Never Heard of Darksiding? Neither Had We!

Sometimes things appear in your day-to-day life that creep up on you causing you genuine ‘WTF’ moments. Today is one of those days, as my eyes are just being opened to the act of ‘Darksiding’.

For the uninitiated, Darksiding (or going to the dark side) is the act of swapping out the normal, rounded and generally accepted as very much fit-for-purpose, motorcycle tyres and replacing them with tyres meant to be used on a car. That sounds simple enough, you find a car tyre the same width as the rim on your bike and slap it on. Troubled is most car tyres aren’t tubed, and if you run an adventure bike (with spoked wheels) you’re going to have to spend some time sealing up around the spokes to prevent the hoop from deflating.

Should the bike you are looking to convert run forged wheels the process is quite a bit simpler, but what are the benefits being touted by those who have already succumbed to the dark side? The main point is cost. Bike tyres aren’t cheap whereas car tyres can be picked up for much less, especially in the smaller and narrower sizes that would allow them to fit onto a motorcycle rim.

The second point also refers to value for money, as ‘Darksiders’ claim an increase in tyre life, with less treadwear thanks to the flat profile of the hoop and significantly larger contact patch. The point that is worrying me though is that the contact patch when leant over is going to be significantly less than with a properly designed, fitted, and inflated motorcycle tyre. That said, there are a number of people on lots of forums, who, initially sound a bit like flat earthers once they start speaking on the matter, claim that their bike turns just as well on car tyres as it did when they had motorcycle tyres fitted. Many also claim that they do just as well in wet and cold weather, but that sounds like something that has to be experienced to be believed - and I’m not sure I get paid enough for those kinds of shenanigans.

Tyre maker Michelin even took the time to wade in on the subject, stating:

“The use of passenger car tyres is not recommended for motorcycles. Tyres designed for passenger cars can be dangerous when used on motorcycles and motorcycles with sidecars, as bead seat diameters of motorcycle rims and passenger rims are different.”

Have you or anyone you know tried Darksiding?