Topic: Dunlop Tires (Read 4636 times)

sixgun95 · « **on:** August 20, 2019, 02:10:08 AM »

Are you happy with your stock Dunlop 407 & 408 tires? They seem to perform well in all conditions, due new rubber and I am leaning towards replacing these with the same rubber. Just curious as to what the rest of you think of the OEM tires.

muddypaws · « **Reply #1 on:** August 20, 2019, 07:34:04 AM »

I use Dunlop American Elite. Wok well for me.

skratch · « **Reply #2 on:** August 20, 2019, 08:52:55 AM »

i've used the american elites with great success, and my last set of tires, i went with the avon cobra chromes which i liked even better. both of which can be found cheaper than the oem dunlops.

Rooster · « **Reply #3 on:** August 20, 2019, 10:30:51 AM »

I still use the stock Dunlops and seem to hold up great in my case over the years pulling my tent trailer. I know there are better tires out there but stock is easier to get and cheaper. And for me they last a bit longer than others I have tried.

Ironhorse · « **Reply #4 on:** August 20, 2019, 12:24:59 PM »

Quote from: Rooster on August 20, 2019, 10:30:51 AM

I still use the stock Dunlops and seem to hold up great in my case over the years pulling my tent trailer. I know there are better tires out there but stock is easier to get and cheaper. And for me they last a bit longer than others I have tried.

I agree Terry. The D-402s are the only rear tire I have had that did not cup at the edges. The Commander !!s cupped and the American Elite cupped. And I do keep an eye on the tire pressure. Now on the other hand, the D-402s track poorly on the rain grooved concrete roads.

There's always a trade off I guess.

CVODON · « **Reply #5 on:** August 20, 2019, 04:16:17 PM »

I like the OE tires, they seem to give acceptable mileage. Tried Metzlers and they did nothing as good as the Dunlops. Will always go with OE type tires.

grc · « **Reply #6 on:** August 20, 2019, 04:36:31 PM »

The tires were pathetic when Harley first introduced them, but after many years they seem to be as good as anything else currently available. If it were me though I still think I'd go with the American Elite version, they are basically the same tires except Dunlop went with certain things they wanted on the Harley branded tires but Harley insisted on something different, such as tread patterns. Harley doesn't have tire engineers, they have styling people. I'd sooner trust the real tire engineers.

Jerry

Rooster · « **Reply #7 on:** August 21, 2019, 09:53:11 AM »

Quote from: Ironhorse on August 20, 2019, 12:24:59 PM

I agree Terry. The D-402s are the only rear tire I have had that did not cup at the edges. The Commander !!s cupped and the American Elite cupped. And I do keep an eye on the tire pressure. Now on the other hand, the D-402s track poorly on the rain grooved concrete roads.

There's always a trade off I guess.

i agree, same on paved roads with grooves

jrf55 · « **Reply #8 on:** August 21, 2019, 10:18:37 AM »

i replaced my rear with metzler and am happy the original dunlop severe cupping also look at the rear dunlop on a new bike the center is almost flat while michelin , metzler, others are round .

Ironhorse · « **Reply #9 on:** September 04, 2019, 09:29:21 AM »

I just changed the rear tire. I almost got 11K out of it before hitting the wear bars. Much better mileage than I expected. I got between 8-10 on the Commander IIs, and 10k on the D-402s. However it was starting to cup on the sides.

Dunlop American Elite.

bakon · « **Reply #10 on:** September 04, 2019, 05:32:45 PM »

American Elite by Dunlop also starts with 1/32 more tread.

johnsachs · « **Reply #11 on:** September 04, 2019, 06:41:32 PM »

I like my American Elites. I'm also a rear tire abuser, and always get fair longevity the way I ride.
John

JCZ · « **Reply #12 on:** September 04, 2019, 08:56:34 PM »

Quote from: Rooster on August 20, 2019, 10:30:51 AM

I still use the stock Dunlops and seem to hold up great in my case over the years pulling my tent trailer. I know there are better tires out there but stock is easier to get and cheaper. And for me they last a bit longer than others I have tried.

I agree on all accounts with my friend Terry. Stock OEM have been my go to for years.....no cupping or uneven wear or just plain fast tire wear that I was getting from other brands.

I don't spend enough time on rain grooved highways for that to be an issue. Ohhhh.....and the stock OEM tires work well in the snow, too!

iski · « **Reply #13 on:** September 04, 2019, 09:32:56 PM »

Quote from: muddypaws on August 20, 2019, 07:34:04 AM

I use Dunlop American Elite. Wok well for me.

x2.

