Darkside

[motorcyclepath]

There is a lot of information out online about people who are using a car tire on the rear of their motorcycles and how much better they feel they are.

Personally I feel that one must be mildly retarded.....no I mean "actually retarded" to attempt this ridiculous and hazardous experiment. We can only hope that the lives lost are by the wannabe organ donars themselves and not innocent members of the general public.
Sure the tires will probably last longer than a motocycle tire if one manages to keep it upright, but the benefit is not worth the risk.
Unless you are driving a drag bike on a drag strip, you are putting everyone around you and yourself in serious risk.

Car tires are not designed to have ANY sidewall contact with the road. When laying into a corner on a motorcycle tire the tire rolls properly onto the sidewall which is designed to stick to the road, and maintains a contact patch with the road the same size as when it is running straight. A Car tire must tip onto it's edge where the contact patch with the road immediately reduces from 10 or 11 inches to about an inch of contact patch. Contact patch is the spot that is touching the road at any given time.
It does not take a tire engineer to determine that rolling up onto the edge of a tire that is not designed for this purpose will raise the rear end of the bike and place it on a tiny spot of rubber that is attempting to stick to the roadway while subjected to sideways inertia. Any degree of loss of traction no matter how small could be potentially devastating.

While on a ride in Welland On last summer, I became aware of a rider who was using a car tire on the rear of their bike. It was funny, but when talking to this person, they seemed to have all their marbles, so he/she (attempt to not identify the rider)must have been very "high functioning" considering their obvious cognitive short-comings.
When the rain started this particular person began riding the corners like they were covered in ice, and the bike was still barely holding the line, and fish-tailing at times.

Nobody has a right to put others in a group, or members of the general public at risk by using equipment in a manner in which it was not designed. Everything used for safety anywhere in the industrialized world must meet minimum standards. All safety equipment is engineered, designed and tested to determine it is capable of performing as required. No car tire has ever been designed, engineered or tested to meet side slip traction while travelling on it's edge, as the edge is NOT for road contact purposes.

If an accident occurs, and the improper tire is discovered, your insurance company will NOT pay any claim resulting from improper equipment.

So while the darkside rider lay dying on the side of the road, think about the family you just left behind without any financial compensation for your stupidity, cause they aren't going to get a dime, and if you just end up in a wheelchair, it will not be paid for by the insurance company either.

I personally will not EVER ride in a group with any car-tired rider ever again. I will never belong to a group that would allow a car-tired rider to be a member, as their bike is NOT roadworthy. Any rider who would attempt this should really be wearing a helmet full time!

Motorcyclepath

[mwmalotte]

That's the beauty of this country... we can all have our opinions

[motorcyclepath]

Yep, everone has a right to their opinions, in your country AND mine. What they do not have a right to do is put OTHERS at risk, by not following the established safe standards.

If someone wants to kill themselves, be my guest. Unfortunately it is usually an innocent bystander that pays the price.

Darkside, I think is the term used to refer to the dark void between the ears of the operator.

[mwmalotte]

Originally Posted by motorcyclepath

Yep, everone has a right to their opinions, in your country AND mine.

That's cool. But please give everyone the courtesy of respecting their opinions, even if you don't agree with them

[motorcyclepath]

I respect everyones right to have a choice that does not conflict with the law and recognized safety standards.

Being an ex-cop, and a current Health and Safety Government investigator, I refuse to respect anyones right to opinions that are in non-compliance with the laws.

I posted my opinion on the subject, as well as the reasoning behind it to educate any rider who may be considering the darkside trend. So that they can consider their legal obligations and weigh them against the possible consequences, as many are not aware that what they are doing is unlawful, and at the very least improper and likely to result in loss of insurance coverage, and openning the door to lawsuit by anyone injured or damage caused as the result of their decision to break the law.

So therefore if your opinion is to ride with car tires, your opinion is not worthy of respect, as it is wrong. Therefore I have no obligation to respect this opinion. To be told to respect a wrong and unlawful opinion, is in and of itself bordering on legally actionable.

[mwmalotte]

Originally Posted by motorcyclepath

So therefore if your opinion is to ride with car tires, your opinion is not worthy of respect, as it is wrong. Therefore I have no obligation to respect this opinion.

To each his own. Whether you decide to respect the opinion or not, on this forum, please refrain from making any insulting or inflammatory remarks about the other forum members.

Thanks

[Jammin'John]

motorcyclepath you are so full of yourself.
AND so full of crap.
WHY would anyone respect YOUR opinion.
YOU don't know what YOU are talking about because YOU are too opinionated {READ "my opinion is the only one that matters"} to consider anything beyond the norm.

Man,why can't we choose WHO we give government jobs to.
They attract narrow minded a&*EY$es like YOU>

JJ

[mwmalotte]

C'mon folks... let's keep this civil.

[Jammin'John]

Hey,sorry about that.
I've forgotten more good rides that that dude will ever be on.
Better not get him talkin' about religion !

JJ

[mwmalotte]

Originally Posted by Jammin'John

Hey,sorry about that.
I've forgotten more good rides that that dude will ever be on.
Better not get him talkin' about religion !

JJ

It's easy to get carried away on a subject you're passionate about. We just gotta remember not everyone feels the same about things. It's cool to disagree and *calmly* discuss our differences of opinions, we just can't stoop to name calling and insults.

It's all good - we just gotta make sure it doesn't escalate. Thanks for understandin' JJ