bad rear tire mileage

[mlrc10]

I changed out my OEM tire at 19,126 mile on my 2010 Ultra . Went back with the same thing but didn't do as good this time .I'm closing in on 36,000 miles and have started shopping for front and rear tires . I may ride a geezer glide , but I ride it like I stole it . I one common thing I see , is the guys that get high mileage ....ride the new frame .

 

[rollo3076]

My guess,,,,, at 16,000 miles there is no tread for rain in the center area of the tire. That's not for me. I'm at the middle of my 3rd rear tire with 20,000 miles on the bike. I got a little more milage out of the factory stock Dunlop tire but I like the softer compound of the ME880's in the rain. I think what your getting for milage is not far from normal.

It also depends where you live. In ElPaso Texas where it rains 3 days a year, I might push it further.

I got about 15000 on one of mine, but it was way too slick to ride safely. I have about 10000 on the present tire and it won't pass inspection. Thats the norm.

 

[ronherman]

i never got more than 10,000 miles on a back tire and as low as 7000. so you are doing good. i have gotten 18,000 miles on a front!

 

[NEWHD74FAN]

Using stock Dunlops like the others have said should yield about 8-10k miles for the rear, twice that for the front, and if the tread is nearing the wear bars or 1/32" especially if winter is approaching, change them out sooner rather than waiting for that extra 1000 miles or so. Tire pressure is a key factor here, if the wear is even across the tread and you have been riding modest (i.e. straight up without severe lean angles or speed most of the time, wear will be more or less even)...if extremely worn on edges, likely under inflated or high up the sidewalls you ride like you stole it most of the time...:s

 

[largecar91]

I guess I'll update this thread I started. I decided to try some cheaper tires to see what that did. I figured if I am only getting 6-8000 per tire if I could get maybe 5000 on a cheap tire for 1/2 the price I would be ahead of the game. I tried 2 different models of Shinkos on the back. The 1st one yielded around 4-5000 and was bald. The 2nd one(a different model Shinko)got about 2500 miles and was bald. Then I went to a good tire again Continental Milestone. I am running pretty much bald again and have 5200 miles on this one. I have gone full circle and I now have 2 new Dunlop 402 Harley wide whitewall tires sitting here ready to be mounted. I am going to go thru everything again (Swingarm, axle alignment, balance, air pressure, etc). Going to try the feeler gauge trick to shim the axle and see if it helps. I have 81,000+ on her now and I plan on putting another 81,000 on her and hope to do it with less than 20 more tires.

 

[dbmg]

The mileage you are getting is normal. A heavy bike, high torque numbers and a lot of riding. be glad you are not hot rodding for mileage would be a lot less. With the non Harley tires be careful of proper load rating and ill handling from 2 different manufactured tires on bike.

 

[Breeze3at]

I was never able to get more than 8 K on a D402 rear on my Electra. My riding habits are like yours. I often wonder how some people are able to get 15 K on a rear D402 on an E.G. No problem on my Dyna, but not the E.G. I'm now on a Dunlop Elite 3, which most reviews say are good for 15 K on an Electra Glide. So far i like everything about the E3 except "no whitewall", I really miss my narrow white stripe. Price is comparable with D402.

I now have 10,200 miles on my E-3's. The rear tire has 3/32" tread left in the center
(new was 11/32") so I'm about 75% used up, and should get about 13k on this tire. Same price as a 402, so I think I will go with another E-3.

 

[67wizard]

I have had good luck with the stock Dunlops 407 and 408. Get about 19k to 21k on the rear still tread left. Most of my riding is highways and byways. Doin baby it but also don't do burn outs. I'll stay with the dunlops for Harley.

 

[jsvt184]

+1 on the Dunlop 407 and 408. They passed inspection last spring with over 17000 miles on them. The rear is getting a little smooth in the center now but I'll be able to finish off the riding season before needing new tires.

 

[DFHarley19]

+1 on the Dunlop 407 and 408. They passed inspection last spring with over 17000 miles on them. The rear is getting a little smooth in the center now but I'll be able to finish off the riding season before needing new tires.

This morning, HD dealer passed inspection with 17,356 miles on the original tires. She said I could have 3,000 or 4,000 more miles on them. Neat!!! I believed the new frame is the main reason.