DarkEagle · « **Reply #14 on:** September 07, 2019, 07:44:36 PM »

OEM 407 & 408’s for my 2009 CVO springer wore out by 5,000 miles with no hard ridin’, luckily front cupped & covered by known field bulletin & warranty but neither Dunlop or HD cared about the 240 wide rear tire.

I went with Avon Cobra’s for 10,000+ miles & better tracking on the road.

Thinking about the Dunlop American Elite next time, the 240 rear has deeper thread & hear better mileage from other owners with more of the narrower tires, but I did not appreciate Dunlop or HD customer service when I complained of their advertised “high mileage” & “two-compound multi-tread” tire not living up to their name.

I would go by the experience from owners of the same model & year you have, my CVO springer is a little different than most of the other CVO’s...

kojak · « **Reply #15 on:** September 07, 2019, 09:27:55 PM »

I got 16k miles out of my last set of American Elites, great tires. Great traction both on highways and mountain roads.

skratch · « **Reply #16 on:** September 08, 2019, 06:46:50 AM »

Quote from: DarkEagle on September 07, 2019, 07:44:36 PM

Thinking about the Dunlop American Elite next time, the 240 rear has deeper thread & hear better mileage from other owners with more of the narrower tires, but I did not appreciate Dunlop or HD customer service when I complained of their advertised “high mileage” & “two-compound multi-tread” tire not living up to their name.

i'm of the same mindset. i noticed an issue with a dunlop tire that i felt should have been covered under their warranty. got in contact with their customer service, and sent pictures, etc. never heard boo from them.

in contrast, i had a question about the avon cobra chromes, contacted avon customer service and had an answer to my question right away.

i really liked the ride of the avon's but did not own them long enough to attest to their longevity. but, when these oem dunlop's are due for change, i will go with the avon's again. i refuse to spend my money where i don't feel like it is appreciated.

longlast · « **Reply #17 on:** September 11, 2019, 05:14:02 AM »

I've had Dunlops on mine since new, this year I put Michelin Commander lls on and as of today I don't think I'll be going back.

Ironhorse · « **Reply #18 on:** September 11, 2019, 08:45:06 AM »

Dunlop vs Michelin vs Avon vs Metzler vs Shinko vs anything,....

In my experience the newest cheap tire will feel better than a worn expensive tire. Right now I am loving my new rear Dunlop American Elite. But two weeks ago, my old American Elite was riding and handling like crap. It howled in corners, and hopped around on the road. When I replaced my worn Commander IIs with Shinko 777s, it was the same experience. The Shinkos were very good tires, they just didn't last very long, about 6k.

grc · « **Reply #19 on:** September 11, 2019, 08:59:06 AM »

Funny how the tires on our cars can easily last 40k to 60k miles without serious loss of traction, cupping, howling, and all the other stuff motorcycle tires seem to do at 10k miles. Even better, I can buy a good OEM quality tire for a midsize 4 wheeled vehicle for half the price they want for a OEM quality motorcycle tire.

Jerry

Rooster · « **Reply #20 on:** September 11, 2019, 09:25:55 AM »

Quote from: grc on September 11, 2019, 08:59:06 AM

Funny how the tires on our cars can easily last 40k to 60k miles without serious loss of traction, cupping, howling, and all the other stuff motorcycle tires seem to do at 10k miles. Even better, I can buy a good OEM quality tire for a midsize 4 wheeled vehicle for half the price they want for a OEM quality motorcycle tire.

Jerry

x2,

Rebel1 · « **Reply #21 on:** September 16, 2019, 11:17:05 AM »

I've ran American Elites for many years, after the original was worn out. My last rear lasted 10K and had started cupping at 8K. A friend was running Commander 2's and he had almost 20K on them. I decided to try a set. I got 18K before the rear started cupping and howling in the corners. I replaced it when it had 19K. If I get the same or better mileage, I won't be going back to American Elites. The Commander 2's don't seem to be as squirrely on grooved or rutted surfaces. However, the Commander 2's did take more weights to get them balanced than I've ever used on the Elites.
Bob

TN · « **Reply #22 on:** September 16, 2019, 10:14:44 PM »

In my experience the AE Dunlop is superior to the HD brand, I've ran several of each.

