I prefer Commander II's over the Metz 888's. They grip better. Ran them both on teh back of my bike and put another Commander on last time. Avon and Mvtzeler will be about 5-7000 miles too. Commanders will do much better.

Another good choice is the Pirelli Night Dragon. I have not tired these but a buddy I ride with has them and is getting good mileage and loves their stickiness.

 

I have just over 3K miles on my Shinko 777's and they look brand new. As far as I'm concerned I have had the Dunlops and they were great and lasted over 18K on the original set and just over 20K on a replacement set. I really like the Shinko 777's. They track well and they do feel like they are more "sticky" than the Dunlops. Plus, You can't beat the price on the Shinko's. One word of caution on the Shinko's. As per the USA Rep for Shinko, I was told to keep the tire pressure at 42 psi and adjust down for comfort and even wear.I keep mine at 40 psi and so far it has proven well for my riding.

 

On my 2nd set of Metzeler ME880s on the Roadie and they have been great in both wet & dry conditions.
Performance is great! Tar snakes have no effect & even stable on grated road conditions at highway speed (Mass has 2 seasons… Winter & construction…).
However, I've heard the tires produced in Brazil can have defects. The preference is German production…
The FLH will need new sneakers probably next season… Thinking about trying the Avons for schlitz & gigglez..….

 

the op is on 402'S yes they suck,imo any tire will be better,so far my fav for the pre 09 bikes is the dunlop elite 3. I've tried the older avons and metz 880.the avons had great grip but 5000 on rear,the elite3 almost as good grip no tracking on grooves and got 13,000 on the rear. metz i dont like the twitchy turn in.

 

I've had the stock Dunlops, Metzeler 888's and Michelin Commander ll's on my 2011 Limited.


I'm staying with the Commander ll's from now on. Softer ride, doesn't track in grooves and appears to be wearing very well.

 

7500 and still going on my pirelli night dragons

 

I understand you wont good griping tire but how will it used?
There is a difference in a good gripping tire for the drag strip and hitting the curves.
The tire. You need needs to fit for your riding style. It also depends on the power plant pushing it.
I get my tries early so I can get good deals on them. Last month I found 1 dunlop 402 and 1 Dunlop 404 for $159 including tax. I ,will wear em out this summer any way.

 

elite 3s -- work good for me --

 

I too talked **** about D402 but last year I was in a bind and needed a tire quick, it was all my Indy had in stock and I said ok go for it....Rode it to Canada and it really wasn't bad....I still have it on there and it's doing good. If I had to pick still I think for me would be the Elite 3.
I have not tried the American Elite yet, I may put one on next to give it a whirl.

 

In the curves.... no need for the drag strip, if I was going back to that I'd go back to import bikes. (not gonna happen)