Running Night dragons on my fatbob and couldn't be happier. More predictable in the cold and wet than a metzeler, Sharpen the handling a little. Overall pretty impressed will buy them again. Had the std dunlops changed to metzelers 880"s and the pirellis are the best for my useage so far. Would've like to try avons but having to step up in width doesn't appeal to me here in OZ.

 

Hey, anyone who is running a 150 on the front - are they wider than the front fender? Have to replace front and back this winter, and definitely going 200 in the back, but the 130 seems to be as wide as the front fender and was wondering if there were any issues with the 150 with road spray (being wider than the fender)? Tx!

 

I went back and forth between several different brands. Then I realized how satisfied I am with the OEM Dunlaps. The performance meets my needs and the tread design was one of the things that drew me to the Fatbob in the first place. The local dealership was running a special on them two weeks ago which made the decision even easier.

 

I just installed a set of Avon Cobra's on my 2013 Fatbob 200/60/16 on the rear and 150/80/16 on the front.
The reason they have better grip is the "V" rated compound. (The closer to "Z" you get the softer the compound)
This is the main reason they will wear out so quickly. (About 6-8K depending on riding style)
The Stock Dunlops are "H" rated and although they last for approx. 13,000 or so mile they are very poor when it comes to wet weather traction.
The 200 rear clears the belt guard with room to spare due to the fact that you are installing it on the stock 5" rim. (So you don't get the full 200mm)

The best price I got on these tires was from Amazon $192.19 for the rear and $159.97 for the front with free shipping!

Dealer charged me $80 to install and balance the tires and get rid of the stockers.
(I remove the wheels off the bike myself.)

If they removed the wheels it would have cost $185.

I should have made a DIY on the removal because I couldn't find any good DIY on our bikes.
But if people are interested I can write a DIY for it? LMK?

 

Looking forward to some feedback on how they are compared to your previous set of tires.

 

The ride is much better than the stock tires. The stockers felt like riding on solid rubber. Traction with the stock tires were sketchy at best. (I ride hard, coming from a sport bike)
The Cobra's are awesome! Smooth ride. (over bumps not as jolting) the traction is night and day! I no longer have to worry about taking turns on wet roads. (The stock tires were like riding on ice.)

But it's because these are "V" rated tire. So you won't get good millage, but they are 100% safer for commuting then the stock tires for my style of riding.

The Metzelers and the Avons are both "V" rated so they will basically preform the same, traction wise.
I like the thread pattern of the ME880 but I just couldn't see paying the price for those Metzelers.
Maybe my next set? But so far I'm totally happy with the upgrade of these Avon's. Just wish they would get better millage.

 

Thanks for the quick feedback. I dont really care about mileage on a set of tires, Id rather have more confidence and ride harder wearing them out sooner than less confidence and they last longer. I was debating on the Pirelli Night Dragon which I heard have awesome handling potential. I really like the idea of putting 200 on the back though.

 

I'm just replacing my Metzeler 880's tires on my 2009 Fat Bob (39,550 miles) with 22,026 miles on them. Great tires...but now I find out Metzeler have come out with the 888's Ultra that have even higher return on mileage...they are for me.

 

I too put Cobra's on my Fat Bob. But they're now making Cobra's in the stock tire sizes for us, so I got those to try out. I have @ 1,500 miles on them so far and complete night and day difference from the stock Dunlops, obviously. Not really showing any wear yet either, so that makes me happy too. They stick like glue. As long as I can get a year out of them, I'll buy them again without a doubt. I got bought them and had them installed at a local Honda shop. They're the best place around here for tires. Beat the Harley shop by $120+. Better tire. Good service. Win-win situation. I've been caught in the rain 3 or 4 times with them and no slippage in the wet either. They definitely have my vote!

 

If your taking your bike through twisty turns a bit....tire manufacturers do not recommend large fatter tires...handling will suffer....For looks and just going straight...fine, but we all like taking the turns hot!