Common practice on shovelheads, in Germany. Dates from the time when there were no wide tires available for motorcycles. Never had one, but from what I've heard, it is just a matter of getting used to it.

 

Yes!!

 

It would ride similar to a worn MC tire. You might notice a worn MC tire is fairly flat.

 

I run a car tire on a Valkyrie I have. Toyo Proxes, hell of a tire. I have over 52k on the tire. Ridden the Dragon 6 times. Pic of tire on Valk with 46k at the time. Got a little feedback from the road at low speed but nothing really to worry about. You get used to it after a couple of weeks. You guys have got my mind whirling again after reading this thread. Man, this tire would look sweet the bike.

 

OK...I bow to your extensive knowledge of car tires. I am sure you have done exhaustive research on the use of a car tire on a bike and have concluded that doing so will end up in catastrophic failure of the tire killing all who dare to go against your knowledge of the subject...Got it. I have seen and dealt with all kinds of technical "experts" throughout my life so I will add you to the list. Just stated what I have seen. I guess my statement still stands. I have seen more MC tires fail on a bike than I have car tires (zero to be exact) but since most run MC tires I guess that is to be expected.

 

You totally missed my point and completely and utterly overexaggerated your point. My point was that you shouldn't assume someone doesn't have any knowledge of a subject just because they have not personally done something. A lot of things can be fairly well figured out in theory, however there is are a lot of things that would need additional "field research". The comment was made that "people who haven't done this know nothing". Granted that's paraphrasing it, but more or less that's what was said. I'm just stating that I do have quite a bit of knowledge about tires and how they work. I still stand by my "it's not a good idea" standpoint, but if people want to try it by all means good luck. Sometimes necessity is the mother of all inventions, but on the flip side of the coin things can still go badly. I just hate seeing a fellow biker downed, for whatever reason. You know what I mean?

 

I find it interesting the nay sayer's are as passionate as those in the political section.

I don't get it. If you want to ride on the Darkside then by all means go for it. If not then don't.

It's like those people who make fun of fingerless gloves and chaps. If they don't like them then don't wear them. Making fun of people who do just shows how little class a person has.

 

No...I got your point. I didnt mean to imply people were ignorant of tires. So you missed my point. If you conducted an experiment on the use of a car tire on a MC and determined based on data that it was dangerous, your good to go. This would imply that you put one on a MC and conducted test and was able to document your results. I personnaly would love to see it. If you are telling me you have never looked into the subject, then you are basing your opinion on your knowledge of tires alone. Well, then it is your opinion educated or not. If a car tire fits on a rim (not forcing it), why wouldnt it work for normal applications. MC tires and car tires fail either can be catostrophic on a MC. High speed MC racing tires are different than normal cruiser tires. I am not trying to talk someone into this practice. I do know of people that have done it for decades with absolutely no problem and in most cases vast improvements in some areas (longevity, traction in wet conditions, etc.). If I hurt your feelings about your knowledge of tires my apologies. I am absolutely positive that MC tires could be made to last longer and perform better but there is no financial incentive to do so.

 

At lease in the older times with VW tire they were rounded treads and not a flat center tire. Riding on the side wall all the time would not be very safe. I saw the video of the darkside why did he keep crossing the double yellow line. Was it a tire problem or the way you have to ride a car tire.

 

Oh I wholeheartedly agree that MC tires are severely lacking in a LOT of ways. For the money we're paying there should be a LOT more miles on them before they're trashed. My reasons behind telling people it's a bad idea to ride on a car tire is solely based on the fact that if you constantly ride on the sidewall you are playing Russian roulette. The odds are that you're not going to have a problem, but if you do it's not going to be pretty. Just think of a tire that's completely cambered in. If you don't get an alignment you know you're going to tear that tire up pretty fast. The other variable you have to deal with is riding habits. Me personally, I like to see how fast I can wear the "chicken strips" off my tires. Sparks flying off my bike around corners are a normal thing, so there's no way in hell I could use a car tire. Now someone who rides conservatively would probably not have too much of a problem. I see both sides of the arguement in all honesty. I just would never run a car tire on a bike personally.