St1300 Darkside Test Complete

[kebrider]

1 week, 650 miles and an open mind. It grips it rips and it works well enough but the fatal flaw is the increased traction and directional influence the rear car tire exerts on the front tire can cause a loss of front end grip in, especially in low speed, low traction situations. At least for a bike set up exactly as mine with me riding it anyway. Bridgestone T-30 GTs are still the holy grail for 1,000 pounds of adrenalin-fueled adolescence in the mountains.

Please resume your normal programming

[KevCarver]

Old dudes on sport TOURING bikes don't ride like you!

[YoshiHNS]

Time to step back to the ST1100.

[kebrider]

I would love to have an ST1100. Before I got the 1300 I had a sweet 2001 all lined up. Owned by a local motorcylce dealer, mint condition, less than 15K. It was raining the Saturday I was going to pick it up so we said next week and when I got there that next week the bike was bent and broken from a minor crash. The dealer had let his IT guy take it for a weekend ride and the guy had a minor get-off. #$%^

So I end up with an ST1300 which is cool but the ST1100 is more what I wanted. Reported to be slower (so when I pass Matt it's not the bike ) but way cooler than my 1300. I loved the smoothness of the carbs and I just have a soft spot for ST1100s. I even studied how to change the cam belts, I got to know which years have the upgraded alternator and I studied how to upgrade an older model to the newer alternator. Of course I crawled under the one I was going to buy and fully inspected the swingarm for corrosion. These are things an ST1300 owner gets cheated out of. Then I ended up defecting. Maybe someday I will finally get an 1100. I rode a few and I think I could give an ST1300 a decent run for the money with a few suspension tweaks and decent rubber.

What could have been....

[YoshiHNS]

Between my dad and I we had a soft enough spot for the 1100 that we ended up with two of them. 93 and 01. This way we have a spare. I did look at doing the timing belt on one of them. Looked just like a mini version of my 3kGT.

[Conedodger]

Miss my ST1100 sometimes. Decided I was too young for it, so cut it loose to get the VFR. Someday I'll go back.

[Sweeper]

Your test was documented by Killboy this week.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[kebrider]

Your test was documented by Killboy this week.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You talking about the one pic that seems to show the tire flexing pretty significantly?

[SEBSPEED]

I will own a 1300 some day. Probably won't be a 1300 anymore by the time I'm ready for it.

[YoshiHNS]

So what is it like leaning a car tire over. I remember riding on squared off tires and how jarring it was going over the corner. I can only imagine that on a car tire.

[FJ12Ryder]

Don't have a clue how it feels, but it sure looks scary in that pic in the other thread. This might be one of those times when application specific tires are the ticket.

[kebrider]

So what is it like leaning a car tire over. I remember riding on squared off tires and how jarring it was going over the corner. I can only imagine that on a car tire.

If you ever rode an ST1300 with PR2s the combination of the Bridgestone T-30GT front and Falken 612+ had almost exactly the same steering, a little higher effort than some other types of tires. The more you lean the easier the car tire leans. The one major upside is just how comfortable the ride was. That big, soft cart tire smoothed every bump to nothing. It felt like I could run over a VFR and not feel it. The little wiggles and strange movements that occur due to the softer construction were not all that bad but where I ride and how I ride dictates that all feedback from my tires be useful information.

I tried the darkside because it was advertised to have all the capability of a M/C tire with up to 10 times the wear. Keeping an open mind I performed my own test and found that a M/C tire is better for me. I had a blast testing something different and now I can weigh in on a controversial subject with some first-hand data instead of just thinking it is a bad idea. For someone who does a lot of miles and has a large bike like the ST or a Wing I completely understand why they go to the darkside. I do a lot of miles and I ride a large bike but I will do it on a M/C tire.

