What experiences have you had with different brands of tires?

I've always taken the safe route and used Dunlops. I figured that the bike was designed for these tires so that's what I've used.

Am I missing out on anything by not using another brand?

I've heard some claims that other brands have cuased vibrations, wobbles, etc. (especially Avons).

What's your thoughts on this topic? If you've gone to another brand tell us why and how's it panned out for you.

 

Got METZELER ME 880s and love them!

 

And what were the advantages of the METZELER ME 880s over the dunlops?

 

I had the METZELER ME 880s on my 07 EGC and loved them. They are a softer tire and they say they stick on the truns better. The only down fall with a soft tire is you have to replace them sooner. I know for me I only got about 8,000 miles on the back tire and that was making sure the tire pressure was right on the money every ride.

You will find that Tires are a personal pref. I will keep the Dunlops on the 09.

 

Yep on the Dun plops. Avon and Metzler are a softer compound which give a better ride but I got almost 15K out of my rear Dunlop and have 30K on the front tire. I have not had any problems with balance or wobble.

I'll probably stick with them.

 

I am happy with my stock 402's but going to replace both tires with Elite3's. They have received good reviews and are less $ then the 402's.

 

I've heard from Metz owners that they handle better, but I've never been given a clarification on how they're better. Since they reportedly aren't as durable as even the D402 I never jumped to buy them. I rode on D402's for >100k miles with my old RK through 33 states and had only three tense moments, none of which were tire-related and none resulted in an accident. I rode through rain, hail, dry, and one tropical storm in that time period, and since some of my frequent touring partners ride BMW's and other sport-touring bikes I don't putt around in the twisties. So, I have a hard time figuring out how to improve upon the D402 in terms of handling.

Well, there is a way in terms of durability. After hearing isolated but rave reviews on Dunlop Elite 3's (E3) a few years ago I started researching them. These tires were originally designed for Gold Wings and that crowd had been giving the tires excellent reviews. Then the E3 started infiltrating the Harley market and the positive reviews kept coming in, as you can find out by doing a search here on "Elite 3" or "E3".

I installed an E3 rear last May in hopes of decreasing the frequency of rear-tire replacements. As of last week it has been ridden 9K and has 6/32" of tread remaining (new is 11/32"). While I got 10k on the first two D402's, this E3 looks like it may go 18k or more if the last half of the tread is as durable as the first. As for performance these tires are faultless in my limited experience with them, both in wet and dry. I see no downside to these unless you must have WW, and recommend them highly. They are also less expensive than the D402 or ME880.

 

Bought a new rear dunlop for my 08 FLHT 18,000 mi and still have 3/32 probley change it next time the weather turns bad. I love the stock Dunlops!

 

Metz ME 880 front/rear

They don't cup.
They don't grow at speed .
Better handling, including on metal bridges.
8k-10k normal mileage on rear.
You can install a 150/80/16 rear on a 04'-08' stock bike.
Hard to get if you need one on a road trip.

 

Has anyone ever used the Elite II tires?

The tread design on the E3's is markedly different than the 402's. They have no center groove, thus the reasoning for them being better at water dispersion and rain groove management. I would assume this also helps with lean-angle grip but have never seen a professional review.

I emailed Chris Maida at American Iron this past week but all he said was that Pirelli makes a good tire for rain groove management.