Dunlop D404 - NEVER AGAIN!!!!

[Tliljenquist]

I just looked at bikebandit.com at their E3s, and their site says from March 1 - April 30, Dunlop is giving a $50 mail-in rebate if you buy two Dunlop tires!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[DarkLeftArm]

Threw away my 5 yr old 404s with age cracks in them when I got the bike. Put on E3s and rode them like I stole them for 17000 miles. Changed them with 3/32 of tread left in the middle, front and rear.

 

I'll buy E3s as long as I can find em.

 

My 2 cents.

[Semi-retired]

I just looked at bikebandit.com at their E3s, and their site says from March 1 - April 30, Dunlop is giving a $50 mail-in rebate if you buy two Dunlop tires!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm going to be VERY cautious if I deal with BikeBandit.......here's a transcript of my phone chat with them..........

 

Cesar - Sales Rep: Front tire in the Venom is 148.95

Cesar - Sales Rep: Click here to see Front tire

Cesar - Sales Rep: unfortunately that tire Doesnt offer the rear for your machine

Cesar - Sales Rep: And the Elite 3 Doesnt offer the Rear either..

Cesar - Sales Rep: Let me check if i can find you a matching set..

Cesar - Sales Rep: Maybe check out Dunlop D404

Cesar - Sales Rep: we dont offer many with a matching set in those sizes.

 

HUH???

[Semi-retired]

Threw away my 5 yr old 404s with age cracks in them when I got the bike. Put on E3s and rode them like I stole them for 17000 miles. Changed them with 3/32 of tread left in the middle, front and rear.

 

I'll buy E3s as long as I can find em.

 

My 2 cents.

Thanks for yet another vote for the EIII's.

 

Can you (or anyone else) provide an exact size and model name/number for the ones that fit our bike? (see my BikeBandit chat for reason why! :-) )

[Semi-retired]

I just looked at bikebandit.com at their E3s, and their site says from March 1 - April 30, Dunlop is giving a $50 mail-in rebate if you buy two Dunlop tires!

 

Here's the transcript from my subsequent chat with BikeBandit:

 

Jerome - Senoir Sales Rep: Im sorry, I searched everywhere and I cannot locate the tires you are needing. Its not that they are not made but we are unfortunately not offering them at this time

mws.michaelwilliamscott@gmail.com: That's kinda strange.....a fellow on my Venture Owner's site said you not only had them but were offering a $50 discount for purchases between now and......X date.

Jerome - Senoir Sales Rep: That is odd. Im not seeing the sizes that you are needing. We offer those brands but not the size you want

mws.michaelwilliamscott@gmail.com: Here it is via cut and paste: I just looked at bikebandit.com at their E3s, and their site says from March 1 - April 30, Dunlop is giving a $50 mail-in rebate if you buy two Dunlop tires!

Jerome - Senoir Sales Rep: Correct that is the offer going on but the sizes you are needing are not available

mws.michaelwilliamscott@gmail.com: So....yeah, it doesn't say anything about size. I'll have to notify the "clan". LOL. OK....thanks for your trouble for looking. Cheers!

 

So......looked good for a minute......but, ain't gonna happen!

[DarkLeftArm]

Rear: MV85 B15

Front: 150/80-16

 

Got mine from Dennis Kirk, and as soon as I got them, Revzilla emailed me saying they had remedied their out of stock situation.

 

Ride safe.

[Semi-retired]

Thanks, bud!

[DarkLeftArm]

Did you get my PM, Semi-retired?

I tried a couple times, and it doesn't look like it sent.

[slowrollwv]

I get all my tires from Jake Wilson. Best pricing and free shipping in lower 48, not sure about Canada though. I have my third set of E-III's in the shed weighting to be installed but won't do that till the middle of June.

[Condor]

I get all my tires from Jake Wilson. Best pricing and free shipping in lower 48, not sure about Canada though. I have my third set of E-III's in the shed weighting to be installed but won't do that till the middle of June.

 

Ditto on the Jake Wilson..... But man this is an old thread.......

