Blade Posted July 14, 2018 Share #1 Posted July 14, 2018 I need some help finding long distance touring tires. My Yamaha dealership swamped me into a Vons claiming they would rival Michelin long-distance tires. The michelins claimed double the usual expected mileage. That would equate to 40,000 k. I have since learned my Yamaha dealer may have totally lied about the capability of the Avon tires. Not wishing to rely on them for advice I'm asking here. The Dunlop Elite 4 tires seem to claim amazing range. What is my best option and does anyone know where I could get them installed in short notice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freebird Posted July 14, 2018 Share #2 Posted July 14, 2018 I chose "best traction" because that is really the most important thing. The fact is though, I try to find a happy medium between good traction and long mileage. I had good luck with the original Michelin Commanders but they howled fairly loudly in the long sweepers. I've never run the new Commander II and it may have corrected that issue. I'm running Dunlop E3s at this time. They perform pretty well but I haven't put enough miles on them to comment about the longevity. From other reports, they are a long lasting tire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blade Posted July 14, 2018 Author Share #3 Posted July 14, 2018 Thank You Free Bird. It looks like I may have to settle for the Elite 3 buy Dunlop. The Elite Force come out the 24th of this month in Kelowna BC but I will be passing by and not able to take advantage of their release date. Apparently the Michelin Commander 2 only produce our rear tire and don't have a match for our front. As I have so far averaged 50000 K per year, I need to focus on Range and less on sticking to the pavement. Oh and please disregard the poll, I had no idea how to manipulate that part of posting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldodge Posted July 15, 2018 Share #4 Posted July 15, 2018 I also like the E3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XV1100SE Posted July 15, 2018 Share #5 Posted July 15, 2018 E3 for me. Good with tar snakes, rain, long lasting (25 to 30,000 km) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djh3 Posted July 15, 2018 Share #6 Posted July 15, 2018 Michelin Commander 2 were great for me. Over 15k on the rear and heck I think almost 30k on front. For me the Dunlaps when they got worn howled like a dog at the moon in sweeper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mover Posted July 16, 2018 Share #7 Posted July 16, 2018 I put 36,000kms on my last set of Elite 3s and hadn't gotten to the wear bars but the cupping seemed to make the ride rougher. I'm now on the third set of Elite 3s and see no reason to switch to different tire. Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blade Posted July 18, 2018 Author Share #8 Posted July 18, 2018 I truly appreciate everybody's help. I wish those newer michelins were available for our front since 40000 k on one set of tires saves the downtime and installation cost. Even if the cost of the tire would be almost double. It looks like from what everybody saying the Dunlop Elite 3 overall the best pick at this moment. Just for info sake I called a Yamaha dealer in Kelowna BC. He indicated that Dunlop is coming up with an elite four July 27th release day 2018. They are supposed to be dual compound with much improved distance and handling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freebird Posted July 18, 2018 Share #9 Posted July 18, 2018 I THINK that Michelin makes the tire in the 130 width for the front. I've never used the 130 but a lot of people do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blade Posted July 18, 2018 Author Share #10 Posted July 18, 2018 Awesome additional info thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
videoarizona Posted July 18, 2018 Share #11 Posted July 18, 2018 I truly appreciate everybody's help. I wish those newer michelins were available for our front since 40000 k on one set of tires saves the downtime and installation cost. Even if the cost of the tire would be almost double. It looks like from what everybody saying the Dunlop Elite 3 overall the best pick at this moment. Just for info sake I called a Yamaha dealer in Kelowna BC. He indicated that Dunlop is coming up with an elite four July 27th release day 2018. They are supposed to be dual compound with much improved distance and handling. Sounds good. I like the idea of dual compound. I'm the opposite of your thinking, I prefer traction over longevity. To my way of thinking....the hard compounds on the long last tires can't be as good in rain. NASCAR/ Forumla 1 racing has proved this with the tires they use. Different compounds for weather. The downside is soft tires don't last. I'm an advocate for Shinkos due to their traction and ride. The 230's are softest but are excellent riding tires. The 777HD's are stronger and harder but still ride very nicely. No squirming, etc.. My 230's on my 89 are 4 years old but only about 5K miles...rear looks about half gone. The 777HD's on the 05 RSV were fine until a nail got my rear after 3K miles. It looked brand new. Rats. As far as tire changing....here's a thought for you. The rear end needs lubrication of the drive shaft and splines. You are going to be taking the rear apart anyway....and most of us do that maintenance when we go to change the tires. So...what's the difference? Watching @cowpuc change out my tire....(he makes it look easy!) gives me the confidence that i can do that myself as well. So suggest you buy the tire that fits your riding style and budget. Then forget everything else but riding! