V-Twin Forum banner

Longest Lasting Tire Review

35K views 78 replies 31 participants last post by  amattox 
#1 · (Edited)
Lotsa talk about tires. Let's put the facts to it, to see if one tire consistently lasts longer than another.
1) Describe your bike (i.e. '01Heritage, '02 Fatboy, '03 Road King).
2) Type of riding (i.e. 1 or 2 up)
3) Area of the country you ride most in (i.e. Southeast, Midwest)
4) Do you ride mostly 2 lane, Interstate, or combination.
5) State the tire(s) you used, air pressure run, and the milage you got.

I've got an '02 Heritage, 1 up riding in the Southeast and ride combination.

Front tire is original Dunlop D402F, 36psi, still running @ 16,200 miles with 3.5/32" tread still on tire. Original tread depth was 5/32"

Rear tire - original Dunlop D402R, 36 psi, replaced at 8,400 miles with...
Dunlop K491 Elite II. Looks like I'm going to get pretty close to the same milage as the original D402R

I think I'm going to try Avon Venom X next
 
See less See more
#4 ·
1. rk, 02
2. 70% 2 up
3. 36 fr/rear SoCal
4. 2 and 4 lane, interstate
5. Dunlop 402. 10,500 and 12,500 on rear. 23,000 on front.
6. 190, SO weighs 110.
Just changed to metzler 880s.
Was noticing front "sensitivity" in the front. New front tire much much better. Not sure if due to change of tire, or change of brand, or both.
 
#8 ·
1. 99 FLHT
2. 60 % 2 up, 60% pulling N-Line trailer
3. South 70%, anywhere in the country 30%
4. 70% 2 lane
5. Dunlop 402F, 30,000 on 1st, 35,000 on second, 38 PSI
Dunlop 402R, 11,000 on 1st, 40 PSI
Dunlop 491R, 13,000 to 15,000 on these, 40 PSI
tire pressure checked weekly
6. 220 lbs, SO 140 lbs

In addition to longest lasting, I firmly believe you need to consider the tires ability to handle loss of air, ie, going flat while riding.
Who has experienced a flat tire while running at speed and what happened? What brand of tire?

I've experienced 3 flats while riding, 2 rear and 1 front (all with either Dunlop 401, 402 or 491), all caused by nails of some type. Bike will feel mushy and steering is loose, slight swerving. Nothing dangerous and was able to slow down, pull off and stop. Also was able to ride 3-4 miles on a flat tire to get to next exit or back to campground. I've also seen the Dunlops tested at Talladega NASCAR track on Harleys with high speed induced flats and very little loss of control. I will not switch from Dunlops to something until I'm sure the other brand will do the same thing. I'm not saying Metzlers or whatever won't do the same thing but I have NO firsthand knowledge of that.
 
#12 · (Edited)
When I just changed my front w/ 23k, it looked like it would go another 10-15k. I wanted to change to blackwall, and wanted to try metzlers, so changed both. Rear was shot at 12.5, same mileage as 1st tire, i just rode it further.

Ed Y, info on flats is interesting. Were these tests w/ tubeless or with tubes (i.e.laced wheels) ?..

I had a flat on the rear of my Dyna going 80 or so maybe 6 years ago with a laced wheel. Bike was slewing back and forth like crazy. Thought i was going down for sure. When i finally stopped, tire was half off the rim. Sold the bike, never felt comfortable on it after that.
 
#13 ·
Greg:

As near as I can remember the tests were with tubeless rims. Harley used to have an open house once a year at their test facility at Talladega. That's when I saw the tests done. Don't think they have the open house there anymore but I think the road test facility is still going..
 
#14 ·
Generally speaking if you have a flat with a tube tire it's a blowout, instant flat! Tubeless tires usually will go down gradually, you get that mushy feeling Ed was talking about and have a little more time to react. Where a tubeless radial will blow is if you run too low air pressure. That makes the sidewall flex more which increase the heat generated, next thing you know your doing a 360 in your Explorer:( I'm not sure how a tubeless bias tire reacts to low pressure but I think it's the same.
 
#15 ·
1. FXSTS, 98
2. 1 up
3. North Carolina Piedmont (mostly flat with lots of potholes)
4. 2 and 4 lane, interstate
5. Dunlop 402s (I think) 38 psi each. 14,000 on rear. 14,000 on front. (could have went alot longer on front but I changed them at the same time.
6. 160 lbs
 
#16 ·
Hey jockeyshift. Thanks for the input. Did you put on 402's again? Looks like you do the same kind of riding in NC as I do in SC. Beautiful countryside, eh? Great pics of the putts! (gotta laugh every time I see that monkey :))
 
#17 ·
Only Dunlop's, myth or reality?

EdY had a good point about a tire's ability to stay on the rim when going flat. So, I contacted Cooper-Avon and asked them the question up front. Here's the entire e-mail communication:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ron,
to the best of my knowledge and the knowledge of the rest of the staff
at Avon Tyres, we do not know of any type of special bead that Dunlop
or any other motorcycle tire manufacturer uses.