[cowpuc]

Well, I cant personally speak for the Gen 2 tires cause I have never had the honor of torturing one of those gorgeous (albeit, a little slower than the 1st Gens I am told ) scoots on a long distance expedition. I will say this though, the ONLY tires that really stick in my gut with the "steer clear of em if at all possible" syndrome are the Metzler's. We ran a brand new one (880) from Michigan to the west coast last year. Probably because of heat (we run desert temps A LOT), weight (two up/fully loaded with camp gear) and speeds (I do ride hard sometimes) getting over 6k out of a rear tire is VERY uncommon for me. The Metz actually was superior to anything I can remember running as far as actual miles traveled. After we made it to Sacramento, the tire appeared good enough that we trusted it up to Mt. St Helens and back to California (no idea how far that was - speedo was broke). I was SHOCKED to find the tire had delaminated during its run between Oregon and California. I am hard on tires but watch my tire pressures VERY closely, always run/maintain "max" spec pressures on tires.

I later spoke with Squid about the delam, I am almost sure that he said (wanna be VERY careful not to put words in anyones mouth) that he and Lonna had a similar experience with Metz only they went down because of it. I am also pretty sure that they were running their GEN 2 and, I think we can all be pretty assured that Squid had a good idea what kind of air pressures and condition his tires were in before their incident.

Here are a couple shots of the 880 delam on mine. It did maintain air pressure BUT, in my opinion - this is the kind of stuff one should expect from "recaps"!

I have burned off a few 404's too but the only complaint I had about them was the cost per mile.. Seemed Dunny wanted almost the same $ for em as we used to pay for the E2 and those 404's were a 3500 mile tire MAX on Tweeks backside. I would (and did) use em again if it in a pinch BEFORE Metz though.

Chasing from Michigan to the west coast like we love to do has taught me that no matter what tires I run, its one rear out and one rear back in. About the only thing I have not tried are duel compound tires like my buddy runs on his new Ultra but those are real pricey (I think he paid 220 bucks for his rear tire). I ran a 65 dollar Full Bore home from the coast last year and it did just super - actually way better than any 404 I have ever ran. Right now I have a Conti Tour on the front that was brand new when we pulled out last spring, its been all over the country (minus the New England states) and it still looks great. It was a left over tire I grabbed off Amazon (or Ebay - cant remember) for 60 bucks shipped...

One thing for sure, load rating and air pressure maintenance is an absolute no matter which brand ya choose I rekon I rekon!

[Semi-retired]

Everything OLD is NEW again (Archimedes), buddy! That's why I revived this conversation. (Lot's of "current" comments on here now!)

 

I just wanted to get the "state of the nation"......and I think I did. It seems the tide has gone out on Venoms and it's a whole new ball game with Elite 3's.

 

Cheers,

Michael

[Semi-retired]

Didn't QUITE........but ALMOST got into an "argument" with the guy on J&P's chatline about putting a 130 on the front of the Venture. He said (and I quote) "Im sorry, but that isn't what that wheel is designed to take, so I cannot recommend it. "

 

That was a conversation about putting a "skinny" Elite 3 on the front.

 

So, what's the scoop on that? I told him I already have an Avon Venom 130 on there.....and I could almost hear him shaking his head over the line.

 

I guess the first question is.......IS THERE a 130 Elite 3 available ANYWHERE for the front?

 

2nd question: would I be advised to put an Elite "American" 130 on instead (slightly diff tread pattern)?

 

3rd: should I just put on the 150 and learn to wrestle with it in parking lots?

 

Sorry to drag this thread out, guys.....but I'm gonna live with this decision for 3 or 4 years!

 

Thanks for any input.

 

Michael

[BratmanXj]

Didn't QUITE........but ALMOST got into an "argument" with the guy on J&P's chatline about putting a 130 on the front of the Venture. He said (and I quote) "Im sorry, but that isn't what that wheel is designed to take, so I cannot recommend it. "

 

No one is going to RECOMMEND that you modify your bike beyond the factory equipment, some even to to the point of you shouldn't fit anything than the OEM Bridgestones. YOU have to make the decision as to what you are comfortable putting on your motorcycle. When changing any aspect of a tire you need to look over the weight capacities of the tires, realize there are pro's & con's to each modification that you make.

