That may be true but,a lot of the big city Police Departments are no longer using HD's.They finally got smart!!

 

A lot of them used Indians earlier.

 

Swap them front to rear. Just like rotating car tires.

 

Just had a new set, front & rear Dunlop American Elites installed yesterday on my Springfield.Love em.

 

Seems like all the new Indians come with the radial rear tire.
I run the bias front & rear.
130/80B17
180/65B16

 

Just for grins, when I go to Dunlop's website and enter my 2021 Springfield they recommend an American Elite 130/80-B17 65H @36PSI front, and Elite 4 180/60-R16 80H @41PSI rear.

 

I just installed my 3rd front Metzler on a ‘21 Challenger. The OEM front cupped and was done @ 13k. The second I bumped the air up to 39lbs. I replaced it @ 14k miles because I’ll be on the road for 6k miles. It wore nice and smooth and could have gone to 18k. My rear I’m running the E4 radial. It appears 14k is the limit on the Dunlop too. I’ve pulled a trailer, 2up the last 2 summers so 14k ain’t bad. This Challenger appears to eat tires like a Gold Wing lol. Pretty much identical riding and I use balancing beads.

 

Go with the 180/65B/16 [bias tire] and you'll get better mileage,a better ride,plus,your speedometer reading will be right on the money.

 

& a perfect match for the front B tire.

 

A few minutes of Googling and reading articles about "bias front radial rear motorcycle" is interesting. It's been done since the early '80s, beginning in Grand Prix racing, then sport bikes, and now there are shiploads of new bikes shod that way as original equipment. I doubt Indian would have made that switch, along with Triumph, H-D (on some models), and others, unless their engineers believed they had significant advantages for their application. They already had bias and reinforced (belted) bias rear tires that worked fine, and they changed over. It would be interesting to hear from Indian about why they made that decision. Here's Dunlop's very basic discussion: Bias vs. Radial Motorcycle Tires | Dunlop Motorcycle Tires

 

Ya gotta love this stuff,when burt Monroe sanded off the tread on his tires,when trying for a land speed record,judges wouldn't let him qualify due to cracked tires,which he filled with boot polish to qualify then go on to break a land speed record.
I wonder if it was bias radial mix?

 

I think they were non-radial Hard Head tires,LOL! 🤣

 

Really a shame if Avon production gets completely stopped!

After my early ME888 tread seperation incident many years back I have been a big fan of the Avon cobras ... smooth and sticky as can be on a cruiser. (Still always got about 18k kms from a set. My early 2014 Classic came Bias ply front and rear on those spoked/tubed wheels!)

Last change a year ago I could not get Avon for the rear and had to go with a Metz (Made in Brazil) Cruisetec. Have been VERY picky with tire pressures since then (btw both Avon and Metz recommend about 2 pounds HIGHER tire pressures than what had been specified in the User Manual for the OE Dunlop tires...). So far so good with the Metz rear ... (am about half through).

My next tire change next year might see me going Shinko (if Avon gets exterminated by the new owners!) ... for me dry traction and wear regularity have priority ... not so much mileage!
(in the super hot climate of the UAE I have never run a set of tires for more than 2 years ... regardless of mileage)

Sent from my SM-N976Q using Tapatalk

 

I went with the Dunlop Elite 4, I got almost 20K out of the OEM tires ( lots of 2 up) and I figured I would go with Dunlop since I liked the first set.

 

One of the best tires I have had for a touring bike, (1983/89 Yamaha Venture Royale) was a Dunlop K491 Elite. That was a killer tire, good grip, and great mileage. I have an American Elite on the front of my Scout, which was on it when I purchased it last year, so I don’t know how many miles were on it, but I have at least 13k on it, and it still looks good. It is a very nice tire, also.
Charlie

 

Yup! I owned three Ventures,all bought brandy new,an 83,a 93,and a 99 ,and rode em over a 1/2 million miles combined,and used those same tires and got excellent mileage and handling out of em!! Dave!!!

 

So TRY IT !! Who knows,you just might like it!! It will definitely last longer then the radial that came on the bike,give ya a better ride,and handle just as well,if not better, then the radial did.And if I remember right,I believe it was alittle less money to boot.That's what I did and have never looked back !!

