Bad luck with Elite 3 - Oh well.
#11
+1 Yep, that's about the same miles I get out of mine and same pressure I run. I did use the DynaBeads this time around so will be intersting to see if get a few more miles out of the tires.
Last edited by Bikerdad61; 06-22-2009 at 09:17 AM.
#12
#13
I needed a front tire and decided to switch to the Elite 3 with plans to put one on the rear when it was due. I ordered the tire in and everything was good until I took it to the shop for mounting and balancing. The tech came out and said he was having a problem with the tire. It apparently had a mfg defect and was too heavy to one side. The tech unmounted the tire 4 times and rotated it to a different position on the wheel. The best he could do to balance the tire was to add 7oz. to the wheel. I agreed with the tech that the tire was bad. I'm leaving for the Smokey Mountains in 2 weeks and this was the only time I had to get the tire changed so I had to go with the OEM D402F again and returned the Elite 3. I can't complain too much about the 402F. The tire has somewhere over 20k on it and it wasn't totally worn out yet but close enough to change before I go on some long trips in July. I don't know what I'll do when the rear tire needs replace. I'll figure that out when the time comes I guess.
So let me get this straight. You bought the original tire from Dennis Kirk, then you took it to a shop for mounting and balancing. The shop said the tire you brought in was bad, so they sold you a different tire from their stock and made much more $$?
Brilliant!
Last edited by Sharknose; 06-22-2009 at 10:02 AM.
#14
In all fairness, the shop did not try to sell me one of their tires. They suggested I return the tire for a new one and were going to put the old tire back on the rim so I could still ride. I decided to buy the 402 because I won't have time to get the tire swapped and back to the shop before vacation. Besides, with my luck, the replacement would have been defective too.
#15
I put 11,700 on my first D402 and just over 14,000 on my second D402 so I had no complaints with mileage.
But with the large majority of Forum input about the E3s had to find out for myself.
In fact I put a couple of thousand miles on this spring so when I switched I had a fresh knowledge of how the 402s rode. (Well granted the tires were on the last part of their life but...)
I switched to E3s a couple of months ago and have put alittle over 6,000 miles on, they still look new and they handle excellent.
I ordered mine from www.jakewilson.com (info from this site) on Sunday night and when I got home Tuesday they were against my back door and both front and rear cost $207. including free shipping.
So I must thank everyone on this site for all the vast information I have gotten to really enjoy my first Harley experience.
Nine miles away from 32000 since April 6th, 2008 living in New England.
But with the large majority of Forum input about the E3s had to find out for myself.
In fact I put a couple of thousand miles on this spring so when I switched I had a fresh knowledge of how the 402s rode. (Well granted the tires were on the last part of their life but...)
I switched to E3s a couple of months ago and have put alittle over 6,000 miles on, they still look new and they handle excellent.
I ordered mine from www.jakewilson.com (info from this site) on Sunday night and when I got home Tuesday they were against my back door and both front and rear cost $207. including free shipping.
So I must thank everyone on this site for all the vast information I have gotten to really enjoy my first Harley experience.
Nine miles away from 32000 since April 6th, 2008 living in New England.
Last edited by aries4155; 06-22-2009 at 10:45 AM.
#16
On my SoftTail I've gotten around 30K on the front and its getting changed in a couple of weeks, its not bald but is definitely at 1/32 or so. The back tire, whether D402 or M880 only get 10-11K before they are needing changed.
On the RG I got 17K on the original rear and the front could've gone another few thou. but was going on a long trip and didn't want to do a change on the road.
On the RG I got 17K on the original rear and the front could've gone another few thou. but was going on a long trip and didn't want to do a change on the road.
#17
In all fairness, the shop did not try to sell me one of their tires. They suggested I return the tire for a new one and were going to put the old tire back on the rim so I could still ride. I decided to buy the 402 because I won't have time to get the tire swapped and back to the shop before vacation. Besides, with my luck, the replacement would have been defective too.
Now here's where the assumption comes in--if each tire gets a yellow dot, I assume that somebody/something has to weigh each tire pretty carefully. It doesn't seem that a tire as far off as your shop claims would make it out of the factory. I'm not saying it's impossible, but it seems unlikely.
PS: You said the guy changed the position of the tire 4 times. Wouldn't it be funny if he wasn't aware that the dot was supposed to line up with the valve stem? Stranger things have happened. I stopped by a local HD dealership yesterday to buy 2 muffler clamps. The parts kid didn't ask what kind of bike it was for. First he grabbed the MOCO PA catalog---the one you get in the mail every year--and couldn't find it there. I thought, "this is gonna be good"...Then he just pulled out an aftermarket book, turned it around to face me, and asked if I saw what I needed. I said, "how about looking it up in your HD parts book and getting the number?". After he found the exhaust diagram he asked me to step around the counter to show him the one I needed. Moral of the story--if their parts people don't know how to look up a muffler clamp, it's not unreasonable to think they have a service guy who doesn't know how to mount a tire.
Hopefully they will cheerfully refund your money. It's not like you got a shoddy tire as a replacement!
Last edited by Sharknose; 06-22-2009 at 02:04 PM.
#19
It's not impossible even though the service mgr was there too. I'm curious now and I'll have to check the DOT on my 402 to see if it's lined up with the valve stem. I'm sure I'll get refunded (minus the shipping of course) but I was looking forward to trying the E3. Maybe some other time.
#20