 

The MT90B-16 is a 130/90-16 equivalent in the Elite 3 which will be 1% smaller diameter than the 150/80-16 stock. It also has a slightly higher load rating (780lb vs 760lb) for the comparable E3 150/80-16.

 

The American Elite is 680 lb load rating and a radial design tire. Use caution when mixing Bias & Radial tires on the same bike.

[vzuden]

3rd: should I just put on the 150 and learn to wrestle with it in parking lots?

Semi,

Does you bike have leveling links to raise the rear from stock? Or if you are "inseam challenged" and cannot afford the slight increase in seat height the alternative is to lower the forks in front slightly. I installed the leveling links to raise mine and it makes a world of difference in slow speed handling so I stick with with the stock tire size.

[Bert2006]

When I moved to Commander II's I went with a 130 up front as I wanted a matched set of Commanders front and back. It was the best move I ever did. Any low speed issued simply disappeared and the overall stability of the bike improved 100%. I saw no impact at higher speeds but I do not tow and run mostly 1up. You have a number of members here who have gone to the 130 with no issues at all and most are indicating that they would never go back to the 150. So on that point you should be confident that it works. Most of the 130's actually have a similar or higher weight handling rating.

[Semi-retired]

No one is going to RECOMMEND that you modify your bike beyond the factory equipment, some even to to the point of you shouldn't fit anything than the OEM Bridgestones. YOU have to make the decision as to what you are comfortable putting on your motorcycle. When changing any aspect of a tire you need to look over the weight capacities of the tires, realize there are pro's & con's to each modification that you make.

 

The MT90B-16 is a 130/90-16 equivalent in the Elite 3 which will be 1% smaller diameter than the 150/80-16 stock. It also has a slightly higher load rating (780lb vs 760lb) for the comparable E3 150/80-16.

 

The American Elite is 680 lb load rating and a radial design tire. Use caution when mixing Bias & Radial tires on the same bike.

I hear ya on the "recommendation" thingy.

 

Surprised to hear you say the 130 has a higher load rating than the 150; that make sense? (Or were you saying the "other way around"?)

 

Thanks for the tip to look at the "ply"-style. Who'd a thunk? I just kind-of assumed all Dunlop bike tires would be radials. I see not so!

[Semi-retired]

3rd: should I just put on the 150 and learn to wrestle with it in parking lots?

Semi,

Does you bike have leveling links to raise the rear from stock? Or if you are "inseam challenged" and cannot afford the slight increase in seat height the alternative is to lower the forks in front slightly. I installed the leveling links to raise mine and it makes a world of difference in slow speed handling so I stick with with the stock tire size.

 

I'm six feet even.....but STILL have a bit of toe-touching going on (MAN what a high bike)....but, I'll be honest with you: I've dropped my Venture twice at 0.5MPH and both times were in asphalt parking lots.....while I still had my 150 front. Never happened once Squidley got me fixed up with my 130 Avon.

[BratmanXj]

Dunlop Elite 3 Touring Front Tire - Motorcycle Superstore

 

If you click on the "Sizing Chart" button right above the Add to Cart is shows the whole spectrum of Dunlop tires. It did shock me that the 130 is rated higher than the 150, but a 130-16 front was standard on the HD Touring bikes for years and probably designed for heavy loads from the start.

[Semi-retired]

Dunlop Elite 3 Touring Front Tire - Motorcycle Superstore

 

If you click on the "Sizing Chart" button right above the Add to Cart is shows the whole spectrum of Dunlop tires. It did shock me that the 130 is rated higher than the 150, but a 130-16 front was standard on the HD Touring bikes for years and probably designed for heavy loads from the start.

 

Thanks so much to all you guys for walking me through my tire-buying dilemma. With your help, I've figured out exactly what I'm gonna buy......and I even found a place (Motorcycle Helmets and Superstore - Gear, Parts, and Accessories - Canada's Motorcycle) where I can pick them up for lower cost than if I traveled "over the river" into the Excited States of America!! (Long live the queen!.....Sorry, Obabma!)

