Just got back from the stealer. Paid $287 installed for stock Dunlop. 3rd one on my 06 ultra. Been getting about 11,000 miles on each. Pretty high but at least I am set for another year.

 

I ride a lot of highway/freeway miles. Perhaps it is because I live in the desert that I have developed the mindset that any tread is better than no tread; hence a desire for a hard long lasting tyre. Continental milestone narrow sidewall is the prettiest. I think. I have worn out Goodyear eagles, Michelin Commanders, Metzler ME880, Maxxis, Dunlop, Carlyl (sp), etc. Right now I am running a pair of KENDA, seems like a very hard rubber. 2500 or so miles and the little "nibbies" are still showing. Looks like they will last a long time (this summer). I was most dissappointed with the Metzler. 2 trips to Reno and the FOURTH chord was showing.
I wish there were a web site or some study on motorcycle tyres. I've yet to find one.
TIPS
Remember, If the catalog eludes to performance, or racing, expect a soft gripping tyre.
To make a tyre last, stay out of the throttle in the first three gears.
Get in the habit of checking pressure weekly, with a gauge not your eyeball
Align the drive train so the rear wheel follows the front. I made some lasers mounted to magnetic stands for this. You can tell if you are out of alignment if the rear tyre is wearing more on one side than the other.

Hope I help you keep the old lady happy. I learned all this the hard way, changing rear tires every month...
P.S.
KENDA tires can be had from Dennis Kirk or J&P Cycles for about $60, another $20 to get the mounted.

 

I have had the most luck with D402 Police Tires on my Electra Glides. The standard D402 don't seem to get as good as the Police versions for whatever reason.

The bike rides great with Avons on it. However, they were normally higher in price and tire life was short compared to Dunlops.

I tried Metz once with bad luck. The tire somehow managed to get a bubble. It had roughly 2,000 miles on it. Bike felt unstable in curves with the bubble. The dealer that installed them didn't want to do anything about it and the tire company said, sorry about that. They probably are good tires, but I didn't like the bubble and I really hated their customer service.

I get the Police tires for around $40-$90 on Ebay. The front usually gets around 17,000 miles and the rear usually gets around 13,000 miles. May not be the best....but the price is right and they are a proven tire.

 

What does anybody think/have to say about the Avon Gangster tires. I love the look of the extra wide white wall, but I'm not sure about the "universal" tread pattern. They have the same tread for front and rear tires. My Dunlop is just about ready to be replaced on the back, I have 3-4/32s of tread remaining. I have a set of black wall D402s removed from my stock Street Glide wheels before I sold them, but I really like the look of the WWW on my Street Glide.

 

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