I did not want to hijack another members thread about E3 tires, so I will post my question separately:

Stock tires on my bike are a D402, MT90B16 F, MU85B16 R.

Why are the E3 code #'s the same for front and rear at MT90HB16?

There is also a MU90HB16 for the rear. What is the difference between the MT & MU?

What is the difference between my MU85 and a MT/MU90?

Thanks for any info.

 

An 85 is 85% tall as it is wide, 90 is 90% tall as it is wide. So if the width were the same a 90 would be 5% taller. MT(130/90) or MU(140/90) represent the tire with. Actually the M represents for Motorcycle and the second letter is width.

 

Thanks Atk. I posed the same questions to American Motorcycle Tire's tech and got this reply:

Thank you very much for your inquiry. The MU90 is a bit of a taller tire
than the MU85. The difference is negligible and the tire will fit on your
bike. You'll need to make sure that the folks installing your tires are
comfortable with the switch to the E3. The E3 is designed for metric bikes
and are not approved for HD. The correct Dunlop tire for your bike is the
D402 and this is the tire recommended by HD for their bikes. The Metzeler
Marathon ME880 is the most popular upgrade tire for HD. The Metzeler is
approved for HD also.

Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Have a great day,
Vaughn

 

SOOS, I did a lot of research on this board and others. There are a few guys out there that have some high miles on the E3s and I feel comfortable with giving them a try. The size and load rating are fine, althought some might have issue with HD not "approving". I don't have an issue. Good luck with your research.

 

SOOS:

No problem in "pirating" posts on the E3 for the touring bikes -- glad to have stirred some interest. I've done a couple quick trips and 2 day rides since installing the E3's on my '05 Ultra 2 weeks ago. Still very impressed. The numbers I got from the sidewalls on the tires are MT 90 B 16 for the front, and 160/80 B 16 for the rear. Though they say "tubeless," I've got spoked wheels and still have to have the tubes. My price was $129 for the front, and $149 for the rear. The other responses I have seen on your original inquiry are correct -- the MU90 is a bit taller and narrower than the MU85. One of your feedbacks was that the difference was "negligible," but I beg to differ. I did swap on one of my tire replacements and wasn't happy with the appearance from the back of the bike.

Hope this all helps.

Tod

 

I'm about to drop some coin on these tires. Where did you get yours Tphillips? Sounds like a pretty good price.

Thanks!

lp

 

I put on E3s both front and back a couple of mos ago and I love them on my 03 EG

 

Thanks Tod, and you went with which #'s for the rear? 160/80 or MU85?

 

Check www.motorcyclesuperstore.com good prices and free shipping over $75

 

Wow! You're the first person I've heard about that installed a 160-80-16! Are your rims 3.50" as specified for that tire? It's interesting that you were able to fit this tire under your fender. Did you have to trim or remove your belt guard?

"Tubeless" means they can be used with or without a tube. All tires sold by HD are tubeless tires, but require tubes on unsealed laced rims.

For those interested in purchasing tires in the near future, Ron Ayers has free shipping on all orders of $100 or more till Jan. 4th. They currently have the MU90-16 rear for $116.88 and the MT90-16 front for $104.20.

I have the MU90-16 and don't notice any cosmetic issues, as they are only .01" taller than stock and .4" shorter than the 160's you installed. They are also .06" wider but neither dimension will cause clearance problems on newer bikes with 1" axles. What issues did you see with the MU90-16 on the rear?

I've had a rear installed now for about 8k miles and it is wearing over 50% better than the D402's I had installed previously. Performance is excellent in wet or dry, it doesn't wander on road imperfections like the D402 does, and for my needs I declare it a winner. It's lack of "approval" by the Moco is irrelevant to me, as if you'll recall they didn't approve synthetic oil till they started selling their store brand. They don't really "approve" anything that they don't sell.