure that you're comfortable with. Personally, I really liked the 40 psi, but I was told repeatedly that at 40, my tire would wear out in the center prematurely. I'd say most Dark Siders play between 32 and 36 psi, which is why I chose the 36, which feels good to me now. Let me know what you find out and end up doing once you have it installed and tested. I really love this tire, because it is so smooth and quiet, and grabs like everything. I feel much safer cornering, and even parking lot cornering seems simpler and easier, thanks to the rounded outer edges of the tire. You'll notice when you come to a stop, your feet will come to the ground just about when you are stopped, because the tire keeps you up vertical longer. Other bikers have made the comment of how good I am at keeping my balance at very slow speeds....it's not me, it's the tire, but don't tell em' that lol. It's nice to finally talk to another Hankook H426 DarkSider.
Once this tire is done, I will definitely buy another one, unless it doesn't last more than a mc tire.....time will tell.
Good luck and keep me posted.

40 psi in the front will wear out the center but any less pressure encourages cupping.
I got 12,000 out of my Metzler with 40 psi and it maybe had about 1000 left before the center would have been gone.
I don't think that was too shabby...

00 Doc wrote:40 psi in the front will wear out the center but any less pressure encourages cupping.
I got 12,000 out of my Metzler with 40 psi and it maybe had about 1000 left before the center would have been gone.
I don't think that was too shabby...

I got 12,000 miles out of my 'rear' Metzler at 40 psi, but expect to get double that with the front Metzler, also running 40psi
As for the car tire, I find 36 works for me, however, I don't have a clue how many miles I will get out of it. Apparently with a car tire (from what I've read) the less psi you run in it, the longer it will last. Something to do with allowing the whole tire to feel the road, as opposed to just the center of the tire, if higher psi were added. Therefore, it makes sense that too high a psi would wear the center out quicker.....much like a motorcycle tire. Time will tell how many miles I'll get with the Hankook, but so far, I'm loving this tire.
So Doc, what is the psi you are running in your rear car tire ? And what brand and size are you using ?

Dudester60 wrote:Jake
My bead seated at 60 psi. Right now, I'm running 36 psi in the Hankook, and 40 up front. I find anything below 36 psi feels kinda weird, but some others are riding as low as 28psi, which I really don't quite understand how they can ride like that, unless their tires have a firmer sidewall than the Hankooks. You'll have to play with it yourself, starting at 40 psi, and then lower by 2 lbs until you find a pressure that you're comfortable with. Personally, I really liked the 40 psi, but I was told repeatedly that at 40, my tire would wear out in the center prematurely. I'd say most Dark Siders play between 32 and 36 psi, which is why I chose the 36, which feels good to me now. Let me know what you find out and end up doing once you have it installed and tested. I really love this tire, because it is so smooth and quiet, and grabs like everything. I feel much safer cornering, and even parking lot cornering seems simpler and easier, thanks to the rounded outer edges of the tire. You'll notice when you come to a stop, your feet will come to the ground just about when you are stopped, because the tire keeps you up vertical longer. Other bikers have made the comment of how good I am at keeping my balance at very slow speeds....it's not me, it's the tire, but don't tell em' that lol. It's nice to finally talk to another Hankook H426 DarkSider.
Once this tire is done, I will definitely buy another one, unless it doesn't last more than a mc tire.....time will tell.
Good luck and keep me posted.

Thanks for the reply, much appreciated. I dropped the bike off (rain for the next two days anyway) and am anxious to pick up my bike next week. The guys at the shop think I'm nuts..then again, after spending 3 1/2 years in Iraq, maybe I am...LOL

Dudester, I'm running a Michelin Hydroedge 205/70/15 at 36psi on my 1300C.
I don't think I could ever get 12,000 out of a rear Metz, I tend to downshift when slowing
and skid the tire some, it wears them out pretty quick.

I missed this post, I havent been around for a while.
Just posted over on another tread, I jsut took a handcock from Sears off a mag rim and I couldnt get the bead to break and had to cut the thing off, it was on there, I think if it would have went flat, it wouldnt have come off the rim.
It was a very good tire, it was a allseason, and it cost me $58.
I just mounted a Hydro Edge on the rim today, a 205 70-15.

You cant go wrong with a Hancock.

I am now down to riding with 32 psi in the Hankook, and 36 in the front Metzler. This appears to be the perfect sweet spot for my riding style. Amazing traction and feel. The only thing I have to complain about (at all psi's) is, if I'm in a curve at highway speeds, and I hit a tar snake or what some call "wigglies", I get this scary sensation for a second when my rear slips out on me, which is a very tense feeling....almost messed up a curve the other day because of it. In the straights, no problems with the wigglies at all, in fact, I don't even feel them. Anyone else experience this ?

Yes you have to watch out for tar snakes especially in curves when it is hot out. They get pretty hairy. I can't believe this is the method they use to patch roads. It is better with the car tire, but you have to be careful on those things!

Beermand wrote:Yes you have to watch out for tar snakes especially in curves when it is hot out. They get pretty hairy. I can't believe this is the method they use to patch roads. It is better with the car tire, but you have to be careful on those things!

Well it's been plenty hot around here the last few days. So I guess I'll just have to slow down and be extra careful on roads that have em'. I also seem to feel the road ruts a bit more on hot days too. Thanks for your input.

My only problem with tar snakes was with the stock Dunlop, that liked to slide and hop over them. Switched to the Bridgestone S-11 and they disappeared. The Vredestein on the back has never felt nor slipped on one of them, and I'm in Ga.
I've found 36 to be my best air in back for both solo and 2up.

Are you saying you don't feel tar snakes when leaning in a curve ???? If so, you definitely have a better tire than me.
I don't feel them at all in the straights. I read everywhere that the higher the psi, the shorter life of the tire.

I don't feel them unless they're an actual bump of sorts. I HEAR them go under the front tire, with a "naaaack naaaaack" sound when they're hot. Sounds like you're riding over a patch of glue. The rear is silent.