BMW R1200RT/R1250RT Forum

Burn him! Burn Him, he's a witch!
How do we tell if he's a witch?
Look, if he puts a car tyre on his RT and doesn't crash he must be a witch.

Having CT on a bike here in Czech would be a major traffic offense. Won't lose a license over it, but will have the bike impounded on a spot + a hefty fine.
I investigated pros and cons of a CT on a bike. Even ran a trial on one of my previous bikes - nah. To say the bike handles weird is a massive understatement. In addition modern MC tires got much better lifespan. My Victory Vision Tour (very heavy bike) easily made 10k miles on a rear. Doesn't seem like much until you consider 950 lbs weight + rider + pillion. And that was with Dunlop Elite 3, last set I've put on my Victory was Elite 4. Dunlop claimed 50% mileage increase on them. Can't say if they made good on their claim since I've sold the bike like a couple of months ago
I wanna see somebody running Passo di Stelvio having a CT mounted. From a safe distance though

I want to see somebody like Pirelli or Bridgestone, who also make car tyres, produce a high mileage tyre which they advertise as "based on car technology". Then we can all try them and decide for ourselves without worrying about handling or legality.
Can't see them winning any group tests at a race circuit though ..... ;D

gogs01 wrote: I want to see somebody like Pirelli or Bridgestone, who also make car tyres, produce a high mileage tyre which they advertise as "based on car technology".

Cruiser tyres would be like that, they're hard and sturdy to take the big weight and lots of running on the centre part of the tread.

pwbike wrote: Cruiser tyres would be like that, they're hard and sturdy to take the big weight and lots of running on the centre part of the tread.

Ehm... no they would not My Victory Vision Tour (the cruiser of cruisers) used a MC tire. Same one GoldWing uses. It's everyone's own decision which tire to use, but I wouldn't even want to ride near a bike with a CT fitted.

At the risk of reviving a moribund thread I have just been reading the 2017 manual used by the testers for the annual UK tests for motorcycles (MoT for UK readers).  Excerpts looks like this:


Section 4 Tyres


Reason for Rejection  1. An unsuitable tyre. (see information column )


Information column: Examples of unsuitable tyres: a. side car tyres or car tyres on a solo machine (note side car outfits may be fitted with ‘solo’ type tyres on any wheel).


Rejection here means that a certificate of roadworthiness will not be issued and the vehicle cannot be used on public roads until the item is fixed.  So, it is illegal to run car tyres on a solo in the UK.

3500 miles and it is just fine. 

All the opinions, suppositions, and just plain wrong information about a CT on a RT is fun to read

None of you have a clue until you have run or ridden a bike with a CT on.

A few weeks ago I went to a rally and we rode close to 900 miles of all 2 lane twisted roads you could ever imagine.  Through the mountains of Northern PA.  I chase a GS with a very experienced and I would consider one of the best riders I have ever ridden with.

While I road my ride and he did have some distance in some of the very technical areas it was not the tire but me.

It is not everyone's cup of tea, but it not some one off thing it is proven and run on thousands of bikes.

There have been millions and I mean many millions of miles put on car tires on a motorcycle.  The Gold Wing Forums are full of guys that have run them for many years.  IBA guys run them on all makes of motorcycles. This year like 7 FJR 1300's ran them.

It takes a very few miles to get used to it but once you are it is really no different than a MC tire in the turns.  I can lean as far over as I want or need to with no worries.

I have it mounted on a extra wheel so I can switch back to my PR3 on my factory wheel but I have had no reason or desire to do so at this point.

Here is a little video you might like to look at. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ_d5IIdRZI

Sorry, there's no convincing me. The video just proves how daft the whole thing is, not to mention dangerous and illegal. As the bike starts to lean the tyre rides up on to the edge of the tyre therefore reducing the contact patch and stressing the tyre in a way it was never designed for. The best that can be said is that in the US most miles will be on a dead straight road and yes a car tyre will last longer than a bike tyre. In Europe the road conditions are very different and more importantly the tyres performance in corners is the priority not mileage. To say that Goldwing owners use car tyres doesn't come as a surprise as I've always thought they were two-wheeled cars!


