I've been using Dunlop 402's. First rear 12500, second rear 11500, third rear 7500. On my fourth. If I get only 7500 again i'm looking at something else. I got 29000 out of my front 402. Changed because of the cupping. I probably could have got another 1000 or so out of it. This is on a '07 FLHT two up riding 98% of the time.

 

I swear by the Pirelli Night Dragons for my Sporty...I feel they are superior in every way. BUT, I have not had them on my RK so I can't say if they would be any different.

Not really what the OP asked for, is it? I'll stay out of this.............

 

I ran Dunlop for 25 years, Went with Metzler in 05. Metzler does everything better. Especially the 21" front. I will stay with them.. Bike handles better than when it was new

 

Been running Metz for over 30 years on everything from dirt bikes (scrambles, motocross, marathons) to HD's and have no reason to run anything else.
I have never tried Avons for the simple reason I have never had a reason to give up on Metz. Every HD I have owned has enjoyed premature replacement of the Dunnies.

 

I've run them all and I'll stay with the Avon Venom series they have given the best combination of all condition ridabilty and wear for my riding habits and bike . Do a bit of looking at bikes not just reading you'll find bigger bikes like geezer glides tend to go Dunlops while sportier bikes and with a bit more aggressive riders lean to Avons . A set of metzlers came on some wheels I picked up once 3 weeks later they where off my bike and the last Bridgestone I ran was on an old BSA around 1979 and that was till I could afford to change it .

 

I've never run Metzlers, so can't comment on them. I can tell you though that the Avons ride and handle better than the stock Dunlops... and mileage is almost as good. You do have to run higher than stock inflation pressure with the Avons. The info is buried on their website, but it's not easy to find. On my Night Train, I found that 40psi rear and 38 in the front (solo) is the sweet spot. I'm using Avon Cobra in the rear and Venox-X in the front. I think the Cobra is the better tire, but it doesn't have a big selection of sizes. YMMV.

 

I swear by the stock Dunlops that came on my Deluxe. Got 25k from the rear and 29k from the front, and there was still tread left. The wear you get from your tires is dictated by how you drive, starting, stopping, cornering etc. One of the guys I ride with only gets about 8-10 k from the same tires on a Heritage, but he rides it like he stole it.

 

I have got go with the Avon Venom crowd.
My bike had Avons on it when I got it and I don't know how may miles they had on them, but I rode on them for 2 years and put about 16,000 km on them.
They still weren't totally worn out yet, but I decided to replace them as the date code on them was from 2001 but they still weren't cracking or deteriorating.

I put Avon Venoms on again, and I have about 9,000km on them and over 8,000 of those km's were on a road trip and I was carrying a couple hundred pounds of tools, baggage and camping gear. I even rode about 100 miles on dirt and gravel roads, and some places where the temperature was 120F (Death Valley).

I run 40psi front and back and there still isn't any sign of appreciable wear on them, and they stick to road like glue.

For the guys that say they get cupping on some brands could be that your tires may be slightly out of balance. I use Dyna beads in them and they ride smooth as glass at any speed. I even re-used them, I just scooped the beads out of my old tires and dumped them into my new tires. I'll never go back to wheel weights. Just a thought.


-

 

IMHO,when a rider puts on new tires they will always feel better then the worn out ones they are replacing, regardless of brand.
tom

 

when i went from the stock tires and put the metz on it was like a different bike, best move i ever made, now i have never had avons so maybe they are as good, but for me why fix something that isen`t broke