For Tire Anal Riders (like me)

[Billet]

I have been agonizing over what to get for new tires. Avons have served me well for the last 9000 miles but it's time for new rubber.

I have not had a cracking issue with the Avons like lots of others but it is a concern.

Dunlop E 3's seem to be the number two choice.

Last week I took the RSV to a friends place and we weighed the front and rear wheels separately. Here are the results.

The bike weighed a total of 911#. This is with the typical accessories, trunk rack, bag guards, Passing lamps etc. Also basic tools, rain gear etc. that we all carry and 3/4 tank of gas.

Out of that 911# the front was 382# and the rear 529#.

Then I parked my 220# butt on the bike and did the tippy-toe thing for the next weights. 1,130# total, 446# front and 684# rear.

Here is the interesting part, (and you have to assume that about 85-90% of the passenger weight and 100% of the bag and trunk weight goes on the rear tire) with a stock rear tire Dunlop 404-74H you have 143# left for passenger, luggage and stuff. Pretty close to the 419# GVWR. With a Dunlop E-3-77H you get an extra 81# or a total of 224# left over. Probably a safe number for most of us.

 

Assuming that Manufactures leave a little fudge factor in the ratings, I still will be going with the Avon 80H to get that extra 84# over the E-3 for a total of 308# for passenger and extra stuff.

[Sylvester]

You ananlize well, but the safety factor built in to the tires is in excess of 20%. I run Dunlop D404s always and have for the last 100,000miles. I always get better than 10,000 miles for front and back. I ride mostly single an weigh 240#. About once a year my wife rides with me to the NC mountains for a weekend with more riders. I won't ask her but I would assume 180# +. We will leave next Friday for this weekend retreat and we will pack the tour pack and a bag on the top of it. We will ride twisties and switch backs to our intended site. On top of that I have 9600 miles on the tires (again D404s) and have plenty of tread left. I have no fear of riding there and no fear of tire problems.

 

This is me. You need to do your own thing!

 

[allwx]

Just this past week I put on a new set of D404s. They replaced a set of E3s, which I didn't like much because of noise, but which performed flawlessly otherwise and rendered 14k miles. I probably could safely have squeezed another 1k out of them, but nowadays I tend towards the safer route. As the E3s aged they got noisier and noisier.

 

The set of D404s my bike came with 3 years ago were great. They were nice and quiet. Only near the end of life did they get a little howly on the edges, but not in the middle, unlike the E3s which howled all the time in every attitude. I got a little over 9k out of them but could have gotten another 2k I think. I picked up a nail at 9k and so that was that.

 

I've ridden the D404s in every type of weather, wet dry hot cold, never had a reason to complain about them. I paid $120 rear and $140 front, which isn't bad. I'll probably stick with 'em.

[saddlebum]

I am on my second set of Dunlop Elite II's and all I can say is that I have no complaints at all.

[Mariner Fan]

I rolled my bike on a truck scale the other day. It weighed 940 lbs. Must be all the stuff I have in the bags and trunk.

[Guest Slab_Ryder]

Well, I'm on a Road Trip of sorts as I type, and was just remarking to myself today, just how good the E3's have been good to me. 30,000 kms or 18-20,000 miles per tire.

[ard103]

I have ran Avons for the last two tire changes and got 12000 to 15000 out of them, and this set is worn out and ready to be replaced. While doing some cleaning this weekend I found a void in the rear Avon, just beneath the surfuce of the rubber. It's a round void, about 3/8 ths of an inch across, and not sure how deep.

The Avons have been good tires, but I am going to try the Elite 3's this time.

[Guest Slab_Ryder]

I have found for Tire Wear, the key is inflation. I set my pressures at 41 front, 40 Back. With those pressures, I get between 18000/20000 Miles per tire with my E3's

[Bobby G]

Replacing my ME880 rear tire tomorrow with another one - - after a little over 13,000 miles. The front has the same mileage, but still has really good tread on it, so I'll do that one in a few months. Leaving on a 2,000 mile trip on Thursday, thus the tire change. Otherwise, I would be OK with going another 2K locally on the rear. I'm a Dunlop fan as well, and I think they are also a good option for the RSV. I'm just not a big fan of Avon's for this bike.

 

Also just changed both tires on my wife's Softail for the trip. We run D404 whitewalls, and got about 12,000 on the most recent set.

[sarges46]

I have to replace the 404's the dealer put on after my blow out in Bismarck on my way to Cody.

 

I have 6000 miles on it. Yes, alot was pulling a trailer. I have never liked the feel of it as it always felt "squirrly".

