Metzler ME 880 upgrade

[920shrek1]

Wow Ive just been reading some of the post on the metz 880 I wasnt aware of all these porblems. I have a set on my 07 VRS and had no trouble at all in fact Iwas looking to see if anyone had put the new upgrade on theres. THe wider one the 180,s on the back. I have 15k on mine and am looking to replace them with another set. Also just woundering if which part of the country you live in makes a different, the temp you ride in and the road construction.

[jfoster]

I have bout 9k miles on mine so far and they're doing good, look to be about half worn....alot better than the original bridgestone. I live in the south, but I don't do alot of riding during the heat of the day.

[Tom]

Glad you are having good luck with them..BUT my opinion,take it or leave it..GET EM OFF ASAP. Mine started chunking rubber at 1700 miles and my wifes life isnt worth taking that chance. Ive had great luck with Avons but a few have had some problems with the sidewall splitting..but thats only a few. I am running the Elite 3S now and they handle equally as well as the Avons..Only 2 things I do not like about them.1: on a rough road surface they are a little noisy. 2: The rear tire does not have as much load carrying capacity as the rear Avon ( Stock Size ) NOW That is Not saying anything bad about the Elite,YES Id buy it again but I will go back to Avon just because I have had such good luck with them,that is unless the price keeps going up on them!

[GuthDaddy17]

The RSV I purchased a few months back appeared too have new M880's on her so I left them on, still plenty of tread. Today I noticed some "cupping" on the rear tire so I will now order a rear Avon a.s.a.p.

:mad:

[dray]

yes there are a lot of the Vstar riders that had the same problems with the ME880's

i would never buy a set myself but good luck to the ones who do

 

dray

[Seaking]

yes there are a lot of the Vstar riders that had the same problems with the ME880's

i would never buy a set myself but good luck to the ones who do

 

dray

 

I run ME880's on my VStar and had nothing but excellent results with them.. 36,000 KMS on the rear tire and 42,000 kms out of the front tire before a nail took it out..

 

I opted for E3's on the RSV only because the rear tire was narrower than the ME880 profile, I think.. Thus far the E3's did me well with 24,000 miles on the rear tire.. the front one was replaced prematurely due to the loose neck bearings cupping the front tire.. So far the new set is wearing in nicely!!

[Brake Pad]

My first 880 chuncked at 3500

second chuncked at 7000 (120 miles from home pulling the trailer) that was fun.

but I bought the Marathon 180 for the rear, and haven't had any problems YET!!!!

[gunboat]

i had good results with the 880's on both of my bikes. my honda 650 shadow sprit, front & rear. then my rsv front and rear. but i now have a bfg c/t on the rear and still run the 880 on the front. but as posted not everyone has had GOOD RESULTS.

best reguards

don c.

[Guest Saddletramp]

I'm running the ME 880 upgrade on my 06 Midnight Venture. Rear tire is a 170/80-15. I've had no problems whatsoever with the Metzler. I keep my inflation right where Metzler recommends it on their site. 46-50 psi in the rear tire and 40-42 in the front. No chunking, no cupping. I have had the bike loaded to capacity with luggage and rode two up for approx. half of those miles if not more. I like the Metzler's and would not hesitate to own another set.

[Seaking]

I'm running the ME 880 upgrade on my 06 Midnight Venture. Rear tire is a 170/80-15. I've had no problems whatsoever with the Metzler. I keep my inflation right where Metzler recommends it on their site. 46-50 psi in the rear tire and 40-42 in the front. No chunking, no cupping. I have had the bike loaded to capacity with luggage and rode two up for approx. half of those miles if not more. I like the Metzler's and would not hesitate to own another set.

 

Good looking bike you have there

 

How many miles on the ME880s now? I was quite impressed with them on the VStar.. however, I wanted narrower tires on the Venture to offset it's heaviness, I find the ME880's on the wider side of things.. Not sure for sure as I've never tried them..

 

Cheers M8

[Sylvester]

I had the belts break on my last set of ME880's. My RSMV got real squirrely and when I noticed the bulge in the walls, I replaced the tires. No more Metzelers for me.

 

[jneed53]

My experience with them mirrors Brakepad's

[Guest Saddletramp]

Seaking, I have a little more than 9000 miles on my 880's. The only thing that I have noticed is a slight feathering of the tread as you blend towards the sidewall of the tires. This will create a wine as you lean through the twisties. As stated in my previous post, I haven't experienced any of the "chunking or belt" issues that others have reported. I maintain my inflations closely, perhaps I'm just one of the fortunate.

