I run Avon on my 93 FLSTC and have done for the last 3 sets of tyres,they handle well,give good traction in both wet and dry conditions,I also travel mostly 2 up and have never seen a split in any of my tyres apart from the puncture I had,but that was caused by a piece of steel.What you need to be aware of with Avons is that there are Avons that are made for Harleys and there are Avons that are made for sport bikes,they are available in the same sizes and look identical,the difference is that the ones made for Harleys have a much stiffer carcass,I always check mine before I buy them,with the tyre unmounted stand the tyre up and push down on top of the tread,you shouldn't be able to crush the tyre very far at all if it is the correct tyre,if you can then it is a sports tyre and not suitable for a Harley.If you buy your tyres from a place that doesn't specialise in Harleys then it is a real possibility.And it could explain why you have seen cracks in some of your tyres RKboy.

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I've used ME 880's , and ME33/ME1's (different ride) good wear , good wet and dry traction . Currently running AM41 Venoms , I find them very similar to the Metzelers with a little better traction and a little worse wear. Both great

 

93HD - what did you end up going with and how do you like them. I need new tires for my 03 heritage.

 

You can't go wrong with either. I prefer the Metz though and have used them on just about every bike I ever owned - all the way back to 1975. They make a great tire... it's always fun to see the reaction of someone who has only used Dunlop, the first time they ride their scoot with the Metz, it's always a big smile.

 

Have run Dunlops, Metzler 880, and Avon Venom X. Read many reviews on people raving about the Avons, that's why I tried them. My experience was exact opposite. Avons were hard and TERRIBLE on wet pavement. I have less that 3000 miles on them, but they will be coming off this spring. Don't feel safe on them on wet pavement. Never felt that way with the Metzler or Dunlop. Got slightly better mileage with the Dunlop, but Metzler not that much different. Metzler did seem to handle better.

 

my local HD shop pushes the Metz. I am planning on getting the Metz. I have had nothing but flops so far.

I just happen to stop by the shop yesterday, to pick up a few bolts. I stopped in to the service desk to say happy new year to the Service Manager and we talked a bit about tires since I am in the market right now. He uses Metz, and said he gets better mileage than the flops on his Road Glide. I think whether or not you get better milieage must depend on your riding style - which is true with the flops as well. Look at how many people only get 10k from the rear, and so many others that get upwards of 15K or better.

Of the folks at my local shop, he is the ONLY person that I value and trust when it comes to opinions and suggestions.

I was also on the phone with a sales rep for one of my vendors at work. He rides a VRod and it has been in the shop for a long time now, waiting on a new tire. He said the story he is getting from his HD shop is that the Dunlop employees are on strike right now, so inventory is limited. First I had heard of anything like that, but then again I don't read much about people banging down the door to get a flop
I told him to get a Metz

 

I got 17,000 milesout ofthe lastrearME880 on my 1100 V-Star (620 lbs metric cruiser) and was very pleased with it. Most of my riding is long distance freeway on my commute. They wore quite nicely and handled well.That bike still wears ME880's with the wide white wall. They're excellent tires.

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Although I ran Metzlers on my Triumph Speed Triple, I have run nothing but Avon Venoms on my Night Train. When I bought the HD, friends said the Venoms are the best handling HD tires. Since I ride my bike like a sport bike, that's what I wanted. Wear isn't a big issue for me, as my Triple went through rears quickly (if I got 2500 miles, I was thrilled!). So far, the Venoms seem to be good for up to 10k, which is fine by me!

 

recently took the Avon's off. poor mileage and went with Dunlop Elite III. So far love the 3's waiting to see mileage results.

 

I would say my 880's lasted a long time....over 22,000 miles on them and just replacing with the new ME 888's that give even higher mileage