Hello,

Just wanted to encourage everybody riding Silverwings to give a go and “join the Darkside”

I want to dismiss all arguments around this subject – it was said enough already!

When it is time to change your rear tire again ( and it happens every 8 months for me! ) call your local motorcycle service and ask will they put car tire on the scooter rim. Call your local tire dealers and ask about how many tires size 155/70-13 they have in stock. Pop in, choose the tire you like or the tire with rounder edges ( I got Admiral 102 155/70-R13 ) , avoid “flat run tires” . Pay around £25 for the tire, ride to the motorcycle service, remove scooter tire ( around 10-15 minutes! ), let surprised mechanic ( “ Are you joking!!!” remove old scooter tire and EASY put car tire on, pay £10 for tire swap, later expect mechanic and a few guy from shop visit you when you are putting rear tire back to have a look “how does it look” … ride it back home VERY CAREFULLY (because you know you have got CAR TIRE on the back! and forget about it next day !!! Lol

Ride it for a week and I can guarantee you will NOT regret nor REMEMBER you have car tire!
If you find you FEEL insecure riding a scooter with car tire after a week … WELL … gave up riding at all :D or buy scooter tire for £50-60, remove the tire and put scooter tire back on.

You will only loose £35 and an hour of your day off BUT … you will have VERY STRONG argument against ALL darksiders!!!

But till then all your arguments, Gentlemen, against darksiding is just f***ing bull***t – you have not tried it and you have not got a clue what are you talking about!

It handles great on wet or dry! Just stop arguing about it and give it a got!

God bless you brothers … and sisters!

I love these John Grinsel type testimonials.
I did it so everyone should do it.
If you don't do it, you're an idiot.
No thanks.

Apart from being illegal to fit in the UK!

Methinks I will remain ignorant of venturing to the darkside.

No Darkside for me either. Saftey comes first, and there isn't a motorcycle or tire manufacturer that condones this practice. Not willing to bet my life on saving a few bucks (or Pounds).

Most of us Darksiders here in the US are using a 165/70 r13 on the back, I personally have ridden over 24,000 miles on mine and will probably get close to 32,000 before I need to change tires.

If I changed my underpants every 8 months instead, would that be Darksiding too ?

Just another example - and there are no shortage of such examples everywhere you might care to look - of people digging in their heels about being right or being wrong. What nonsense, here, as wherever else it occurs.
And the universally applicable rule in all such examples is that no amount of information or experience or facts will be likely to change anyone's mind.
After all, everyone's sure they're right. Ridiculous.

Instead of all this "I've gone over to the Darkside" crap, just say "I've fitted a car tyre".

Here is a John Grinsel comment on car tires on bike/scooter=really stupid idea. beads and rims car to bike are different.

Accidents ain't cheap----SilverWing is for sure safer with stock tire setup. Think accident avoidance! I believe Motorcyclist Magazine has comments to back me up.

That's a good idea so I'll start with you, please correct your signature from 'Dark-Side Sumimoto Tire' to what it actually is, a 'Sumimoto Car Tire'.

My DARK SIDE tire was a mitchlin, what do i call it??????

DARKSIDE FORUM is its name.

This is from the BRIDGESTONE CAR TIRE FORUM :::::

2006 Suzuki Burgman 650
Burg_rider on Sun Jul 26, 2009 11:32 am


.Hey everyone, I just found this site today. I've put on a Bridgestone Potenza RE92 165/65/R14 on my bike and only have about about 5000 km so far, but i gotta say, I love it. There's quite a few Darksiders on the Burgman Forum (http://www.burgmanusa.com/) with some spirited discussion both ways. Here's some issues though that I have, check the pics and it'll be apparent. I've since repaired the problem, and it won't detract me from using a CT on my ride.

So what's the legal situation in the UK for a Silver Wing rider who has a car tyre fitted to his rear wheel ? Does he inform his insurance company of his intentions beforehand, after getting a suitable tyre fitted, or does he say nothing ? Will his insurance company still provide or refuse him cover after being informed of the new rear car tyre.

Does using this tyre invalidate the Honda Warranty, leave the rider open to Police prosecution if noticed at a roadside check or if he's involved in an accident regardless of whether it's his fault or not ? You have to inform your insurance company if you're involved in accident, or being your charged with a motoring offence.

If you haven't informed your insurance company of your tyre choice, and this fact is presented to them by accident statements, or the Police, the insurance company will quite correctly declare your cover invalid because you fitted a non standard tyre and didn't tell them.

What about the mechanic who does your annual MOT ? will he only see what looks like a car tyre on your rear wheel, it may have plenty of tread, be undamaged, and the wheel balanced, but it's not a bike tyre and he'll probably fail it.

My heart sank when I saw the title of the thread; is it beyond the power of homo sapiens to find one of the many threads on the same subject and add to it rather than starting yet another, one that was bound to start another argument?
Time to start another thread on full-face v. open-face helmets, perhaps.

Edited for spelling

I agree , Darksiding divides opinions like the constant full face v open face helmet debate, but let's find out how we stand legally in the UK. The legal side never gets much of a mention from anyone who's fitted a car tyre to the rear wheel.

Any UK riders care to enlighten us ?

Well, having just checked the MoT testers manual on the Gov.uk VOSA website they have just added car tyres can be used. - On sidecars and tricycle combinations.

Otherwise - no for car tyres fitted to motorcycles including scooters.

The damn knuckle dragging trogladites! Don't they understand how much safer "darksiding" is?

I mean it has a cool name and even though there is no real objective empirical evidence... It has a cool name.

The cool name works for me!!!

I agree that Darksiding is a rather cool name, it's also used in the UK by trad scooter riders that have gone over to the Dark Side by riding a modern auto scooter. So those guys think they're Darkside dudes too.

I bet you none of our American friends are into Dwile Flonking !

Meldrew.. Dwile Flonking hasn't caught on here yet but there is a movement to invite the Britannia Coco-Nutters Bacup group here for our summer festival.

No wonder yall don't carry guns... Where would you strap the holster? .

I have got to add a visit to the UK to my bucket list.