Car Tire on Front

[stargzr57]

I have a gl 1800 with a hannigan kit. Right now I have a bridgestone barracks bt45r mounted in reverse. I only have approximately 5000 miles on. And it sounds like I have a big 4x4 truck tire on! And at 30 MPH or less the handlebars vibrate. Before I triked my wing I went darkside and loved it it ran so quiet and got great mileage. Sooo anyone using a car tire on the front and if so which one size etc.and do you like it.

Thanks to all, Steve

[stargzr57]

Sorry it's a battlax. Damn spell corrector lol

[Gold Rush]

I have a gl 1800 with a hannigan kit. Right now I have a bridgestone barracks bt45r mounted in reverse. I only have approximately 5000 miles on. And it sounds like I have a big 4x4 truck tire on! And at 30 MPH or less the handlebars vibrate. Before I triked my wing I went darkside and loved it it ran so quiet and got great mileage. Sooo anyone using a car tire on the front and if so which one size etc.and do you like it.

Thanks to all, Steve

Steve, it sounds like you have other then tire brand/type problems. Many of us are running the Battleaxx (forward and reverse) with nothing but praises. I'd be looking at steering head or wheel bearings. Maybe even the forks. Yes, I'm grasping at straws.

Unless you got hold of a bad tire I really don't think the rubber is the issue.

OH, to answer you original question. Unless you are willing to drop something like $4000 for the Euro front end which will accept a car tire the MPA and BT45 are your best bets.

[Stephen]

Steve, it sounds like you have other then tire brand/type problems. Many of us are running the Battleaxx (forward and reverse) with nothing but praises. I'd be looking at steering head or wheel bearings. Maybe even the forks. Yes, I'm grasping at straws. Unless you got hold of a bad tire I really don't think the rubber is the issue.

OH, to answer you original question. Unless you are willing to drop something like $4000 for the Euro front end which will accept a car tire the MPA and BT45 are your best bets.

Agree 100%!

I did read about someone who put a car tire on the front... I think when it came off the lift and he found out how hard it was to steer he had them put it back on the rack and take it off.

[stargzr57]

Steve, it sounds like you have other then tire brand/type problems. Many of us are running the Battleaxx (forward and reverse) with nothing but praises. I'd be looking at steering head or wheel bearings. Maybe even the forks. Yes, I'm grasping at straws. Unless you got hold of a bad tire I really don't think the rubber is the issue.

OH, to answer you original question. Unless you are willing to drop something like $4000 for the Euro front end which will accept a car tire the MPA and BT45 are your best bets.

I must have gotten a bad tire if you run your hand over it you can feel the highs and lows in the tire. I just had the bearings checked and new fork seals in, I have never seen a tire wear like this.

[Gold Rush]

I must have gotten a bad tire if you run your hand over it you can feel the highs and lows in the tire. I just had the bearings checked and new fork seals in, I have never seen a tire wear like this.

Sounds like you've done some trouble shooting in the right areas. Would be interesting to see what the Bridgestone Gurus would have to say. Might be worth calling them. Keep us posted please.

[mhgoldwing]

I switched from the Michelin Pilot Activ the BT-45 and it's much quieter than the MPA which always had a whine and vibration from tread pattern. I am also run Centramatics on the front, a Traxxion fork brace, and have had the Traxxion AK20 cartridges and springs installed.

As others say, I think you've got maybe fork problems, bad tire, etc. You didn't say how many miles are on the trike so it may be time to have the front end completely gone through. Also, I believe the consensus is that 41 psi is required in the front tire to perform correctly.

[stargzr57]

I switched from the Michelin Pilot Activ the BT-45 and it's much quieter than the MPA which always had a whine and vibration from tread pattern. I am also run Centramatics on the front, a Traxxion fork brace, and have had the Traxxion AK20 cartridges and springs installed.

