Michelin Commander III - New Tire Review
Intermediate
Joined: Sep 2021
Posts: 26
Likes: 22
From: KY
I had OEM Dunlops on my Sporty. Not a great tire, especially on the twisty roads I have to ride to get out to do any riding at all. Replaced them last summer with C2s and I cannot be more shocked or pleased with the difference. Grip, lean, corners, twists. Truly a massive upgrade. Haven't tried them in wet weather, so I cannot speak to that. But the handling on dry roads and on very hot days with tar snakes were no problem. I'd have no issue replacing with C2s or trying C3s on my sporty.
The 09 RK I picked up in October came with Dunlop AEs. Only managed to get a few hundred miles on them before the weather encouraged me to stay inside. So far they seem good, although the fresh C2s on my Sporty feel a lot better (even though the Sporty handles like a pig compared to the RK). They seem to have decent tread life left and the previous owner couldn't tell me how many miles they had on them. Date codes peg them at 3 years old. When the time comes to replace them, I'll likely only consider a new set of AEs, or a set of C3s. But, to be honest, I'm leaning towards the C3s because of the awesome experience with the C2s on the Sporty.
The 09 RK I picked up in October came with Dunlop AEs. Only managed to get a few hundred miles on them before the weather encouraged me to stay inside. So far they seem good, although the fresh C2s on my Sporty feel a lot better (even though the Sporty handles like a pig compared to the RK). They seem to have decent tread life left and the previous owner couldn't tell me how many miles they had on them. Date codes peg them at 3 years old. When the time comes to replace them, I'll likely only consider a new set of AEs, or a set of C3s. But, to be honest, I'm leaning towards the C3s because of the awesome experience with the C2s on the Sporty.
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 4,353
Likes: 1,966
From: PA
I have 4K / 6K on my front & rear, respectively, and the C3s ride fine. But I'm really leery of getting caught in the rain with them, that tread doesn't look like it will handle water very well. I'll see what kind of mileage I get out of them, but I think I may end up going back to American Elites. Time will tell.
Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 1,952
Likes: 903
From: South Florida (Ft Myers area)
I have 4K / 6K on my front & rear, respectively, and the C3s ride fine. But I'm really leery of getting caught in the rain with them, that tread doesn't look like it will handle water very well. I'll see what kind of mileage I get out of them, but I think I may end up going back to American Elites. Time will tell.
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2020
Posts: 3,167
Likes: 2,206
From: College Station, TX
Agreed, and while I don't ride in the rain if I can avoid it, the CIII's have been good on wet roads or placed with standing water. For me, they grip well on wet or dry roads. Much better than the OEM Dunlops. And so far it looks like the mileage will be as good or better that the OEM tires too.
Paul
Paul
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 4,353
Likes: 1,966
From: PA
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