Commander 2 for me!!

 

I've had 2 sets of Commander II's, great tire. Had original Bridgestones before on another bike, poor wear pattern, poor life, never felt confident and sure in the turns. When I got the ll's it was like a whole new bike almost, good in the rain, felt solid in the turns and got good mileage out of them, around 14k to 15k miles each. When my tires need changing, coming back. The Elite's might be good, zero experience with them.

PS; With the latest recall news about Dunlop D402's, not so sure. Cheers.

 

Michelin's are the way to go!

 

I have had both on my 2015 road master, dealer replaced my dunlop 3's at 6 thousand miles due to way uneven wear on only one side of the tire. They replaced em with the commander ll's, the commanders felt and rode great for about a thousand miles, when the dealer called me back in and said they were worried about liability as polaris does not recommend that tire for warranty repairs, must use dunlop 4's. A brand new service writer had ordered em in for me per my request trying to do what the customer wanted. The commanders felt better. Now I have 5k on the dunlop 4s they dont like tar snakes and seem harder than the commanders, but they were free under warranty, so I will run them out, and they may be quite a while as they still look great at 5 thousand miles.

 

I haven change my tires yet, but when I do is going to be commander 2. All I had read about this tires is good.

 

I just replaced a rear E-4 two weeks ago with another E-4. I'm not sure of the exact mileage but I ran it for just under a year and I put between 14k to 20k miles on my bike each year. I ran C-II's for one round of rubber and only got 8-9k miles out of the rear. I ride predominately in FL, GA, and AL with some occasional trips to NC, SC, and TN. Most of my highway speeds are 80 to 85 MPH. On road trips, we are 2 up with saddle bags and trunk full with additional stuff strapped to top of trunk.

 

No experience with the Commander II's, but I'm on my second set of E4's and I like them very much. Getting about 18k miles out of the rear tire and could get more from the front, but I prefer to have them replaced in sets. I know some don't care for the E3's or E4's, but I love them. I have ridden in all weather, to include a light snow and tons of rain without any issues. I also ride fairly aggressively in corners and have never felt slippage of any kind. The only time I can think of that the bike lost grip was in 100+ degree weather on a road that was covered with sealant... The sealant was very hot and spongy to the touch, so I don't think another tire would have done any better.

 

No experience with the Commander II's, but I'm on my second set of E4's and I like them very much. Getting about 18k miles out of the real tire and could get more from the front, but I prefer to have them replaced in sets. I know some don't care for the E3's or E4's, but I love them. I have ridden in all weather, to include a light snow and tons of rain without any issues. I also ride fairly aggressively in corners and have never felt slippage of any kind. The only time I can think of that the bike lost grip was in 100+ degree weather on a road that was covered with sealant... The sealant was very hot and spongy to the touch, so I don't think another tire would have done any better.

This maybe the reason my bike slipped quite a bit on tar snakes ( I have been over the same ones several times at varying outside temps ) but they do seem a bit thick. I swear my bike slips all the way off of them though, very unnerving.

 

I'm wearing out my second set of Commader II's and they still beat Metzelers 888 and the stock Dunlop 3s. I am going to try out the Elite 4's next just because.

 

Loved my metzler on my harley, but I only got 1,000 miles out of em...

 

Come on now 1,000 miles? That was it? Do I note a typo?

 

I've been running the E-4's for awhile now and I like them. I hear good things about the Commanders and I was going to get them when I needed tires but weren't in stock so...

 

I'll just chime in here, went with the ME 888, just got them, so verdict still out, but with all I read they seem to be better than the C2's and E4's, but that is what I took from my findings.

 

I've ran just about every brand tire at one time or on one bike or another and ended up with the Commanders on the baggers and bar hoppers , they just flat work good on every thing I've put them on . Even mileage is good at about 12-14k for a rear , twice that and better on the front . Of course " Your mileage may vary "

 

I just replced my E4's after 17K, pulling a trailer most of that time.

 

Just bought 3rd set of E4s between last 2 bikes. Harder compound seem to last longer. E3 was junk I dont notice tar snake issues with the 4s. No experience with the Michelins....

 

I wore out my original E3s and replace it with E4. alot quieter and only 8,000 kms. time will tell how long they last.

--
Gordon

 

I'll cast my ballot for the E4s. It feels like they were made for my 17 chieftain. Corners like it's on rails, road grooves and uneven pavement stays planted and where you point it... Very impressed!!

