Tires again,needing advice

[Ljay40]

Anyone

Ok I've spent a lot of time reading on the tire threads, and have seen few people ask and not get to much for strait up answers,
I have decided to go with Dunlop tires. The Elite's however I dont know which ones to purchase Elite 2 or Elite 3's
which ones would be better for me, Has anyone tried both How do they compare to each other ?
Do they last the same amount of miles, I dont ride to aggresivley
do a lot of 2 up riding, Im looking more for mileage I guess.
Opinions aprreciated
I dont want to blow this into another tire thread
Just driving on worn out tires and trying to make a descison
and see a bunch of both on Ebay which way to go
thanks in advance

[John]

Dunlops

They seem to be the most common tire used here. I have running the Elite II for many, many years. Last year I changed out both tires on a buddy's bike, and we bought the Elite III's. Totally different tread pattern, and it looked pretty cool. The clerk at the bike shop said that a lot of Goldwing riders at been using them and really liked them. My friend doesn't ride it very often, and I haven't seen him in some time, as he works out of town quite often. I don't know how well he likes them, but when I need to buy new tires, I'm getting the III's.

[TopCatGr58]

Ebay....SCHMEBAY!

Hey Ljay,

Ebay does NOT have the best prices!!!!!

Go to the Links section from the MAIN FORUM PAGE, scroll down to the bottom of the page to the TIRE thread, you'll then find links to several companies that offer good prices on tires, here's an example!

Ebay Prices:
EliteIII
96.99=rear+$15 S&H; $72 + $15 S&H

AmericanMotorcycleTire Prices

S&H~ $12.00 front/rear (ea) to Minnesota
EliteIII
Rear=$89.80 Front=$66.96
Elite II
Rear=$98.00 Front=$71.23
D404
Rear=$50.38 Front 110/90(MN)=$52.95

I run the EliteII on mine, rear, just put the larger D404 MN90-19 which is the 110/90-19 size on front due to 100/90 wasn't in stock, and the 110/90 comes closer to weight range of 491/II.
Since you like to ride 2 up, I don't think you would want to use the D404 for the rear, see below stats from Dunlop site. The D404 has same tread pattern as EliteII

Elite III **BIAS PLY NOT RADIAL
front:
size........speed/wt............rim...............tread..weight capacity
MM(100)90-19 61H BW 4079-73 2.15 26.41 4.04 6/32 570lbs @ 40psi

rear:
MT(130)90B16 74H BW 4079-91 3.00 25.70 5.15 10/32 830 @ 40

Elite II
front:
MM90-19 61H RWL 4075-73 2.15 26.41 4.08 6/32 570 @ 40

Rear:
MT90B16 74H RWL 4071-91 3.00 25.70 5.20 10/32 830 @ 40

D404: Same tread pattern as EliteII Value
Front:
(MM)100/90-19 57H BW 32NK-32 2.15 25.82 3.90 6/32 507 @ 41
(MN)110/90-19 62H BW 32NK-31 2.50 26.56 4.21 6/32 584 @ 41

Rear:
(MT)130/90-16 67H BW 32NK-38 3.00 25.16 5.19 9/32 677 @ 41

PS, I put the EliteII on the rear in '03, have about 3K on it, still looks brand new!! The EliteIII's are the newer "Radial Design" style tire for the Bias Ply required bikes, but I'm able to lean the 491's over pretty far in the twisties, just ask Bruce Gerkin and Marty A ! !
T.C.

[planedick]

I run 'em hard...

I run the Elite II front and back. Put 15000 mi on the last rear tire. I don't know how many miles were on the front, but I just changed it for the first time since I owned the bike. April 2005 to Sept. 2006 I put on a little over 18000 miles on the "Ageless Rocket". I'm a very aggressive rider in the twisties and freeways usually run 80 MPH plus. (Sometimes a lot of plus) The mileage depends on a lot of factors most of which is rear brake usage. Some almost never use the front brake and their rear tires don't last very long. Condition of shocks, type and condition of roads regularly traveled, temperature and storage conditions are some of the variables.

[motoman]

tires!

The Honda VTX, which is way heavier than our XS's has factory installed Dunlop 404's. Figure that one out T.C...........I used the Elite II's on my Venturer 1100 when they first came out some 24 years ago. Dunlop guarenteed 10,000miles of tread wear back then. A year later that guarentee was dropped......Imagine due to the raw torgue the XS made, and the weight of the Gold Wings(more weight, more tire wear). I am running the Metzler LaserTec in a size 3.25x19 front, and a Dunlop 404 for the 17" rear. They work perfect together on the 680lb. Venturer 1100. The weight rating of both is more than substansual for this bike(weigh front, then rear, add two-up and luggage). Those weight ratings on the tires are low for manufacturer liability........remember the above Honda VTX Cruiser. Anyway, all that is just food for thought, just use a major brand, and you'll be fine............One thing you all better consider, and that is if your gonna need new tires for upcoming riding season, you better get them before first of year. Not only are prices climbing, Goodyear owns Dunlop, and Goodyear is on strike, which is gonna put them a couple months behind in production..........and guess what?..........automotive tires come first in production. Some dealers that are aware of this are making some orders now, as most likely with supply and demand there is gonna be a shortage of tires for our bikes come spring. That has come from a local Honda dealership whom I do regular tire business with as they would rather see me keep the spent dollars local than have me get tires from American Motorcycle Tire, and have done a good job in doing so. I have a new set for the XS as well as the ST1100 for the future, since they are pricey radials.

[DiverRay]

I put a new set of the Elete II's on Daily Ride just before my trip. I now have over 7,500 miles on the set, and they still look almost new. I have the MM on the front, and the 130/17" on the rear. They handle well, and last like iron. JMHO
Ray

[wingnut]

Just test rode my 81 Special after putting a new set of Elite IIIs on it. I really like this set of tires. Bike flicks from side to side much better and groves in the road no longer take me where they wanted to go. Got them from MAWONLINE.COM $189.68 shipped. Oh, the MU elite III will fit on the rear of a special. Give you a little more tire then the stock MT.

[jetmechmarty]

Dunlop

GT501