Continental Milestone Tires

[Jethroish]

ok, glad to see we are back on track on tires in this thread.

 

I am also interested on riders experience on the Continentals. I have heard and browsed on Commanders on the internet, but I think this is the first time I am hearing about the Milestone. My original front Bridgestones is getting low (16K miles) and may not pass the next PA. Safety Inspection, so I am shopping for a front tire. As far as the tread pattern is concerned, I think Continentals have a unique pattern of all.

 

 

That is great mileage out of OEM Brickstone.

I just put on a new set of Elite 3s yesterday. Replacing a set of E3s that had 19,000 miles.

I considered Commanders, but went back to the E3s because of my own experience and not a lot of feedback on the others.

Regardless of what tire anyone uses, it's great to post your experience, good or bad, for the rest of us to make decisions.

Maybe in 2 years when I need tires again.

[First_N_Last]

I've got an AVON Venom AM42 mounted on the front reversed. It has about 7000 miles on it now with no problems.

I just bought another AM42 for the rear which I will use this fall to replace my Kumho. 11/32 of tread is nice to start with.

 

JohnB

[N3FOL]

Just got the Milestone in but I am waiting for the Avon to wear out before I put the Milestone on. Have used Conti for years with good milage and stick to the road and in the rain.

 

tew47

TEW47, where did you purchase your Continental Milestones? I assume you ordered Front OEM size.

[TEW47]

Jakewilson.com. Sent to my house for $111.99.

 

tew47

[N3FOL]

That is great mileage out of OEM Brickstone.

I just put on a new set of Elite 3s yesterday. Replacing a set of E3s that had 19,000 miles.

I considered Commanders, but went back to the E3s because of my own experience and not a lot of feedback on the others.

Regardless of what tire anyone uses, it's great to post your experience, good or bad, for the rest of us to make decisions.

Maybe in 2 years when I need tires again.

 

Yes I know, my front tire is really racking up the miles but with the sides of the front tire are a lot thinner than the middle. If I happen to get caught in the rain, I will have to be extra careful turning as long as I still have my old front tire. If my commute will consist of all straightaways, my fronts may last for another 20K.

 

I've heard a lot of good news about E3's. Those tires are also on top of my list. Definitely great tires.

[GeorgeS]

Back in the 80's I ran 2 of them on my old 79 BMW, R-1000. Good service from them and no trouble.

 

I ran one Conti on my 89 Venture aroud 1998, as I recall. No trouble, good service, and as I recall it lasted about 14,000 miles.

 

The BMW crowd, are big on the Continental tires.

 

However, I'm sticking with the E3's on my 89 from now on.

[wes0778]

Ok, waited about a week too long, 'cause the price went up.

I got my new Milestone in today from Jake Wilson. I had planned on putting it on tomorrow, but checked the date, 4807. What the heck this tire is 3 years old. Well I called Jake Wilson's 800 number. the lady appologized and went to check the other 5 they have in stock. Guess what, they all are dated 4807. She says she will check with their warranty guy Monday and see if the distributor has any "fresher" ones.

At this point, I'm not desperate for a rear tire, and can wait, but I'm a little ticked off!

What would any of you think about riding on a "new" 3 year old tire?

[N3FOL]

I would be ticked off as well. For a moto tire, I probably can tolerate a 2 year old brand new tire. 3 years old new tire for me is pushing it, but I honestly think that you should not have any problems with the tire. Before installing, visually inspect the tire for any damage or signs of aging.

 

Now that you have brought this up, I am paying more attention to the age of the tire before I purchase my front tire replacement.

[RSTDdog]

The Dunlop E3 front I just got was 3807. Same as others have been getting. My Indy dealer got it through Tucker Rocky Distributing. It looked just fine though.

 

I wonder if there was a lot of production and then the economy tanked and lots of inventory left. 2007 was when things really started sliding.

 

RSTDdog

[Mike G in SC]

I work for a rubber manufacturer (but not tires). I asked my senior tech compounder guy about some Michelin Commanders I just got. The front one had 0307.

 

He said that, as it is Kevlar biased, it should be fine for 10 years (off the shelf).

But steel belted were 4 yrs (Chinese) to 6 years (other). He said the steel will begin to corrode within the tire and cause seperation.

(Keep in mind this assumes tires were never mounted and were warehoused properly.)

 

But if you chase on the Internet, it appears that most say tires that have not been "in service" are good for about 6 years on the shelf, from mfg date.

 

So, I don't have a problem with my 3 year old tire. I put 20k+ miles per year, so they won't be on there real long.

 

A partial quote from a tire article:

 

In a statement from the British Rubber Manufacturers Association (BRMA) issued on June 5, 2001 regarding the age of tires they state, "BRMA members strongly recommend that unused tires should not be put into service if they are over 6 years old and that all tires should be replaced 10 years from the date of their manufacture." Tire age can be accelerated by a variety of environmental factors, such as sunlight exposure and coastal climates. Poor storage and infrequent use of your vehicle are other things that can accelerate tire age.

[Kirby]

I tried a Continenetal Tour TK17 once. I bought this tire because it was suppose to br "long wearing". It had all the good qualities that you need from a MC tire. The only thing is, it didn't last even 6,000 miles and it was slick as an onion. I put on an E3 and it now has over 9,000 miles and still has over half the tread left. If someone doesn't ride that much, Contis are good, but I ride over 20,000 miles a year.

[wes0778]

Ok, waited about a week too long, 'cause the price went up.

I got my new Milestone in today from Jake Wilson. I had planned on putting it on tomorrow, but checked the date, 4807. What the heck this tire is 3 years old. Well I called Jake Wilson's 800 number. the lady appologized and went to check the other 5 they have in stock. Guess what, they all are dated 4807. She says she will check with their warranty guy Monday and see if the distributor has any "fresher" ones.

At this point, I'm not desperate for a rear tire, and can wait, but I'm a little ticked off!

What would any of you think about riding on a "new" 3 year old tire?

 

Ok, got the final answer from the lady at Jake Wlson. They checked and it looks like 4807 is the last time these tires were manufactured, as that is the latest date they could find. She assured me that the tire had been stored properly and they would stand behind it. Sooooo, guess I'll put it on and see what happens. I really like the looks of it. The tread grooves look like canyons and I like the 80H rating!

Time will tell......

[wes0778]

Ok, best I can figure my OEM 404 had 11,000 miles on it and still had some tread left on it but was real close to the wear bars, so I had the Continental Milestone put on. Oh, found a nail in the 404, but was holding air.

 

The Continental looks to me wider than the 404. It sure seems to ride better. I like it so far, but have only put about 150 miles on it.

[wes0778]

Ok, best I can figure my OEM 404 had 11,000 miles on it and still had some tread left on it but was real close to the wear bars, so I had the Continental Milestone put on. Oh, found a nail in the 404, but was holding air.

 

The Continental looks to me wider than the 404. It sure seems to ride better. I like it so far, but have only put about 150 miles on it.

 

Ok, Here I am 9 months and 6500 miles later...

The tire is down well into the wear bars.

Poor planning on my part, but the tread was well above the wear bars when we started the trip to Dresden, last Friday. My plan was to buy a new tire from a relative that owns a stealership at the top of our trip. However, 100 or so miles into the trip, I was down to the wear bars, with 350 miles to go. Found an EIII at Lake City Cycles in Grenada, MS. Yes, I could have done better on price, online, but he was reasonable, for a desperate traveler. He was not able to mount it for me as both of his racks were occupied. Long story short, after much adventure I got it mounted at Oxford Power Sports! If you are in the area, from my short experience with both places, I would say give them a chance, 'cause they both treated me great!!!

 

Anyway, back to the Continental. When I 1st put it on, I liked it immediately, especially the "grip" it had during braking. The handling was not bad either, although I'm not what you would consider a real aggressive rider. Fast forward to installing the EIII, WOW, what a difference! Maybe my brain is comparing it to the "worn-out" Continental, but the EIII handles SO much better. On the way home, running through the back roads between Hopkinsville, KY and Jackson, TN the difference was obvious! Two-up, pulling a trailer the RSV seemed to weigh a lot less an "glided" through the twisties!

Now if it will last more than 6500 miles.......

[JoeKanuck]

 

 

Great report...exactly the kind of useful information we need...hi on fact, low on guesswork. Nice.