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rafterd Posted July 18, 2018 Share #12 Posted July 18, 2018 Michelin Commander ll. The front is a 130/90x16. Seems to handle a little better. Have 16k on the set, they still look good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinx Posted August 6, 2018 Share #13 Posted August 6, 2018 I put Bridgestone Exedra on mine last week and balanced them myself with a balancer I built years ago. Very smooth tire up to 100mph and handle well. Can't vouch for longevity as only about 500 miles at this writing but I'm more interested in the traction after coming off a set of Metzler ME-880's which lasted in excess of 20k miles but were loud and rode bad. Those I did not trust to lean in a corner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graywulf Posted August 6, 2018 Share #14 Posted August 6, 2018 I put Bridgestone Exedra on mine last week and balanced them myself with a balancer I built years ago. Very smooth tire up to 100mph and handle well. Can't vouch for longevity as only about 500 miles at this writing but I'm more interested in the traction after coming off a set of Metzler ME-880's which lasted in excess of 20k miles but were loud and rode bad. Those I did not trust to lean in a corner. NZ has very 'different' road conditions, they use Volcanic chip, and we have some of the most abrasive road surfaces anywhere. But I have found that overall for price/wear/grip I have not found better than the Bridgestone GT tires on several big capacity 250-280kg bikes. I've had a pair of the Excedra's fitted to my Venture, so will be interested in how well they do. But sadly I've never seen more that 10-10,500 miles at the very best on a rear lid here with heavy bikes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinx Posted August 6, 2018 Share #15 Posted August 6, 2018 NZ has very 'different' road conditions, they use Volcanic chip, and we have some of the most abrasive road surfaces anywhere. But I have found that overall for price/wear/grip I have not found better than the Bridgestone GT tires on several big capacity 250-280kg bikes. I've had a pair of the Excedra's fitted to my Venture, so will be interested in how well they do. But sadly I've never seen more that 10-10,500 miles at the very best on a rear lid here with heavy bikes. It will be interesting to see how these wear for sure. My bike had the ME-880 Metzler tires from new and when it needed new from coming apart, warranty installed them again. They wore good, (miles) but I never really did like how they handled. In the rain for instance, they could be treacherous in all facets of operation. Never thought tires could make so much of a difference, but these sure have. I ran Dunlop Elite I & II series for years from mid 1970's till the mid 1990's. Debated on them again but a riding buddy has the Exedra on his Victory and liked them so went that way as a test. Always had a very good service life from Dunlop tires but this Venture is the first touring bike I've had so a different animal. So far I've been really happy with the Exedra tires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrscomncents Posted August 9, 2018 Share #16 Posted August 9, 2018 I truly appreciate everybody's help. I wish those newer michelins were available for our front since 40000 k on one set of tires saves the downtime and installation cost. Even if the cost of the tire would be almost double. It looks like from what everybody saying the Dunlop Elite 3 overall the best pick at this moment. Just for info sake I called a Yamaha dealer in Kelowna BC. He indicated that Dunlop is coming up with an elite four July 27th release day 2018. They are supposed to be dual compound with much improved distance and handling. Freebird is right Michelin makes the the 130 for the front tire. That is what I'm currently running and I like it. Some don't. I'm a little biased toward Michelin. I had a valve stem blow off on my 1100 doing about 70 on the highway. The bike fish tailed almost 90 degrees to both sides and the bead never broke from the tire. Thought sure I was going down. The sidewall on that tire was so thick that after I was able to get off to the side of the road I was then able to sit up on the tank and ride the bike home. No damage to the tire. Maybe another tire would have done the same but it kinda sold me on Michelin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blade Posted August 9, 2018 Author Share #17 Posted August 9, 2018 Great feedback from you all. So far Michelin Commanders using a 130 on the front rim should give me longevity and control in balance. I installed the Dunlop Elite 3's front and back. 6000 kms return from West Coast and other riding . So far so good. Tread looks unimpressive but seems to work . I'm a bit aggressive in curves always and see no signs of wear yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cami Posted August 9, 2018 Share #18 Posted August 9, 2018 For more tire information, check out the venture riders org, tech library on tires. A lot of those folks are using Avon tires with very good results. The Avon tires have a higher load carrying rating than the Dunlop tires. I ride and live in Mexico, roads are a lot rougher here than in the states. The roads are so bad I only ride during daylight hours. I am running Avon tires on my 99 rsv. Have not had them on the bike long enough to make any statements on wear, but ride and control are very good. On my gen 1 Venture royal I ran Metzler front and rear but did not get very good mileage out the front tire. Hope this will give you more information and a different perspective to help you choose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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