[brockstwrt]

7000 miles and 4 months after buying my brand new vrscawn the front tire is cupped and shot. I was playing with my friends on the interstate and when i hit 110 the handlebars started shaking violently and i almost lost it, after cleaning my shorts out and looking the front end over for something about to fall off i could see nothing wrong, back on the road very carefully and everything was smooth as silk. Maybe just a bad patch in the road and being the genious i am i had to see if it would happen again. Same result, i drove straight to the dealer and the service manager looked everything over and told me i needed a new tire. I asked if it was covered on my warranty and he chuckled and asked where it says harley on the tire. His jokes aren't very funny but he does take good care of me. He pulled a metzler out of the back room and i'll be getting it put on on monday. Riders beware I was lucky I didn't get hurt. I always check tire pressure when i wash every sunday so i know that it was not my fault the tire wore so quickly and uneven. Dunlop makes a bad product and I will never ride on a dunlop again.

 

[Fletch]

7000 miles and 4 months after buying my brand new vrscawn the front tire is cupped and shot. I was playing with my friends on the interstate and when i hit 110 the handlebars started shaking violently and i almost lost it, after cleaning my shorts out and looking the front end over for something about to fall off i could see nothing wrong, back on the road very carefully and everything was smooth as silk. Maybe just a bad patch in the road and being the genious i am i had to see if it would happen again. Same result, i drove straight to the dealer and the service manager looked everything over and told me i needed a new tire. I asked if it was covered on my warranty and he chuckled and asked where it says harley on the tire. His jokes aren't very funny but he does take good care of me. He pulled a metzler out of the back room and i'll be getting it put on on monday. Riders beware I was lucky I didn't get hurt. I always check tire pressure when i wash every sunday so i know that it was not my fault the tire wore so quickly and uneven. Dunlop makes a bad product and I will never ride on a dunlop again.

Cupping is something that can happen with any tire design, depending on tread compound, tire profile and vehicle suspension. It is probably a good idea to change out a tire once irregularities appear in the tread . . . Unlike automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles and unicycles are pretty unforgiving of imperfections in the "rolling system". But, then, you just found that out . . . TWICE.

I don't know how many miles the rest of the folks are getting on their Dunlops, but 7K is reasonable, I think. I managed 8k without any cupping on my front Dunlop (R model install), went through one and a half rears in that distance and am now on my first set of Metzs (200 rear). I had no complaints with the Dunlops - they never let loose (ran them to the edge of the tread), gave me reasonble mileage, and were not cupped when worn out.

 

[bdvrod]

they sure do.

 

[mc 88]

I have always hated Dunlop tyres....

No idea why so many Bikes have them as standart equipment but the first opportunaty i get i usually change to a Michelin...

 

[synseer]

Guess I've just been fortunate; never had any issues with the Dunlops. Always worked real well for me; keep posting your experiences though. Really interested in comparing observations.

 

[Batman357]

I've had very good luck with Dunlops. What's the average milage for a no burnout rear tire.....

 

[mnerren]

cupping on dunlops is common, especially if you run the tire pressure too low for a long time. I switched to Metzlers too, but still check the pressure every time I ride. Doesn't take but a second.

 

[Fletch]

I've had very good luck with Dunlops. What's the average milage for a no burnout rear tire.....

I had 6K on my first Dunlop rear when I picked up a nail - it would likely have gone to 8K before needing replacement.

 

[chrome]

i agree 100 %........dunflop SUCKS.

 

[RustyG]

In a previous post of mine I mentioned the mfgr rep for my dealer stated they were aware of the cupping problem and new formulations for the rubber were affected. New versions of the tires made for the V-Rod are available and do not cup noticeably.
I have solved the problem my self by keeping 39 lbs pressure in the front. This has eliminated the cupping problem for me.

Apparently the tires for the V-rod were created with soft rubber on the left side because it was defined as a racing bike and left turns were more pronounced. Hence the soft rubber for traction.

As an aside. Harley has entered into an agreement with Michelin to provide replacement tires for existing bikes when they wear out.

I usually get 10K+ on the back tire and 15K+ on the front. I am a non aggressive rider which may explain why.

 

[HoneyB]

I've got 8k on my dunlops. A few minor holeshots. Back tire needs replacing
now! I'll probably change to Metzler's.

 

[Shoe]

Dunlop Sucks.....

Well, yeah.....

 

[ElrodontheV-Rod]

The elite3's on the new bikes are worse than the previous dunlops.I had 2 new metz installed at around 3k miles on my 07 because of cupping.I have close to the same milage on the metz and they still look new.
I quit w the real agressive launches when I put the 240 on my 03.I got just a scotch over 12k miles on the rear.I put a new front on at the same time and it's still wearing perfect.
V-Rods and dunlops don't work.



Elrod on the V-Rod

 

[Podmore]

I managed about 8000 km on the rear and 12,000 km on the front tyre, but by then it was triggering the freckle pucker factor - coming back from a 2800 km ride (with pillion) in the rain, there was no cupping on the tyre, I'd worn that completely away ... whoooeee. Changed to Metzelers, much better road feel, no noticeable cupping after 5000 km.

 

[luxlamf]

That hard rubber and the rain groove on the Grooved pavement out here in SoCal made riding horrible. Can anyone say the word "Skating"

 

[gtrman66]

Most of the miles I have put on the geezer glide (and the Wing before it) were on Dunlops. Michelin had a Commander that was incredible on the first couple go-arounds, but their quality went into the toilet and I went back to Dunlops.

I honestly cannot say anything bad about them. I have 4k on the V-Rod and the tires look new. Maybe staying in the twisties and using the "whole" tire helps extend the life!

 

[hd-v-rodder]

I took my "V" back to the stealer at 9000 miles complaining about the tire cupping. They called the MOCO and I got a brand new tire free of charge including mounting and balancing. I purchased a rear at the same time so as to have a matching set. I now have 16000 miles and this set feels much better. I am going to a 200mm Avons Venom come replacement time.

 

[ziggy]

I too had a bit of headshake at speed, after a few runs, I realized that I was causing it by squeezing the bars too hard, making the front twitch,even at sane speeds. I use Metzlers too. Much better than the Dunlops on my other bikes too.