A Dunlop Tire rep told me that the 404 series tires are the same exact tire as the 402 except is does not have the Harley Davidson name on it. The 404 series is a less expensive tire because it doesn't have the name on it only.

Have any of you heard this? I found it out after buying a new rear 402.

 

What kind of problems have you had with the bike in 150k miles?

 

Do not know what year your bike is, but if it is before 2004 then you might want to look into upgrading your rear tie to the newer D402 MU85B16 that HD started using on the 2004 and newer bikes. It has a slightly better load rating and an extra 2/32 of tread. The extra 2/32nds of tread can add a lot of mileage to the tire depending on riding style.

As for will the newer tire fit the older bikes? Most dealers will tell you it does not, but the MU85B16 tire uses the same rim as the older tire. In order to get it to fit you might have to trim your guard a little or you might need to use this spacer:
http://www.pingelonline.com/rear_sprocket_spacer.htm


If you do not want to modify your bike and want to stick with Dunlop’s, look into the Dunlop Elite 3 (Replaces the old 491Elite II)

Here are the specs on Dunlop tires:

The specs for D402 (MT90B16) rear tire, pre 2004:
Overall Diameter: 25.70
Width: 5.20
Tread depth: 9/32
Load rating: 827 lbs

Specs for the newer D402 (MU85B16) rear tire used since 2004:
Overall Diameter: 25.71
Width: 5.51
Tread depth: 11/32
Load rating: 908 lbs

Dunlop Elite 3 (Replaces the old 491Elite II)
Overall Diameter: 25.70
Width: 5.15
Tread depth: 10/32
Load rating: 830 lbs

The Elite 3 has a different tread pattern and a hard rubber compound which is why it gets better “use” mileage, or so I have been told. I have not used this tire, I am using the spacer and running the MU85B. So far no trouble.

 

I agree 100%, HD has done ALOT of reseach, if there was a better tire, they would put them on.

 

Had over 10K on the rear Dunlops and I still had about 3k left on them. I just decided to change the rear over the winter.