Anybody have experience with not having the same brand on front & rear. I currently have Dunlop D408's but my front tire needs changed. I was thinking about the Mich Commander II for the front, but since I have an almost new Dunlop on the rear, does it make a difference if I have the Commander on the front and the Dunlop on the rear.????

 

I'm running a 880 on the front and an E3 on the rear with no issues

 

Just for the record I had Mich scorchers31 on my bike the rear was done but the front was still good,probley good til the end of the riding season but I wasn't taking any chances mixing the MC11 on the rear and leaving the scorcher on the front so I put front and rear on just for peace of mind.

 

I put a new rear tire on because I ran over a screw 2K miles ago. It cost me $414 for a new tire. Then I look and find a nail in my new tire, and went back to dealer and they won't patch or plug it. I was two days away from going on 1800 mile trip, so had them put another $414 tire on it. I kept the old tire, and am asking around local shops to see if anyone will patch it.

My front tire has about 22K miles on it, and is showing cracks both on the surface and sidewall. It needs to be replaced, but since I have two almost new rear tires, one on the bike, and one that sooner or later will be patched, my concern is whether to just bite the bullet and buy a Dunlop front tire, and when they get old and gray, replace both with the Michelin Commander II.

 

hi just put a set of mc2s on my 07 sg, went with the 140 on back, I have 1400 mi now, with 1200mi on a three day ride, three mountain passes they handel great ride smooth n quiet now if I get the mileage ill be totally happy no more doneslaps bud

 

If there is one thing that keeps the tire discussion going, and going, and going, it is that "Your Mileage Will Vary". The type of bike that you ride, the way that you ride it, and the quality of your roads will all contribute to that variance. I can share my experience, but Your Mileage Will Vary.

I put the recommended Commander II on the back of my 2008 Dyna Superglide last August. At that time, I had the recommended Dunlop on the front, and it still had some life left in. I had no difficulty with that 'mismatch' combination. This March, the front was wore down, and I put the recommended Commander II on the front. I did not notice any difference, beyond it being a new tire. I have just replaced the rear Commander II with another Commander II. Obviously I am satisfied with them.

Prior to trying the Commander II, I had only run the the recommended Dunlop on both the rear and the front. I am in Western PA, where many of our roads are rough tar and chip roads that eat tires. I ride solo. I ride hard, most often out doing the twisties in the mountains of PA, WV, MD, VA, and OH, usually riding with sport bikes. I run the HD recommended tire pressure in these Commander IIs. I change my own tires and I use Dynabeads. I have not experienced any handling or traction problems with the Commander IIs - they stick in the twisties just as good as the Dunlops did and they run smooth on the highway, with just the Dynabead balancing.

I did not get great life out of the Superglide Dunlops. The tires for the Superglide have a pretty soft compound. My rear Dunlops have lasted 6000, 6100, 5900, 5675, and 3490 miles. Usually they were taken to the cords, including the last one. My front Dunlops have lasted 12100, 10600, and 10200 miles. Usually replaced whenever they were out of tread.

Time will tell on the Commander II that I put on the front in March. I will not know that until some time next spring or summer. However, I can report on the Commander II that I just removed from the rear. It had 8500 miles on it whenever I removed it. I probably could have run it for another 500-1000 miles 'to find the cord'. But, it was convenient to change it now as this is prime riding time around here. 8500 miles was not twice the 6000 or 6100 miles I got out of my first two rear Dunlops, but it was more than twice what I got out of my last rear Dunlop. (see pictures)

The recommended Commander II was a few bucks more than the recommended Dunlop. But when you are changing your tires yourself, stretching out the tire changing intervals makes it well worth the few extra bucks for the tire.

Your Mileage Will Vary !!

 

You spent $414.00 on A tire? As in one tire? Please tell every one where you bought it at so we all can avoid that place! Is it Titanium belted? I take it from the sounds of your post its a stock Dunlop that was put back on?

 

I was always an Avon fan, loved the handling and the ride ... got this Streetglide in April of 2012 with 2100 miles on it and the H-D Dunlops ... rode to Key West, rode the Tail of the Dragon, rode the mountains in Arkansas and this past January I had 16,330 miles on them and the back tire was down to almost bald ... looking at getting new tires and a co-worker tells me his kid had upgraded his StreetGlide's wheels and tires and was selling his stock ones ... so I talked to his son and he offered me the tires and rims off his Streetglide, had a 100 miles on them, for $400 bucks for the pair ... yes, I took them and 7 months later I have just shy of 12,000 miles on them and they still have miles to go left on them. Yall can say what you want about the stock Dunlops, but I rode to the Pacific Coast last month, they have handled well and last well. That being said though, I am going to look into the Michelin Commander II's for the next set ... does anybody have any input on how many miles they have gotten on them?

 

The stock Dunlop with HD logo with narrow white wall, P/N 43332-09 sells for $301.95 at my dealer, plus one hr labor to mount & balance @ $95 hr plus shop supplies & tax came to $414.

I could have bought it cheaper on line, but then pay shipping so my savings may be about $40 per tire had I gone that route. I support the dealer when I can. FWIW, the same tire from a dealer in Illinois was $249.56 plus $10 shipping.

 

13,000 miles on my FatBoy Lo and shopping for tires... Had a little time so I came here to borrow some expertise. Local Indy recommended MC II. After reading what I think was a 6 page Michelin commercial, I called and ordered them. Yup, read the entire thread, drank the Kool-Aid, ordered tires. Got 6,500 miles out of first rear, and another 6,500 out of second rear, and now at 13,000 I'm looking at replacing both front and rear. Not down to the cords, but indicators are gone. Looking forward to being happy with my new Michelins.