I am writing this review with about 2,000 miles on this tire. At first, I thought it was not going to work because it had a couple of problems, but as usual, it turned out to be a matter of finding the right pressure.

The tire is a Yokohama Advan Envigor 205-55R16, 91H load rating. I mounted it in my back porch with hand tools and the beads popped up at 38 PSI. I am running 4 oz of Dynabeads. After I mounted it, I took it out and it spun and fishtailed in the first two corners, it just about threw me off, lol. I went back home and scrubbed off the mold release lubricant with dishwashing liquid and a brush and all was well.

This tire has a very soft sidewall, and I think that this caused a couple of problems: a wobble and a feeling of just-about-to-tip-over, which was very disconcerting. I had never felt that, like the bike was about to roll over on its side every time I turned.

I set the initial pressure at 34 PSI, and worked my way down, these were the results:

34 PSI wobble at about 60+ and tip-over-feeling
32 PSI same as above
30 PSI same as above
28 PSI wobble moved up to over 70 MPH and tip-over feeling started diminishing
26 PSI Success. Absolutely stable. No wobble, no tipping over thing.

UPDATE - At 4,000+ miles I tried again with pressures up to 32 PSI, and the wobble went away no problems at any pressure. For comfort, I am finally settled down at 28 PSI.

Riding at 28 PSI solo or two up, the tire is very composed, it doesn't follow ruts or rain grooves, it doesn't want to move to the low side of a highly crowned road, and its more comfortable than my old Dunlop SP 5000. Its also very easy to maneuver at parking lot speeds. It is very stable in the rain, and it sheds a lot of water, don't ride behind somebody on this tire when its raining, lol

A few pics









The tire was very greasy from the mold release lubricant. I should have washed it before doing anything,
but noooooooo...!!!! I had to wait until it scared the bejesus out of me, lol





Side by side with a D407





Again, side by side





It looked too big to fit without rubbing, lol




And on the bike





A 1/4 inch Allen wrench fits between the belt and the tire and between the tire and caliper, so its more than enough clearance





On the sidestand, no weight on it, the footprint is biiiiiiig. This was taken when I was riding at 32 PSI.




When I put on my first car tire, an SP 5000, I was amazed at the stability of the tire when riding two up. I put over 25,000 miles on two SP 5000's and I thought it couldn't get any better, but it did. Just like the SP 5000 did everything better than the D407, the Yoko does everything better than the SP 5000. Cruising at 70+ on the highway is like sitting in my sofa, stability and comfort wise.

The first couple of months, I rode in heavy crosswinds, just about everyday with gusts of up to 45 MPH, that seemed to be the norm for Southern Arizona, and temperatures over 100 degrees F. The wind gusts didn't affect it much, and the tire puts out very little heat.

There is no point in going back to a 195-60R16, since the 205 works better and fits very well. Also, there are far more choices in size 205. You can spend days looking at pictures and specifications, while the 195 size is very limited.

I got the tire for less than 120.00 shipped to my door, but right now Tire Rack has it for less than 90 bucks, lol.

Caveat. Do not buy second run tires or blems if you buy from Ebay. Buy from a reputable company, Tire Rack is in the bay, sometimes with free shipping, and they will not sell you a tire with a broken belt







UPDATE This update came about because of a question if I was concerned about running such low pressure (26 PSI) and having a tire failure because of that. The short answer is No. My reasoning behind it:


My truck is a double cab Tundra with a V8 motor. The tire sidewall says "Inflate to 44 PSI at max load" or something like that.






But the manufacturer's sticker in the door jamb says front at 29 PSI, rear at 32 PSI





There are hundreds of thousands of trucks like mine, happily running at 29 PSI in front despite having a heavy steel frame and a V8 motor. Mine in particular, has gone through three sets of tires in 100,000 miles with no failure, not wearing funny, very controllable and a very supple ride.

If my truck can run at 29 PSI, my bike weighing a fraction of what the truck weighs sure can run at 28 PSI. It works for me, lol



Regards,

 

Nice looking tire. Glad all the problems worked out.
I run a G-Max 195/55/16 and have the wobble just starting at 75. Still playing with the pressure. I ordered Dynabeads and will put them in next week and hope they help.
Yea, tire selection is kinda skimpy with the 195. I might throw one like yours on the spare wheel and try it. I got complaints from other riders about kicking dirt and water spray quite a ways back. I guess now I won't have any tailgaters to worry about.

 

The price of these tires is so low, It just makes sense to have a spare. There is a bunch of good tires out there right now, I wanted a Michelin but the economy dictated what I bought, and I am glad I did, the Yoko is a keeper.

I went for a long ride today with my wife, so comfortable, so compliant and soft, (the tire, lol) long sweepers just bring out an ear to ear grin, lol.

You need to do the Dynabead thing, but also remember that the fallout adjustment has a lot to do with wobbling.

Regards,

 

Thanks.
Not sure what "fallout adjustment" is?

09 Road King Police

 

Fallout adjustment is the steering bearing adjustment, it needs to be on the tight side

I just looked up the G-max, its ranked highly in the ultra-high performance, all season category, that was good choice. And Tire rack has it for a really low price too, lol.

 

So, Too Easy, What tire do you have on front? Old bias ply Dunlop or some other brand of radial.

 

I am running a plain D408F, not that it makes a difference what you run up front with a car tire

Regards,

 

I always heard that you should never mix bias and radial tires on the same vehicle. Thats why I ask. Thanks.

 

Big Block,

Your question makes me think that perhaps we should have an FAQ for this section.

We went through this question of mixing bias and radials back in 2010 when we started putting car tires on our bikes. At the time, Harley was still selling a model that came from the factory with a big radial in the back and a bias in the front (Dyna Glide I think?) and they may still be selling it like that for all I know. I did try bias and radials and three different diameters and I couldn't find a difference. Another popular misconception was that motorcycle tires have softer compounds then car tires and this is not the case either.

Look at this old post and go through some pages, you will find links to some posts talking about all this.

https://www.hdforums.com/forum/touri...road-king.html

Regards,

 

Big Block,
Read the link given by TooEasy. If your serious about this you start to see the BS from the FAQ. People who have put a car tire on have all reported their experiences. So follow their guidelines. I suggest you start by buying a CT that others have used and had good results.
TooEasy has been doing this far longer than I have and can be the most help to you. So, take his advice and you won't go wrong.
Be prepared to adjust tire pressure until you find the best setting. A CT will take some getting use to especialyl if it's new and over inflated. Take your time and you will find that you'll forget it's there except with all the traction you will gain. I am no longer afraid to roll into gravel, dirt or soft and wet grass. I have never lost traction in those conditions.
Take your time and remember to let us know how it goes. Who knows, someone might read your posts and follow your experience.
TooEasy... I'm down to 28 PSI and it is working much better. Soon as I get the Dynabeads in I'll let you know. Thanks for your help/
FLHPRK