To model28a I'd say isn't the 'riding season' over for the majority of members on here, so what do you suggest the forum discusses about during the winter months. I first heard about Darksiding on a US Burgman forum and it's a lot like the full face v open face helmet debate, people get heated about it. Since most of our motoring laws and regulations are now dreamed up by faceless bureaucrats in Brussels to bring us in line with the rest of Europe, the legalities of fitting car tyres on motorcycles is of interest to myself and other UK riders. I'd hate to hear about a badly injured rider here in the UK getting his insurance declared void because he had a car tyre fitted.

Meldrew wrote:
"To model28a I'd say isn't the 'riding season' over for the majority of members on here, so what do you suggest the forum discusses about during the winter months."
I live in Florida and the 'riding season' never ends for me. I am not sure I understand why you ask me what to discuss. Why would I need or want to suggest what anyone should discuss?
I do get the impression that you want to tell us what we should or should not discuss.

Meldrew wrote:
"Then don't tell the majority of us about it, I'd say the non-Darksiders don't really want to know and people do get emotional on this subject. You could just as easily PM the other Darksiders and avoid another inevitable argument."

I am not running a car tire so how would anyone know to PM me with info. on car tires?
Hear in the USA it is legal to run with a car tire and as pointed out in the links Bill supplied, evidently at lest some of our insurance co. will still cover your scooter with a car tire.
I have the option to not read anything that i'm not interested in, and if I choose to read something I do not plan on telling the poster not to tell the rest of us about it.

model28a wrote:

I am not running a car tire so how would anyone know to PM me with info. on car tires? Hear in the USA it is legal to run with a car tire and as pointed out in the links Bill supplied, evidently at lest some of our insurance co. will still cover your scooter with a car tire. I have the option to not read anything that i'm not interested in, and if I choose to read something I do not plan on telling the poster not to tell the rest of us about it.

I agree on this. Unless a moderator tells me that I am out of line, I am going to discuss the thread subject matter.

I have no dog in this fight, but I've read it for the opinions (and a few facts) it has generated. I followed related links at the bottom of the page and stumbled across a website (www.mcdarksiders.com) dedicted to motorcycle riders who have used car tires on their motorcycles. These seem to be actual people who have actually installed and ridden with the tires. I didn't read all of it and saw nothing to do with scooters, but for those interested it is available. I agree with those who say we don't need a forum section for every part of the Silverwing.

Bill,

Just so you know - quoting me then not directly addressing the main point of what I've written, does not refute my statement. It also does not bolster (strengthen) your point.

For example:

honda_silver wrote:

... You could tell that the rear tire's profile wasn't rounded like a motorcycle tire's, but you can confidently lean it over far enough to drag things, which requires more lean angle than many cruisers.

What an odd statement, I've always read and heard the car tire faithful sing the song that there is no difference in handling. Yet here in your "evidence" for the argument that the major manufacturers should recommend the use of the care tire is a statement that does indeed acknowledge there is a noticeable difference in handling. Yes, it is slight, but it is anectdotal evidence (the only kind there seems to be on this topic) that the car tire on a bike does affect the handling somewhat.

What the people who put car tires on bikes and either don't know enough about the dynamics of motorcycle handling or care is-----bike rims and car rims are different---somewhere their is SAE paper on this-----think sudden loss of air at high speed! There are of course other causes of sudden loss of air, but why add another------I have had 2 such deflations at high speed in the past 56 years-----not fun, one put me in the weeds.

Bend swinging is part of the fun of bikes-----doubt if car tires on rear allow same fun as scooter tire.

AND I have noticed one thing reading about mounting car tire on bike rim, very few people do it at home themselves. Getting bead to seat among other things should be an alarm.

I currently have a little over 24,000 miles darkside on the SWing, and I have in addition, over 41,000 miles riding darkside on my Suzuki 650 Burgman. The handling is not a problem (I preferr a car tire on the unpaved county roads), if we were riding "crotch rockets" it probably would be, but I really can't say that with a certainty.

I wrote Bill, which was wrong, but I meant to say, ANYONE. It is less dramatic than going from Full Milk to 2% Milk.