Sincerely,
John Leach
Logistics - Avon Tyres Customer Service
Hoppe & Associates, Inc.
407 Howell Way
Edmonds, WA 98020
Toll Free 1-800-624-7470
Local 1-425-771-2115
Fax 1-425-771-4246

Avon Tyres, Your Only Contact With The Road ! !
www.avonmotorcycle.com

----- Original Message -----
From Ron
To: John Leach
Sent: Tuesday, April 29, 2003 4:14 PM
Subject: Re: Avon Tyres

Thanks John. So primarily you're saying, a bead, is a bead, is a bead? And there's no bead seating or bead adhesion difference in the 'high speed flat' characteristics say, between your Venom X and Dunlop 402, given all other variables are the same? There are rumors, maybe you've heard them, some Harley dealers say the Dunlops have a safety bead design to stay on the rims, in case of a flat (they also said this 30 years ago about the Goodyear tires). Is the 402 any better than the Venom X when it comes to bead design or visa versa?
Thanks Again,
Ron


----- Original Message -----
From: John Leach
To: 12-string@msn.com
Sent: Tuesday, April 29, 2003 6:20 PM
Subject: Avon Tyres

Ron,
tires are not tested for "high speed flats", there are too many variables
involved to justify such a study.
if the tire stays on the bead after it has gone flat, that is just good luck.
it is more likely for a tire to stay beaded on the rim after it has gone flat
when mounted on a tubeless wheel. i do not know of any motorcycle tire
maker that makes such claims with their products.
Sincerely,
John Leach
Logistics - Avon Tyres Customer Service
Hoppe & Associates, Inc.
407 Howell Way
Edmonds, WA 98020
Toll Free 1-800-624-7470
Local 1-425-771-2115
Fax 1-425-771-4246
Avon Tyres, Your Only Contact With The Road ! !
www.avonmotorcycle.com



Name: Ron
Address: Simpsonville, SC 29680
Email: 12-string@msn.com

***Comments:
Are your Avon Venom X tires safety tested for high speed flats, on Harley
spoked rims. Will your Venom X stay on the rim, in case of a flat, such
as the Dunlop D402's ?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After reading Avon's response, I got my owners manual and carefully read the tire data section. Disecting the tire data, nowhere does it say that Harley uses 'special ' tires. They only say quote- "For your personal safety, the tires, rims and air valves must be correctly matched to wheel rims. See your Harley Davidson Dealer. Mismatching tires, tubes, rims and air valves may result in damage to the tire bead during mounting, allow tire slippage on the rim and cause tire failure, which could result in death or serious injury." end quote. Where does it say you have to use original OEM tires? It doesn't, no more than a car manufacturer would say that. My conclusion for my '02 Heritage is to put on any tire that is matched to my wheels, according to the manufacturer's fitment guide, the same as one would do for their car.
 
#18 · (Edited)
Ron:

Don't believe anyone said anything about "having" to use original OEM tires. I'm just stating my personal preference based on my experiences. Have you ever changed a tire on your bike? I have changed many Dunlops, Avons, Metzlers, Chen Sing or whatever they're called on my bike and lots of others. All tires are not created equal when it comes to sidewall stiffness which may be one of the factors that controls a tires ability to hold it's shape and stay on the rim when flat.

I know what I'll use cause I know what to expect from it. Obviously, everyone has the option to use what they think is best. Baseing decisions on tires for bikes the same way you do for cars is maybe not the best approach. 4 wheeled vehicles are a bit different when it comes to stability and your life. Just IMHO.

By the way, I've been considering switching to Metzlers but until I can get some data from people (more than one) that have had tires go flat while riding, I will wait and see.
 
#19 ·
Couldn't agree with you more EdY. I know what you mean about the sidewall thing. After all my investigations, I ordered Dunlop K491 Elite II anyway, but I wouldn't have a problem trying other brands, after seeing the responses from Avon. I failed to mention that I also spoke with Dunlop customer service and they also stated I could use other (Dunlop) tires on my rims. I live a charmed life (jinx, jinx). After 32 years of riding and Lord only knows how many miles, I've never had a flat and have never been down, other than three, maybe 2mph slips - 1 on black ice, 1 on freshly sealed asphalt and 1 on loose dirt. P.S. Like your style EdY.
 
#21 ·
Same combination I've settled into, for now. I'm really getting tempted to try the Avon Venom X, though. In the meanwhile I'm moving one step wider and have the Dunlop K491, MU90HB16, for the rear, on order.
 
#25 ·
A little FYI. Was out riding with 13 others today. I was bringing up the rear, when I noticed a Heritage in front of me running a bit flat. By the time I manuvered into a position to let him know, the tire was pretty much flat. He picked up a screw but didn't feel the flat. He was running an Avon Venom X, on a spoked rim, going at 55mph when I caught him.
 
#26 ·
1-2000 road glide
2-solo (not by choice, I'm ugly)
3-38 front/40 rear
4-50/50 highway backroads
5-used to be factory dunlops, last two rears and one front Metzeller 880's
6-250lbs
7-I used to get less than 10,000 rear and more than double front mileage. With the Metzellers I am getting 14,000 rear and still double front mileage. I do ride a lot on the sidewall though (check my scraping thread)
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top