Looking at new tires. How are Dunlop D404's?

[timgray]

I ride an 83. the Elite II's on the bike are getting thin and are quite old. I would like a tire with more "grip" in the wet compared to what I am riding on now. The Dunlop D404's look like they have a far better tread pattern for wet riding. How do they ride on the dry as well? anyone running them? Hate them? love them?

 

How about bridgestone S11's?

 

I'd like E3's but they dont make them in venture sizes anymore.

 

I cant find them in 120/90-18 for t he front and 140/90-16 for the rear.

Edited January 26, 2011 by timgray

[rumboogy]

That's the stock tire on the RSV. I just changed (about 4000 miles ago) to the Dunlop E3, and they are MUCH, MUCH better than the 404's. Much better grip on dry and wet, and the handling is like night and day.

 

JMHO

[Owen]

[RedRider]

Not sure about on a 1st Gen, but I will never put a D404 on my 2nd Gen again. It does not have a high enough load rating. Road 2 of them (rears - both emergency / on road replacements) and did not get 5000 miles out of either. One had a catastrophic failure while in the mountains of WV and the other just wore out in the plains of SD. Changed to an E3 and are at 10,000 miles and still rolling.

 

The general consensus on here (although some have strong opposing opinions) is:

 

1) Dunlop Elite 3

2) Avon Venom

3) Michelin Commander

 

These are in no particular order other than my personal preference. I got almost 16,000 miles out of an Avon but have never run the Commander.

 

D404 - never again.

 

RR

Edited January 26, 2011 by RedRider

[Squidley]

I dont like the 404's at all, but tires preferences are like....well you know. I am a fan of Avon Venoms, some aren't, but I have had great luck with all the sets of Avons I have owned. The E3 Dunlop, and yes I have had a set on my '89 VR were ok, took a bit of getting used to but performed reasonably well. Best thing I can tell you is do what I have done for all the years I have rode Ventures, try them all out and judge for yourself.

[rumboogy]

You may not get a concensus on the BEST tires, but I do believe you'll get a MAJORITY on what not to get...Seems like the Dunlop 404's number comes up quite often for tires to avoid.

 

I'm just sayen'

[SilvrT]

I ride an 83. the Elite II's on the bike are getting thin and are quite old. I would like a tire with more "grip" in the wet compared to what I am riding on now. The Dunlop D404's look like they have a far better tread pattern for wet riding. How do they ride on the dry as well? anyone running them? Hate them? love them?

 

How about bridgestone S11's?

 

I'd like E3's but they dont make them in venture sizes anymore.

 

I cant find them in 120/90-18 for t he front and 140/90-16 for the rear.

 

Contrary to what other's say about D404's ... my stock tires (D404) got really good mileage ... well, at least the rear one did. That being said, I really didn't like them much.

 

I'm currently running the S11's and although I haven't put a lot of miles on them yet, (one summer) I am happy with them. The primary reason for that is that for the price, they seem to be pretty good. I do a lot of riding in the "mountains" so get a good feel for their performance on twisties and some of the highways in this province are pretty crappy in places. We pulled a trailer for 2 weeks last year all the way out to Alberta and back ... a lot of variance in roads as well as a fair amount of rain .... I have no complaints and no concerns about the tires.

 

Here's some reviews you can check out....

 

http://motorcycletirereviews.com/10-1-spitfireS11.html

[Midrsv]

I can't comment on 404's. My last two sets have been E3's and I just ordered my next set and I'm going back to Avon Venoms. I didn't find the wear on the E3's to be any better than Avon and I preferred the ride and handling of the Avons.

 

Dennis

[Sylvester]

I have run D 404's on my 02 Venture since the Brickstones were removed. I have no problem with them and really run the c**p out of them. My 02 has 135,000 miles and other than the original 6,000 miles on Brickstones that is all I have ever run. Never had a problem. I forgot that I did try the Metzler 880 after the originals and that was a disaster. So give me 125,000 miles of smiles for the Dunlop D 404.

