Radials on Tar Snakes

[k]

Do radials handle tar snakes better than bias plys on K bikes?

I have a K1100 that absolutely loses all sense of connection to the road when it rides over tar snakes - even in a straight line. It feels like the tires immediately went flat. I like the bike, but I've been riding my Harley for the past few months, because the Harley rides over tar snakes without incident or complaint. It's night and day from the Harley to the K bike. The Harley just tracks right down the road, while the K bike feels like it just drove over an oil spill.

I'd like to keep the bike, but I can't have a bike that's terrifying to ride. Is it just the tires, or does it the geometry of these bikes make tar snakes treacherous?

Thank you.

[Laitch]

Handling quality is affected by several conditions.

What is the make and model of tires on your moto right now? How many miles are on them? When is the last time you serviced the fork or changed oil in the fork tubes? What is the weight of oil in the fork tubes now? Is the rear shock in good condition? How much do you weigh? How many miles have you ridden the K1100? Do you ride with a loose grip on the controls or a firm grip?

Many riders view tires with straight line center grooves as having a tendency to track along cracks and tar snakes in the pavement.

Riders are seated lower on Harleys and the bike has a lower center of gravity than a K1100 so there might be a tendency not to feel road conditions in general. That might be comfortable but not necessarily beneficial in the long run.

[k]

Laitch,

When not on tar snakes, the bikes handles great.

[Laitch]

When not on tar snakes, the bikes handles great.

Tuning the suspension and yourself a little might help. That's why I asked the questions you have ignored.  A few hundred dollars spent on radials will answer your question about radials. Plenty of brand recommendations are on the site.

Any moto will seem to handle great on a smooth flat road. Navigation on roads like that need minimal skill from a rider. Maybe you're just a Harley man. Nothing wrong with that.

[k]

Tuning the suspension and yourself a little might help. That's why I asked the questions you have ignored.  A few hundred dollars spent on radials will answer your question about radials. Plenty of brand recommendations are on the site.

Any moto will seem to handle great on a smooth flat road. Navigation on roads like that need minimal skill from a rider. Maybe you're just a Harley man. Nothing wrong with that.

We're drifting from the question. This isn't about the suspension or rider

I didn't say it only handles great on straights. The bike is fun in curves, as long as there are no tar snakes.

On straight, flat, road, with tar snakes this bike can't keep it together. The bike isn't a little bit from comfortable; it's off the map. It's get off the Interstate and take side streets kind of bad.

This is a big-question issue.

I refuse to believe that Harley kicked BMW's ass in road manners. I refuse to believe that BMW's engineers missed this badly. They must have designed this bike to be safe on ordinary roads.

P.S. I ride lots of other marques, too.

Again, the question: Are K1100s notoriously bad on tar snakes, and do radials solve the problem?

[Laitch]

. I refuse to believe that BMW's engineers missed this badly. They must have designed this bike to be safe on ordinary roads.

I think they did miss this badly—with you and your moto anyway. I've found a few posts where the authors indicate their lives changed for the better with radials. Maybe you'll join them.

[johnny]

greetings...

the difference is you ride a motobrick... a hardley ableson rides you...

so you gotts to asks yourself... do you wanna cerebral ride and overcome the thrill of the adversity of the ride... or do you wants a comfort zone lifestyle expierence on a pirate ship...

master the tar snakes... they aints
treacherous... its cerebral...

[The Mighty Gryphon]

I just want to take the opportunity to thank you for providing absolutely no information on any of the questions you've posted here.  Information that might actually help us determine how to help.

In this case, you don't mention tire brand, size, age, inflation pressure, steering head bearings, wheel bearings, rear shock condition, etc. 

On another thread I asked if you could describe the problems you were having with the running of your bike.  Your only response was that a mechanic messed it up.

To be honest, unless you are willing to share a little bit more information, I for one will find it very difficult to find time or motivation to help you.

[K1300S]

to answer your original question.  no. bias ply tires handle tar snakes just fine.

now you have to answer the many questions that have been posed to you about the status of your bike that DO affect how it handles road irregularities.

what gryph said.  you are asking random questions, not providing contextual details and expecting definitive answers.

[Chaos]

My bike has bias tires,  it does fine with regular snakes.