Right now I've got several thousand miles on a set of Avon Cobra Chrome and I'm really liking them, wet, dry and quiet. The tire pressure is different on these to comparable tires, I'm at 47psi for the rear. The sidewall is not as stiff and that's all I really concerned with is having a flat and coming off the bead seat prolly won't let you repair on side of the road. BWTFDIK

If I toted a fat girl I'd run the rear at 50psi

added Avon tire pressure chart

TN · « **Reply #23 on:** September 21, 2019, 08:53:04 AM »

For years I use to change out back tire twice to every front tire. Now I just change both at the same time. We just have two tires and it's worth the piece of mind in doing so. I don't get near the milage on the rear as some has posted but I get why. And I use dynabeads for balance.

Just Ride

skratch · « **Reply #24 on:** September 21, 2019, 05:49:52 PM »

Quote from: TN on September 16, 2019, 10:14:44 PM

I've got several thousand miles on a set of Avon Cobra Chrome and I'm really liking them, wet, dry and quiet.

i really liked the cobras that i put on. when these tires on the new bike wear out, i'll probably get another set of avon's. i'm not really happy with dunlop's customer service, so other than the aspect of the tires feeling really good anyway, i'm gonna use my power as a consumer to buy where i feel my money is appreciated.

TN · « **Reply #25 on:** September 22, 2019, 09:21:09 AM »

Quote from: skratch on September 21, 2019, 05:49:52 PM

i really liked the cobras that i put on. when these tires on the new bike wear out, i'll probably get another set of avon's. i'm not really happy with dunlop's customer service, so other than the aspect of the tires feeling really good anyway, i'm gonna use my power as a consumer to buy where i feel my money is appreciated.

What exactly was your issue with dunlop and customer service? If I may so ask?

And yeah that's why I'm still riding an 09 as I'll spend my monies where I feel appreciated and get some support. But that's a story on it's own.

skratch · « **Reply #26 on:** September 22, 2019, 11:05:43 AM »

my wife had a oem dunlop on her bike, it had started developing 'cracks' or separation where the two different compounds were joined around the circumference and some dry rot on the sidewall. the tread was still in great shape, and it was well within the service life of the tire for age. contacted dunlop customer service and sent them pics, and never heard back from them. no, 'no we won't cover it', nothing....

J.D. · « **Reply #27 on:** September 22, 2019, 11:51:17 AM »

I never cared for the stock Dunlops. Didn't wear well and the rubber seemed to get hardened with age. Liked Avons ok but didn't last very long. Running Michelin Commander II now and like them enough that I stopped trying alternates, although I may try the Dunlop AE at some point.

Tail Rider · « **Reply #28 on:** September 22, 2019, 12:27:05 PM »

I have no issue with the stock D407/408F tires except for the $300 replacement price. I was told yesterday that the Elite was basically the same tire, just different tread design because not sold as strictly HD...and nearly $100 cheaper

dayne66 · « **Reply #29 on:** September 22, 2019, 01:10:08 PM »

When I extended the warranty on my bike I asked about the tire/wheel coverage.......does not need to be the Harley tire to be covered!

skratch · « **Reply #30 on:** September 22, 2019, 02:49:08 PM »

that is true, however, if you get a flat on the road, and you go to a hd dealership, you aren't going to be getting the same tire that you had. you will get an oem dunlop. at least what i was told by the warranty company.

Mountainman streetbob · « **Reply #31 on:** October 01, 2019, 06:21:17 PM »

Quote from: muddypaws on August 20, 2019, 07:34:04 AM

I use Dunlop American Elite. Wok well for me.

American Elite, Michelin Scorchers

TN · « **Reply #32 on:** June 11, 2020, 04:55:24 PM »

Another recommend for the dunlop AE's, not my first set either.

Avon use to be my goto tyre.

To follow up on the Avon Cobra Chrome tyres, front no issues, rear is showing cracks in several spots edge of tread pattern, 6,411 miles on them, cupping too. I’ve tried contacting Avon (won’t hold my breath) had to move on. They don't even list the 180/55VB18 (80V) now, I installed dunlop AE’s. I'm kinda hard on tires, do not abuse.

Will not be mounting any Avon Cobra Chrome tyres on my bike, till I change my mind.

Tire prices has increased this year.

edit, my reply from AVON: Hi,

Thanks for your enquiry.

Unfortunately we had to make some changes to our 180/55B18 80H Cobra Chrome and this tyre will be back in production within the next two weeks.

Regards

Avon Motorcycle Technical

Author Topic: Dunlop Tires (Read 4636 times)

J.D.