Moving to the Dark Side

No, I’m not turning to devil worshipping nor am I turning into a werewolf. Two web sites that I know of refer to a motorcycle rider who rides with a car tire on his motorcycle as a dark sider or darksider (one or two words, depends on the web site).

http://lifeisaroad.com/stories/2004/10/27/theDarkSide.html

http://gl1800riders.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=31

There are several reasons provided for going to the dark side but the one that drew me in was the possibility of getting more miles out of the tire. Motorcycle tires on the rear of my Goldwing have been lasting 10,000 miles at best, my last one only 4,000. It seems that motorcycle tires are engineered to wear out quickly. And they are not cheap. A very good car tire costs less than a motorcycle tire.

A friend of mine recently crossed over to the dark side. He purchased a car tire, a Pirelli Eufori, installed it on his Goldwing, and rode it for one or two thousand miles before the cold weather grounded him. He is pleased with the performance but time will tell how well it wears.

I decided to give it a try. I did my research and picked a tire that I knew was being used by others. I chose the Falken Ziex ZE912. A 195/55R16 fits the Goldwing.

It is an all-weather tire with a AA traction rating.

I found that it was available locally through Tires Plus and, with tax, was only a little more than $1 more than the best price I found online. I bought it today. I like the way it looks. It appears to be ever-so-slightly rounded so, perhaps, pushing it into a turn will be effortless like it is with a motorcycle tire.

When it warms up a bit (it is now hovering around zero) I will mount it (on the wheel you pervert!!!) and install it on my motorcycle. When it warms up even more I’ll start riding on it.

I’m looking forward to that!

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