As others say, I think you've got maybe fork problems, bad tire, etc. You didn't say how many miles are on the trike so it may be time to have the front end completely gone through. Also, I believe the consensus is that 41 psi is required in the front tire to perform correctly.

The trike kit was installed only two years ago,so I am leaning toward a bad tire.I got the tire from wingstuff and was only $99.00 maybe this is why it was so cheap ? Maybe they had a bunch of old tires to get rid of?

[stargzr57]

Ahhhh I wonder it this was caused by a bad fork seal I had I didn't notice it right away so it was probably bad for a few thousand miles. Thank goodness it was covered under warranty! Maybe I will try another battlax and to be safe maybe from a different supply.

Anyone have any thoughts on this please chime in. Is this a great site or what!

Thanks to all for the info ,Steve

[First_N_Last]

For my RSV with a Voyager Kit on it, I used a Avon Venom rear (reversed) on the front. 17,000 miles on it & I'm happy with it. Lowered the pressure to flatten it a bit.

Only problem is the sidewall cracking...

JohnB

[wiredgeorge]

If you ride a trike without using the sidewall of the tires in back, why not use a car tire up front? The only thing I can think of is inability to find the correct size...

[Trent]

You hit the nail on the head. Dunno about a Wing, but I tried to find a tire that would fit my TG thru several different tire dealers. Just wanted to give it a try. Not a single thing available that would work. All too wide. Just my experience though.

[wiredgeorge]

I looked a bit an there are car tires in 18" BUT the aspect ratio was 40 or 45 which would make them way too wide. I found one car tire in the correct size (I think). It is for antique cars and I am not sure if it would work well at modern speeds/roads:

Excelsior All Black - 450-18

You can also find this tire in a 475/500 width (18"):

Excelsior Tires - Buy Antique and Vintage Tires Online from Performance Plus Wheel and Tire

[John Luciano]

I do not understand the sizing. 450 is the tire width in inches (1/2" ) don't sound right. If metric it is too wide. My rear are 225 and they are huge. If the 450 is wall height that can't be either. HELP,!!
I just looked back at the 1st link and looks like 450 is really 4.5 " (4 1/2")
Figuring out max clearance is the trick..

[wiredgeorge]

Both motorcycle tires and car tires were measured in inches prior to the current metric system. 450 tires are 4.5 inches wide, fit on 3" rims that are 18" tall. I am guessing this is the approximate size needed for a GL1500. In the early 70s, ALL motorcycle tires were listed in inches.... a standard front tire for a Z1 was 325-19. They obviously had more narrow rims than a GL1500.

[shadow]

Avon is suppose to be looking into a car tire for the front of trikes. Has anyone heard anything on that ???

[Lee H. Mann]

You hit the nail on the head. Dunno about a Wing, but I tried to find a tire that would fit my TG thru several different tire dealers. Just wanted to give it a try. Not a single thing available that would work. All too wide. Just my experience though.

For the TriGlide front I use a 130/90/16 Dunlop 501 GT rear tire mounted in reverse on all my customer's TriGlides and Harley FLH-FLT trikes.

[bustedwing]

I know this is an old thread and I would like to see if anything has changed. I have a Gold Wing 1500 trike and just wore out the front tire, a Michelin Pilot. The center 3 inches of the tire has all the wear, but the rest of the tire looks like new. Even the casting nubs are still very prominent. I know this subject has been hashed before, but why should I pay a huge price for a tire that I can only use one third of the rubber? If I can find a car tire that has more of a flat tread so I can use more rubber without wasting it I believe it would work better. Any ideas? Thanx, Bud.

[Pegasus1300]

car tires have been used on the front of motorcycle/sidecar rigs in Europe for years. Here is a company in England that will make you a whole new front end ready for a car tire and the hub to mount it on. I am saving my money. I actually found out about them here from a post by a member from England
Wasp info@waspmotorcycles.com

[Cougar]

Thanks Paul, just sent them email for more info.
Did you ever find out the cost ?
Jeff