The whole "darkside" thing is intriguing! I have a friend who put a CT on his Valk about 30,000kms ago and the tire still looks great. He has riden it from here(central Ont Canada) to Texas and back with no problems. He has even less clearance than you do, by the looks of your pictures.He said he will never go back and is telling me I should "come over" when I need a new rear tire! Got to admit it is tempting!