What you state is very true. There is always a marked inprovement when old, worn tires are replaced. ie, the OEM Dunlops wear out, rider installs new tire and "Man these new tires are sure much better then those Dunlops" Yes a new Dunop will feel better also. I have used Dunlop tires since the 70's with never a failure and a good balance between wear,ride and handling. They are also made in America.:42:
Tires - studied so much im brain dead
- Thread starter Amish Hawg
- Start date
What you state is very true. There is always a marked inprovement when old, worn tires are replaced. ie, the OEM Dunlops wear out, rider installs new tire and "Man these new tires are sure much better then those Dunlops" Yes a new Dunop will feel better also. I have used Dunlop tires since the 70's with never a failure and a good balance between wear,ride and handling. They are also made in America.:42:
titan307
Member
tires are like beer, everyone has their favorite. you will get many votes for one tire as the other. for me, im trying out a set of Shinko 230 tourmasters on my Ultra Classic and so far these tires have been really good. I have about 1800 mile about half that was 2 up since i put them on. the handling has been great so far and they seem to be wearing very well but not enough miles to give a true assessment.
I dont use wheel weights either i use Dyna Beads. my thinking is, as tires wear they wear differently from when first balanced and the beads will always go to the correct place where as weights dont move as needed.
I dont use wheel weights either i use Dyna Beads. my thinking is, as tires wear they wear differently from when first balanced and the beads will always go to the correct place where as weights dont move as needed.
I went Dunlop - we'll see what happens. Thanks for the input. Yes, i got the Wide White Walls 
Mongo1958
Junior Member
I put the new Dunlop American Elite on my Ultra. So far it's a great tire.
The Prophet
Member
I think it depends a LOT on what type of riding you do, and your air pressure choices.
OP states "some 2 up riding, mostly highway."
Therefore a harder compound, strictly "Touring" rated tire might be a good choice to consider. No mention of frequent slicing through the twisties, etc, so softer, grippier sidewalls are not a big deal.
Air Pressures: One of those endless debates. Note that in the owners manual (mine anyway) the author notes that the posted pressures are based on a single, 180 Lb. rider.
There is no hard fast calculation, but I'll suggest say 2 PSI for every 20 Lbs. of rider weight over that, of course not to exceed the Max pressure listed on the sidewall.
"Cupping". poor handling, and rapid tire wear - IMO - are mainly from too low, or sometimes too high, air pressures. That, and a tire/wheel imbalance.
I am 215 Lbs, wife about 140 Lbs. I run 45 PSI in the rear, 40 PSI in the front, and 45 PSI in the Air Shock.
Bike seems to handle and feel best at these settings, and very little tire wear. We do +12,000 miles / year on average. We also use "Ride-On Tire Sealant", with no weights. Have been since about 2007 on our Bikes. Ride is super smooth, like glass, and I truly believe we get increased tire life because of the Tire Balancing / Less Vibration effect. I swear by it.
RKC with Wide Whitewalls also limits your choices.
Maybe we could have a Poll on tire choices for the RKC? I'm not computer savvy enough to start a Poll. Anyone?
Good Luck,
Bob
OP states "some 2 up riding, mostly highway."
Therefore a harder compound, strictly "Touring" rated tire might be a good choice to consider. No mention of frequent slicing through the twisties, etc, so softer, grippier sidewalls are not a big deal.
Air Pressures: One of those endless debates. Note that in the owners manual (mine anyway) the author notes that the posted pressures are based on a single, 180 Lb. rider.
There is no hard fast calculation, but I'll suggest say 2 PSI for every 20 Lbs. of rider weight over that, of course not to exceed the Max pressure listed on the sidewall.
"Cupping". poor handling, and rapid tire wear - IMO - are mainly from too low, or sometimes too high, air pressures. That, and a tire/wheel imbalance.
I am 215 Lbs, wife about 140 Lbs. I run 45 PSI in the rear, 40 PSI in the front, and 45 PSI in the Air Shock.
Bike seems to handle and feel best at these settings, and very little tire wear. We do +12,000 miles / year on average. We also use "Ride-On Tire Sealant", with no weights. Have been since about 2007 on our Bikes. Ride is super smooth, like glass, and I truly believe we get increased tire life because of the Tire Balancing / Less Vibration effect. I swear by it.
RKC with Wide Whitewalls also limits your choices.
Maybe we could have a Poll on tire choices for the RKC? I'm not computer savvy enough to start a Poll. Anyone?
Good Luck,
Bob
I got the 402 on the rear - the front is fine. But you know, Checkers and your post, Prophet, makes sense on putting more PSI in there. Since I quit smoking, and quit climbing poles, I packed on a few pounds. 215 now. ok ok A LOT of pounds.
I have my mileage set, so we'll see what i get on these. Twistys? Once every second blue moon when I get away from Dallas/Austin. I expect 6k easily by March/April.
Im thinking i may have had them set too low which would explain the rapid wear. It got a little goosy around corners there towards the end.
I went with Motorcycle Superstore. I love it when I find a misplaced gift card ( free ! )
Forks done, cams coming for a rainy day. Im banking on Santa for the Batwing and Tour Pack. Regardless, life is good.
Thanks for the heads up. Im riding (errrrrrrr working) tomorrow, so I'll give it a try.
I have my mileage set, so we'll see what i get on these. Twistys? Once every second blue moon when I get away from Dallas/Austin. I expect 6k easily by March/April.
Im thinking i may have had them set too low which would explain the rapid wear. It got a little goosy around corners there towards the end.
I went with Motorcycle Superstore. I love it when I find a misplaced gift card ( free ! )
Forks done, cams coming for a rainy day. Im banking on Santa for the Batwing and Tour Pack. Regardless, life is good.
Thanks for the heads up. Im riding (errrrrrrr working) tomorrow, so I'll give it a try.
hogrotten
Junior Member
They put those dyna beads in my tires too and I personally don't like them, first reason is I want to know how much that tire IS out of ballance and secondly they don't seem to do as good of a job over 90MPH. JMTCW