Ok, it's time for 2 new tires. I don't wanna go too low end or high end. Just good reliable tires. I do mostly city riding in San Francisco. I know nothing about tires, so I need suggestions.

Also, there's is a guy in my area who according to his website will install your tires for about $40 (i assume each) if you bring him your bike and about half that if I just bring the rims (I'm bringing the bike in). Is this a good deal?

Also I just installed quiet baffles in my short shots.... and by installed I mean I got one stuck in there so bad I can't move it at all to get the bolt in I got the insulation wrap caught between the baffle and the pipe and got it stuck so bad I couldn't get it in or out so I took a long piece of wood and a rubber hammer and tapped it until it was in as far as it should go. I couldn't turn it to line up the bolt holes but I really don't think it's going anywhere.

On the second one I taped the insulation down as tight as I could to get it to slide in a little better. It was still a bitch to line up the holes, but I got it.

The Bolts on these are ridiculous. 2" bolts coated in exhaust crap are tough to get out, the bottom pipe took ****ing forever. The guy supervising me had the brilliant idea of cutting it to about 1/2 and inch to make it easier to get back in and I recommend this step. He also recommended using wire to tighten the insulation next time instead of tape which melted and made it tough to adjust.

I love the way they sound, deeper but not too much quieter. I wonder if the insulation will burn off and they'll get louder after a while. I think I'm going to leave the black heat shields off and use exhaust tape instead.

But to anyone considering these baffles for the short shots I'm happy at this point. If they get loud as the insulation burns off or the baffle I got stuck finally shoots out the back while I'm riding, my level of satisfaction could change.

 

Because of the limited corning clearance of a 1200N, I think you could avoid any of the performance tires on the market thus saving some money and getting longer tire life.

My vote would be to stay with the same model of OEM Dunlap. I think there two models of this tire...one that says Harley Davidson on the sidewall and one that doesn't. I understood wear rating, load etc are all the same between these two tires.

Metzler also made a good touring tire..slow wear rate in the center, good in the rain. Can't recall the model name maybe Marathon.

Harley has approved Michelin as a choice. Yet I'd stay w/ Dunlap over M.

Avon is typically a softer (lower wear rating) performance tire.

When referring to wear rating, the rating stays within a tire maker.... a 140 Dunlap could be longer wearing (harder rubber compound) than a 180 Avon. Lower rating, stickier/ softer the tire and quicker it will wear out.

 

Thanks Kenny. Are the D401 the ones that come stock and the K591 a step up? it's about $230 on motorcycletirestore.com for the K591 and just under $200 for the D401. Are those good prices, and is it worth it to spend a few extra bucks for the better ones?

 

Considering what you stated above, I'd say to just go with Dunlop D402's. And yes, $40 isn't all that bad for the guy to mount the tires. I think I paid $30 total for two tires to be mounted last year.

 

IMO, the stock Dunflop 401 tires give poor mileage and lousy handling compared to the Metzler 880's. I've consistently gotten 50% more mileage from the Metz and far better handling and traction. For the small difference in price, you more than get your money back with the extra mileage you get out of them.