American Elite tires

[Snowyone]

Seen a previous post of people not happy with American Elite tires and them causing some wobble.  I'm here to extoll their virtues.  I ride an 11 Fatboy Lo with a 124 motor by Dan Vance and a Baker 7 speed tranny just to hit the highlights.  It's my touring rig with Road King Classic bags and trunk and has about 50k on the clock.  Had the bike sinse new and the most I ever got out of a rear tire was 5300 miles and it was showing threads by the time I got home.  I've had the original Dunlaps, Metzler 880, Cobra, MitchlenII, etc. and the milage ended at about 5k or less.  Last summer  I went for the American Elite front and rear and am here to report the milage of 13800 on the rear tire and still not to the wear bars.  I'm no ricky racer, canyon carver or high speed flyer but usually do 5 over on the speed limit and hit the canyons with all the nerve my self preserving 65 year old body can muster.(my adventure bike rider friends wait at the next turnout for me)  I've ridden in 114* heat, light snow, and heavy rain and never felt out of control.  They have my business and put one on my Crossbones last fall.

[IronButt70]

Seen a previous post of people not happy with American Elite tires and them causing some wobble.  I'm here to extoll their virtues.  I ride an 11 Fatboy Lo with a 124 motor by Dan Vance and a Baker 7 speed tranny just to hit the highlights.  It's my touring rig with Road King Classic bags and trunk and has about 50k on the clock.  Had the bike sinse new and the most I ever got out of a rear tire was 5300 miles and it was showing threads by the time I got home.  I've had the original Dunlaps, Metzler 880, Cobra, MitchlenII, etc. and the milage ended at about 5k or less.  Last summer  I went for the American Elite front and rear and am here to report the milage of 13800 on the rear tire and still not to the wear bars.  I'm no ricky racer, canyon carver or high speed flyer but usually do 5 over on the speed limit and hit the canyons with all the nerve my self preserving 65 year old body can muster.(my adventure bike rider friends wait at the next turnout for me)  I've ridden in 114* heat, light snow, and heavy rain and never felt out of control.  They have my business and put one on my Crossbones last fall.

Don't know what to say. My rear MCII has 17k on it and not down to the wear bars. Usually get near 20k on rears and 25-30k on fronts. 17 FLSTC converted to bagger. 

[PoorUB]

I have been running AE's since they came out with zero issues. I have friends running them too. I have never had one slip in hard cornering and I will drag hard parts in the corners from time to time. I get 18,000 plus on the rear and close to 30,000 miles on the front.

[Ohio HD]

Seen a previous post of people not happy with American Elite tires and them causing some wobble.  I'm here to extoll their virtues.  I ride an 11 Fatboy Lo with a 124 motor by Dan Vance and a Baker 7 speed tranny just to hit the highlights.  It's my touring rig with Road King Classic bags and trunk and has about 50k on the clock.  Had the bike sinse new and the most I ever got out of a rear tire was 5300 miles and it was showing threads by the time I got home.  I've had the original Dunlaps, Metzler 880, Cobra, MitchlenII, etc. and the milage ended at about 5k or less.  Last summer  I went for the American Elite front and rear and am here to report the milage of 13800 on the rear tire and still not to the wear bars.  I'm no ricky racer, canyon carver or high speed flyer but usually do 5 over on the speed limit and hit the canyons with all the nerve my self preserving 65 year old body can muster.(my adventure bike rider friends wait at the next turnout for me)  I've ridden in 114* heat, light snow, and heavy rain and never felt out of control.  They have my business and put one on my Crossbones last fall.

I would think your roads are a little more harsh than most of the USA has too. AE's are really decent tires.   

[fbn ent]

  But I still run Cobras.

[Ohio HD]

I run both brands, one bike the AE is a better tire for, the other the Cobra's are better for it.

[Phu Cat]

I ran Dunlop Elite III's on all my EG's for 19 years because they came with 2/32nd" more rubber depth when new.  At the moment I'm runnin a rear E-3 backward on the front wheel of our Triglide and it's wearing well even tho it does the majority of the braking work. 

PC

[WhipLash96]

I am currently running a set of AE's and I am not a big fan of them.

[Phu Cat]

Ohio, that's a lot more milage from a rear tire?  Why isn' Everybody running AE?

PC

[Hossamania]

Ohio, that's a lot more milage from a rear tire?  Why isn' Everybody running AE?

PC

See the post right above yours from Whiplash.

