[AFNurse]

Ok, so i am now almost getting serious about getting some new tires on the bike (at minimum, the rear...). Here is what the local HD shop can do for me... I am looking for input on 3 tires (or sets).

Dunlop 43022-91A (front and if I go dunlop, will not do yet) $135
Dunlop 43329-04 (rear) $148

Metzeler 110-10408 Front (130-90H16 or something like that) $145
Metzeler 110-1041S Rear (140-90HB16 or similar....guys writing left a bit to be desired) $179

Avon AV-320 (front) $149
Avon AV-342 (rear) $170

The dunlops have gotten me about 10K on the rear (am still at 9100, but call it 10K). Guy was saying that both Metzeler and Avon would get me a couple thousand miles more wear, but I would need to change both front and rear (no problem). I am not always a fair weather rider......need something that will handle ok in the rain as well as cooler (how cold does it get in Texas??!!) and HOT..... Any input appriciated!!! Also have not checked CD to see if his tire prices are better or not, but need to see if they will mount tires brought in.....

[Sleepy]

I haven't had Metzelers on a Harley since the FXR..I know some guys love 'em. The Dunlops don't wear that well but boy do they stick..in all sorts of riding conditions..the way I ride I'll have a tire that sticks over mileage...just ask Marc, he rides the wheels offa that Ultra and he's on Dunlops as well.

[bikerjim1]

Avon Venoms are on my scoot and I love 'em! Just the same as you, I occasionally take 'er for a rinse in the rain, and they grab great. Also seem to corner sooooo much better than the Metz's I had on it when I bought it. Just my $.02 worth!

[jrsyamaha]

Well, I've got 26k miles on my ride now. I had Bridgestones, and Dunlop on mine. I just bought another set of Dunlop's. Just a little bit of info they are made by Goodyear. The first set of Dunlop's I got 14k on, and the Bridgestones I got about 11k on. The dunlop cost less than the BS, and gave me more miles. I enjoy riding in mountains on New Mexico, and the Dunlop's do seem to grip better in tight turns, and even the Heat of the Pecos Valley where I live. Avg Temp. Summer 98+/-, Fall 78+/-, not real Wet, but when it does rain it gets slick. I've had real good luck Dunlop, so my perference is the Dunlop for my ride (2000 Yamaha Royal Star Tour Classic). Weights about 800#'s Wet. Good Luck on your choice, it's tough.

Be Safe, Ride Smart

[hotroadking]

Dunlops are normal factory tires, they are not bad, a bit hard and a bit square for my tastes, the new Dunlop emulates an Avon.

The Avon Tires are rounder, you'll notice the bike will turn into corners much better with the Avons and the noise and traction are very good in wet and dry situations.

Friends with Metz like them about the same as Avons.

Keep air pressure up to 40 to 42 in the AVONs

[AFNurse]

Bikerjim1 and HRK, any idea of "approximately" how many miles per rear (know that it will wear faster then the front.....)....just trying to get best bang for the buck..... for either the metz or Avon?? The Dunlop isn't a bad tire that I can figure, but I also know that what is put on at factory isn't always the best tire out there.... Also, I am assuming that I will have to make no mods to get them on instead of the dunlop?! Thanks for the inputs!!!

Anyone else with input??!!

[bikerjim1]

Got abot 5500 miles on the rear so far, and looking at it, should get near that many more.

[FLHTbiker]

I put a set of the Metzlers on my ultra and didn't even get 5500 miles before the rear tire blew out on me on HWY. 101 in Calif. on a holiday weekend with nothing open. To say the least my trip ended and had to tow it to a friends place 100 miles away. When I went back the next week to pick it up I put Dunlop's back on it as they seem to hold up better than anything else on any of my bikes that I have had. Tried the Avon's on a Valk Interstate and the first set got splits all around the tread and got those replaced. The second set got cut driving over a cattle guard by Fields Oregon, 100 miles from nowhere. I'm sticking to Dunlop's.

[CD]

For the longest time Dunlops looked like bicycle tires. Avon's and Metz's had a much rounder and actually wider tire making more contact patch.

Dunlops are good, I am not really overly impressed with the 880's I have on the RK and I ran several sets of Avon AM23 etc on the FXR's and they worked great.

Next set for the RK will be Avon's

[VYBR8R]

I've run Avons, Metzlers and Dunlops. I average 7500 to 8000 miles on the Avons and Metzlers on my Road King and Roadglide on the rear and about double that for a front. With Dunlops I get 10000 to 12000 miles on a rear before having to replace it. The Avons and Metzlers seem to hold the road a bit better in tight canyon running but didn't get the mileage due to their softer compound. Sooooo...... how hard do you run in the twisties and is it worth the extra money and decreased tire life. Dunlop has gotten with the larger tire sizes and seem to be very competitive.

