automotive tires on the XJ

I keep reading about this Mod. so if you have done this please list bike, stock tire size and then brand and size of the automotive tire you used, then a little comment about the handeling , how you ride and miles you have gotten from the tires. even if it is not an XJ I would like to hear your input

also if you did both front and rear tire

 

Lots of info on goldwing sights...google "goldwing dark side". I've looked into it but I have not done it. With the amount of work it is to change that rear tire, I can understand why you would go darkside. It seems that people either love it or hate it...

 

have you seen the Fortnine experiment with automotive tires?

 

Hehehe.. some guys in the ratbikeclub did such for the burnouts but we're not so happy with it on the road and especially not when wet.

 

I have not fitted car tyres to any motorcycle but I too am interested on what the XJ community think regarding XJ550's question.


https://www.haulnride.com/the-dark-side-the-love-of-car-tires-on-motorcycles

 

When I search for automotive tires in the XJ size all as I get of a temporary spare tires that will fit quite pricey

 

I can't think of why on a xj you would want to...solely longevity?

 

just research

 

i knew a guy who put one on a goldwing and he said, 10 minutes of riding and you forget about it
but
xj rims are really narrow, i doubt the beads of a car tire would fit in them

 

Put motorcycle tires on your car too.

In fairness car tires do work on motorcycles (depending on the type of riding you do). Preferably when there is a sidecar attached.

 

If I’m going for a Darwin Award I’m doing something spectacular. This is just stupid.

 

Fine for the rear wheels of a trike.

 

that's the end of adjusting his spokes

 

Just fitted one on the GS last week.
I've been kicking the idea around for five years and had a cunning plan... to get the swingarm, pumpkin and wheel from a Suzuki Cavalcade as that would allow use of a wider tyre than the GS's own swingarm.
Start of this year I found a sidecarist's conversion wheel on ebay. It was advertised in the mags decades ago and recall them being quite pricey at the time. You can still get one today for a thousand bucks upwards.
Basically the one I found is the complete drive hub of a GS 1000G, shrunk-fit and welded into a car rim, that by the looks of it was a special casting. I don't think it was an off-the-shelf car wheel, but it's really familiar looking, so whatever origins it had it came from some established wheel maker who likely knew what they were doing.
Anyway, that fitted straight on to the bike, no mods needed and it is shod with a 135/80-15 tyre for now.

Only been using it for a few days, but it feels absolutely fine to me and the lower gearing resulting from the smaller tyre fair makes the bike tramp up the road quite rapidly.
However, I'm not overly happy with the sustained higher revs I'd be subjecting the engine to if I travel around at my usual rate of knots, so I'm re-visiting the Cavalcade idea and probably get around to doing it properly next year. The Cav pumpkin is lower geared than the GS, so in combination with that I'd be able to use a nicely wider tyre and run the engine at the proper speeds in gear.
In the meantime I'll carry on using the one I've got working.

As far as the XJ goes, I'd think seriously about it if the parts were available - from a cruiser bruiser, for example. Same idea as the Cav.

 

Previously:
https://xjbikes.com/forums/threads/xj650-hardtail.128664/

 

Square tires are better.