I emailed Michelin and asked them this question:

I am looking at purchasing a new set of tires for my 2012 Harley FXDC.

I am looking the Scorcher 31 (stock on bike) and the Commander II.

Could you provide a break down of the differences in these tires?

This was their answer:

The Commander II is designed more for highway cruising. It has a more rigid casing to provide better handling and stability under weight such as two-up riding. The Commander II is available at most Michelin motorcycle tire dealers.

The Scorcher 31 has a more supple casing and profile designed to provide rock-solid performance handling. The Scorcher 31 is available through HD dealers only.

We appreciate your business and thank you for choosing Michelin.


I am having trouble deciding, I have the Scorchers now and have 7300 miles on them Bought last July. I might get another 2,000 out of them, I am taking a 3,000 mile trip in July so I want fresh tires. I am not that agressive of a rider, I do like twisties but I rarely scrape anything (maybe scraped peg and muffler three times ever).

Is anyone using the Commander II on a FXDC? I would like to know your thoughts.

Thank you.

 

Commander II's will last longer. They have a harder rubber in teh center and a softer rubber on teh edges. They were designed to be a "high mileage" tire. Scorchers are softer and sticker all the way around so they will not provide the same amount of mileage but will stick to the ground a little bit better.

 

I have the Commander II front and rear on my 2009 FXDC, but I didn't ride
them very far before putting my bike away for the winter. I DO think they
gripped better than the Dun-flops, but any new tire always feels good so
I dunno..

I do scrape pegs and pipes often enough that I like predictable handling so
we'll see as the new season arrives..

 

im ditching my commander II for a metzler. the tire has lost traction twice at low speed. once in wet and once on dry. both times i WASN'T hot rodding it which i tend to do quite often. i have no trust in this tire anymore which ruins my ride. thats just my experience.

 

My Comm II's have never lost traction but I have read this from a few people.

 

I'm about to swap out scorchers for commanders next week. I ride 160km a day and while the bike had 4000km on in when I bought it it has 21k now and I'm fairly sure they are the original tyres.

I've had Michelin pilot roads before on other bikes and liked the balance of grip and longevity. The commanders have the same 2ct tech in them.

Ive been happy with the scorchers despite weird vibes from the front at times and the rear getting a bit skatey in the wet but hey its a heavy bike with a fair amount of torque to challenge traction.

My daily ride is a mix of mountains, highway, freeway then city traffic.

If I get 15-20,000 out of the commanders ill be happy.