KEB

[Roebling3]

I ferried a friends ST1300 from Portland, ME to Knoxville, TN, late last fall. It had a somewhat worn rear tire, starting out. I cannot recall the brand. That bike turned out to be a serious handful on high speed sweepers. I thought it was loose or notched stem bearings. His dealer said it was only the tires. It's too far to go for a test ride. Despite all that it could easily put miles away. Very close to an Iron butt Bun Burner Gold. Which I find are not all that easy to do East of the Mississippi. R3~

[kebrider]

I ferried a friends ST1300 from Portland, ME to Knoxville, TN, late last fall. It had a somewhat worn rear tire, starting out. I cannot recall the brand. That bike turned out to be a serious handful on high speed sweepers. I thought it was loose or notched stem bearings. His dealer said it was only the tires. It's too far to go for a test ride. Despite all that it could easily put miles away. Very close to an Iron butt Bun Burner Gold. Which I find are not all that easy to do East of the Mississippi. R3~

Funny, I rode from Portland to Knoxville last year as well. The ST has a short wheelbase, aggressive geometry, decent power, a lot of weight and it pushes a lot of wind. It's sensitive to tires in a big way. If a fast guy rides it all the time (I let Warren Tighers ride mine all the time) the tires wear to the shape the bike likes and it rails fast sweepers and generally handles light and precisely. Put a fast guy on an ST with "improperly" worn tires and it is a handful as I found out Warren found out when I bought mine last year.

750 LB bikes with sportbike-like chassis geometry are tire sensitive.

KEB

[Switchblade]

WOW !!!!

[Rush2112]

WOW !!!!

Unbelievable!!

I can't even imagine the kind of heat that would get generated in that tire with daily riding in the mountains... I don't think it would get anywhere near 10x the mileage and could possible get chunky and dangerous...

Long distance highway trolling... probably a perfect choice.

[kebrider]

3 psi increase after a solid dragon run and the tire never felt hot at all, almost felt cool to the touch. Strange. The front tire felt hotter than usual and that was another warning sign to me that the combination wasn't a good idea. Actually I never thought a car tire was a good idea at all but I hate to have an uninformed opinion so I tried one.

[FJ12Ryder]

Looks scary, it may ride okay, but it sure looks like something I'll let somebody else do.

[Baileyrock]

I've got some leftover 235/45/17's off my Audi that I thought I would spoon on the ST after your testing.

[vfrcapn]

WOW !!!!

I gotta ask, why the car tire??

[Switchblade]

WOW !!!!

I gotta ask, why the car tire??

Kimball planning on a long haul ride last i heard and was just testing .

I've got some leftover 235/45/17's off my Audi that I thought I would spoon on the ST after your testing.

Now that's funny !!!

[BonusVFR]

Don't let this car tire thing grow. There are years of threads on the Goldwing/ST boards about "dark siders". With vehement attacks on both sides of the issue! Some guys swear by the cage tire and others say stay clear.

[JZH]

WOW !!!!

I gotta ask, why the car tire??

You don't know? Because there's a Conspiracy between the motorcycle TIRE Manufacturers and the motorcycle companies to squeeze our Hard Earned Money out of us!!!

(Random capitals and three exclamation marks added for appropriate emphasis.)

Actually, I would just imagine that it would make the bike handle "weird", rather than dangerously, but I know I wouldn't want to have to justify it to my insurance company...

Ciao,

[kebrider]

WOW !!!!

I gotta ask, why the car tire??

You don't know? Because there's a Conspiracy between the motorcycle TIRE Manufacturers and the motorcycle companies to squeeze our Hard Earned Money out of us!!!

(Random capitals and three exclamation marks added for appropriate emphasis.)

Actually, I would just imagine that it would make the bike handle "weird", rather than dangerously, but I know I wouldn't want to have to justify it to my insurance company...

Ciao,

So I normally don't do conspiracy theories but when you go the through the number of tires I do it is really hard not to wonder. So after doing a lot of research and ignoring uninformed opinions I decided to gain an informed opinion.

Imagine a world with 40K tire life and better handling/grip/comfort than a motorcycle tire (the claims of the darksiders).

I can tell you first hand it is all in your imagination except for the comfort and grip. And I can also state that I left a few sport bikes behind in the mountains with a car tire on an ST...and lived to write about it. It's just more fun riding with a motorcycle tire. The only reason I ride is for fun.

[YoshiHNS]

Even with the front end issues you mentioned the grip is still just as good? I would think the mileage and comfort would be true more than the grip. Is wear an issue because of using the edge of the tire instead of the entire width like a car?