I admit it.

My Dunlap 404 only lasted 6,000 miles or so.

I must be an abuser too.   I'm trying to do better.

6k seems abotu right for the 404's. Got my bike with 404's at 9k mi. At 15k mi it was at or very near replacement time.

Oldfeller--FSO wrote on 09/01/09 at 07:18:12:

Well, I'm not up to 10,000 but I have passed 7,000.  I did however have to replace the front brake pads, they were well and truly shot.  I try to go easy on the rear, simply because the front looks so much easier to replace!  And I'm not exactly easy on the acceleration always, but I guess I've never broke it loose either, so eh...

Ol' Barry Blowup done taught me my lesson about recommending tire stuff to anybody as the skill levels of individuals varies greatly.  You are doing this at your own risk.

However, I can tell you what to avoid -- do not go any bigger than 155-80r15.  

The reasons are many, but the ones that stick out the most is that bigger than that won't fit without excess amount of work removing bolt heads, etc.   It also aggravates the potential issues with rumba and other excessive tire size high speed running issues.   Just don't go there and simply avoid those hassles.

No one has reported high speed running issues with 155 or smaller tires -- no one.  That cannot be said for the 165 tire size and up.

Next, watch your back when wrasslin' it on (them slipped spoons can hurt when they smack you) and don't go over 90 psi when popping the bead.  Use a fresh inner tube (it is gonna be on there 4-5 years so you don't want to have to put up with a sorry leaky tube the whole time).

Take the time to tune your spokes to get your wheel/rim round and true again after tire assembly and inflation and DO REMEMBER to weight balance the assembled tire/wheel.

Don't go over 35 lbs of running air pressure.   Don't go less than 30 lbs unless you are experimenting on purpose as a soft mushy rear tire rides quite differently from a 30-35 psi tire.  

Jack your rear shock preload up to the highest preload position to maximize your bump clearance.

Remember, riding the tire the first time can result in conflicts between what you had in your "internal ride balance computer" stored in your primitive brain stem and the new reality.   Your bike will run and handle slightly differently.  

It can take a week or so to reprogram yourself and regain confidence.   Carry spare underwear with you during this period of time as your old programming will cause your sphincter to malfunction unnecessarily several times going over bumps, etc.

Ats awwrite OF, I really dont think Id want a wider tire than necessary, Taller, yea, if it wouldnt cause clearance issues.

serenity3743 wrote on 09/03/09 at 08:03:49:


I really don't want to ask how old you are.. but..  may the force be with you.

Not really any hidden meaning.  "Going to the Darkside" on anything pretty much means the same thing as "leaving the beaten path", but with "evil" overtones.  Using car tires on motorcycle isn't considered to be "normal", and using them could be construed as "evil" (or at least non-comformist) and, therefore, they are Darkside tires.

That was a lame explanation.. but I tried!

Thank you for the explanations!