[fjmiller]

Hello All,
I am in need of a new rear tire for my 06 VRSCR. just hit 8500 miles and the back tire is looking a bit worn I spend a bit of time on the highway going back and forth to work and weekend driving on the windy backroads of northern VA. I am looking to be price conscious and have a local mechanic to mount and balance so the best deal on a good tire I can find

 

[BigBillyStyler]

Hello All,
I am in need of a new rear tire for my 06 VRSCR. just hit 8500 miles and the back tire is looking a bit worn I spend a bit of time on the highway going back and forth to work and weekend driving on the windy backroads of northern VA. I am looking to be price conscious and have a local mechanic to mount and balance so the best deal on a good tire I can find

I've heard really good things about the Metzeler....but I still have the crappy stock Dunlop...so I wouldn't know...

 

[Nor'easter]

Hello All,
I am in need of a new rear tire for my 06 VRSCR. just hit 8500 miles and the back tire is looking a bit worn I spend a bit of time on the highway going back and forth to work and weekend driving on the windy backroads of northern VA. I am looking to be price conscious and have a local mechanic to mount and balance so the best deal on a good tire I can find

I just had a set of Pirelli Night Dragons (stock sizes) put on and they are night to day better than the stock Dunlops.

 

[swampboogiedoug]

I have the Nite Dragons as well. I'll be at the strip in 2 weeks and can give you a definative answer then. Dunlops are WAY hard.

 

[wi.st.rod]

I run a 200 Metzeler. Great tire. When I replace it, it will be with another one!

 

[dviry]

I also run a 200 Metzler - much better than the Dunlops yet sometimes I have the feeling they don't perform as good in wet conditions, they tend to be a bit more "slippery"...

The Avons would also be another possible choice... Never had them.

 

[VRSCR-Dave]

:them: 200 Metzler, much better than stock

 

[pwrman]

I have the Avons, stock size front, 200 rear, so far so good. (2 months)

Check JakeWilson.com I got a great deal and FAST shipping $50 rebate from Avon

I read good things about the Metzlers and Night Dragons...

 

[Bret]

I am running the 180 Avon Venom on the rear and I really like it.

 

[bigedz]

After 15k on dunlops, I just switched to Avon Cobras. I can't believe tires could make that much of dif. but they are awesome! It's not apples to apples (DX with 250 rear to R) but I think most anything other than Dunlops would be an improvement. rockymountainatvmc.com $346.00 for the set to my door.

 

[rawdog]

The stock Dunlops were crap. Free tires for life was a dealer incentive when I bought my bike. I have switched to Pirellie Night Dragons then Metlzers. The Dunlops felt dead to me. I could not feel the road nor could I tell how much they were sticking.

The night dragons are great tires. My only issue with them is that I got maybe 5k miles from them before the front was worn. The rear picked up debris and I had a flat. Other than low tread life they are great, great tires for performance.

I put a set of Metzlers on front and back at stock sizes and road them cross country for 3600 miles and they are awesome. Maybe not quite the stickiness of the night dragons but great tires. I hope this helps. Bottom line is drop a little more dough for something other than the stock Dunlops and you will be very happy.

 

[iBike]

Stock-size Avon Cobras.

You can mismatch brands on a V-Rod if you're not a canyon scraper.

I replaced the Avon front when it needed it, but kept the Metz rear and the bike improved both because the tire was new, and, I think, better (the Metz still had more than minimum tread). Now it's all Avon.

 

[Xoygeha]

I've tried the Dunlops, Metzlers, and Avon's....
The Metzlers got the best mileage.
The Avon's are the best grip in all conditions, Mileage was still better than the Dunlops.
Bridgstone makes a tire for our bike, I have not tried it.
I was not even aware that Pirelli even made tires for our bikes, I'll look into those...

