Tires

[kkent66]

I know there are a buch of threads out abount tires, however, I just wanted to double check on brand. I have been using metzler me880's for a while but not happy with them at all. I am looking at Dunlop Elite 3's and just want to make sure this is a good tire(s) for my 06 RSV.

[Sling]

Yes Elite 3's are the way to go In my opinion!

[Seaking]

E3's last a long long time... a long time.. I do find it a bit noisy when you have a lean on the bike, either due to wind or the road's camber but good handling and lasts a long time.

 

no joke, but I'm up past 20,000 miles on mine with lots of tread left still.. its all about the pressures..

[The Marshal]

Just put a set on the frt/rear of my RSTD. Wow what a change from the stock tires.

Me happy just for that.

 

@SeaKing: What tire PSI are you running?

[CMIKE]

Over 10700 miles so far on my E3's...still holding up good. Run 40 PSI in the rear an 36 in the front.

[Godlover]

Can you put an E3 with a stock tire on the rear? Previous owner just replace the back tire with stock tire but I need a new front.

[GOODWRENCH]

Jake wilson has the front tire for 104.99 and the rear for 126.99 with free shipping called and asked about the date ,their police is a two year stock limit but they turn over so many tires it would most likely be less. Any thoughts? For the price can you go wrong.

[Seaking]

Can you put an E3 with a stock tire on the rear? Previous owner just replace the back tire with stock tire but I need a new front.

 

 

"ideally" you don't want to mix your tires.. you want the front to match the rear..

 

For my hefty size, I run my front at 40 and rear at 42 but when I know I'm doing nothing but slab riding for a while, I run them 38 front and 40 rear.. its what works for me

[Ndiaz]

Can you put an E3 with a stock tire on the rear? Previous owner just replace the back tire with stock tire but I need a new front.

 

Surely you can, and it should work out just fine.

 

At present I have a Michelin Commander on the rear and an Elite 3 on the front.

 

I haven't had a set of matching tires on a motorcycle in decades.

 

Nick Diaz

Middletown, MD

[bikerjohn]

Is the Mich. 880 any better than the Dunlop E-3.

 

i am getting ready to get new tires!

 

John

[1BigDog]

Is the Mich. 880 any better than the Dunlop E-3.

 

i am getting ready to get new tires!

 

John

 

 

From personal experience stay away from the 880's from Metzeler. Too many instances of them losing chunks of rubber from the rear tire. Avon Venoms, E-3's or Michelin Commander tires are all decent choices.

[Smely]

I would like to order a set of E3's today. Found some at a pretty good price from Denis Kirk. Can someone verify the correct p/n's? I believe I have it as the rear tire = MV85HB-15 (Rear Tire Link) and the fronts = 150/80-16 (71H) (Front Tire Link).

Edited April 26, 2010 by Smely

[Monty]

Yes, those are the correct sizes, if you are staying with the stock size.

 

I run a 130/90-16 on the front.

 

 

 

EDIT: I noticed that you are ordering from 2 different places. I would go with Jake Wilson or Motorcycle Superstore. I see that Dennis Kirk charges an additional $5.00 tire fee. Not sure about his shipping.

[Smely]

Sorry, that was the wrong link. I ordered them both from Dennis Kirk. That was the shipping charge, $5 per tire. The total came out to $206.98 and I found a local dealer who will mount them for $20 per rim.

 

And thanks for the info Monty. I'm sticking with the stock front for right now. I've been reading on here a lot about going with the smaller front tire but what my plan is, is while I have the rear tire removed, I'm going to install the leveling links and see how that makes the bike handle first. I guess I'm still on the fence a little about changing tire sizes.

[Owen]

I have run 2 sets of Avon Venoms on my bike. I had no problems with cracking sidewalls. They are a great tire. Rain traction was great. I just put on a set of Dunlop E3s. My first impression was that they felt a little less planted at highway speeds with strong winds from trucks. It only took a little to get used to them. I have not noticed any additional noise from cornering as some have mentioned, maybe when they wear a little, we will see. Most important on what ever you choose, keep the pressure up. A couple pounds low will cause wear and handling problems.