Pirelli makes the Nightdragons.

 

So from what I gather you could get the commander 2's and sacrifice a little grip for longevity or you could get the avon cobra's and sacrifice longevity for grip?

 

I've been told that the Avons have a better rubber for better traction for racing and hugging curves, but the Michelin Commander II's do indeed last longer and last more miles. I enjoyed my Avons, but the front tire started getting brittle and cracked earlier than I thought it would... I ran the back tire longer than I should and had a blowout the other day (thank goodness at low-speed)... don't know what happened, but it was getting old, too... anyway, I JUST got some Commander II's put on YESTERDAY, so we'll give them a try. They feel great so far, but I was told to be careful the first 30-40 miles to break them in... THEN ride it like I stole it. I've always liked Michelin on my cages, so I wanted to try them on my Street Bob... BTW, I'll bet them Pirelli Nightdragons are pretty groovy!

 

Just installed a Full Bore tire on my 08 FXDLI rear end and it is great. I have been taking some serious corners last week and half. Pegs and pipes are marked up pretty good due to the lean angle, but they grip They are Sport bike tires don"t know how long they will last but they ride great. Will be changing out the front tire next week with a Full Bore tire.

 

The Michelin CommanderII is better than the Metzeler and the Avon in my opinion. Also looks a lot like the Avon design.

 

I've had Commander 2's on my 09 FXDC for a little over a year and 5000 miles. They show very little wear and offer adequate grip for my riding style which is semi-aggresive when riding alone (hey, I cut my teeth on sport-bikes). I'm still amazed at what my Dyna is capable of. I find them to be quiet as well as providing a compliant ride when two-up.

 

I liked the Commander 2 on my SB so much, I put a set on my Wife's Sportster. Great wet & dry traction, quiet ride, softer ride than the OEM Dunlop and looks like new still. I used have this vague feeling when I took turns with Dunflops. Not any more with the Commander 2's, now I'm chasing crotch rockets in turns. Rev it up n pop the clutch ... spins a little ... THEN hooks up. Shoots ya right off the Launch Pad. HIGHLY RECOMENDED

 

I have a Avon Cobra front and I liked it better than my last Dunlop Elite 3. This is the first time reading some downers to the MCII's. I plan on getting the avon cobra rear when my dun flop is a goner. Avon recommended a radial rear. I wish I was more help, but I want to see what people say about your topic. The biggest thing I learned is never put a radial on the front if you have spoked wheels and inner tubes. You can run a Bias Front with a radial rear, but never the opposite or both radials. Again on spoked wheels with inner tubes! A tank slapper at 80 mph told me so!!!! Once I put a stock dunlop back on the rear the wobble was gone, but my front went out of round and cupped. I went with Avon because I live in WA where it rains a lot and I've read nothing but great things for wet/dry performance with Avon.

 

Are the Michelin Commander 2's bias or radial? What about the Avon or Metzler? I will have to replace the stock tires on my Fat Bob next year and this question has been bothering me, Radial or keep Bias ply. Can anyone comment on their experience in the difference? This information may help the OP, too. Thanks.

 

I mentioned my experience above, but that was with spoke wheels running inner tubes. Everything I've read and talking to Avon you should be fine tubeless. The reason spokes don't like radials up front is because radial creates more heat as it is. Having an inner tube holds on to that heat and gets hotter since it doesn't dissipate it. That's what leads to a tire going out of round and the cupping. All company's sell both bias and radials. I checked Avons website and emailed them to confirm what I read and they recommended for the cobras a Bias front and a radial rear. That's where I started asking questions because I had a radial rear Dunlop and it would heat up and get so soft that going in a straight line I would get tank slappers. To the point of just adjusting my feet on the pegs would start it. Got rid of that dunlop roadsmart and went back to the stock dunlop and it was gone. Now I had a radial front through this whole thing, so apparently that was the problem. I'm going to trust Avons techs and go with the radial rear when my Dunlop is due now that I have a bias on the front again. So I guess I will see!!!

Metzler was worthless at answering my questions they emailed me a catalog to read instead, which did not have the answers just tire sizes and descriptions of their tires.