 

[saddlebum]

They still make the elite E II for the first gen. They are in actuall fact a great tire. Keep in mind that as the tire ages the rubber gets harder loosing its gripping ability and that also goes for as the tread wears down. for that reason You will find a big difference between your old EII's and a new set. I tried the avons on my 89 found them squirmy so I took them back and had EII's put on. I have never looked back. For me as long as they continue to make the EII that is what will go on my bike. When Dunlop stopped making them a couple years ago the gold wing people raised enough of a stink for Dunlop to put them back in production, so that has to say something for the tire.

[Guest PlaneCrazy]

I like the 404's. Granted, I only have 4800km on my RSV with them, but I have already had an "Oh $#!#" moment when I took a blind corner at 120 km/hr and hit a whole pile of loose gravel and even though the back end started to slip out on me, I was able to recover by letting off the throttle and countersteering. And they seem to handle fine on road snakes and rough pavement.

 

I also ran 404's on my last bike (Honda ACE) and loved them. They don't seem to last as long as Metzlers or Avons, but that's because they are a softer compound and therefore give up some wear for more grip.

 

But like the great oil debate... tires are a very personal preference.

[Evan]

Well, I'll add my 2 cents worth. My 88VR had Elite II's on it when I bought it. I expected to have to change them within a few k miles. I was surprised by how well they rode including in the rain and how many additional miles I got out of them, although my riding style is not hard on tires. I went to E3's when I replaced them and I think they are a bit better over the road snakes. I can't comment at all for 2nd gens, but I see your are riding a 1st gen - happy riding!

[Rick Haywood]

E-3"s

[Snaggletooth]

I got to throw in my here. I love the Avons Venoms. Some have complained about cracking on the tires but mine have shown no problems at all. I have almost 18,000 miles on my current set and will probably be replacing them this next summer with another set when they start to show the need.

 

I am more than pleased with the handling and the wet traction. I ride every day in all kinds of weather and they do a great job. They are a softer compound but they seem to wear very well for my type of riding.

 

So much for my opinion.......but I like them.

 

Mike

[dingy]

Are any of these recommended tires Radials?

 

Does anyone have comments on using radials on a 1st gen?

 

From what I have seen, a motorcycle radial is a different critter from a car tire radial in the sense of the sidewall bulging that is common with car tires.

 

I need tires before spring also.

 

Gary

[MiCarl]

I've never run 404s but I've mounted a lot of them so I'll share my thoughts:

 

The D404 has a rather modest load rating. If you're riding two up you're probably going to be near the load limit (unless you're both really good at avoiding ice cream stops).

 

When I mount tubeless tires I always check the wheel balance first and align the light spot on the tire with the heavy spot on the wheel. In most cases I find that the heavy spot of the assembly is still the heavy spot on the wheel. This is not true of the 404s, I often have to use significant weight on to offset the imbalance of the tire. I don't know that this is necessarily a problem, but may indicate they don't put the greatest effort into the details when manufacturing it.

 

I went with the Kenda Kruz. It's got the same load rating as the Venom and can be had for a price similar or less than a D404. I usually ride two up and figure we're close to the load limit of the tire (we never miss an ice cream stop). So far got 4K miles on it and it shows very little wear.

[BOO]

Not sure about the Radials for the first gens. Don't think they come in the right size.

 

As far as the 404's, I have ran them at different times and I believe they are a softer compound tire that also come with less tread depth then others. In my mind (which is a strange place) I believe they have better grip in the rain then most tires.

 

I have ran a lot of E II through the years and have never had any problem with them. They seem to give good mileage and good grip. I have never had an issue with the Dunlops.

 

I am currently running E3s and really like them. Excellent mileage and good grip.

 

I have not ran a lot of the other brands because the dunlop's have given me no reason to.

 

When I was a kid, some of the brands that are being bragged on today were considered junk. They evidently made their tires a lot better or they are advertising better.