[1FSTRK]

I am currently running a set of AE's and I am not a big fan of them.

What specifically don't you like?

[Phu Cat]

Thanks Hoss, I'd noticed that but Whiplash is only one guy.

PC

[Hossamania]

I will say that when I first got them, I wasn't real sure about them. They seemed to move around a little more than the stock dunlops, seemed to to "slide" a little in the corners. But the more I rode them, the better they started to feel. I think at first it was a confidence thing on my part, since they felt different than the stock tires, may just needed some scrub in, but the more I pushed, the more my confidence grew with them. It may have also been the dual compound that felt different, took me a while to get used to it.
Now that I've gotten double the mileage out of them, and they still look good and feel good, even with all the miles, I have no doubt that I will get another set for the Ultra.
But I have been eyeing up the Avons for the RoadKing... Probably just stick with the Elites though. Affordable and readily available.

[Hossamania]

Thanks Hoss, I'd noticed that but Whiplash is only one guy.

PC

I think I may have misunderstood your question. I'm also interested in what he doesn't like about them.

[WhipLash96]

Sorry guys, I should have explained.

Let me start off by saying that I don't think that the AE's are bad tire, only that I have discovered that for the type of riding that I do and prefer, the AE's aren't suited for me. I prefer the Night Dragon. And here is why. When you put the Night Dragon MT and AE MT's side by side, you will find that the AE's are narrower. I find a noticeable handling difference between the 2 which is very important to me as I often find myself in hair pin turns and long sweepers. Because of the harder compound of AE's, it feels the front tire slips, especially on tar snakes and even when passing on the painted lines. I just don't seem to be as trusting of the tire as I am with the Night Dragons. With the Night Dragons, I feel that my bike is more stable. The only thing that the AE's have on the Night Dragon in my opinion is the mileage and obviously that is due to the harder compound. Me, I have no problem with changing tires more often for the piece of mind that I get with the Night Dragons over the AE's.

Just a personal preference. I am only running the AE's now because when I needed tires, the Night Dragons were on back order and I needed tires. I don't mind the AE's as a second choice though.

[04 SE Deuce]

And for me the Night Dragon was my least favorite rear tire out of over a dozen different brands/models and 137K miles.

Night Dragon is made in the Brazil plant alongside Metzeler cruiser tires.

[PoorUB]

I have never felt uncomfortable with the AE's. I ride fairly hard in corners, sure there are guys that can out ride me, but I ride far harder than the average rider. In my younger days I wasn't happy unless both tires were sliding in the corners. I have tamed it down a bit in my old age. My '05 Ultra had the foot boards worn down from dragging them in the corners. My '10 and now my '16 I touch them once in a while but the bikes handle corners better than the earlier models.

A few years ago we were running up Beartooth and had stopped at the vista. When we were getting ready to go a rider on a CVO Road King asked if he could go first because he, "likes to ride hard in the corners." I told I wouldn't hold him up, but he persisted, so I let him go first. There are a bunch of twisties right after the vista and I wasn't even trying and rode this guy's butt. The first little straight I blew by and never saw him again. Plus my wife was riding with me and she was wondering  she was waiting for him to get going too! After all the talk this guy was an average rider at best.

[Y2KRKNG]

Enough about tires, lets talk about oil    Just Kidding! It's hard to dispute an honest real life comparison; same bike, rider, and riding style thanks for review.

[gordonr]

I have never felt uncomfortable with the AE's. I ride fairly hard in corners, sure there are guys that can out ride me, but I ride far harder than the average rider. In my younger days I wasn't happy unless both tires were sliding in the corners. I have tamed it down a bit in my old age. My '05 Ultra had the foot boards worn down from dragging them in the corners. My '10 and now my '16 I touch them once in a while but the bikes handle corners better than the earlier models.

A few years ago we were running up Beartooth and had stopped at the vista. When we were getting ready to go a rider on a CVO Road King asked if he could go first because he, "likes to ride hard in the corners." I told I wouldn't hold him up, but he persisted, so I let him go first. There are a bunch of twisties right after the vista and I wasn't even trying and rode this guy's butt. The first little straight I blew by and never saw him again. Plus my wife was riding with me and she was wondering  she was waiting for him to get going too! After all the talk this guy was an average rider at best.

Around here we call a guy like that a putz.  Lol

[PoorUB]

Around here we call a guy like that a putz.  Lol

I generally don't give people crap about their riding abilities. I am just happy to see people out riding.

