Now which one of you tire loving enthusiasts wishes to do a bought, shipped and mounted total cost per wear/mile competition to prove that your pick in tires has the largest bang for the buck?    This is "best mileage" per dollar spent contest, in other words.   Hard data all the way .....

   Shinko ain't half bad in these sorts of contests, actually.    The tire purchase cost is low and if you mount them yourself the relative cost of mounting on a shorter term tire doesn't dig you near as bad.

We have done this competition in the past, but everyone gave up on it after all the competitors either sold off their bike or changed out their rear tire in the second year.   I won by default on that last contest (I guess) as I was the last man standing which means there was nobody left to pay me the six pack which was the last contest's wager and that six pack is still due to the winner (me).  

We haven't done the contest in at least 3-4 years since then, although as Dave and MM can attest I am still running that exact same tire on the back of my Savage.

Do you think your current tire pick was a good one?   All you have to do is post your net purchase cost, taxes, your shipping costs, your tire mounting cost, your MEASURED tread depth in the middle of the tire (avoiding your wear marker humps and taking the measurement at your valve stem area so you can find the same spot again).

Note:  these contests have some real value to the list as they collect real data on tire brands vs tire wear/tire cost --- real mileage/wear data which helps people pick their next tire with better real knowledge.   Real data is always preferred to "opinions" which is mostly all we get when discussing tires.

ARE YOU CONFIDENT ENOUGH IN YOUR TIRE PICK TO BET A BEER OVER IT ???


ONLY REAL CURRENT REAR TIRE PURCHASES CAN BE ENTERED, detailing all shipping charges, discounts, deals, sales taxes and real mounting costs --  none of that "10 years ago I remembered buying a Metzler that lasted about 18,000 miles (I think, anyway, I never ever measured the tread depth on it so I really dunno)".

You need to own a dial or a digital caliper that reads in thousandths to measure your tread depth (wear amount) periodically.



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Hey, we can make the bet more interesting to you --- I'll race my existing Savage Darkside tire against your brand new motorcycle tire contenders.   I've still got half my original tread depth left so it should be a fair enough contest, wouldn't you think?

Racing against my yet to be installed Barcalounger tire would lack a certain element of fairness.  I dare say my new Barcalounger tire would be a winner in the contest just laid out, as I only paid a net cost of - $3.13 for it after taking a $25 credit for opening a new charge card at Walmart.com and then getting another $25 good will credit for getting screwed up/over by Walmart 3 different times before the right tire actually showed up.  Tire after taxes would have been $46.87, but the $50 in credits ran it down to -$3.13.      yep, a negative number

Next, I mount Darksiders on a Savage tube rim myself as it is a non-standard process.   So I don't spend the mounting dollars most of you guys chose to spend.

 
MM was running a Darkside tire when I first met him -- he proved to me that you could do it on a Savage.

We both lost our original Darkside tire due to tube failure / low air pressure issues long long before we wore them out.  

Now I take care to make sure my Savage Darkside stays up at 32-35 psi,  intentionally keeping it somewhat firm for consistent non-squiggly handling.   MM liked to intentionally run somewhat lower psi,  but he admits that the issues that made him take the tire off actually came from that habit.

Mike, you need to know the size and profile of the tire you have now, note the CLEARANCE that you have to the shaft drive and the swing arms on both sides and then again to the front of the swing arm and then play with a tool like this one to spot your issues with various sizes and aspects of tires.  

All tires (motorcycle and car) use the same width, aspect, radial/bias and rim size notations.  

Remember, a smaller width on the same rim means a lower profile (and a stiffer tire) automatically.  

Use this tool to scan what is available out there in 17" and 15"  tires.            https://www.tirerack.com/tires/sizes/results.jsp?diameter=17

This tool compares two different spec'd tires so you can spot differences in size and aspect.                 https://tire-calc.com/

So, the only one who ever gave me alcohol wasn't even in on the contest.    

I think I only squalled my big tire once in all those years of running around in the mountains and that was when I was following you up in your home country.

Actually, I ought to buy you guys a round with all the tire money I saved BY NOT HAVING TO CHANGE MY REAR TIRE EVERY TWO YEARS.

Gary_in_NJ wrote on 03/01/18 at 07:03:01:


That is what logic would imply......both Oldfeller and MM have chased me around the mountains using these tires - and they have never had any trouble riding at "qualifying speeds"!

I'm not repeating what I've seen elsewhere as I have never seen a motorcycle tire like that (well maybe on a sidecar bike).

Cars and motorcycles do not turn in the same manner. Whereas a single track vehicle will lean from side-to-side, an automobile will yaw or pivot about the cg of the tire. The lateral forces are translated to the sidewall and the sidewall will flex as a result.

The steering inputs aren't even the same, nor are the forces and vectors.

I'd have to try the tire to experience. All of my street experience is on sport bikes (which I consider my cafe racer to be). The only S40/LS650 I've ever ridden is my cafe racer...and I never once rode that (or even sat on it) as cruiser. I rolled it out of my pick-up and immediately started taking it apart.

Dirt bike tires (the other type of riding which I am accustomed) tend to be very square, so I can make that analogy for understanding. However, the surface on which a dirt bike operates is much more forgiving than asphalt.

I'm seriously thinking about a Dragon run this year. As to what bike I would bring...and given the 60 mile range of my cafe racer...I'm thinking I'd be on my FZ - round profile tires and all.

Gary,

http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1518871430/0

Dave posts: The Suches trip is tentatively scheduled for the first weekend in June (weather permitting).  I could arrive in the area in the afternoon of Wednesday, May 30, and stay until Sunday, June 3rd.  If the weather isn't good that weekend......postpone the event until the following weekend.  (June 6-10).  It is an 8 hour trip for me to get there and I will be towing my bike behind my car on my trailer, and I can pack the Mega tent that sleeps 4 easily (and I can sleep in my trailer if the tent gets full).

This will be a ride/eat/sight see trip - with the focus on riding.  The Two Wheels of Suches provides a great home base......it is easy to ride the local roads and then come back for meals.  Short rides to places like Chatuge Lake where there is a great restaurant on the edge of the lake, and Copperhill on the way to/from the Natahalla River proved to be good rides and good food.  Wolf Pen Gap provides a really fun ride with turns that are really tight.....there are 2 hairpin turns that are 1st gear 180 turns.....and 129 is more open and very hilly and twisty - we can even ride up to Booger Hollow where MM can get his Dollar Store Mountain Dew supply!

 a 560R15 radial car tire  

Job

I'm interested in more info about that tire !  

I've been using the Commander II (on my second one now) and got 22,000 miles + out of the first one.  
I've had auto tires on my Savage and I know what you mean by that solid feeling that a bike tire can never have.  

Last time I looked for a Dark-side tire I didn't find a useable size so … I tried the Commander II , its second best !