You may want to also consider upgrading your suspension. That'll make more of a difference than going with a different tire.

 

Do both!

Comfort starts at the road. Swap to decent tyres, to smooth out the roughness and vibration at source. Add decent shocks to build on those foundations and take out the bumps and thumps, cap off with a decent seat. The three steps to nirvana!

 

Did that about 5 times. Lol

 

Almost all non OEM tires call for more psi than stockers.......my neighbor swears by Continental Milestones,he's an older guy and does over 20,000 a year on his Heritage. He's tried them all.

 

The American elites have a very stiff sidewall for load handling and cornering performance on a heavy bike. Try standing on the sidewall of an unmounted one. I like them but I can see where they may give a stiffer ride.

 

For tire mileage I would recommend the Michelin Commander II's, but they may not ride any smoother than the elite's you have on now.

 

If Custom built Ohlins from Motorcycle Metal were one of those 5, I'd have to say you're too sensitive. If they weren't, then you should try them out. They're a far superior shock than anything else out there.

 

Keep in mind if you use tires with more flexible sidewalls and run low air pressure you can end up with bent wheels on potholes. This is more of a problem on the taller wheels (19 and above) with low profile sidewalls.

 

Don't go there with him. He is happy now after all his shock switching. Look at some of his older threads on the subject.. LOL

 

I like the American Elites.
They have the best ride of any tire I've had on a Touring Harley. Soon as the stockers on the '16 FLHXS are gone, it'll have AEIII on it.

I had/tried Avon on my '09 Heritage. It was a smooth ride but the rear tire didn't hold very well. It would slip when not pushed in a curve.