So I had my rear tire changed last week at roughly 20k miles. Yesterday I noticed that my front was showing a lot of wear and decided to have that replaced 900 miles later. It didn't take me long to realize that Harley Davidson has cornered the market on yet another piece of the aftermarket business. You will find that your front tire is a 130/60 19 which is only made by Dunlop and can only be purchased at the HD dealer for a $190 WHOPING value!!!! I didn't check with the dealer and you can bump up to a 130/70 19 with out any issues and have a plethora of manufacturer options. Moral of the story, if you want to keep the same size tire, you better start saving or get one now while supplies last.

 

Thanks for the Info. I prefer options. Seems Harley has always done this " proprietary tire sizing" thing. I always rode Metz and lately I had the Commander IIs and like them. They were $176 for the rear on the 2012 RK

 

That is the only 130/19 tire on the market. Other brands (Avon, Metzeler and I think Michelin) make a 120/70/19.

The market is cornered on that 130 tire.

 

The restrictions will come off at about 2 yrs and dunlop will release a generic version like the american elite. Mike

 

Thanks for the info... my front tire was replaced by dealer at 5k due to cracks on tire.

 

Mine was $230. consider yourself lucky!

 

The problem with a tire only being available through Harley is that it will always cost more than an aftermarket tire as dealers will do their best to sell tires at retail. Yes, we have the 20% off guys but when most guys need a tire they look at the bike and realize it is time and drive to the dealer which perpetuates this cycle of retail pricing.

Occasionally I will sell a set of wheels with the stock tires from harley on them and I still sell the tires for the same as I would a less expensive tire but they are priced pretty darned high.

 

You got 20k miles out of the stock tires?

 

I inquired with Michelin and here is their reply.

Shawn, we appreciate your request for a Michelin Commander II tire in size 130/60-19. Unfortunately, we do not manufacture this tire yet and do not have a development production date. Your request will be forwarded to the appropriate Marketing Group for future consideration. Hopefully, we will have the front size when you need to replace your tires.


We appreciate your business and thank you for choosing Michelin.

It is our goal to ensure that your issue has been resolved or your question answered to your satisfaction. If we can assist you further, please respond to this email or call us at*1-800-642-4354*(toll free) between*8:00AM*and*8:00PM*Eastern Time Monday through Friday or between*8:30AM*and*4:30PM*Eastern Time on Saturday.

Sincerely,

Gregg
Consumer Care Department

 

This is like Deja-Vu from 2009, when I bought my 2009 Ultra Classic... OEM Dunlops were the only game in town for a rear tire.