I had an AE put on the rear last summer and just had the front replaced also with the AE. So far so good. No complaints - the tires are wearing well, I get really good grip, no cupping, and while I have the thin white wall, I see no staining. I got around 15k on the last rear and 23k on the last front. They were AE's as well. I plan on sticking with them unless there's another tire released that provides more miles, better traction, and is cheaper. Most of my riding is backroads and state highways, not too much interstate, but some. The club likes to go to various different places and take the out-of-the-way routes, so we hit a lot of twisties and while we obey most traffic laws, it's not that we don't push it some. Not all bikes in the club are Harley's so there's a variety of riding that goes on. Most of our jaunts are over 100+ miles over a wide variety of terrain. So, based on what I've described, the AE's have performed very well for me.

 

The stocker Dunlop cupped....I put on a set of AE myself, with beads, rear cupped.....Tried another set, took wheels to indie to install tires with him balancing, rear cupped.....

I was religious about checking air pressure.......

Went to a ME 888 on rear about 200 miles ago (had a thread going about the 888 a few weeks ago)......good so far....the Metz is a higher psi tire than the Dunlop.....42 vs 50....I am running the 888 at 48-50 psi.....with no weights or beads.....

I have found no satisfactory answer about the cupping.....I am probably done with Dunlops......

 

I looked it up and yes, you are correct...the stock Dunlops are dual compound as well..my bad.

OP, you're gonna get a lot of different opinions on tires. I'd just suggest you shop and try until you find the ones best suited for you and your riding style.

Buy a pair and see if you like them.

 

Same here.

 

I am on my third pair of American Elites. Liked them better than stock and I get 15,000-16,000 out of the AE's. I replace both when one hits 3/32. I ride hard and long, so I don't want to be thinking of replacing one tire in Timbuktu. I've done that and was happy to get any brand as long as it fits. Originally, I went in to get Commnder IIs, but they were in recall so I went with the AEs. I have not been sorry. I check tire pressure every couple of weeks and they hold firm, all three sets have. I ride in rain as well as desert heat of 110F+ and two up much of the time. Hope they don't screw with them and try to improve them.

 

Wait......what?

50 PSI?? Not quite ready to call BS on this but all of my teaching/learning was that you run the air pressure based on the vehicle requirements which is always posted on the vehicle, either on the inside of the door frame (cage) or the frame itself (downtube on M/C). I just replaced a set of ME 888's with the American Elite's and I can tell you the difference is night and day. The AE's are so for, after about 3,000 miles, a far superior tire. However, in full disclosure, I did run the ME 888's at 40 and 42 PSI, per the HD specifications.

Edit: But I'm always learning!

 

On my 14 and 16 I am on my 3rd set plus 2 sets of stockers. I had to get rid of the stockers on my 14 at 6k due to cupping of the rear. Then switched to AE's they worked out great. Sold that bike and got the 16 rgs and from the first week switched to the AE's because I didn't want the same ordeal as first bike. About 4k into the AE's the rear cupped on that set. Now i am on the 3rd and all is ok. I always check my pressure almost every time i take the bike out. They were not once ridden with improper air, but yes they are a good tire.

I also like the ME 888's i had on a few bikes never once had a issue with them.

There are pleanty of good tires out there just keep them at correct pressure to minimize any failures.

Sorry for the botched sentences i am driving and trying to use Siri (she sucks).

 

Using the pressure Harley recommends is ok for a 42 psi tire such as factory tires, or OEM replacements......

The triple 8's are not 42 psi tires, they are 50 psi......if you run the triple 8 at 42, you are running under inflated, and if you're loaded up, probably over weight (the load the tire is rated to carry is based on the max cold psi on the sidewall).....

I ran the Dunlops at the recommended pressure in the book......

 

I believe they are 2 different tires. My stock rear Dunlop had pretty bad cupping and was wore out with no tread left in the centre around 5000 miles. My air pressures are check regularly and increase for loaded touring. I replaced the rear with an Elite and got over 3 almost 4 times the mileage with minimal cupping towards the end of it's life. My stock front tire wore very well and was replaced with another Elite when I ahd to change the rear tire again this spring. I like the Elites simply because in my case I did get a considerable increase in mileage over the stock rear.

 

As soon as I wear out those POS stock tires I put on AE, love them. On my 2nd set on my '14 limited