Headed to work this morning felt the back end start walking pulled in a station and checked my rear tire..its losing air and has a little bit of cord showing. Got some air in it and got up here to work. The tires been on since march and has less than 5k on it (I'll have an exact number when i get home). I ran this tire when i went to a 18x5.5 rear wheel, tire is a Metz 880 180/55-18 running it at 40 pounds (metzeler rep recommended this in beginning) Doesnt seem like it should have worn this quick. I called Metz and the guy told me that with that size rear wheel and my bike (2010 wide glide) that tire is not load rated for my bike and they dont make one that is. So one of my questions is does anyone else have this problem with this size wheel and tire combo? I dont see why an inch taller wheel makes that significant of a difference. I ride hard and work 7 on 2 off so most of the miles are to and from work which is mostly a straight running average 85. I roll on hard a lot also so i know that takes from the tire life but i wouldnt expect it to be as low as it is. This is my first Metz on this wheel and didnt last long. So what is everyone getting milage wise on an 880 rear? Last question is will a 200 fit without modification ive done some reading and gotten mixed answers. And those have a higher load rating than the 180s. Thanks.

 

I did a little reading and surprisingly, yes, the load rating of that tire is a bit weak for any dyna. I had difficulty finding a chart but found one here:

http://www.vtxcafe.com/showthread.ph...ad-Ratings-Huh

And this indicates your tire is rated for 827lbs. WG weighs ~650. That means if you + your gear exceed 173 lbs, you are exceeding the rated weight for the tire so these results, unfortunately, seem reasonable

I am getting about 8k out of mine

 

Man sounds like some bs. Im 6'3" weighing 235 not to mention when she rides were way overloaded.
A 200 is a little higher rating at 76 but still

 

So your running this tire, your overweight, and still getting 8 out of it

 

I run the same size tire on my Bob, was on for a couple years till I recently damaged it hitting a sinkhole. Hardly any wear, about 6-7K on it. I weigh about 240....

 

My weight is ~180 lbs with gear

My Metzeler rear is 160/70B-17's with a load rating of 79 = 963 lbs

For reference on my 8k = Street Bob ~640 lb + ~180 lb rider&gear = 820 lbs

EDIT: Oops, don't forget we all have to add about 30 lbs for gasoline & oil and stuff. I was giving dry weights (going off HD website)

EDIT 2: Interesting information... harley's site gives stock tire loads as well... turns out WG has a stock load of 75 and a Bob of 73. So 74 suddenly seems more reasonable...and it dawns on me the rating is for the load JUST on that tire. Actually we are sharing the load with the front tire too ... so more I think about it, the more the load-argument is just that. a load.

 

charts i've seen show a 180 as the largest tire you can fit on your bike

 

Did you ever think about checking your tires every once in awhile, before riding? Especially if your wife is a passenger!

 

She rarely rides but thanks for your input that had nothing to do with the question asked

 

I've seen threads with people running 200s but yes the charts say 180