I have told this story to quite a few people over the years. A couple guys I told knew the guy and got a good chuckle out of it.  If he hadn't made such a big deal about getting out first I probably would never say anything, but he was trying to convince me he was going to tear up the road and didn't want me in the way. I did see him at a gas station later in the day. I looked his way, he saw me, and ignored me. My guess he felt a little silly that a guy and his wife on an Ultra packed heavy for a trip out ran him and his CVO running up the mountain pass.

[dynablack07]

I put a AE 3 on the front of my 07 Wideglide ( that eats tires anyway ) what a difference, corners are a blast. It tracks much better than the OEM tire. The rear tire is next.

[Ken R]

I run AE's on my FLHTK and compete on them at least five times a year (plus countless hours of practice in cold or hot weather). 


It's still my tire of choice. 


Mileage?  I typically change my front and rear at least every 18 months, or when I'm embarking on a long-mileage trip where changing during the trip would be inconvenient and expensive.  Easily get 15K on rear and more on front if I want.

[ultra200922]

Just put on my second set of AE's, after putting on almost 17,000 miles on the first set. Could have easily got more miles as they weren't wore out yet, but didn't want to take any chances trying to squeeze a few more miles out and lay it down on a wet road somewhere 2 up. Not worth it in my book. Dunlop Pro dealers now have a $75 rebate going on also. Great tire at a even better price.

[Hossamania]

A follow up on tires. I just had a new set of AEs put on the Ultra, running them at 38 psi each right now.
I may have waited a little too long to change them. Ok, a lot too long. These run great, handle very well in the Twisties, (I'm actually over steering, not quite used to them yet), and run straight down the interstate.
I got 20,000 miles out of the stock front Dunlop, at least 15,000 out of the rear AE.  But, these two never seemed to work well together. Seemed to get just a little wobble soon after changing the rear, due to the mismatch I'm sure. And the head shake got bad toward the end, always there when decelerating to a stop, and later even shaking hands off at 30 mph or more. That head shake has completely disappeared in all riding.
I'll play with psi as I put miles on, and when riding with a passenger, but so far I like 38 on both. I will drop the pressure on the RoadKing too, I think I've been running them too high as well, 42 rear, 40 front. Book calls for 36 each on stock tires.
Just a review after about 500 miles on new tires. I swear, every time I forget how nice new tires make all the ills of poor handling go away. No need for new neck bearings, swingarm bushings, etc. Who knew?

[scootertrash1]

I have had two sets of the AE on my 2010 Ultra and have got great mileage. Not a lot of people get around me if I can't help it! I've drug up the floor boards plenty of times! I love the area between Sturgis and Deadwood. I also just put a set on my 2003 Fatty

[PoorUB]

Just a review after about 500 miles on new tires. I swear, every time I forget how nice new tires make all the ills of poor handling go away. No need for new neck bearings, swingarm bushings, etc. Who knew?

Yep, new tires like to "fall" into the corners easier. The flat center rear tire is like trying to lay over a rolling pin!

As for the neck bearings, I would take the time to tighten them. My bet they are loose, they always are!

[scootertrash1]

I've had a need to check neck bearings twice on my 2010 Ultra. Both times I needed to adjust and it was worthwhile the time to do so.

[Hossamania]

Just a review after about 500 miles on new tires. I swear, every time I forget how nice new tires make all the ills of poor handling go away. No need for new neck bearings, swingarm bushings, etc. Who knew?

Yep, new tires like to "fall" into the corners easier. The flat center rear tire is like trying to lay over a rolling pin!

As for the neck bearings, I would take the time to tighten them. My bet they are loose, they always are!

I had the shop check them while putting on tires, they were loose. They tightened them up, nice steering feel again, and no clunk in the front end. No broken fairing brackets, which was also good news.

[88b]

My Victory comes standard with E3's I've had two rear wheels slips due to greasy roads possibly with diesel on them too . Been really pleased with them , and when my RG needs tyres again I'll give going with E4's .

[egstandard]

PoorUB. That's some funny "Potty mouth".

[Jim Bronson]

Don't know what to say. My rear MCII has 17k on it and not down to the wear bars. Usually get near 20k on rears and 25-30k on fronts. 17 FLSTC converted to bagger. 

Well something's wrong with mine then. I have maybe 14k on my front MC2, and it is near the wear bar. The rear still has a lot of rubber left.