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Darkside Question

4K views 27 replies 15 participants last post by  Dtoolman99 
#1 ·
As a newbie here, not sure how "Darkside" got its name. But it does not matter.
Anyway, do most riders just do the rear, or the front, or both.

From what I gather, going darkside is supposed to improve road feel and improved handling...

If that was the case, why are tires designed differently for cars and bikes ??

Just odd to me putting car tire on a motorcycle. Technology, tire design, and tire makeup have come a long way over the yrs.
 
#3 ·
One could argue that improving wet traction is "improved handling or better road feel."

I haven't done it yet myself, but from all I have learned (from others), they report drastically improved tread life as well as improved road feel/traction when not turning. They typically state that turning is different, but after a ride, you won't notice the difference anymore.

Darkside is for the rear tire only. As far as I have heard...
 
#8 ·
And that is half the answer right there, much-improved stability and REAR braking without losing control and going into a sideways slide. I am one of the -only- couple thousand mi. per year users, and I won't ever go back to a regular MC rear tire.
 
#11 ·
I'll weigh in. I like the longevity and that it can be plugged. Handles far better in the heavy rain IMHO. Cheaper. The one downside=on badly uneven road it often takes a minute to figure out what side of the lump it wants to be on.
 
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#12 ·
I've been on the Darkside for 14 years. I am happy with a car tire on all of my bikes, except the M109R with a 265 mm car tire. The width exaggerates all of the peculiarities of riding with a car tire. One thing that wasn't mentioned is the much higher load capacity of a car tire, making it less likely to fail under a heavy load.
 
#14 ·
I had Michelin hydro edge,I got 47,000 miles out of it,too bad you can’t get those anymore.
And I don’t know of any mc rear tire you’ll get 20,000 miles out of,I just simply don’t believe it.
The deal with road ruts is absolutely correct,unfortunately it can get hectic on the dark side.
 
#15 ·
I had Michelin hydro edge,I got 47,000 miles out of it,too bad you can’t get those anymore.
And I don’t know of any mc rear tire you’ll get 20,000 miles out of,I just simply don’t believe it.
The deal with road ruts is absolutely correct,unfortunately it can get hectic on the dark side.
Dunlop Elite 4 on my 1300C, over 20,000 miles twice!!
 
#16 ·
Just realize car tires don't have the sidewall strength a motorcycle tire does. Cycles go around curves on their sidewalls.
 
#18 · (Edited)
no offense taken, but are you sure? radials have weaker side walls and m/c tires have stiffer cross braided sidewalls. Also the radial m/c tire is a mdified radial design, not like a radial auto tire.. I think?
 
#20 ·
no apology necessary, i learned a bit from your video too. I ride without a helmet so who am i to talk about safety! Anyway, great conversation!
 
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#26 ·
This did not start out as threatening info, just info. I have learned somethings from this and I hope everyone rides safely, including me LOL..
 
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