I've ran all three. OEM Dunlops, Michelin Commander II's & American Elites. I ride a lot in the Blue Ridge of NC, TN & Va on the twisties. We do a lot of 400-600 mile day trips. My take:
OEM Dunlop, great tire, good mileage & the best of all of them in the rain. MC II's, Best handling & smoothest tire on DRY pavement & great mileage. Dunlop American Elites, just a good all around tire, better in the rain than MC II's.
OEM, too expensive from dealer. Some charge $450 just for a rear tire from dealer installed now. MC II's, I'm just not confident in the rain with them. I order AE online & have my indie install them. If OEM were cheaper, I'd run them. This is all
based on MY experience. 2009 Road King, 30K Miles, 2014 Street Glide Special with 40K Miles & now on 2015 Ultra Limited with just 6000 miles on a garage queen I bought that still has OEM's on it.

 

The Dunlops will probably be cheaper, but on my last bike, the Dunlops performed POORLY, especially in the rain. I wouldn't get those, for that very reason. Michelins I have heard great things about from many others, so if my ONLY choices are those two, I'd go with the Michelins. However, we all know that there are more options out there, and I would probably go with one of those that's less expensive. I've had King tires that actually lasted for 25-30k miles, and that was riding DAILY to work! I've also heard good things about Kenda and Shinkos, too, even though some say they're too cheap. What I've found, though, is that there are a LIMITED number of actual tire manufacturers, and the MAJORITY of tires are made from basically the same rubber compounds in the same molds, so quality is going to USUALLY be about the same, even if the PRICE is VASTLY different between brands. This is why I won't spend $200 per tire for Avon or Metzeler or some other "fancy" brand tires. The differences between them and others are just not enough for me to justify that much of a difference in cost.

With that said, it's your money, and your skin that will be risked on what you get, so get whatever you want.

 

I like the AE's over the stock dunlops. They both wear well and perform well in the wet. Haven't tried Michelins on a Harley yet and probably wonot with the performance of the AE's. I have run Avons and found them pitiful on wet roads and tar snakes.

 

My oem's cupped real bad, noisy as heck in turns, went with Michelin 2"s , no cupping, or noise, got 20,000 on em now, probably get another set, never really noticed the rain problems with em, but i'm not a real aggressive rider

 

Just got off the phone with my Indy and he echoed everything Rob said, the OEM is exclusive to Harleys, got that little Bar and Shield and not much else. Indy told me if I wanted those he'd have to go to a Harley dealer and buy them but the AE is the same tire (maybe better) without the B&S. I asked about the Michelin, he said he'd heard that they might give a little better mileage (maybe 2K more over the life) but he didn't know much about them. Being as I now have 20K on the OEM's with more to go (and I'm very happy with their performance) when the time comes (soon as the rear tire is cupping some) I'll be going for the American Elites, same composition, same manufacturer, no Bar and Shield.

 

Go Dunlop or go home. All i've ran over the many years of riding. I want maximum mileage and the stockers provide that like no other. People try to diss Dunlop but they are the pioneer of MC tires. My tires at 16k in corners make noise but i could care less. They perform great, wet or dry. This noise has zero effect on cornering. I will put new Dunlops on before winter sets it.

 

I use oem dunlops on an 08 ultra , a lot of 2 up, and pulling a trailer ( my wife luggage ) , i run in rain and love mountain roads NEVER had an issue , for me i will stay with dunlops 70,000 miles !!!!

 

The OEM's and the Elites are not quite the same tire, close though. Elites are dual compound, OEM's have thicker tread, different speed ratings. All the specs are on Dunlop's wensite.

 

The AE's are what Dunlop recommended to HD, but HD wanted to use their tires specs. I've got the CII's and I'm very pleased with the performance. The OEM's cupped.