I was only able to get 5,000 miles on the rear Factory Dunlop and 7,200 miles on an American Elite that I put on next. Now I need to replace both front and rear tires. Yes I am running a S&S 124 in a 2015 Street Glide but I don't do burn outs - mostly highway miles on extended trips but I do ride pretty hard. Is this as good as it gets or is there a brand that will increase my mileage significantly and still maintain good handling?
I really like the Michelin Commander II I have on my RG. I've put a lot of them on many motorcycles over the last few years. This is a post your going to get a boat load of different views and opinions, but the Commanders work very well for me and my riding style. Lots of highway and twisties.
You are getting about as good as you're going to get. If you do find a better mileage tire it will be hard rubber & you will sacrifice traction/handling. You may look for something wider that will fit as wider will usually last a bit longer.
I get double that out of stock dunlops and American Elites.
Are you checking air pressure regularly? Is your gauge accurate, have you checked it against other gauges?
I'm lucky to get 7500 on the rear of my 113 (130tq).
You have a 124 and you like the throttle. Sounds about right to me.
[attach=0]
Quote from: Skin on October 17, 2019, 03:40:55 AM
I really like the Michelin Commander II I have on my RG. I've put a lot of them on many motorcycles over the last few years. This is a post your going to get a boat load of different views and opinions, but the Commanders work very well for me and my riding style. Lots of highway and twisties.
:up:
If the American Elite is not holding up I doubt any other tire will be much better.
Go to the Darkside run a car tire! Bob
We've been replacing OEM Dunlops on our escort fleet with American Elites because of the lower cost and availability in the
aftermarket. I just changed the original back tire on a 2016 FLHTP and it got 21,000 miles out of the OEM D407.
That's definitely a record for us.
We have run car tires on the rear of a couple of sidecar rigs but once the sidecar is removed the handling is squishy and the sidewalls don't like cornering.
Quote from: fleetmechanic on October 17, 2019, 08:51:07 AM
We've been replacing OEM Dunlops on our escort fleet with American Elites because of the lower cost and availability in the
aftermarket. I just changed the original back tire on a 2016 FLHTP and it got 21,000 miles out of the OEM D407.
That's definitely a record for us.
We have run car tires on the rear of a couple of sidecar rigs but once the sidecar is removed the handling is squishy and the sidewalls don't like cornering.
That's why they use a run flat tire! Lots of very happy darksiders out there. Facebook has a Darkside group from all around the world. Bob
Michelin Unveils Commander III Tire Line at Biketoberfest in Daytona (https://finance.yahoo.com/news/michelin-unveils-commander-iii-tire-170000683.html)
QuoteGo to the Darkside run a car tire! Bob
I was going to say that but was afraid of getting flamed. If I had a rim that would fit a car tire I would try it in a heartbeat.
On my second set of Commanders and I have no complaints, picked up a roofing nail in Laconia this past June so I'll be replacing the rear this winter, not so much because of the plug but because I ended up having to put some Slime into the tire because the plug lost it's seal.
Looks like I'll try a Commander III.
Mike
Quote from: FXDBI on October 17, 2019, 08:56:56 AM
Quote from: fleetmechanic on October 17, 2019, 08:51:07 AM
We've been replacing OEM Dunlops on our escort fleet with American Elites because of the lower cost and availability in the
aftermarket. I just changed the original back tire on a 2016 FLHTP and it got 21,000 miles out of the OEM D407.
That's definitely a record for us.
We have run car tires on the rear of a couple of sidecar rigs but once the sidecar is removed the handling is squishy and the sidewalls don't like cornering.
When I had my 05 Goldwing I tried a car tire. It wasn't a run flat but once I got the pressure dialed in you really couldn't tell it was a car tire back there. The only times I could tell was pulling up to a light that was rutted from cars and trucks. The bike wanted to lean in the rut. The other times I noticed that I had much better traction taking off in the rain and I could really stand on the rear brake without it breaking loose.
That's why they use a run flat tire! Lots of very happy darksiders out there. Facebook has a Darkside group from all around the world. Bob
I've had big motors with even more power, ride hard and always always get about double what your reporting. You either need to be much more vigilant about it psi or your roads are terrible.
Quote from: smokein on October 20, 2019, 08:04:13 PM
I've had big motors with even more power, ride hard and always always get about double what your reporting. You either need to be much more vigilant about it psi or your roads are terrible.
:agree: back east I used D402's and got decent mileage, as soon as I moved to Arkansas and started riding on the state highways my mileage dropped drastically, seems to be the compound of the roads are different from region to region :nix:
Quote from: Pete_Vit on October 21, 2019, 05:38:19 AM
Quote from: smokein on October 20, 2019, 08:04:13 PM
I've had big motors with even more power, ride hard and always always get about double what your reporting. You either need to be much more vigilant about it psi or your roads are terrible.
:agree: back east I used D402's and got decent mileage, as soon as I moved to Arkansas and started riding on the state highways my mileage dropped drastically, seems to be the compound of the roads are different from region to region :nix:
Similar experience when I lived in the NE. D402's rear.. 10,000 mi.. SC 8,000 mi Fronts seem to still be getting decent mileage though, about 20,000 mi.
Quote from: mrmike on October 17, 2019, 03:04:10 PM
I ended up having to put some Slime into the tire because the plug lost it's seal.
Looks like I'll try a Commander III.
