Tires
Cruiser
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 165
Likes: 1
From: NW Washington State
xcelr8....Yeah, figured you were a big boy. I certinaly wasn't taking a poke at ya, just wanted to point out that body type, riding style, pressures, road surface, heat, and overall load make a huge difference in wear duration. Just wanted to give the OP some realistic expectations while tire shopping.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 24,754
Likes: 9,280
From: Snow Hill, NC
265 lbs here on my 07 11000 miles was the best i could suck out of a tire (EIII) next was the Michelin Commander then D402 after than they were all about 5000-6000 miles...Get the EIII runaround 42-44psi
Tourer
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 266
Likes: 1
From: Boynton Beach, FL
Not so happy with stock Dunlops, will hit wearbar on rear at 6,000; previous owner might have let pressure run low, they were pretty worn at 3,600. The 200mm Dunlop feels very slippery when wet - I think it spreads the 1000 pounds of weight over too great a surface area, actually reducing traction (aka higher the PSI on the contact patch, the stickier the grip). But this of course has to be balanced with sufficient contact to transfer torque from drive train.
I just ordered the Metzeler 880 ME (front & rear) for $301 including shipping from the Motorcycle Superstore - seems like a really good deal. Also found an independent tire guy who will remove rims from bike, change/balance/stems for both tires for total of $60. Bit of a drive - but that is the whole point of having a bike
Cheers, Kevin.
I just ordered the Metzeler 880 ME (front & rear) for $301 including shipping from the Motorcycle Superstore - seems like a really good deal. Also found an independent tire guy who will remove rims from bike, change/balance/stems for both tires for total of $60. Bit of a drive - but that is the whole point of having a bike
Cheers, Kevin.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 2,876
Likes: 3
From: Washington State
I just don't get it..... I just swapped out my rear 402 at over 16k, and could have got another few K. Had to get a new tire for piece of mind, since were leaving next week on a 3K mile trip, and that's no time to hope for the best. But hearing you guys only getting 6-8k out of them just boggles my mind.
I ride 2 up 95% of the time, so it must be because of the climate I live in up here in the NW.
I ride 2 up 95% of the time, so it must be because of the climate I live in up here in the NW.
Last edited by JonnyD; Jul 28, 2011 at 07:40 AM.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 2,523
Likes: 3
From: Illinois
I just don't get it..... I just swapped out my rear 402 at over 16k, and could have got another few K. Had to get a new tire for piece of mind, since were leaving next week on a 3K mile trip, and that's no time to hope for the best. But hearing you guys only getting 6-8k out of them just boggles my mind.
I ride 2 up 95% of the time, so it must be because of the climate I live in up here in the NW.
I ride 2 up 95% of the time, so it must be because of the climate I live in up here in the NW.
Thread Starter
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Advanced
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 77
Likes: 1
I dont have the answer either on why some of us cant get any mileage out of them, and believe me, if its somethings im doing wrong i would like to hear about it. Maybe the older bikes with the narrower tires are harder on them than the new ones with the wider tires?
All that HP at the rear tire eats them up. I used to get 12-15K out of a back tire and since i did upgrades this winter i have already torn up one back tire. Fast acceleration, hard stopping will add a lot to tire wear. Put the pounds on them and even more so. Like my old race truck, just can't stay out of the throttle with all that power making HD noise.
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Road Master
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,213
Likes: 0
From: Cape Coral, Fl.
Proper inflation is very important here plus riding habits. I typically use a lot of front brake when slowing, less drag on the rear tire.
Dunlop E3's again for me. Great on mileage, grip, wet conditions. IMHO, far better than Metzlers. Only got 7K out of their rear tire. My current rear E3 has 16K on it with a few thousand more left. Still has plenty of traction in the rain, and this time of year, it rains everyday. Will probably change it at the end of summer.
