My '09 SG has the same pattern direction as your red bike. I'd contact Dunlop and ask them what's up.

 

the tread allows the water to fall out quickly. on any automobile they will be oriented that way. Dunlops seem to have no standard way of orientation. i would think the red bike would scoop up more than it displaces becoming dangerous BUT my 01 was like that on the front and i rode many a mile in hard rain with no apparent handling or braking problems.

 

I have the 407s on my 09 RG and they are mounted like the red bike. I had read this post before I left on a 1200 mile trip and on the 2nd day started having issues with front end wobble on wet or rough asphalt. The vibration was there on dry smooth asphalt too, but to a much lesser extent. Had to slow way down on the wet and rough asphalt in the curves and could barely keep up with a friend on an Ultra pulling a trailer through the curves. Checked for and found the cupping issue at the next gas station. Had to ride two more days like that before getting back home. I'm going to talk to the dealer this week and either get a credit towards 2 new Metzlers or just pay for them myself, but the 407s are coming off my bike ASAP. Life's too short to ride on POS tires.

 

Spoke with salesman at my local dealer the other day about this. They had two bikes along side each other with the tread going in different directions. His explanation was a mid-year design change.

 

Tagging this one

 

In 2007 they found that the direction of the disc brake rotors caused excessive noise for some bikes (whistling), so they reversed them the on maked L on the right, and the one marked R on the left.

Then I had a indie mount new tires for me, yep.. he mounted the tires backwards on the wheel and I rode all summer trying to troubleshoot a little wobble/shimy thingie, that I couldn't find. Finally I realized the valve stem was pointed in the wrong direction and that gave me a clue. Came here and found the obscure technical bulletin, and got it straightened out.

H-D's first answer to things seems to be "turn her over, and see if it works better".

 

First off, regarding the new tire, with the arched angle of the tread going prgressively inward as the tire rotates forward, water has to be channeled inward, to the center, right??? Unless I am reeeeeeally missing something, I don't know how that can be disputed. So, with water being forced to the center, it eventually comes to a point where there is tire touching the road. So once the water reaches the "near center" of the tire, the water either has to be pushed backwards out of the groove, or separate/lift the tire from the pavement. Even if it does push backwards out the groove, that is unefficient. I would not want to run this tire, no matter who tells it is on there right.

Also, I have an 08 sg, stock dunnys, and 18,000 miles on the front. No cupping, and not needing changed yet. And my floorboards are pretty ground down. I ride with spirit, not stupid, so they are getting a workout. 6500 of those miles are from 3 fully loaded road trips, one of which was two-up. Consistent manufacturing or not, every tire is made at a different moment, so I would think that wear is always going to vary. In my book, there is no substitute for checking air pressure before every ride. For me, there is no way in hell I'm going to change brands or tires when I'm getting that kind of mileage with the way I ride.

 

Pretty Quick thinking... I think Bob just solved all your problems.

 

Dealer replaced mine monday under warranty, had 8400 miles on it. Mechanic found a bad wheel bearing on the right side and claimed that was causing the cupping problem. They changed both bearings and installed another 407 if it starts cupping I'll get it changed under warranty also.

 

subscribing because i may be looking for a new bike.