Metzler tires???????????????

[Hoople]

In another thread it was pointed out that Metzler's have 2 ply side walls.
The Dunlop is 4 ply, important when you get a flat at 65mph, I know.

You had me wondering so I checked mine since I'm running a set of ME 880's.

The Front tire says it's 4 ply polyester Thread & 4 ply polyester Sidewall.

The rear tire is 5 Polyamide Thread & 3 ply Polyamide sidewall.

Not as good as 4 but not as bad as 2.

 

[deucedog]

I'm on my second set Metzlers and I'm quite happy with them. I've found them to be much better in rain, and as others have said, they don't follow the cracks and tar snakes like the Dunlops did. I do more slab riding than curves as I commute at 75 mph. This does cause the center of the rear tire to wear more quickly than the rest of the tire, which causes a little 'shoulder' that can be felt when leaning the bike over in a turn. It started to show up at around 8000 miles on the last tire. I had one guy tell me to " just do a burnout and lean the bike from side to side" to get rid of the flat spot. uh, no thanks.

I may try the Venom's at some point, but I'm quite happy with the Metzlers.

 

[Mad Dog Jim]

They've been in business since 1863, and making nothing but MC tires for the last 33 years. Plus they are made in a Country that has some of the best working conditions, and wage/bennefit systems in the world. (in other words - Happy, Competent Employees) Nothing wrong with Dunlops, just saying that Metzelers are not junk!

 

[dbmg]

After 25 years of riding and a few motorcycles, my best results have been with Dunlop. Seem to be the best bang for the buck.

 

[Mad Dog Jim]

I try to avoid BANG when it comes to tires... just kidding - had to...

 

[drbillk]

Wear and ride are on two opposite sides of the spectrum. ME880 are great rain tires and they ignore tar snakes and concrete grooves. They have a higher % of silica in them so they grip but I would not expect them to get the mileage as you would with other brands. I am told that the only tire which has a higher silica content is the Dragon.

+1 about ME880's. I switched to them about 4 years ago. They are all I use anymore. Better handling and ride. Personally, I find they wear about the same, which confuses me a bit... but, I won't argue with them.

 

[SkootchNC]

I have heard great things about these. But my dealership says different. A few good men have told me how much better these wear and ride compared to the hd dunlops. I need to put new rubber on my bike and am tempted to try these out. WATS UR THOTS

Both the OEM, and Metzler are "good tires"... MORE to the point, is YOUR experience with the OEM tires? How do YOU feel about their grip? handling? and wear?

On my 05 FLTR I replaced both OEM Dunlops with a set of Metzler M-880s. I found the grip was much better, but the rear tire wore out in just 8,000 miles. I went to the Dunlop Elite-3 rear tire and found the grip was similar, and my bike felt fine. After 13k, I replaced both tires with Dunlop E-3's...(the tires I had wanted, but the local indy messed up the order).. and have been running E-3's since.

All tires are compromises... there is wear, grip, and tread life.... you WILL give up one, to get the other two. On MY bike... the way I ride, over the roads in NC.... I get the best of all worlds on a set of Dunlop Elite-3's.

As always, YOUR miles may vary