 

BOO

[CaptainJoe]

I've run 404's on my 650 vstar for 6 years.

Soft tire, medium wear. Very good on wet and dry roads.

By medium I mean 8 thousand on rear and about 16 thousand on front.

I've changed my rear tire 3 times and front once with 25,000 mi. on the bike.

 

My 2007 RSV has 6,3220 mi. on it and it came with 404's as origional tires. Front tire is

good 5/32", the rear is 3/16". Both measurments taken center of tread. Wish I'd have measured the depth when I got the bike as they will be different for each tire.

 

Might need to check tire pressure more often as normally, the rear tires wear out faster?

Or is this normal? As this is a heavier bike, Do the front and back wear out about the same time?

 

Perhaps we could document tire wear.

If we had a Dunlop 404 thread say under "tires" we could measure tire depth and mileage for each tire (front and back) and average tire pressure when we changed them out. The same for Avons and EIII's etc....

although weight of rider, trailer, load etc would have an enourmous impact on the results... never mind...

 

Any way I like them.

[Jactana]

My bike came with 404's, I found they really followed rain grooves and pavement imperfections, and I was constantly having to provide input in corners. I put on E-3's and it was like a different bike, stable, and once you got your line in a curve, it's like it's on rails. The E-3's hold their pressure well too. I have about 15000 Km and they're pretty much done. I live and ride in the mountains, and most of my riding is in very hot weather, usually 80 degrees or more. I think I'm going to try Michelin Commanders next as I've heard a lot of good things. Ron:thumbsup2:

Edited January 27, 2011 by Jactana

[BradT]

I think there are better tires for rain and the tar snakes over the 404's, but I have been using them for years with no troubles and I am not complaining about the wear.

 

Brad

[camos]

How about bridgestone S11's?

I don't have any experience with the D404 but I did run Bridgestone S11's on my xv1100. They came with the bike and lasted very well. I put a little over 18000 miles on them and they weren't new when I got the bike. The tires would track on bridge decks and skitter on tar snakes, particularly in the rain. I didn't hate them but I didn't like them. The Bridgestones were replaced by E3's and I absolutely love the difference in handling. There is no tracking on bridge decks and tar snakes are rarely felt in the rain. My Virago gets ridden every day to work rain or shine. There have been only two days that we had snow on the road so my car got some exercise but lots of rainy wet road days. I used to dread rainy trips on the Bridgestones but with the E3's they are a piece of cake.

 

I'd like E3's but they dont make them in venture sizes anymore.

I cant find them in 120/90-18 for the front and 140/90-16 for the rear.

I should think the MR90-18 and the MU90B16 E3's would work just fine on a gen1. I sure hope so as those are the ones I was planning on getting for my 90 VR when I eventually get it on the road.

[WAC1972]

I run 404's on my 96 RSTC and have had no problems with them. I just put a new set on about 200 mikes ago. I got real good wear on my last set. Check out DennisKirk.com for great pricing and cheap shipping.

[Thom]

[quote

I should think the MR90-18 and the MU90B16 E3's would work just fine on a gen1. I sure hope so as those are the ones I was planning on getting for my 90 VR when I eventually get it on the road.

Thats what I have on mine , Tried the Kindas and they started cupping after 4000 miles , had e-2s on it when i bought the bike they were great , but i really like the e-3s .

[Venturous Randy]

I have put about 115,000 miles on my 83 and have run E-2's, 880 Metzlers, Avons and E-3's. The Avons handled the best at low speeds, but 70 and up got real squirlly on my bike and a change to E-3's solved that problem. I have been running E-3's and have no complaints. The 1st gen size is available and if you shop around you can get a good deal. I think I paid about $117 delivered to my door for the last rear one, but I can't remember where I got it.

RandyA

Edited January 28, 2011 by Venturous Randy

[ddoggma]

I got E3's on my 88....Love em.