I'm a novice and this is my first bike so please bare with me for a second. When i bought my bike the dealership just placed new tires on it. Since last season i have placed almost 6000 miles on it. the question i have is when do I need to replace tires? I'm hearing conflicting advice. Some say i have till the wear bars show, and others say when its close. Is there a certain tread depth I should be looking for, or are the wear bars a "dummy light" telling me its time to service soon? i haven't hit the wear bars yet but i am getting close. stock tires are Dunlop D401's. should I stick with these, or is there something else i should be looking for?

 

I'm a novice too.

I expect you'll get a lot of opinions. Here's mine:

I've purchased a replacement rear tire for my rear tire which is worn to "close to the wear bars". It has 5000 mi on it. The new tire is going on before I start riding again this spring.

I read posts regularly which allude to guys riding a tire till the canvass shows.

The way I see it, its my **** on "2 only" tires. Tire replacement is expensive but easier than replacing my ****. We have little enough going for us as it is. Just my $0.02.

I had several suitable aftermarket brand / type choices available for my replacement tire. I chose the same brand but a different type/size. Just know that your dealer may have issues with installing an out of spec (HD spec), tire. That doesn't mean a different brand or type is necessarily unsafe. It just means the dealer tech has restrictions based on what HD deems acceptable. I'm having an independent shop install mine.

Hope this helps.

 

I don't know anyone who really rides until the canvas shows. That's just asking for trouble.

Regarding the questions of what tire to use once you decide to replace the current tires, there are many threads on this topic, and opinions vary. However, most posts on the subject that I've read agree that there are many choices available that are better than the Dunlops that came on the bike from the factory. That was certainly my experience. I now run Michelin Commander II tires.

 

Yes, when you're at the wear bar they're done. At that point the manufacturer is saying "they're worn out". Rule of Thumb is 3/32 tread depth is time to replace them (dealers use this tread depth as well). I just run mine until they start feeling slippery and I trash them and get new rubber. I pretty much don't hit the wear bar being I ride hard and that last little bit of tread (generally speaking) isn't as tacky as the top half was. Not worth the risk or even worth not having as much fun as I normally would. I also hear guys running them into the cords... f*ckin retarded, and that's all there is to that. You only got 2 tires to start with. Doesn't take a genius to figure out your odds there.

As far as different brands go, you're going to get probably about as many different opinions as you will asking what oil is the best to go with. That being said I will tell you there is different compounds to look at before choosing brand which to me is more important to narrow that down for your riding style first. I run Sport Touring tires on my FXDB. Will they last as long? Hell no. Do they stick and keep my wheels down and my bars up. Hell yeah! To me it's worth the performance I get in exchange for the lack of mileage. Better braking, handling and they're "safer". I'm in

Hope this helps ya out a bit.

 

it depends on what type of riding you're going to do, if your going to do a lot of straight line interstate commuting you don't need to replace the tires as often, I run mine until they are nearly bald because I commute 70+ miles a day and going though 2 sets a year would suck... There is really no need to replace them before they hit the wear bars. If your tires are bad make sure to take it easy in turns & leave good following distance, the worst situation in motorcycling is trying to make a hard stop on a wet road,,


definitely get something better than the stock Dunlop's, just for looks alone.., the stockers are very hard tires meant for high mileage, but hard tires mean less grip.. you want to get great tires because 1. they could save your butt & 2. your paying a lot of labor to change them so you want them to last.. so buy quality.


I like Dual compound tires, these are tires harder in the middle for good wear & softer on the edges for good corning grip. Dunlop elites are dual compound tires. there are some others as well..


Avon & Pirelli tires are ultra high performance because they are soft but wear faster.. Pirelli night dragons are some really cool looking tires and a good price. Also like Dunlops, they are made in the USA.

also shop around for rebates, there are often a lot of rebates in Spring & fall..

 

You've got some great info here to work with here. Personally I run would run them to the wear bars, but I'd rather not have the down time in the middle of the summer. I ride for fun. With the miles you put on I'm thinking your commuting or you have a lot more time off than me. Or you don't live in VT. With your new tires check the manufactures air presser spec. For your bike and check your air presser offend. My front tire is not even close to the wear bars but its cupped or chopping. "Wear funning." Its gone. Someone mentioned the Commander II. I don't think I have ever heard anything bad about them for a high mileage tire. I don't have them nor do they make them for my bike. Have fun be safe.

 

In stock tires I think you can see the wear indicator near the center of the tire. When you get to the indicator, it's time to change them. After that, you are asking for it in the rain. Your front should still be good, I say should, o go through 2-4 rears to a front depending on brand.

 

Sometimes it's just simpler to just replace them if it's on your mind. Regardless of who says what, if your worried about it just get new ones. Peace of mind is achieved differently by each man.

But yea the wear bars say " replace me now". Doing it a little before you see them is not wrong and If it brings you piece of mind then do it. I'm replacing my front tire this spring when it really doesn't need it. For some reason I will just feel better with a fresh tire so that's what I'm going to do. There's enough to worry about riding motorcycles and worn tires aren't going to be one of those worries for me. It's one or the few things we can actually control

 

The stock tires don't last worth crap... I got 5500 out of my rear K591 and maybe 10k out of the stock F401.

I now ride with a D407 rear, and Michelin Cmdr up front... I regularly get close to 15k on both back and front now... and that's not taking it easy in corners either...

Wear bars showing? replace your tire... which you should have to do every year anyway if you're riding...

 

Might want to look at Elite III or Commander 2 on rear, on a bagger I get 11000 mikes and a buddy of mine get 20000 on rear...