I put an American Elite on the front of the FXRT Saturday. Took an 80 mile ride yesterday on some twisty roads & it rode real nice. I still have a 401 on the rear, but it handled just fine.

 

Thanks. The OEM D407F was a problem with the reversed tread which caused cupping and a very short useable tire life. Rather than recall those they changed to the D408 and at the time would replace under warranty if you complained.

 

Just my .02 but I notice some mention of thinking that the tread pattern may have affected tread life, also some mention that the say D404 was Dunlop just selling HD tires cheaper too, and a few other things that don't match up completely with what my research is telling me. If I am wrong feel free to disagree I am fairly new to a Harley and am by no means an expert but am an experienced mech and often find the proof to be in the specs. That said I am replacing a worn out D404 that was on my bike when I bought it after researching a bit I am now to understand there are several caveats to these tires(D404), one that they are the Metric version not intended for Harleys weight and torque and the tire construction of the D404 (much cheaper) is not as substantial as those in the HD rated tires like the say D401 someone mentioned or the D402 or the American Elites someone also pointed this out in stating that "the tire seemed much harder to mount than the others" due to this beefier construction in the HD types. Also I noticed that even tho mine (the current D404) is mounted on a laced 21" wheel meant for tubes, but the tire (D404) itself is a tubless not rated for running a tube where as some of the others mentioned like say the American Elite (which is the replacement I just ordered) are rated for either tubeless or tubed. One thing to look for is if the inside of the tire is ribbed, that can damage and fold the tubes. Your wheels also have something to do with which type of tire you can run if your wheels are MT type you may run both but if they are WM types then you should be running tire rated for tubes with tubes. I guess what it boils down to is that tires are apparently much more complicated than they seem at first glance. Even one shop I stopped by I had to point out when I told him I wanted to change from the D404 I have now to the D401 or American elite told me "well if that HD logo is worth twice as much to you then fine" and while he had the book open I asked him is it just a logo or is the tire constructed differently? He flipped between the two pages in the catalog for a minute and then seemed rather surprised when he said you are right they are different. lol.

A quick break down of the various Dunlops in my search (and some that were mentioned here):

D401 = HD Cruiser types running Tubeless only. (Made in USA)
D402 = HD Touring types running either Tubed or Tubeless (Made in USA)
D404 = Non HD / Metrics running Tubeless only ***(Made in Indonesia)***
American Elite = HD Touring types running either Tubed or Tubeless (100% Designed and Made in the USA!)

 

I've never had any issues with the OEM's other than ridiculous pricing from dealer which means I'll never use them again. They wore well, handled well & were great in the rain. You have to stay on top of the tire pressures. I very much liked the Commander II's, rode very well & handled extremely well. Got good mileage out of them. Hated them in the rain. I ride in the Blue Ridge twisties a lot. Was no where near as comfortable running in the rain with them as the OEM's. Heard a lot of great things about the AE's. Just put a set on now for the first time. Like them so far. Have not had them in the rain yet. Heading to the Blue Ridge Parkway tomorrow. Will get a feel of them in the twisties & as usual....probably some wet conditions.

 

Elite front and back. Second set. 18,000 miles on first set. I have thought about trying other tires but with the cost I am afraid I won't get the miles out of them I do now

 

Yup I ordered mine from Revzilla online with free shipping and they were way cheaper than the price the HD dealer wanted for the exact same tire., also after calling around found a shop to install them for about half the price too. That is if I don't decide to just buy a wheel balancer for my shop and start doing my own they are not that expensive and would pay for itself in just a few tires I think. Not to mention I trust myself and my attention to detail more than the lowest bidder doing them in town i think.