Best replacement tires for the$$
Road Captain
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 546
Likes: 0
From: Arizona
dunlop tires suck in my opinion. i have owned 6 bikes. they have all come with dunlop tires as stock except for one of my bikes. as soon as they wore out, i change to the highest performance tire i can get that stays within my budget. i ride about 10K a year, so i need tires i can afford to change out almost twice a year. my suggestion is to find out how many tires you are going to need a year. and buy the best you can.
if you like dunlops, id go with the E3s if you can afford them. if you like metzler, lots seem to like the ME880s, and i just got a set for my new-to-me harley. the pirelli night dragons are supposed to be an ultra high performance cruiser tire. R&D costs money, so the more expensive the tire, generally the higher quality tire.
sometimes you can find great deals on the web or from your local indy. good luck with whatever you decide.
if you like dunlops, id go with the E3s if you can afford them. if you like metzler, lots seem to like the ME880s, and i just got a set for my new-to-me harley. the pirelli night dragons are supposed to be an ultra high performance cruiser tire. R&D costs money, so the more expensive the tire, generally the higher quality tire.
sometimes you can find great deals on the web or from your local indy. good luck with whatever you decide.
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 8,831
Likes: 15
From: Nomad
Faber,I agree.I am not looking to get into some cheep piece of crap.I am just looking for everyones input on what tires are good that dont cost a ton.I was looking at the d404 or the metzler 880 or?Just trying to do alitle research before I drop the scratch on two new hoops.Thanks
I run the D404s myself. Durability is important to me, given some of the road surfaces we have here in Montana. I go through a set each summer. (~10-12K) Some swear by the superior handling of the ME 880.
The savings would come in finding the deal. Some online vendors offer free shipping on tires, which is a big savings. And if you have the means to install yourself.......that's the biggest savings.
Road Warrior
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,460
Likes: 1
From: pasco county FL
I went with the Dunlop Elite 3's before heading to Sturgis this year and they are MUCH improved over the stock ones on my 07 Ultra. Not a bad price from bikebandit.com
Dunlop Elite 3 Motorcycle Tire 1 $102.02
Dunlop Elite 3 Motorcycle Tire 1 $115.67
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Dunlop Elite 3 Motorcycle Tire 1 $102.02
Dunlop Elite 3 Motorcycle Tire 1 $115.67
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Thread Starter
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Advanced
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 56
Likes: 0
From: martinez
Has anyone here ran the bridgestone i think its a s11 spitfire?They look to be wider than the dunlop and metzler even in the same size sitting side by side.A guy at a bike shop I was at told me there are a awesome tire,but have never heard anyone that has used them?I plan on trying to go to my local cycle gear tomorrow and checking things out.I would like to get something before saturday so I could ride it.Now that I know the tires are sooo bad on it I am afraid to push my luck.A blow out on a bike is no fun.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 9,918
Likes: 4,692
From: West Texas Sandhills
I prefer Avon's, but they're getting so high priced, I will probably go with another brand next time. I think the best bang for the buck are the Dunlop Elite 3's, and that's probably what I will go with next time.
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Cruiser
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 188
Likes: 0
From: Arizona, USA
I've had the Bridgestone S11 Spitfires on 2 different bikes (honda nighthawk, '02 FXDL) and I love em! Great tires for aggressive riding. Had the ME880's on 1 bike (Suzuki Volusia) not worth the extra cash. Stock IRC rubber handled just as well in all conditions and the ME880's didn't last any longer. Bridgestone discontinued my rear tire size so I went back to the stock HD Dunlops. And that's my 2 cents.