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New Tires

franka

franka

Active Member
Time to put new tires on the 07 Road King front and back, even though the front still have some life I prefer to change them at the same time. Have been through two sets of tires since the bike was new and both times installed Dunlop D402's. In the past I've run Dunlop and Metzeler, both nice tires but wondering what the forum thinks, what do you ride on?

Most of my riding is country highways with some freeway
Never ride in the rain unless it catches me!
 
franka said:
Time to put new tires on the 07 Road King front and back, even though the front still have some life I prefer to change them at the same time. Have been through two sets of tires since the bike was new and both times installed Dunlop D402's. In the past I've run Dunlop and Metzeler, both nice tires but wondering what the forum thinks, what do you ride on?

Most of my riding is country highways with some freeway
Never ride in the rain unless it catches me!
Click to expand...

I like Dunlops, soft and sticky, they may wear out quicker but can be found at most tire outlets for a good price:s
 
O.E. Dunlops. Average 8,500 miles rear. Got 19,500 miles front.
 
dbmg said:
O.E. Dunlops. Average 8,500 miles rear. Got 19,500 miles front.
Click to expand...

Yep +1 on the OEM Dunlops. I have ran them on my old Road King and run them now on my new Electra Glide. They claim "sticky on the sides but, harder longer wearing tread in the middle".
 
franka said:
Time to put new tires on the 07 Road King front and back, even though the front still have some life I prefer to change them at the same time. Have been through two sets of tires since the bike was new and both times installed Dunlop D402's. In the past I've run Dunlop and Metzeler, both nice tires but wondering what the forum thinks, what do you ride on?

Most of my riding is country highways with some freeway
Never ride in the rain unless it catches me!
Click to expand...

The good news is there are only about 6 manufacturers of high quality tires for our HD bikes.
  • Dunlop
  • AVON
  • Michelin
  • Metzeler
  • Pirelli
  • Bridgestone
  • Continental (maybe)
Do your homework. Check out the manufacturers' website and get feedback from other sources as well.

I have used the Dunlop D402s and AVON Venoms. Switched to the AVONs after I found an inch long split in the water groove of the rear Dunlop at about 4,500 miles. This has been an issue in the past (see here: Harley Davidson Community). The AVONs are a softer compound and performance is excellent, but they do not last too long.

On my next change, I am going to try the Pirelli Night Dragons. I dismount and mount my own wheels, and have the tire work (mounting and balance) done by an indy (under $35/tire). The tires I order from the Motorcycle Superstore on the phone. The CSR puts me on hold while the warehouseman checks the manufacture date of the tires they want to send me. I will not accept a tire that is older than a year when it gets to me. If the tire(s) is too old, I will not buy it.

TQ
 
I got 11k out of my stock Michelin Scorchers.....good mileage IMO and thought about replacing with the same but the price was crazy! Went with Dunlop k591 and so far I like them. We'll see how long they last though.....3k on them and they are holding up well so far.
 
TQuentin1 said:
On my next change, I am going to try the Pirelli Night Dragons.
Click to expand...

I was talking to the Pirelli & Metzeler tire reps during bike week. Those Night Dragons are suppose to be the ultimate when it comes to performance but you pay the price with longevity.
I was told to only expect 5-6K (tops) miles of rear tire life but the tire performance is matched by none, especially in the wet.

I am running my 2nd set of Metzeler ME880's but want to give the AVON's a try just out of curiosity to see what they are like.

One thing that kinda bothered me about the recent set of Metzeler's I installed was the balance of the rear tire.
First set of tires, the rear needed next to nothing (1/4oz) to zero it in. This time it needed a couple of oz's which surprised me with some dissatisfaction. I balanced the bare rim 1st without the tire so I know the weight applied was for the rubber imbalance only.
Don't know what the deal was with that.
 
I've had stock Dunlops on three new big bikes: VTX, GoldWing, and the current Ultra Classic. I've skid/almost ate it on two of the Dunlop sets. I've run Metz and Avon, and I would never use anything else. Very sticky, and long lasting. I can't speak to the longevity on the Ultra Classic, because I just got them a couple weeks ago.
 
I've run Avons on the FLSTC and the FLTRI. Usually get 10,000 to 12,000mi on the rear. The venon has a sport tyre profile and make both bikes seem a lot lighter handling. They are also great rain tires.
 
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