 

[jsopiela]

Tires come in different compound types; soft (racing) and hard (touring) and somewhere in between. The soft compounds stick better to the road giving you better handling but they wear out within a few thousand miles. The harder compounds are not as sticky but you can get over 10K miles on them depending on your riding conditions. Unless you are dragging your pegs into corners on weekends, save your money and stick with the harder compounds. They'll last twice as long and you'll never feel any difference in handling

 

[Philthy]

At the Long Beach bike show in December 2005, the platform manager for the Street Rod was at the Harley display and I had the opportunity to talk to him. Truly, he is the man who sold me on the bike. During our discussion, tires came up and he told me they had the best results in testing with the Avon Venom R. He told me the bike handles 14% better with the Avons than with the Dunlops (how they quantified "handling" was not fully explained) and that he wanted the bikes to come with Venom R's from the factory, but could not because of a contract Harley has with Dunlop. You can base you choice of tire from that.
As for a 200 rear, I guess that might be ok if all of your roads are straight. For me, with mountain ranges full of second and third gear twisties, I prefer a narrow rear tire to make turn in light and neutral. I can discern the handling change from a three pound difference in rear tire pressure, and I find the R's steering is very sensitive to rear tire size, inflation and condition, more so than other bike's I have owned. Personally, I could care less how wide the rear tire looks. I want the tire that makes the bike handle best on curvy mountain roads.

 

[Philthy]

I've tried the Dunlops, Metzlers, and Avon's....
The Metzlers got the best mileage.
The Avon's are the best grip in all conditions, Mileage was still better than the Dunlops.
Bridgstone makes a tire for our bike, I have not tried it.
I was not even aware that Pirelli even made tires for our bikes, I'll look into those...

Pirelli owns Metzler so that does not surprise me. Their lines pretty much overlap now, sharing carcasses. Bridgestones sound interesting. The more product choices for our bikes the better.
Now, if we could get rid of this nitwit air conditioning bubba CEO and replace him with a true motorcycle rider, but I digress..............

 

[stevea]

The Dunlops are the worst tire I have ever ridden. I cannot begin to say how much I hate them. I would go with the Avons or the Metzlers.

 

[Xoygeha]

In my post above I forgot to mention tire life...
I always run my tires at 40/40 front and rear, I do a lot of 2-up riding, and I'm no small man. I can and do handle my own in the corners, I like to take them frequently. Look at NM 152 between Hillsboro and Silver City if you want an example, just zoom in close enough to see the hairpins...

Dunlop - Flat spots developed after 4500 miles and replaced with Metzlers.
Metzlers - Rode these for 10k miles before the wear bar was visable on the rear. Replaced with Avon. The first 3500 miles on the metzler were pre-turbo, the last 6500 miles were post turbo. I'd like to mention that the only reason I went with the Avon's originally was because I found them for ~$15 dollars difference from a local retailer, (aparently he couldn't sell them and was damn near taking a loss)
Avon Cobra - I have had these tires on my bike now for 13k miles. The back was replaced after 2k due to a large sharp scrap of metal protruding from it, but the front is still WELL within specs for safe riding.

I do not think that I will be using another tire for the V-Rod, unless michelin can be convinced to make their Pilot Road 2ct tires in our sizes.

 

[Philthy]

In my post above I forgot to mention tire life...
I always run my tires at 40/40 front and rear, I do a lot of 2-up riding, and I'm no small man. I can and do handle my own in the corners, I like to take them frequently. Look at NM 152 between Hillsboro and Silver City if you want an example, just zoom in close enough to see the hairpins...

Dunlop - Flat spots developed after 4500 miles and replaced with Metzlers.
Metzlers - Rode these for 10k miles before the wear bar was visable on the rear. Replaced with Avon. The first 3500 miles on the metzler were pre-turbo, the last 6500 miles were post turbo. I'd like to mention that the only reason I went with the Avon's originally was because I found them for ~$15 dollars difference from a local retailer, (aparently he couldn't sell them and was damn near taking a loss)
Avon Cobra - I have had these tires on my bike now for 13k miles. The back was replaced after 2k due to a large sharp scrap of metal protruding from it, but the front is still WELL within specs for safe riding.

I do not think that I will be using another tire for the V-Rod, unless michelin can be convinced to make their Pilot Road 2ct tires in our sizes.

Avon and Dunlop both last less than 4800 miles on my R, ridden solo, bone stock engine and exhaust, no burn outs or other abuse. No track days. All are highway and back road miles.
I have a very hard time believing claims of five figure rear tire mileages on these bikes.

 

[Xoygeha]

LOL, Well there you have it. I have lied to you all. :notworth:

As I stated in my previous post, I _PERSONALLY_ have gotten those miles from these tires. If your experience is different, then that is your experience. I have nothing to gain by lying, so please stop insinuating such.