[Seaking]

Seaking, I have a little more than 9000 miles on my 880's. The only thing that I have noticed is a slight feathering of the tread as you blend towards the sidewall of the tires. This will create a wine as you lean through the twisties. As stated in my previous post, I haven't experienced any of the "chunking or belt" issues that others have reported. I maintain my inflations closely, perhaps I'm just one of the fortunate.

 

My E3's have a hum when running on the sides a bit, doesn't take much.. as little as a lean into the wind kinda thing or a high camber of the road will make them sing. Couldn't figure it out at first but finally figured it out lol..

 

I run my front at 40 and the rear at 42 PSI.. at my size, I'm basically riding two up configuration on the bike..

[Mosborough Piper]

I had stock Dunlop/OEM tires on my 2002 Roadstar when I bought used 4 years ago. Put 880's on in the fall of 2007 and it made a HUGE difference. Had no problems with them. Much more stable in the corners and rain. You need to be really anal though on the pressure. That could be why some fall apart.

 

Just bought a 2005 Midnight RSV and LOVE IT!!! It has Dunlop 404's on it (about 6000KM). Looking to change them next spring. Anyone tried the new Micheline Commander tires? I'd like to put some whitewalls on but the Elite 3's don't seem to have white walls as an option...

[Sideoftheroad]

Mine had 880's when I bought it. One of the tires was worn enough after about 4k to have them replaced. Nnot sure how many miles were on them before I bought the bike.

 

I know at least 2 people that did the metzeler upgrades on their Roadliners. Don't think they even got 5k out of them before tires started chunking and what not.

[1BigDog]

I had stock Dunlop/OEM tires on my 2002 Roadstar when I bought used 4 years ago. Put 880's on in the fall of 2007 and it made a HUGE difference. Had no problems with them. Much more stable in the corners and rain. You need to be really anal though on the pressure. That could be why some fall apart.

...

 

This is a general comment to all, not just Piper: You really shouldnt have to be anal with the air pressure to keep a tire together. There is usually a margin of error built into just about anything you buy. How many times has you air pressure in your car tires been a little low? Would you have freaked out if they lost rubber? I remember Firestone tires and Ford Explorers not doing too well. I never liked Firestones either. I remember the Firestone 721's from years ago also coming apart. I had 2 sets out of three metzelers come apart on me and I always run the proper pressure. I wont deny how well the tire handles wet or dry but I do like to keep my rubber on the rims, not in pieces on the road.

Ill say this again...for those who feel their Metzelers are safe, more power to you...just keep your eye on them closely.

[Brake Pad]

Okay the 880 (180 on the rear) I replaced last year got almost 16,000 on it. I replaced both last week, with the same set up again.

at 15,600 miles i started felling slipage. the tire wasn't bald, but it was getting close.

Living In florida, we only have flat roads, so of course, the center tread was gone first.

[brainfart]

I ran 3 sets of ME880's on my V*1100 over 60,000 miles.

put 2 sets on the RSV (70k miles now).

the last rear began to split and chunk --quite scary.

have always run close to 50psi on the rear - so i know it was a tire issue.

Have been thru Bridgestones, Michelin, Dunlops.

however - my wonderful dealer refused to honor his warranty

 

Have been thru Bridgestones, Michelin, Dunlops.

This time i went with a pair of Avons

 

I can honestly say the Avon is the FIRST tire where i noticed a difference just 5 miles from the shop. Even new - MAN it grips!

Round trip from Phoenix, AZ to Yellowstone (thru Durango, CO and over Beartooth pass) was a wonderful ride.

 

I won't use anything else now.

THEY'RE GREAT!

[Sheradan]

On all my previous Gen 1's, I have run the Metzlers. They are outstanding, never a problem. I was a beta tester for the ML2. The bike I have now came with a new set of Dunlop Cruisemax. This set is excellent in the rain as is the Metzler. But when I run the corners on the edge of the tire ( a regular occurance) it does not grip as well as the Metzler. I will always get a Metzler for my Gen 1's.

[Ozlander]

I will always get a Metzler for my Gen 1's.

 

Me too. Put a new set of ME880's on to go to Alaska. 9,225 miles pulling a fully loaded Kwik Kamp. Couple of years later put a new one on to go to Nova Scotia. Never had a problem (knock on wood).

[gator06]

I had a set of Metzlers on my 98 RS and got good mileage out of them. I did notice that they were a little slippery in breaking and in hard turns. Then I put on a pair of Michelin's and noticed the better traction right away. Not sure how many miles they get because I traded the RS for a RSV last month and am looking to change these tires soon.