[FLHTbiker]

Well, I just ran the Coronado Trail with Dunlop's on the Ultra and was with CD, SK and Sleepy. Ask them how hard we ran. Dunlop's really stuck to the road for me. I'll drink to my Dunlop's

[dinosdeuce]

I agree with the Dunlops. There are better tires for the twisties and aggressive riders, but for over all performance I stick with Dunlops. By the way, I change tires before most folks would. Something about only having one front and one rear. We have some really good rides here in Colorado. Some riders on go fast bikes like to rip up the roads. I just like to cruise and enjoy the scenery.

I used them on my VFR, think they were 205's. I would change front a rear at the same time because of the front cupping, more of a bike design than tire issue. About 8,000 miles.

Liked them on my Deuce and now the Ultra has them. I only have 500 miles so far but time will tell.

Dino

[FLHTbiker]

Rode up to Hood River for the Harvest Festival. Man the old ladies in the grange put on one heck of a feed for us. Hood River area is famous for its apples, cherries and pears. They had all types of apple, cherry, peach, goose berry, huckle berry and MT black berry pies. Oh, my G$d you would not believe how good they were, had the cherry and the apple.
After words a bunch of us headed up the Copper Spur HWY to HWY 35 and over MT Hood. Those Dunlop's at high speed corners did just fine. The only thing this bike lacked in is the HP. A stock Ultra is really low on the HP department. Soon I will have my new air cleaner and stage one done which should help. But as for tires, the Dunlop's stuck to the corners very well.
Marc

Your Future Depends On Many Things, But mostly On You.

[Seahag]

I've run the stock Dunlop, then went to the 491 Elite II's for two sets, the last time I gave the Continental milestones a try. Stock was good for 8000, 491's were good for 9000-9500, and the lousy Continentals were only good for 7000.

The dunlops were pretty decent...the continentals never gave me a secure feeling and I'll never buy them again.

In my quest for a 10,000 mile tire, I have recently purchased a rear Michelin Commander. It has the highest sidewall load rating of any tire I've found and was designed with the goldwing in mind, so they are made for heavy bikes like mine. I'm still running the conti front tire, but let me tell you the difference the commander rear made was phenomenal. The bike rides so much smoother and more stable in every condition. I'm pretty sure this is the best tire I've ever used. You don't hear of too many people running them, but I did find a guy with an ultra who said he got 12-14,000 miles on his commanders and I hope to get close. Actually I just want a tire that will last through one riding season so I can do all my tire changes in the winter when the bike is down. I average about 9,000 miles per year, so if I can get a tire that is good for 10,000 I'll be extremely happy.

I'm a BIG guy at a little over 300 and I ride hard and I ride two up fairly often...so I immagine I'm a little harder on tires than a lot of people. The one thing I don't do is burnouts.

[FLHTbiker]

Seahag, I've run the 491 Dunlop tires and thought that they were pretty good. I had a 1500 Goldwing and ran those tires on it all the time consistantly getting 12,000 miles on a rear tire and 25,000 on a front. I knew guys who would get close to 18,000 on the rear using the Elite II but they never pulled a trailer as I did. Dunlop has changed the Elite II tires now and they look more like a radial tire but still have deep tread on them.

I have never tried the Michelin Commander tire, have to give it some thought when I need a set of tires again. One tire I will never put on the bike again is Avon. I have had nothing but bad luck with them. Went through two rear tires before the tread was even wore down. Plus they left me stranded twice so I went back to Dunlop and had good success. Even tried the Metz tires and had bad results from them as well. I'm thinking a set of Elite II for the next tire change.

[Seahag]

So far the 491 Elite II has been the best tire I've owned for mileage...I'm not sure it rode quite as good as the Michelin though. The mileage has yet to be determined for me yet, so we'll have to wait and see.

Depending how things go with these Michelins, I may end up trying the new Dunop Elite III's...which are similar in tread and profile to the Metz 880's but supposed to have a harder rubber compound.

I've stayed away from the Metz and Avon so far because I've heard too many conflicting reports over their mileage....some people get great mileage some people get little. They all seem to agree that the handling is superior though. The iffy reports of mileage and the low sidewall load rating, in comparison to other tires like the commander and Elite II's, made me take a pass for now.