I had the same trouble with dunlops,I put around 7,000 miles on my 07 sporty with it's factory tire,In 08 i put a brand new dunlop on the bike,And i'm not kidding the tire was bald by 4,000 miles.I dont do burn-outs,or spin the tires cuz tires are expensive.And the new front one i put on got cupping and uneven treads,with cracking all thru the side wall After only 2,000 miles. the front would vibrate cuz the tire was so uneven,The manufacture date showed the tire was only 6 montha old! The same thing happened to my dads bike,And my cousins FL.I wont buy dunlops again,

 

I only get about 5000 miles on the dunlop 401's .Switched over to the metzler 880 hoping to get better mileage.I have 27000 miles on the bike and i just ordered my 5th rear tire.

 

I to am unhappy with dunlops mu85b16 rear tire for 07 flhr, i have been looking around for alternatives but have yet to find anybody offering the same size??? anybody got any ideas? two years twenty k and am on my third rear tire, dosent seem like many miles to me, any and all opinions welcome

 

I have the exact same tire (200/55-17 D407), and I'll be replacing mine next week at approximately 10K miles. Trust me... they weren't "easy" miles either.

 

I've got 5100 on my dunlops and their still going strong, maybe you're just going into those turns too hot ?

 

If you've been riding that long you should remember the Goodyear Speed Grips. On a chopped bike those things would last forever.

 

I've got an '07 FXSTC also and went thru the D205 200mm tire in just 5500 mi. By the end, if I got caught on a wet road, I'd have to change my shorts when I got home. I decided to look for a tire with siping and tread across the center in hope of better wet traction. I bought the D401 200/55R17 used on the Crossbones. Great tire and compatable with the stock D402F front! It's a proven tread design and with 4k mi. on it, still looks new. Try it!

Chris

'07 FXSTC Jake and Elwood Blue
V&H BSS with quiet baffles
V&H Fuelpack
SE air intake

 

My bike is an 08 softail custom I live in the mountains with lots of canyon running and I run 75 mph through there all the time I got 5200 miles out of the stock ones.

 

I only had two tires last less than 15,000 miles, an Avon Venom rear and a Dunlop 404 rear. I got 16K out of the OEM 401s and got over 21,000 miles with a Dunlop 491 MU90-16. I've got another 491 on the back now pushing 10K and it's got tons of tread left. Fronts always go way over 20K.
However, I'm guessing the unsprung weight of the huge tires and wheels Harley puts on most of the Big Twins now is the cause of the horrible mileage many are getting. Just like the barely padded seats on most bikes nowadays, you pay a big price for what most consider good looks.