Mike
The Indy that does my tire changes will not do one that has had slime installed. What he calls it is not allowed here. :hyst:
As a Texan riding in mountains occasionally, I have noticed that I get less mileage on tires used for trips to mountainous areas or areas with lots of snow every year. I can definitely tell that highways in New Mexico have a paving that is considerably more coarse than what we have in Texas. I don't know if this is true every where but it has been my observation.
2011 RGU - Ride in the mountains here in east Tennessee. Bike came new with Dunlops - started to cup after so many miles. Switched to Michelin Commanders for two sets. Was happy with them but the cornering in the mountains (Tail of the Dragon and similar roads - need i say more) caused a lot of wear and the front handle bars started their shaking - again!!! On the advice of my indy, tried the American Elite. Am very happy with them. Hard in the center, soft on the sides. Have more cornering confidence in them than I had with the Michelin's. Could be just mental but they ride differently than the Michelin's - not that the Michelin's are not a good tire - they are but I'm preferring the American Elites for my riding style. Also the new tires have eliminated the typical Road Glide front end shimmy when decelerating.
In all honesty, I am not aware of any bad tires in the markeplace. Seems to me that some tires work better on some bikes than others.
Quote from: smokein on October 20, 2019, 08:04:13 PM
I've had big motors with even more power, ride hard and always always get about double what your reporting. You either need to be much more vigilant about it psi or your roads are terrible.
The roads here in Pa are terrible - some of the worst in the country. We have a freeze/thaw pattern here that simply destroys them.
I see a lot of threads lately with people concerned about tire mileage. I don't understand how tread life can be so different from bike to bike and person to person. I understand there can be slight variance, but several thousands of miles?! I also have a 124" and ride 25k+ a year in about every kind of condition you can think of. I'm not god's gift to riding by any means, but frequently ride in a manner where I'm scraping parts and damned near touching the sides of my wheels to the road. With that, I am getting fantastic tread life out of my American Elites. At minimum, double what you're getting.
This year I've taken more long-distance trips than I ever have previously and have encountered the worst roads I've ever seen in my life. This has affected my tread life minimal to none. There must be an underlying root cause for instances like yours. Otherwise, I would be banging on the door to the warranty department for Dunlop.
I always get 9-10K on a rear 402 dunlop. I am going to try the commanders next time though.
Quote from: boooby1744 on October 17, 2019, 07:23:17 AM
[attach=0,msg1319441]
Just spent some time talking/riding and with the guys from Michelin. I got to look at the new Commander III. He said they will have 20% longer tread life than the commander II and the main take away for me was 50% better traction in the rain compared to the CII. They come in two different models, touring and cruiser which is dictated by size.
They have a good looking sidewall as well. [attach=1]
Sidewall
Are the commander III's still going to be made in Thailand.
Quote from: BUGLET on October 30, 2019, 07:55:49 AM
Are the commander III's still going to be made in Thailand.
Yes and that is one reason I prefer the Dunlops.
We've had a car tire on the rear of one of our rigs used only on snow days with a sidecar. It's been on there now for a couple of years and has probably only run a couple of thousand miles. On the first snow days of the season this week the rig went out and came back each time almost flat in the rear. Put it up on two lift tables today and looked everywhere for bubbles with 409 and found none. But then I saw that there were tiny bubbles around the bead areas of both sides of the wheel. The wheel was clean inside and we are now done with the darkside. Replaced it with an AE.
Mileage is listed in Kilometers, divide by 1.61 to get miles, .... 2005 Harley Wide Glide
Calgary, can you run a few more Dunlops and Michelins so we can get a better average? :hyst:
Which model Dunlop?
Quote from: PoorUB on November 02, 2019, 07:28:04 AM
Calgary, can you run a few more Dunlops and Michelins so we can get a better average? :hyst:
Which model Dunlop?
Dunflop 401, ... will probably run a few more Michelin Commander II tires, (but the one i have now will last the winter, don't get out much now, BUT, today will be between 39*F and 46*F with dry roads, so I'm riding), only use Dunlops when I miscalculate tire wear and have to get one while on the road and the place doesn't have Michelins.
Might give one of these Commander III tires a try if they make them in a size that fits my 2005 Wide Glide, but sure am happy with the Commander II
Calgary, always amazed at record keeping, the Dunlop 401 is unchanged since it's inception approx 35yrs ago, the American Elite is leaps and bounds a better tire than the 401 or 402, just sayin' as most of us are comparing the latest models
16 thousand on my MCII. Plenty of burnouts.
Quote from: 92flhtcu on November 04, 2019, 06:11:02 PM
Calgary, always amazed at record keeping, the Dunlop 401 is unchanged since it's inception approx 35yrs ago, the American Elite is leaps and bounds a better tire than the 401 or 402, just sayin' as most of us are comparing the latest models
Read Calgary's last post, looks like he buys the 401 when he can't get anything else.
Quote from: PoorUB on November 05, 2019, 03:37:47 AM
Quote from: 92flhtcu on November 04, 2019, 06:11:02 PM
Calgary, always amazed at record keeping, the Dunlop 401 is unchanged since it's inception approx 35yrs ago, the American Elite is leaps and bounds a better tire than the 401 or 402, just sayin' as most of us are comparing the latest models
Read Calgary's last post, looks like he buys the 401 when he can't get anything else.
what happened to the 491's ? :nix: loved them on the Sporty, guess too high a mileage tire for Dunlop :kick:
Haven't seen anyone mention Conti Contacts . :chop: