Tire - Best Deal

[N3FOL]

Currently shopping around for tires and came across motorcycle-superstore's website and came across the best deal on Dunlop D404 (Rear and Front).

 

- 150/90H-15 for $90.99 (Rear) and

-150/80H-16 for $97.99 (Front).

For both tires, it is free shipping.

 

What do you guys think? Not sure if radial or bias, etc. I may go ahead and order these tires tomorrow, before Monday.

[RSTDRIDER]

Good price. I've been running them, get about 8000 mi on the rear and 16 on the front. they do a fair job, I've not had any issues with them.

[RedRider]

D404 - Never again. Ran thru 3 of them in only 5000 miles each. The last 2 installs were emergency replacements - very expensive (they were all that were in stock at the time).

 

Prefer the Avon Venom - got about 14,000 miles - or the Dunlop Elite 3. Have about 5000 miles on my first one and it still looks new.

 

These are all on the rear. My D404 has lasted about 15000 on the front and still looks OK. Will be changing that out to a E3 next spring.

 

RR

[N3FOL]

Good price. I've been running them, get about 8000 mi on the rear and 16 on the front. they do a fair job, I've not had any issues with them.

 

I almost have 9K miles on my OEM Bridgestones and I may be able to squeeze in another 2K. Had some feel on D404's and put in 15K miles on in, but that was from a lighter bike.

 

Yep, the price is good with Free Shipping. I can also get OEM G702 Bridgestones for 10 bucks more per tire. Thanks for your input.

[N3FOL]

D404 - Never again. Ran thru 3 of them in only 5000 miles each. The last 2 installs were emergency replacements - very expensive (they were all that were in stock at the time).

 

Prefer the Avon Venom - got about 14,000 miles - or the Dunlop Elite 3. Have about 5000 miles on my first one and it still looks new.

 

These are all on the rear. My D404 has lasted about 15000 on the front and still looks OK. Will be changing that out to a E3 next spring.

 

RR

 

5000 miles on a tire is very low even if I guess we are talking about sport bike tires .

 

I will have to think this over real good.

 

The Elite's according to past threads in this forum are great tires. Not sure if they sell this or not. Avon tires are the most expensive at $160 per tire...potentially may last longer too.

[V7Goose]

I'm surprised if you haven't already seen this comment in older posts about tires (some of mine have a huge amount of data comparing tires on this bike), but I'll briefly repeat it here anyway.

 

GET RID OF THAT CRAPPY OEM BRICKSTONE RUBBER!!!! Your bike will feel like a completely different machine, about 300 lbs lighter and much more stable.

 

That rear tire has absolutely NO traction and wears very fast. You have already gotten a thousand miles more than most of us can get from that POS, and by now it is dead flat across the center with sharp ridges on the corner. It howls in the slightest lean, and the edges grab onto any road imperfection or groove and throw the bike back and forth like a drunken banshee. Your front has LOTS of tread left, especially in the center (harder rubber compound there), but it is so grossly misshapen with an extra wide shape and poor profile that the front forks feel like they are trying to slam all the way to full lock as soon as you start a turn at slow speed.

 

ANY tire you can buy will improve both issues, but the D404 is just an average tire, in both handling and life. You may think it is cheaper, but it is not. When you compare the shorter life and the extra cost of changing it more often, you are much better off with the longer life of an Avon Venom or Dunlop E3.

Goose

[Tom]

I'm surprised if you haven't already seen this comment in older posts about tires (some of mine have a huge amount of data comparing tires on this bike), but I'll briefly repeat it here anyway.

 

GET RID OF THAT CRAPPY OEM BRICKSTONE RUBBER!!!! Your bike will feel like a completely different machine, about 300 lbs lighter and much more stable.

 

That rear tire has absolutely NO traction and wears very fast. You have already gotten a thousand miles more than most of us can get from that POS, and by now it is dead flat across the center with sharp ridges on the corner. It howls in the slightest lean, and the edges grab onto any road imperfection or groove and throw the bike back and forth like a drunken banshee. Your front has LOTS of tread left, especially in the center (harder rubber compound there), but it is so grossly misshapen with an extra wide shape and poor profile that the front forks feel like they are trying to slam all the way to full lock as soon as you start a turn at slow speed.

 

ANY tire you can buy will improve both issues, but the D404 is just an average tire, in both handling and life. You may think it is cheaper, but it is not. When you compare the shorter life and the extra cost of changing it more often, you are much better off with the longer life of an Avon Venom or Dunlop E3.

Goose

 

And This I totally agree with.

[Wolf]

I replaced my 404's on my 09 RSV at 5,000 miles because they ride like crap, have a very low load rating, fall in to every grove and track every road snake. Go cheap on accessories if you must, but not tires. I have 4,000 miles on my Venoms and the ride is soooo much better. I also here the E3's are great.

[jlh3rd]

i've got about 12,000 on my original 404's , 07 venture......i do a lot of two up riding........they are nearing their replacement time.......i can't say they are better or worse than other tires mentioned as i haven't ridden on those.......i do get the whine in the corners now....e3's will probably be my replacement tire.......

[N3FOL]

Thanks for all your response. Now you guys got me thinking more?

 

I agree, tires is something you should not compromise on...I've looked and looked (must be looking in the wrong place) and could not find the best site where they sell Dunlop Elite 3 Rear tires. Can someone also please educate me on Bias as opposed to Radial Tires for motorcycles. The OEM Bridgestones are Bias tires.

 

I am very ready to buy, just want to find the best deal.

[jlh3rd]

n3fol

 

it's not mentioned in tire blogs much....but one thing that's important to me is the tire's load bearing capacity rating..........i wanna know that when i'm riding two up in a desert out west in 95 degree temps at 70+ mph.....that the tire is at the high end on the rating

the e3 is rated at that high end......i don't know if the avon is higher

 

the only thing i've read about bias/radial is that you shouldn't mix the two...

[DragonRider]

'AVON VENOM X'

 

Thats my 2 cents worth........

[BoomerCPO]

BTDT with those Dunlop 404's.............And I would rather sell the bike than put those tires on again.

 

After you crash and burn is not the time to realize that when you cut corners to save a few dollars you really did not save much!

 

 

Boomer........who's with V7 Goose all the way on this one.

[V7Goose]

n3fol

 

it's not mentioned in tire blogs much....but one thing that's important to me is the tire's load bearing capacity rating..........i wanna know that when i'm riding two up in a desert out west in 95 degree temps at 70+ mph.....that the tire is at the high end on the rating

the e3 is rated at that high end......i don't know if the avon is higher

 

the only thing i've read about bias/radial is that you shouldn't mix the two...

Stock rear tire load rating for the RSV is a 74H tire. The E3 is 77H, and Avon Venom is 80H.

 

You generally should not put radial tires on a bike that was not designed for them (that is straight from the tire manufacturers). As far as I know, there are no radial motorcycle tires made in the stock size for the RSV, so you don't need to worry about it.

Goose

[N3FOL]

Thanks Goose. That is what I want to hear.

 

Yeah, I've seen that 74H on the tire. Knowing that the E3 is 77H, this makes me feel much better and gearing towards the E3.

 

Dragonrider, Avons seems to be the best but on the high end. I believe that "what you pay for is what you get...":).

 

The first one to tell me which site has the best deal for E3's, that is where I'll get them from. Promise.

[Yammer Dan]

SWMototire I think it is. Lost it when MSN dumped all my favorites.

[1sttenor]

I got mine at southwest moto, but the last time I looked Motorcycle Superstore was cheapest when all was figured. Just check around, prices change.

[davecb]

I just replaced my Dunlop404 rear tire with another one. 14600 miles on it... I probably could have gotten another 1000 miles out of it, but in some areas I had fine split formig at the area at the bottom of the tread. Their was still tread left on these tires. Not like the pics I have seen on here of people who got outrageous mileage and should have replaced the tire a long time ago....

Edited October 6, 2009 by davecb
add info

[camos]

Anyone got a good source for Elite 3 tires in Canada?

[N3FOL]

SWMototire I think it is. Lost it when MSN dumped all my favorites.

 

Their site does not list the rear size (150/90/15). I've looked everywhere and all I can find are Regular D404, Bridgestones G702, Avon Venom (nice tire), and Michelin Commanders. I saw one for the front E3...not the rear. I may end up buying Michelin Commanders or Avon Venom. What is the load rating of Michelin Commanders?

[Ndiaz]

I have a Shinko Tour Master 230 on the front of my Venture Royale. Size 120/90-18. Best value for the money. Have 4,000 miles on it, and it's wearing great.

 

This tire is V-rated, which some folks prefer, and some don't. I don't care about load rating, since I seldom if ever ride with a passenger. Load rating is fine for the Venture.

 

The Shinko is great in the rain, on grooved pavement, or metal-grate bridges. If I can get 10,000 miles out of it, safely, I'll be very happy.

 

I'll be getting a rear Shinko Tour Master 230 for the rear when my Michelin Commander wear out back there.

 

The best deal on a Shinko is on the Motorcycle Superstore website:

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/28/395/1/0/0/DEPARTMENT/Street-Bike-Touring-Tires-Tires.aspx

 

Price for a front: $58.99 plus $6.99 shipping. This is a great deal on such a good tire. (120/90V-18)

Price for a rear: $69.99 plus $6.99 shipping. Another great deal. (140/90V-16)

 

Nick Diaz

Middletown, MD

[MAINEAC]

IMHO... There's nothing wrong with the Dunlop 404s I ran about 5 sets of them with an average of 12K miles... They're the cheapest tire out there so you can afford to swap them out as a set... i got about 1 1/2 rears to every front then started doing sets... Most available and handle good..

 

I had one set of Avons got lousy mileage 7500.. Hated them on wet roads.. will never buy them again..

 

I had 1 set of Elite 3s.. Got 14K out of the rear... still running the front... These handle well on dry and wet roads but I don't think they're worth almost double the price of the 404s for a few extra miles..

 

At 103K I just installed my 2nd car tire a Kumho Powerstar 758 165/80R-15... I got 19K out of the last one with the majority pulling a trailer... It handles well, and rides better than any MC tire... While running my 1st Radial CT I also ran a Bridgestone Radial front 150/80R-16 (I know I Know Bridgestones suck but the Vulcan 2000 guys loved them and I thought they're radials might be different) The Bridgestone were fine but wore out funny and were never run low... I think I'll try a Dunlop Radial on the front... I think it's a K-251... It's made for a Vulcan 2000 and the load range is a little lower but it's close and those V-2 are heavy too.

[footsie]

The Michelin commanders are radials, have good reports on them.

150-80-16 $110.22 frount, 150-90-15 $124.08 at bikebandit.com

AMA members get 10% discount.

 

I run the Avon Cobra radial on frount, and kumho car tire on back.

Perfect combo FOR ME, not for everyone, have 5000 miles on the kumho, no appart wear, 2500 on the cobra and it shows no wear.

 

I prefer radial, bias ply tires are old technology, most people would not consider putting a bias ply tire on a car, so why put them on bike.

[jfoster]

Thanks for all your response. Now you guys got me thinking more?

 

I agree, tires is something you should not compromise on...I've looked and looked (must be looking in the wrong place) and could not find the best site where they sell Dunlop Elite 3 Rear tires. Can someone also please educate me on Bias as opposed to Radial Tires for motorcycles. The OEM Bridgestones are Bias tires.

 

I am very ready to buy, just want to find the best deal.

 

If I remember right, radial tires are constructed with the ply cords run from one bead to the other bead (IIII) Advantages to radials, slower tread wear, better ride, better handling, and cooler running. (typical car tire) Bias tires are constructed where the plies run diagonally (\\\///) and are overlapped. I think the one advantage to bias tires is increased load carrying capacity (old truck tires). I'm guessing, that's probably why they're still making bias motorcycle tires when the automotive industry has gone away with them.

[footsie]

Old truck tires is right, they have not been on bias plies (except trailers and they are radials now) in 20 years, in my opinion the cycle industry is just behind on tires.

 

gregg