The Motorcycle tire came out very easily, but I had to let all the air out of the Falken to get it in. Once I got all the lugs back in, I inflated it up to 45 PSI and took it out for a spin.
The first thing I noticed was how different it was transitioning from riding straight and upright into a lean. After about a mile of getting used to this, the transitions definitely felt much less pronounced.
Another difference that jumped out to me at first was how noticeable it is when the camber of the road changes. If the road changes from flat to sloping to the right, the bike will lean a bit as well.
Turning actually felt pretty normal, although I would really like to get some time in on some of the more technical roads around here. It takes slightly more counter-steer to put the bike into a turn, but once in the turn I really didn't notice much difference. As with the other differences, going into a turn became more normal to me with each new turn.
Next, I tested out some slow, straight riding. As I approached a stop sign steady with a little rear brake, I think I literally laughed out loud at how stable it was without even being in the zone. (you know the 'slow zone', those times you stop w/o putting your foot down for a couple seconds and you're not even trying)
It was dark out already and I didn't have the time to go too far, so I decided to take it into a parking lot and try out some precision maneuvers. Parking spaces are usually 9 feet across, so I setup to do circles and figure eights within two stalls. (18 feet) I was a little surprised that this didn't feel much different than doing it on a motorcycle tire. Just to give you an idea, getting a Goldwing to turn within that much space requires a lot of counter-lean and the handlebars to be fully locked.
Once I got home and I could see how how close to the edge the tire was making contact to the road. Had about 1.5 inches left before the sidewall. Considering the bike was leaned pretty far in those parking lot circles, I think that is a safe margin.
I need more aggressive riding time on the Falken before I can make a real comparison to the MC tire, but it seems like it's definitely a winner for at least super slab riding and trailering.
I got 8.5k miles on my last rear Bridgestone 704 (motorcycle tire). Those cost about $250 (on sale for $200 sometimes). I'm sure pulling a trailer I would have got less than 8.5k.
This Falken ran me $100 and supposedly will get around double the miles. If that is true, then the cost of running a CT will be 1/4th the cost of running a MT.
Besides cost and wear, other factors that led me to try out a CT were higher load limits, traction (esp in the rain), and the option to get a Run Flat model.
This CT is not a replacement for my MT, but rather an alternative to use based on what type of trips I am going on. Once I get some more time on the Falken, I'll write a more in-depth comparison on the difference between it and the Stones.
As of right now, I'm pretty sure I'll run the CT on my Alaska trip this summer, even if I don't take the trailer. That will surely test the speed of the wear.
No comments:
Post a Comment