 

I owe you guys all a beer; drop in when you're up visiting the Falls!

[Semi-retired]

One last post.....Just for today's giggle.....then I'll shut up!

 

I had sent a quick note to J&P Cycles to ask them about what I thought was a strange "vintage/model" discrimination on their Fitment listing for tires for the Venture. (Remember, mine's a 2003 Midnight......)

 

So, here's what I asked:

Can you please tell me the difference between these two tires on your fitment page? Thanks.

Royal Star Venture Midnight XVZ1300TFM : 2004–2007

Royal Star Venture Midnight XVZ1300TFS : 2002–2003

 

Here's the answer I got back today (2 days later):

Hi,

I have checked with a technician and the m on the end means it is a middle model. The s means it is a sport model. then they came out in 2008 with the touring venture. And are you wanting the front and rear tire or just the front I will need to know the brand of tire that is on the bike.

 

Great fun!

[BratmanXj]

Midnight sub-model vs. Standard (or other Star's are Silverado) model. Paint & Chrome designations, no difference mechanically.

[Zzyzx]

My experience so far with tires:

Was doing some regular maintenance today and found the rear D-404 I had to put on in Atlanta is now at the ware bars with only 4800 miles on it.

 

I put a new set of Metzler 880's on just prior to taking my coast to coast ride in August but had to replace rear tire once again in Atlanta when the 880 started to separate at the core. The Yamaha dealer in Atlanta only had a Dunlop 404 in stock which, I had used before and wanted to get away from using again but had little options at the time.

 

I've used the D404 twice before and never been able to get more than 5000 miles out of either of them. The front tire, also Metzler 880, was put on the same time as the rear Metzler (both before starting my trip) and now has over 12000 mile on it and still has a fair amount of tread left.

 

Anyway, I decided to make another change to try and find a rear tire that would last more than 5000 miles. I started my search by reading RedRider's post about his D404 experience along with what everyone else liked and disliked about tire choices. It seemed to me the Dunlop Elite series was favored a little more by the majority.

 

I went on line looking for the Dunlop Elite-3 but during my search found an Elite-II on sale from Motorcycle Superstore for $100.00 which included free 2 day shipping. Since some of the posts stated the E-II tires were great and GeorgS had the casing cutaway information listed, I thought I would try this since the price was so good. Will see how this one works out and update in about 6000 miles .

 

Thanks to everyone who posted their tire experiences.

It made my decision a bit easier since price is never a factor when it comes to tires but, getting a good deal as well sure didn't hurt.

[Semi-retired]

My experience so far with tires:

Was doing some regular maintenance today and found the rear D-404 I had to put on in Atlanta is now at the ware bars with only 4800 miles on it.

Thanks very much for your contribution, Ed.

 

You must live in the country-side, like I used to, as a kid. (Or you've got one HELLUVA big garage!)

 

Why? It just kills me that you apparently "stumbled" across an old tire that you apparently had on your bike a year or so ago.......that it's bald.........and that you STILL own it!!

 

God bless America and her wide open spaces! (unless, of course, you live in downtown LA! :-)

[Semi-retired]

I'm either becoming an "EXPERT".......or an "IDIOT" about tires for this bike ('03 Midnight)

 

Tried to google an actual DUNLOP official site so I could give my local guy a chance to bid on selling them to me.......by providing him with an EXACT tire model number.

 

I googled MT90B16, based on the number that I picked out of a BratmanXj post, above.

 

Here's a result I got: Stuccu: Best Deals on Dunlop MT90B16 Buy Exclusive Deals 70 OFF Save Big Lowest Price On Dunlop MT90B16 Best In Stock Fast Free Shipping. Up to 70% off!

 

......which, strangely, showed Fronts, Rears and about six different tread patterns. WTF.

 

Does that model number not "stand for" ONE FRIGGIN TIRE?

 

Maybe the name of that website is pronounced "stuck-you".....as in YOU BOUGHT THE WRONG TIRE......I stuck you with it!!