Time For Tires 01 RK
Road Warrior
Joined: Aug 2020
Posts: 1,299
Likes: 2,140
From: NC
Wellllllllllllllll, I am comparing them to Shinko 250's which I really liked, but compared to the Avons they seemed like a really hard tire, they had good grip and I thought they were compliant, but compared to the Avons; the Avons feel like pillows, and the handling is great, all I need to do is get out of their way so to speak, the Shinko's compared to the Avons seemed a little forced, but the Avons are really a way more expensive tire also, but I stand by my statment, and the Shinko's rear squared off pretty badly at about 6-7000 miles, and the front wore funny.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 14,160
Likes: 11,249
From: San Diego, CA
Yes.... Kind of......
Continental makes some of their motorcycle tires in Germany. Most of their US-market motorcycle tires are primarily manufactured at their facility in Thailand.
Metzeler tires frequently produce their premium and high-performance US market tires at their main European manufacturing plant in Breuberg, Germany. Many standard and touring Metzeler tires supplied globally are produced at their China facility.
Michelin tires, the majority of their motorcycle tires sold to US & European markets are made in are made in Thailand, Spain, and Germany.
Pirelli motorcycle tires are made in Europe (Italy and Germany), South America (Brazil), and Asia (Indonesia). Europe supplies most high performance, super sport, and sport touring motorcycle tires. South American plants supply the US market with a large portion of cruiser, scooter, and smaller-displacement motorcycle tires. Asian plants produce a high volume of small-to-mid displacement motorcycle tires.
FWIW....
Everybody knows that DOT requires a manufacture date on all tires in the US market. But they also require a plant manufacturer code too.
DOT issues a Plant Manufacturer code for all tires with DOT certification. If you look at the tire's DOT code, it is the first two or three digits. It used to be only two, but DOT ran out of characters and needed more, so newer tire manufacturing plants will have three.
You can search online and find the plant where a tire was manufactured.
For example; The DOT code on my Dunlop AE2 front tire is "DOT 1EU EA DCMX 1625"
The 1EU indicates that they were manufactured at the Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd Nagoya Plant, in Nagoya, Japan
For the curious among you:
The next 5-6 digits "EA DCMX" refer to the tire's size, tread, and other brand specific characteristics.
The last four "1625" are the manufacture date, the 16th week of 2025 (last week of April 2025)
Last edited by hattitude; May 24, 2026 at 10:17 PM.
Road Captain
Joined: Mar 2020
Posts: 659
Likes: 361
From: Sierra foothills
I just put a new rear metzeler me888 on my 03 RG yesterday. Made in Brazil. Wish me luck. Actually it will be fine. Just put 50mi on it after I put the wheel back on the bike. Same tire size as 0P's 01 RK.
I was running a AE2 dunlops but they seem to be very scarce on a mt90b16 / 130/90/16. The metzeler was somewhat local. And I don't want to bust and mount tires anyway. I just want to remove and install on the bike. Also I can inspect and also replace brake pads.
I was running a AE2 dunlops but they seem to be very scarce on a mt90b16 / 130/90/16. The metzeler was somewhat local. And I don't want to bust and mount tires anyway. I just want to remove and install on the bike. Also I can inspect and also replace brake pads.
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