Goldwing darkside research

Pick your bike. Read the data. Join the darkside...

Community-sourced tire fitment notes distilled into a clean finder for darkside touring and cruiser platforms.

Field photo: GL1800 with mounted 195/60 car tire via EurekaBoy Goldwing report.

Lean lab

Simulate the lean and the tire contact.

A quick visual model for the part every darkside argument comes back to: how a loaded touring bike moves from center tread toward the shoulder.

Lean angle 0 deg

Contact patch x1.0

Load zone center

Illustrative only. Real safety still comes from exact tire reports, load rating, pressure, bead seating, and loaded clearance.

Front view of a Honda Goldwing used to show motorcycle lean angle

Darkside economics

What does 50,000 miles really cost you?

Motorcycle rear tire vs darkside car tire. Drag the sliders to match your riding.

Read the math

Motorcycle rear tire $280 Mount and balance per tire $50 Motorcycle tire life 8,000 mi Your miles per year 10,000 Car darkside tire $95 Tire price inflation 3.5% Car tire life 50,000 mi Projection horizon 5 yr

$2,063 Motorcycle tires over 50,000 miles

$145 Darkside over 50,000 miles

$1,918 You keep $1,918 over 50,000 miles. That's $384 back per year.

Cumulative spend over 5 years (with inflation)

Motorcycle tire Darkside car tire

See the tires that make it happen

See the tire, then read the report.

Photos and source threads make darkside research less abstract: tire shape, clearance, sidewall posture, and tread profile all matter before the first test ride.

Motorcycle tire beside a 195/60 car tire during a Honda GL1800 darkside install report — **Install-bench tire comparison** Same EurekaBoy GL1800 report, different photo: a 180/60 motorcycle tire beside the 195/60 car tire before mounting.

Darkside terms

plain english

Run-flat

A tire built to support temporary low-pressure operation after some punctures. It can add sidewall stiffness, but it does not remove the need for pressure checks or repair.

Load index

The tire's rated carrying capacity. Darkside riders compare this against bike, rider, passenger, cargo, and trailer load instead of looking at size alone. Higher load index can give a heavier touring setup more capacity margin, but only when the tire also clears, seats correctly, and is run at a pressure that matches the bike.

Illustration of loaded touring motorcycles explaining that extra rated weight can matter on darkside setups — Two-up, luggage, racks, and trailers are why riders care about margin.

Bead seating

The tire bead locking evenly against the wheel. This is one of the most important mount-and-inspect steps because car and motorcycle tire/wheel geometry are not identical.

Illustration comparing motorcycle tire and car tire bead seat areas on a rim — Bead seating is where the tire and wheel interface must be inspected evenly on both sides after mounting.

Rub

Contact between the tire and fender, swingarm, wiring, or other hardware. Check it with the suspension loaded, not just while the bike is sitting still.

Close-up tire tread showing contact wear pattern from rubbing — Rub can show up as visible contact marks or scuffing. Find the interference point before adding real miles.

Taxi tire

A narrow, tall car tire style that became a classic GL1500 reference point, especially in 175R16 discussions. Availability and exact casing can vary now.

Double darkside

Running a car tire on the rear and a rear motorcycle tire on the front. It is a separate setup path and needs its own source research.

V1 rider tools

Tell us about your darkside, brother.

Submit a report

Add your miles to the record

rider powered

Bike / year Tire Cold PSI Miles ridden Use case Source / photo link Ride notes

Known watchouts

Bike-specific friction points

touring platforms

Choose bike

Selected platform Goldwing GL1500

Stock rear 160/80-16 M/C

Wheel 16 in

Research Active reports

Pick a touring bike and this card will show the first things riders should verify before chasing tire brands.

Illustration of a loaded Goldwing rider pointing at a wide rear tire — Watchouts start with the loaded bike: rider, luggage, pressure, tire width, and clearance all matter.

Pre-ride checklist

Before the first real ride

0/7 ready

Load and speed rating verified Match the bike, rider, passenger, cargo, and trailer use. Cold PSI set with a trusted gauge Start from platform reports, then tune in small steps. Loaded clearance checked Inspect fender, swingarm, wiring, and brake hardware under load. Bead seating inspected Confirm both sides after mounting and before highway speed. Valve stem inspected or replaced A cheap part is not worth gambling a long trip on. Short test ride completed Use a familiar route before two-up, trailer, or interstate miles. Source report matched your platform Same bike family first, then compare tire model and size.

Illustration of a rider inspecting a touring motorcycle rear tire with a checklist — Run the checks before the ride gets real: load, pressure, clearance, bead seating, and a short shakedown.