Evil Handling DS185??

[vettepilot]

Hey guys,

I restored a (new to us) 1978 Suzuki DS 185 for my daughter.  New rear shocks, suspension bushings checked and greased, everything done on the bike, and in a professional manner.  First test ride today.  OMG, it was horrible!!

There's a two track road behind our house.  It's gravel on hardpack dirt with a touch of sand.  Virtally no big deal.  With care, I would ride a street bike on it.  This newly restored Suzuki was flat out dangerous to ride on it!!  The back end skated all over the place like it was on ice!!  Or literal marbles!!  I never got out of second gear!!  I've got a ton of dirt bike experience, but guys, this thing was spooky!!  No way in hell would I put my daughter on this bike!!

I came back and checked everything.  Swing arm, spokes, shocks, everything!!  It felt like something was about to fall apart yet I found nothing wrong.  Shocks were a touch light so I increased preload, then boosted rear tire from 10 to 20 psi.  I went back out, and no improvement.  Might have been worse.

Now, the knobby rear tire we had for this was new, never mounted, but it was given to me and I don't know how old it was.  Maybe rather old as it was super stiff.  It was so stiff that we could not mount it, and had to take it to the bike shop to be mounted.  The guy at the bike shop had a terrible time mounting it, and they have a super cool high dollar pneumatic tire machine.

Could a hard old tire cause this evil handling?  It goes straight on pavement, but on dirt it's a fight to keep the rear end behind the bike!!  Literally!!

Thanks,
Vettepilot

[Admin]

I think you know the answer. It's the tire by your own observation and admission. If all else is correct, particularly the rim offset etc.
Since I never would have mounted a tire that was so hard, I have no direct experience with the evil handling you experienced.
I have seen display bikes with very old tires, but never meant to be ridden that way.
There are a number of new tires that can be purchased for not much, if it was my daughter I would get her a good new tire from a reliable source,
not a "bargain" from eBay or wherever if you aren't sure of it's age.
Not much more to add except enjoy the new machine!

[vettepilot]

Ok, as I thought, probably.  I just thought the tire would be ok to learn, but no.  This thing handles horribly.  I've got a new Kenda ordered for it.

Vettepilot