The Scorcher is not the correct tire for your application if you are riding a bagger. The Commander II is the tire that the Michelin website recommends. It has the same load rating as the Dunlops. I have been running Commander II's for about 8k miles now, for some time it seemed that the front end wanted to drift in curves. I raised the tire pressure to 40 psi and the front seems much more stable.





MICHELIN Commander II

Nearly twice the mileage of competing cruiser tires








MICHELIN offer the following for this bike :

Description

A new standard in cruiser tire longevity
- Commissioned third-party tests* show that the MICHELIN® Commander® II rear tire lasts almost twice as long its nearest rivals

Innovative technology
- Amplified Density Technology: A highly dense, more-rigid tire casing, which helps deliver excellent feedback and handling
- Aramid tread plies on the rear tire resist centrifugal growth, reduce weight and provide excellent stability
- All-new rubber compounds for remarkable wet grip, without compromising durability
- Square bead-wire package improves casing rigidity, handling and ease of installation

Front

WidthHeightTypeDiameterM/C(Load / Speed Index)Inner TubeLetter
140 75R17M/C 67 V TL
100 90B19M/C 57 H TL/TT
130 70-18M/C 63 H TL/TT
120 70B21M/C 68 H TL/TT
130 90B16M/C 73 H TL/TT
120 70ZR19M/C 60 W TL
130 80B17M/C 65 H TL/TT
80 90-21M/C 54 H TL/TT
120 90B17M/C 64 S TL/TT
90 90-21M/C 54 H TL/TTRear

WidthHeightTypeDiameterM/C(Load / Speed Index)Inner TubeLetter
140 90B15M/C 76 H TL/TT
170 80B15M/C 77 H TL/TT
180 65B16M/C 81 H TL/TT
130 90B16M/C 73 H TL/TT
160 70B17M/C 73 V TL/TT
150 90B15M/C 74 H TL/TT
150 70-18M/C 76 H TL/TT
140 90B16M/C 77 H TL/TT
240 40R18M/C 79 V TL
200 55R17M/C 78 V TL/TT
150 80B16M/C 77 H TL/TT

 

I'd had an 04 rk a few years ago and ran the Metzeler 880's on it and loved them...great weight rating and handle and wore well...

 

07 Roadking with 7000 miles on my Michelins and have been very happy; I'm pretty hard on them too.

 

I've been away from my computer for a few days and finally have the time to read the responses on here. First, I did try different tire pressures with no luck, and it's not in my head. Let me start from the beginning, I got my tires from http://motorcyclemobiletireservice.com/ who had my ride in their shop to mount them. The next day I picked it up and while out riding to try my new tires, my wife following me on her bike, came along side me and said it looked like my rear tire was low. I was half mile from my house, so I headed on home and with-in a quarter mile I felt the rear going loose so I picked a safe shoulder to make my stop and before I got stopped, the front tire went totally flat which damm near crashed me. She got on her phone and called the shop number (it's the owners cell) and told him what happened and he was on the spot within 15 minutes. What we found was the valve cores and caps where missing...Yes I said, Missing! The new valve stems they installed had been hitting the brake calipers. (Wrong length valve stems) It was apparent they hadn't tightened the cores or checked clearance. BUT...he kept telling me to take it back to the Harley dealer because he said the rims had defects. He would not be responsible for any of the install mistakes. I had to transport my bike to get new stems installed and he wanted to charge me for that work also. And he said the correct air psi was 36. I tried more psi in both with the same outcome. When I talked to a different shop about the problem, he took a new Michellin Commander ll and a new Dunlop 402, set them side by side and said push down on both tires and see the effects. The Michellin was soft on the sidewalls and the Dunlop was like trying the smash a brick. He showed me the weight rating on both was near 200 pounds different. I had him install new Dunlops on both ends and it rides just fine, 40lbs front, 42lbs rear. We found no defects in the Michellin tires after taking them off. So, run what you want to run, it's your bike and your cash, I was just telling my story of bad luck. I'm not knocking Michellin tires, but I would never send anyone to the http://motorcyclemobiletireservice.com/.

 

I just switch to the Mich II from the stock Dunlops. BEST move I ever made! Excellent feel and ride. Definitely will do it again!

 

I've had Michelin Commander IIs on my 09 Ultra for about three months. I checked the load ratings prior to purchasing them and they are rated the same as the stock Dulaps on my Ultra. I've ridden them around town and on two multi-day trips two up with stuffed saddlebags and a bag on the tour pak rack. No issues at all. In fact, they handle great for me. No sidewall issues at all.

 

After re-reading the posts on this thread it appears that most of the riders that are riding '09 or later models are satisfied with the Michelins they are running and most of the rider of '08 and earlier models are not. I don't know why that would make a difference, but it seems it does. The ones I have on my '09 seem to be as good or better than the Dunlops that I had. Personally, I am really considering the "darkside" the next time.

 

I have MCII's on my 2005, run 38 psi front and 40 in the rear tire. I have none of the issues that the OP claims to have. I would recommend MCII's to anyone.

 

Remember, the 09's and up have a 2" longer frame and front neck area is slightly redesigned for better ride and handling than 08 and older.

 

...my feelings exactly...best tire I have ridden on..in 35 years...