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Not trying to convince anyone. 

Each to their own. 

All I can say to another side wall comment is when you go around a corner in your car do you think there is no weight distributed to the sidewall?  Ever see a G-Force test pad for cars?  I have. 

We must have watched a different video as I never once saw him go over the edge of the tire and ride on the sidewall.  Yes he flexes the sidewall but he is never over on the edge of the tire.  So I am running a tire that is rated for 2000 pounds or more and somehow I am going to blow out a side wall on a 600 pound bike that is being carried by two tires to equal 300 pounds on each tire?

And your comment on Europe roads is just plain nonsense.  Here in the USA we have every road you could ever think of and then some so unless your are riding on sky rails no difference in roads.

After 3500 miles there is no indication of wear on my side walls.  The wear is on the flat edge of the tire which is rounding off nicely.

Again not everyone's cup of tea. 

There are guys on a CT that will run circles around most guys on MC tires.  And the "scraping parts" argument is worthless as if you are scraping you are not riding correctly.  There should never be an issue scraping parts if you move that ass crack over the edge of the seat and try to kiss your mirror. Not the way I ride but I have seen a guy on a GoldWing I would bet on every time against a MC tire.

Again not for everyone and not trying to sway anyone but the fallacy that is always brought up about a CT on a bike is just plain rubbish.  There has never in all the years I have followed it been a reported accident because of a car tire, never.  Cant say that about MC tires.

I respect everyone's views and opinions, but until you know and have run a CT that is all they are, opinions.  And you know what they say about opinions.

It is just not that big of a deal just different.

So let's see:

1. Your advocating fitting a tyre that  is not approved by the bike or tyre manufacturer and will certainly invalidate your insurance and make the bike illegal.

2. Motorcycle tyres are the shape they are for a reason and have evolved to be a highly technical piece of equipment . Fitting a tyre that is not designed for motorcycle use is at best unwise and  pointless.

3. Just because I've never tried something is not a reason to say I'm ignorant of the facts. I wouldn't fit a car tyre to my bike for the reasons given above, and I've never seen or heard of anyone in the UK doing so in nearly 40 years of riding bikes.

4. In the video you can clearly see that as the bike leans over the contact patch (in this case the flat profile of the car tyre) comes off the ground until you're  riding on the very edge of the tread where it meets the sidewall.

5. Clearly you see things differently to the vast majority of motorcyclists. If you want to do your own thing that's up to you but don't expect us to follow[emoji3]


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Thankfully it is not you or this forum who speaks for all motorcyclist.

If it was then there would not be hundreds or could be thousands on the GL1800 Forums.  They give a number to each person who runs Dar Side.  I thought I saw 1100 but could be more.  That is one platform and one forum. 

The original poster of this thread is someone who ran his CT RT 3000 miles in 48 hours just for kicks.

Again maybe another view.  Of course you will see daylight when leaned over it is a 205 tire.  It has way more rubber on the ground then the deck of cards a motorcycle tires contact patch is at any given time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibUAtyggAYs

I've followed this thread and watched many of the videos showing how these car tyres work on bikes, mostly Goldwings. By all accounts, they work fine in practice.
It would appear that this would be illegal (and therefore uninsurable) in UK, so not something I'm going to try, but wouldn't it just be nice to be able to fit a (legal) tyre that would last as long as a front ? That can't be impossible, can it ?? ;D

Do you know, I think I'll put 4 M/c tyres (for those on the wrong side of the pond, tires) on my car and watch the MOT testers have a heart attack laughing !  By all of your reasoning, I don't do much on the straight, country Twisties mainly ...

Motorcycle tire manufacturers I am sure are aware of the potential to use a CT on a motorcycle.  But, it really isn't in their best interest to either lobby for or market this practice.  Why should they?  It will end up costing them in the long run in tire sales, potential litigation, and in the end profit.  Even if this is a viable alternative to MC tires, there is no motivation for any company to lobby for it to the US Federal government.  So, it really will not happy anytime soon.


But, it is a great read.  Those that choose to use CT on motorcycles and are successful, good for you !!!  At this point in my life, I am just not that daring.