 

Thank fully I have a E3 sitting in the shed. I love venoms but have had no luck at all with them as they have all cracked on me. I have yet to wear a set out!

[Rick Haywood]

I have found for Tire Wear, the key is inflation. I set my pressures at 41 front, 40 Back. With those pressures, I get between 18000/20000 Miles per tire with my E3's

 

Me too and I get the same miles except the front I got 23,000 out of it.

[spear]

Putting an ME880 on mine next week.

That's what the dealer recommended and what he rides.

(Can't get Avon. There's a bloke in Oz who has a monopoly on imports and he charges like a wounded bull.)

[BradT]

I put new Dunlop 404's on this summer and have over 11,000 miles on them should get at least 2-3,000 more.

 

Lots of Highway miles and pulling a trailer, works for me. But I do like the white walls.

 

Brad

[Old Texan]

I have never liked the feel of it as it always felt "squirrly".

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels like 404's act squirrly particulary at speeds above 65mph. I've only owned my 08rsv for a short time but just feel uncomfortable at higher speeds as it seems to buffet around a lot more then my wing did. Luckily I live close to Goose and he checked out the bike for me without finding any major problems so I've got to believe it's the tires. Even though there almost new I'm going to switch them out with a set of 880's and see what happens.

[allwx]

I have never liked the feel of it as it always felt "squirrly".

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels like 404's act squirrly particulary at speeds above 65mph. I've only owned my 08rsv for a short time but just feel uncomfortable at higher speeds as it seems to buffet around a lot more then my wing did. Luckily I live close to Goose and he checked out the bike for me without finding any major problems so I've got to believe it's the tires. Even though there almost new I'm going to switch them out with a set of 880's and see what happens.

 

The thing that sticks out to me in what you write is, that the tires are new. New tires do tend to feel this way, that is, they seem to drift and meander. The old tires, which you have become used to, are flat, compared to a new tire. The old tire feels stable in a straight line, but is harder to get to lean into a turn. So, you get used to having to give the old tires more control input. then, blam, there are new tires on there. The new tires are not flat, but have a max crown to them. They take much less control input to get to lean. The result is that for the first hundred or two miles, you have to re-learn the control input amplitude. After awhile, the crown on the new tires wears down a bit, and you get used to not having to countersteer so hard to initiate a turn. Until then, winds will waft me around more, and the bike generally feels twitchy.

[Old Texan]

Maybe I need to explain "new". The RSV only had 1100 miles on it when I bought it, it now has a tad over 2200 miles. Would of had a lot more except we've had a horribly hot summer here in the Dallas area and I only ride for enjoyment. So I think with that many miles on the tires they would be scuffed in and should be stable which their not, thus my reasoning for buying new Metzler's. I should also probably say that while riding a wing I was a darksider for a good portion of the time I owned it, so I'm use to persuading a bike to lean through a curve as opposed to just having to think about it. My problem really lies with straight and level and over 65mph.

[Gogosa]

just bought dunlop 150/80 -16 71H. tire guy says this tire flagged "do not use" for my 07 RSV. what say you ?

[bikenut]

GOGOSA

Ok I will Ask why the tire guy stated this to you????????????

[Gogosa]

say his book states sidewall not rated for this bike, also his "book" doesn't show RSV in production this (07) year is this tire safe ?

[straycatt]

What does the "Max weight XXX at XX psi" label embossed on the side of the tire say?

[treeman]

Avon told me to put ( PSI ) 42 Front 48 Back ) on the Venture thats base on 170 Man. So i am 270 lbs/ i am on by 3rd set Avons All had side wall cracking. This set Very little. i Ride a 2006 RSV

[Santa Hal]

Texas to idaho in 1st of July Round trip 3,971 miles E3 front I got 23,000 out E3 back 20.000 tire that badly needed to be replaced. It was bald as a que ball and a little fuzzy on the sides. I guess from the heat and riding two up and towing a trailer. I new when I got home I was going to need to replace it, but it had to been done immediatley as it was unsafe to drive. No E3's at the dealership, so I had to get a stock tire. The price wasn't too bad, but the service was excellent. The total bill was $206, and they had me done in an hour and a half so we could get back on the road again. Anyone needing anything in Killeen.

 

Here it is a couple of months later, and I now need to replace the front tire and I am going back to the E3 and when the back tire wears I am going to go back to the E3 for it too.

[allwx]

just bought dunlop 150/80 -16 71H. tire guy says this tire flagged "do not use" for my 07 RSV. what say you ?

 

That should be a front tire. What model of Dunlop is this tire?