I've got an 06 Street Bob with a wide glide front end and I'm going to put a 17" rim on the stock front hub to take a Fatboy 140/75R17 tire. The rear has the standard Dunlop 160.

So my question is for the new front wheel should I fit...

- Dunlop - same brand as the rear which would seem to make sense although lots of people seem not to rate this tire.
- Michelin Commander II - seems to get the best reviews
- Pirelli Night Dragon - cheapest (in the UK) and I've always thought Pirelli tires are good quality
- Metzeler - I've no opinion on this one
- Avon - same as Metzeler

Any help appreciated, thank you.

 

I just bought a new set of Commander IIs . . been a Metzler user for years. It 'feels' like the Commander IIs are not sticking to the road on curves like Metzlers. Feels good on highways. I wanted to try the Commanders due to longevity but I think I will go back to Metzler next time.

 

Thanks, any more input?

 

I've also run Metzlers for years. This past spring I tried the Commander II's. 11,000 miles on them so far and they're not worn out yet. That being said, I'm going back to the Metzlers even before the C-II's wear out. I really don't like the lack of grip that the C-II's have, and they dance all over the place on tar snakes that are in curves. Maybe if I still lived in Illinois where the roads are a lot less curvy, I wouldn't mind, but I do a lot of mountain riding here in New Mexico, and the C-II's are not confidence inspiring.

 

Any opinions on the dunlop?

 

I have Metzlers with 5k on them. They have good grip and wear well. I would buy again.

 

I have the Commander IIs on my 2009 FXDC and they are wearing very well. I never got over 6,000
from the Dunlop rear and I now have that on the Michelin with lots of tread depth left. I agree
with Crazy that they seem to be much more road-snake sensitive than the Dunlops, but I've
never run Metzlers so I can't compare Dunlop / Michelin / Metzler..

I'd like a stickier tire than the Michelin, but I'm tired of replacing the rears so often.

 

Im running a 100/90-19 MCII on front of my FXD and compared to the oem scorcher I like the way it handles. Personally I think it tracks a lot better when cornering and doesn't wander on grooved pavement. I don't encounter many tar snakes where I ride and when I do I usually stay clear of them.

Except when my bikes have been new I have never ran the same brand of tires at the same time. The Perelli Night Dragons have great reviews but don't expect them to last long

 

I was riding over in the city sunday about 50 miles from my house where they have the tar snakes all over their and the crappy blacktop roads, I sure didnt like the feeling of the factory scorcher on my 10 fxdc. So I am following this looking for more suggestions to purchase a new one buy spring for sure.

 

I'm actually considering a C-II on the rear and a Metzler on the front. I've mixed treads or makes before without a problem.