211 chuck seems to have lots of expierence with tires. I respectfully disagree with his opinion of the E3. It is THE tire for a cruiser. My opinion only.
Gary

 

Pirelli does not make a tire for an Ultra but they do make
tires that fit other Harley's.

I never said that Pirelli's were the best tire, I said they
have the most traction...

The best tire for a rider is the one that suits their style
of riding provided they have the riding skills to know
the difference. Which at least 95% of street riders do
not have the riding skill level to know the difference
from a good or bad tire never mind which one handles
the best for their riding style. Case in point, if 95%
of ridersdid have those skills,Dunlop would propably
not sell very many tires to street riders!

 

Gary;

The E3 is considered a touring/cruiser tire because of it's
hardness and lack of traction which is what gives you the
longer tread life. Which is just fine if you ride like an old
woman and never get yourself in a life or death panic
situation.

On the other hand if you want to be ready for the deer
that jumps out in front of you or the drunk driver that
trys to kill you, you best don't ride on full touring
cruiser type tire with marginal traction to getlonger
tread life...

My self personally I prefer to have more brake power then
I normally needso I have plenty in reserve for those
unexpected lifeor death situations. I also prefer to have
more tire traction then I normally need so I have plenty in
reserve for those unexpected lifeor death situations..

Each to their own,but when it comes to the life of one of
my loved ones or my own life I'll mount as many sets of
tires a year as it takes to be as safe as is humanly possible.

After all money is no object when it comes to human life...

 

Well, Chuck, you're the first person I've heard so far that finds the E3's unacceptable. Since this tire was originally developed for Gold Wings I've been watching the GW forums, and the E3 appears to be held in high regard. I'll find out for myself, as I will try and E3 rear when this stock D402 wears out.

Quote:

#5 Stock HD Dunlop Their a good black rim protector and thats about it just like 98% of OEM tires out there!

You claim to be an experienced rider and I believe it, but I've also logged quite a few miles in 41 years of riding. My experience with the D402 is far different. In probably 150k miles through 33 states on these tires through rain, mud, gravel, sleet, hail, and one tropical storm, I can cite two cases where the tires gave me a nervous moment, all in wet conditions. In one case, it involved hitting a plastic lane divider in a twisty section of the Cherahala Skyway in NC--no more than a quick squirm. In 1998 in Sturgis we hit a section of road that caused all bikes to weave badly but only briefly, obviously caused by a mix of oil and water on the road. There were accidents there, but not involving my group. In each of these cases I would bet money any tire would give the same result under the same conditions, and in neither of these cases did the behavior cause an accident. I'm not an aggressive rider but I don't ride like an old lady either.

My point is that I don't feel the D402 is a bad tire, quite the contrary, but I'm changing to extend tire mileage. I realized 14k or more on D402's in the late 90's, but mileage dropped off to 12k later for the MT90's I was running on my old RK. These new MU85's are not wearing even that well, the first going only 10k. This won't cut it and I'm moving on to the E3 next. Will report on it when the time comes, but based on reports I've read I don't expect to be disappointed.

 

I don't get it, loads of people say they use Metzelers on their Kings and Glides, but I cant find tyres of the correct load rating for my 07 King. I even emailed Metzeler and they stated they didnt make a tyre to fit my bike. Avon Venoms fit the bill on speed/size/load rating, and of course Dunlop provide tyres suitable. Is it just that a lot of folks just ignor the load ratings or am I missing something.

I think the Dunlops are too hard a compound for me, if I can find a tyre to give me 8000-9000 miles I will accept that compromise. I too would rather give up a little mileage for a little more feel and grip. I have to say I also find the ride on the OEM Dunlops very firm which I think adds to my fatigue on longer runs.

I have to say that I have never had so many miles on a tyre as I have on these OEM Dunlops but thats not my priority.

WB

 

We live close enough to each other to meet and do
a test together. Your SG on E3's against my Ultra
on Michelins.

We can run down the highway at 70 MPH dry and
stand on the front brakes as hard as we can and see
who's rear tire lifts off the ground under very" hard"
braking and whos front tire slides without lifting the
rear tire off the ground?

Then we can do the same test in the wet at 70 MPH
and see whos motorcycle slides the front tire and
whos rear tire lifts off the ground.

 

130/90-HB 16 Front

140/90-HB 16 Rear

I hope this helps you....