[alabrew]

Bias on the '85, radials on the '91. One doesn't ride any different because of the tyres IMHO. I prefer the riding position on the '85 better than the '91 RS, but I prefer the HP of the '91 over the '85.

[Laitch]

Any moto will seem to handle great on a smooth flat road.

On straight, flat, road, with tar snakes this bike can't keep it together.

This might be a reading comprehension issue, also. I wrote smooth flat road, not straight. You have been abundantly clear that controlling the machine on uneven pavement is your problem, but you haven't provided maintenance history or diagnostic steps you've undertaken to determine the problem's cause. There are suggestions throughout this thread.

You have been disappointed by your K100 since August and now this K1100 is mistreating you. Based on your responses, I think you should sell both and enjoy riding the Harley or any other marque that you seem to be able to control. 

Life is too short to allow your struggle with K models to take up more of your time. Let somebody else suffer with them. Ride on!

[k]

This might be a reading comprehension issue, also. I wrote smooth flat road, not straight. You have been abundantly clear that controlling the machine on uneven pavement is your problem, but you haven't provided maintenance history or diagnostic steps you've undertaken to determine the problem's cause. There are suggestions throughout this thread.

You have been disappointed by your K100 since August and now this K1100 is mistreating you. Based on your responses, I think you should sell both and enjoy riding the Harley or any other marque that you seem to be able to control. 

Life is too short to allow your struggle with K models to take up more of your time. Let somebody else suffer with them. Ride on!

Dude, it's my life and my bikes. Let me live it my way.

I don't need psychoanalysis because my bike has a weird ride. People posting here for advice isn't an invitation for you to make judgments on their lives. If you don't have anything to add, stay out of the topic.

It's like you just need to say something to hear yourself talk. You also ignore what people write. Interstates are flat. Interstates with tar snakes are flat. Rolling down a flat road, tar snakes, or not, shouldn't challenge a bike.

I asked a simple question, but you want to do everything but answer it. If you know about how a K1100 should feel over tar snakes, let me know. That's really all this thread is about.

[Chaos]

I have never really had an issue with tar snakes, but your description sounds like some of my past tires and rain grooves.  That seemed to be a tread pattern and wear issue more than anything, went away with tire change to different brand.

[Laitch]

If you know about how a K1100 should feel over tar snakes, let me know. That's really all this thread is about.

It should feel like it's under your control and not scary. It doesn't seem that way from what you have written. If nothing else is wrong with the moto—worn tires, low fork fluid levels, old fork fluid, unsuitable fork fluid weight, compromised fork springs, worn or dirty fork tube internal parts, misaligned fork tubes, faulty wheel bearings, faulty steering head bearings, a bent frame, bad juju—riding on radials might change the level of scariness you feel. As was previously indicated, a couple of posts from others have expressed satisfaction from buying them. There is one way to find out for certain in your case. Buy some, try them out and let us know the result.

It's like you just need to say something to hear yourself talk.

I don't hear it. It's music to my eyes. :Rabia: Thanks for your participation.

[rbm]

I have never really had an issue with tar snakes, but your description sounds like some of my past tires and rain grooves.  That seemed to be a tread pattern and wear issue more than anything, went away with tire change to different brand.

+1 ^^^^^

I had Avon bias ply tires on my K75 a few years ago.  Running over the tar snakes in the road or grooved pavement when they were resurfacing was unnerving, as the bike twitched a lot.  I moved to Bridgestone T30 Battlax radials and all the handling problems disappeared.  I can't say whether it was due to the change from bias ply to radial that did it.  Or whether it was moving from well worn tires to new tires.  Probably the former since I've put quite a few kilometers on the radials since purchasing them and yet to have any handling problems.

It's reasonable to draw a parallel with your K1100 because the suspension and drivetrain on my K75 is from a K1100.  So the same components are being used and same geometries apply.

[duckhawk]

I practice riding the tar snakes on purpose on both of my bikes. K75, R11R1150. I do this so If I get on  one, inadvertently, I can handle it.

Definitely, they are worse the hotter it gets. I don't think the tires have that much effect. I use sticky Pirellis bias-ply on the K75, and just chew them up by riding aggressively.

Good luck solving your problem.