Sorry, I didn't mean for the response to sound like I was offended or as an affront to you. I was trying to reply so that others that read the thread, understand why comparing their tire mileage to that of other riders, is not a very good way to judge a tire's performance.

I have not run the Michlen tire. I do have a riding buddy that tried the Michlen Pilot and he was not impressed with the mileage.

Speaking rear tires only, I got ~10,000 miles ea. out of my first 2 rear Dunlop 401s. My next 2 rears where Metz 880s and each went ~16,000 miles. For my 5th rear tire I decided to try the fairly new Dunlop E3. I only have about 7,000 on it at this point but the mileage and handling so far seems to be inline with the Metzler 880. I decided to give the E3 a try because of the escalating Metzler prices. It was $25.00 less than the Metz.

I just replace my front Metz 880 before leaving on my trip last week. It was at 26,000 miles and probably had 3,000 miles left in it, but I wanted fresh rubber for my trip which will be close to 3,000 miles.

 

An afterthought;

I recall having this same discussion with another forum member from the Virginia Beach area 1-2 years ago. He also seemed to be getting fantastic mileage out of his stock Dunlop tires. I said at the time that he must be doing most of his riding on beach sand.

You guys must have magic asphalt in that area.

 

I like the 21" wheel. Yes, I'm aware it has a smaller contact patch. The more mileage you get out of a different tire may be due to a harder compound. Harder compound usually means less grip. Every time I ride, it's on twisty roads (otherwise, I would move) and I ride somewhat aggressivly. My 21" wheel with a Dunlop has never slid out from under me. However, that's not to say a harder compound tire would have. I've had Dunlop 21" tires last from 7k to 10k miles and I don't mind buying another tire or two every 50,000 miles.
For me, it's about the look.

 

Obviously, you don't ride 20,000+ miles a year or you'd know what a PITA tire changes become.

That's 6-8 tires to vs my 2 in 50,000 miles.

 

I don't ride 20k miles a year on only one bike.
I know how to change tires.
Absolute worst case scenario at 7k per is 7 tires for 49k. More than 3 times 2 tires at 50k. So what?
Again, to me, it's about the look - and I like soft, grippy tires.

 

Charley, I ride a lot on route 3, you've seen my little joke about living 35 miles from everywhere. Fredericksburg is 36 miles west and the road is mostly straight and level. Warsaw is 31 miles east and that stretch is curvy and hilly but not very much of either.

 

Is the 19" tire/rim wider than stock 21"?

The handbook says stock front tire is a D402F MH90-21.
What is the MH designation and how does it compare to the 19" 100/90-19?

I am just trying to understand all of this.

Found this: MH-90-21 Tire Diameter 27.3" Width 3.20" Rim size 1.85x21"
100/90-19 Tire diameter 26.5" Width 4.00" Rim size 2.50x19"

Does this difference in size really make the handling much better? Sure would like to rid myself of this skinny tire setup. Just wondering if the cost is worth it?

 

Yes, IMO it was worth the change, but to each their own.

 

cHarley Thanks if it is worth it to you then it is worth it for me to give it a try. Now to find a rim I like.