I have read that the Dunlop D404 tire is the same tire as the D401, except the D404 doesn't have Harley-Davidson stamped on the sidewall.

Can anyone confirm this?

The D404 is considerably less expensive, and if that's the ONLY difference, I sure as hell don't need the MoCo's name on my tires.

Please don't hijack this with suggestions for other brand tires. I'm pretty sure I will stick with Dunlop tires. I just don't want to pay extra for the logo.

 

i am going to buy them soon for my bike..i cant confirm if they are different or not but i sure like the price..i can replace the front and back for the same price as the just the rear if i get the d401..i had the 404 on my old kawasaki and it never gave me any trouble..

 

There is a little more difference between the 401/402 series and the 404 besides the HD name molded in the tire.

The 401/402 tires are bias-belted tires, and Harley shows them as having 3 ply polyester castings with 2 fiberglass belts.

Harley doesn't give very much information dealing with the construction of the 404 tires other than that they are 'bias-ply'.

There is also a slight width and diameter difference between the 404 and 'same sized' 401/402 tires.

HD 402 (MH90-21)

27.20" diameter
3.25" width
5/32" tread
467@40 maximum load

HD 404 (80/90-21)

26.69" diameter
3.07" width
6/32 tread
397@41 maximum load

HD 401 (150/80B16)

25.45" diameter
6.15" width
10/32 tread
761@41 maximum load

HD 404 (150/80-16)

25.35" diameter
5,81" width
9/32 tread
761@41 maximum load

Besides the difference in width and diameter, I think the main difference is that the 401/402 tires are fiberglass belted tires, while the 404 'value tire' is just a bias-ply tire.

 

Here is the Dunlop catalog:

http://www.dunlopmotorcycle.com/tirecatalog.asp

Enjoy!

 

Thanks, I had already looked at that catalog.It looks to me like Dunlop is intentionally NOT disclosing the construction of their tires.

I have sent them a request for 411 on the 2 different tires. I'll see what I get. I bet it will just be the same thing. That's all the description I've been able to find about the tires on several different websites.

 

D-401 made in the USA, D-404, made in Japan. 404 has about 1/2 the useful life of the 401 or 402.

I replaced the rear tire on the wife's Heritage with a 404 because I was told there was no difference. She got about 5,000 miles out of it as opposed to the 11,000 or 12,000 that she normally gets from a back tire. Put a 402 back on and she now has 6,000 miles on it and is not half done.

So you will have to decide if the cheaper price of the tire is a bargain or not. Considering the expense, or time if you do it yourself, to change tires twice as often, it might not be such a bargain.

Regards,

Bill

 

well Goodyear owns Dunlop and like most people know Goodyear been on strike with no end in sight. Goodyear is putting up factories in Japan andother parts of Europe so the tires we are going to get in the near future won't be from us.
I did some seaching on the d401 and the d404 and I ended up buying the d404 because of the price and going to give it a try. I bought a new mag wheel and the d404 after alot a thought. there's been alot of people who have put the d404 on.the d404 comes as a standard stock tireon some of the metric bikes. the thread pattern look the same. and the people who have put this tire on say the ride seems to be the same.

 

I don't want to spend half the money and then have to replace twice as often. That just doesn't make since to me. But the strike issue is a concern. I was already worried about that a bit. I hear some places can't get the Dunlop tires as of now.

May have to look at a different brand afterall.

I'm not sure that the country of manufacture makes that much difference as far as quality, as long as the construction of the tire is the same. Some of the best auto tires I've ever had were Jap tires.

 

I just checked the 2007 HD Parts & Accessories Catalog, and while the 401/402 tires are shown, they don't even mention the 404 series.

I'm very critical about running good, long lasting tires on my Harley's, and will continue to use the recommended 401/402's. Guess most of the guys I ride with feel the same, as there has been conversations about the pro's and con's of the 404's, but no one I know has actually used them.

A couple hundred dollars for a set of tires that I can trust is cheap insurance, and I prefer running belted tires that have a proven reputation.

Besides that (and as someone mentioned earlier), I don't consider the non-belted 404's to be that great of a deal, especially if they need to be replaced every 6,000 miles...

Anyway, opinions vary, but I'm sticking with mine..

 

I don't think you will run into problems of a shortage of tires. they will be out there.I like the Dunlop tire, they are a good tire and for bike tires they are notreally over priced. I was going to go with the d401 but after searching here and xl forums and the Dunlop sight and seeing what bikes use the d404 I felt I would give it a try.