Old timers

Hey all. I read a lot of posts on forums but don't spend a lot of time writing on them (just look at my post count.) I am on the list of early Darksiders somewhere in the top 20. At that time I opted for the Kumho 165/80 because it was a safe bet (kind of made a joke there.) How many of us are still using the skinny tire? I have about 20k miles on it and still have that much more to go. I haven't ridden as much as I wished and will have to probably change it due to dry rot before it gets bad, but I am not sure if I want to even go to the 205. I keep reading the "Darksider" posts and get a good chuckle from them. I have some questions for you all.
1) On a VTX 1300, how much of the "different" feeling do you think is attributed to the width of the tire and not the type (CT) of tire? My thoughts are you are going from a 70mm tire to a 205mm tire. Regardless of type, it will feel different.
2) Would a MT with a thicker carcass or tread make you use one? My car tire had a starting depth of tread at 11/32" I have never had a bike tire that thick in over 30 years of riding.

I have read several times from Darksiders that early bikes had car tires on them, but I don't think so. If you look at some early 1900's cars it looks like they are running bike tires. Motorcycle tires have been around for a long time and it seems reasonable that their designs were just copies of the car tires at that time, to a point. A lot of folks only had bikes as a single source of transportation and it had to move in the mud or on the dirt road. Because of this they had aggressive tires with a lot thicker tread pattern on them. As bikes and lean angles progressed, the tire changed. Even if you had a bike specific tire designed with a thicker tread for heavy cruisers, people would complain.

Any way, guys and gals keep up the fight. I may not get into the internet battles with you, but I am doing my part on the street.

Ride Safe and Be Safe
Db

Glad to see your still hanging in there with us Pappawolf.

Jerry

I am interested in the same questions as the OP. No one has any response?

Maurice

I think the Wolf is right - skinny is closer to a bike tire, and will have less crossover effect.
He's right on the old tires too - consider the original Model T's and A's...they started with very skinny tires more like
a bicycle than anything else. Tires got fatter, but stayed sort of rounded, then you'll see bikes with virtually the same tires
as cars for a period. After about the '50s bike tires began to develop a life of their own, eventually claiming such high-tech
credits that they should be workable on the space shuttle.
But let's also consider that today's car tires are so far beyond what there was in the 50's and even 70's it's absurd.
Think: WHEN was the last time you heard a blowout? When I was a kid, we would often hear a bang and try to guess wether
it was a blowout or a backfire. Both are relics now.

I went to the wider tire just cause it looks cool. My (now 17 yr old) son has been riding on the 205 his whole legal riding career.
I have been toying with the idea of putting him on the skinnier tire. He does not want it. He is extremely happy with the 205.

What I do know is that the issues I had with the bike did not appear until I went to the 205. Shock bushings etc.

The 205 for sure had a different feel to it than the 165 but all in all I will take the 205 over the 165. Better braking, better wet handling.

See you out there
Smokey