 

I have heard good things about the commander 2 tires but have no experience with them. I do have the Elite 4 tires and find them excellent. I have a little over 15k on them now and they are wearing really well.

 

I put 100,031 miles on my Kawi Vaquero and tried a few different tires. I learned ALOT bout v-twins on that skoot that has transferred over to my Indian.

I did run C2's, rear tire mileage at time of change varied from between 12,500 to almost 19,000 on one tire. Front tires got 24,000 miles consistently.

Being a m/c technician for 41 1/2 years and very anal I can tell the difference a worn rear tire makes to the overall gear ratio. From new to worn the tire's circumference can decrease by an inch or more, which kinda helps in acceleration but then you get that increased engine rpm out on the road. Dealing with big bore sportbikes for years we found a benefit in lowering the overall gear ratio on skoots that we had made big power gains, and this actually improved acceleration as the engine didn't run thru the torque curve so quick.

And that is what I did on the Vaq, and have done on my CDH. On the Vaq I ran 180/70 on the rear (I even went further and machined and adapted a 2 teeth smaller Yamaha rear pulley). The Vaq is a 1700 (103c.i.) and made 88 H.P. and 108 pnds tork, so in the same league as a stage 1 or 2 Indian. On my CDH I have been runnin a 180/70 for bout 3 tire changes, and with the addition of all the power improvement goodies the larger circumference rear tire's affect on overall gear ratio is a perfect match, along with reducing engine rpm out on the road.

So, the original front Dunlop E3 lasted just shy of 28,000 miles, and the rear 180/70 E3's have averaged bout 12,500 miles. When this rear wears out an E4 will be next.

One added benefit the rear tire offers for this long time "hooligan" is increased ground clearance in cornering. With the stock tire I was grinding the floorboards too easily, and I gotta work alot harder (with a corresponding increase in lean angle to touch the boards down.

With now MANY miles AND tires of C2/E3 usage I give the nod to the E3's, and look forward to using E4's in the future.

RACNRAY

 

I had the E4’s last riding season and they were good for 18k mi. (See review I wrote last yr). Very stable, fine in the rain, but did not do well in tar snakes. I’ve had Michelin Cmdrs since October and they feel slightly less stable at low speeds but are better in wet / sleet. Excellent stability on the highway. They are rated at (pause) 23k mi from the mfg so I’m looking forward to some fine long rides this summer.

IMHO you cannot go wrong with either one.

 

I hate tar snakes, reminds me of my ex wife. Did I just say that, dang filter.

 

Any one have an opinion on the Avon cobras? Looking for a 21" white wall for front of my Vintage

 

Excellent handling tire, but not so good on mileage. I only got about 6k on rear tire.

 

When do you all consider a rear tire to be worn out? I have the C2's now and have 15867 miles with 2/32 tread left in the center.

 

The factory tire on my 2014 Indian Chieftain was Dunlop Elite 3. Swapped them for Dunlop Elite 4. Completely different tire. 1000% better than the Elite 3. The Elite 3 was hard as rock and did not feel good. Typical factory rubber on anything no? Dunlop had to up thier game as everyone else had a better tire and were going to be left behind by the competition.
I have had CII on a previous bike. They were good too. I do not believe the rear tire for the Indian in CII is a radial. The Elite 4's are. I choose Elite 4's. Personal preference. The rear tire, btw is the same size as a Honda Goldwing. Both have a radial for a rear tire.
Bias ply is fine I am sure.

 

Just put Elite 4's on 100 miles ago, No Complaints Yet, will have a better opinion on them after do my Road Trip the end of this month ..

 

FYI, Dunlop $50 rebate on E4’s thru end of the month.

I priced them out on Revzilla. Around $312 shipped after the rebate.
Probably won’t need need tires until next year but at this price I’ll grab a set.

 

I put Commander II's on my last bike (VTX 1300) and loved them, were a huge improvement over the stock Dunlop K555 and 404 (I think that was the front OEM, can't remember). After a little over 2K on them on a lot of rough road and 2-up riding they still looked like they were new, but then got rid of the bike. Cornered, leaned and gripped a lot better, much improved ride quality. I am happy so far with the OEM Dunlops on the Chieftain, not sure if changing over will cause a difference in your handling or ride since the OEM's are one bias and one radial (I believe). But, my limited experience with them was good.