 

I had new tires cupping on a 2500 mile ride and found out the tires were. Extremely low on air...just a side note to always check

 

I am a double checker on tire pressure.Plus I have TPMS on the bike.These Metz are the worst tires for I have had for cupping(they came on my new 2022).The tire separation of the tread is the other issue.

 

I got some news for ya.I've been runnin two wheelers now for almost 70 consecutive years and had used the Mets tires in the past.And guess what?? They were coming apart back then,and as you can see,they're STILL doing it today.So,as I've said in the past,I wouldn't run a Metz tire on my wheel barrow and I mean it.Dave!!!

 

Thx,Dave.
I too have had Metz loose tread.I did not want to bring longevity into the mix but,I had my 1st 2 wheel motorized bike in 1962, I agree the metzloozers are the worst.

 

The sizes shown on that site are the sizes that come on the bike from the factory.The rear bias tires most of us are now using is an alternative to the factory radial tire because it doesn't last anywheres near as long as the bias tire does.

 

No, that's absolutely correct, because they're sticking with Indian's recommended sizes. There's not a 180-60/16R in the American Elite range, but there is in the Elite 4. To use American Elite front and rear you have to use a 180-65/16B on the rear, which works fine. They don't make an E4 in a size that fits the front, either, so to use Dunlops in the exact original spec sizes you have to mix lines.

 

I put E4 tires on both ends of my bike. The front was the correct size.

 

The Metzler Cruisetechs on my Challenger with 9200 miles are in need of replacement. Yeah, it’s a heavy bike, but I can’t recall EVER seeing cupping like I have on these tires. Yes, they’re grippy, but considering about half of my miles are on the Interstates, I’d expect better/more even wear.

 

I had the same issue at about the same mileage. Got a little better mileage out of the 888’s and no cupping. They are due for replacement now and still not cupped.

 

@Peace Pipe I’ve had two sets of CruiseTecs on my Challenger and both looked like yours. I attribute it to being a softer tire on a heavier bike. Have read several posts on social media where guys bumped up their tire pressure to 40 front/45 rear and that helped with cupping. I’m about ready for a new set of tires, but don’t want a softer sidewall, so the CruiseTecs are the only tire available now (except a Shinko).

 

Yeah, I don't want to go to Shinko tires.
Thanks for the info! I may have to try the higher pressures. I'm not an aggressive rider so I'd "hoped" to get two seasons / 10K out of a set. Guess I'll have to adjust my expectations.

 

The 41 psi and 36psi is pretty much an industry standard motorcycle manufacturers give for all different makes of bikes and tire brands. Which is king of bogus. I may have more to do with how the bikes were test ridden and developed.

 

@Charlie Chaplain I looked at the Shinko, but the Long Mileage 999 doesn’t come in a size that will work on the front for a Challenger. The 777 got good reviews for grip, it’s available in the correct size for front and rear, including a high load rating for the front. However, the 777 must be a single compound tire because when researching reviews, users reported the tires only lasting about 5k miles on touring bikes.

 

I have a Shinko 777 whitewall on the back of my Scout, and it’s got over 10k miles on it now. Still looks like I could put 3-4k more miles on it. Now, I realize that the larger Indian bike weigh 150 lb. More, but the HD load rating of the 777 should be fine. Never had any squirm, either. And, I’m not light on the throttle either. That rear tire takes a lot of abuse from the Scout on acceleration!
‘As for the American Elite I have on the front, it has good life, and good handling, except for them darn tar snakes! Makes my sphincter pucker up and kiss my seat, lol!
Charlie

 

Great discussion and plenty of very useful info, Gents!
Thank you all!

 

Bottom line is we're betting our lives on the tires we ride. With all QC issues Metzeler has had in the past with tires coming apart at hiway speeds I would never bet my life on them. JMHO.

 

Exactly!
Thats why I would not buy the shinko tire.I know folks that use them on lighter bikes and have zero issues.There are motorcycle tire shops here in Phoenix that will sell you the shinko for the big cruiser and touring bikes but, say they won't stand behind them because to many folks that have tried em complain about wobble issues with them.
Thats why I stick with the American Elites bias front & rear.

 

I have a shinko tire on the front of my vintage,never really cared for them on my harley but is doing well on the front of my indian.
I went with a vintage style tire with tread,says rear fitment but handles great on the front.
And no more throwing me around on those tar snakes,dam must be a road work
Contest in north dakota to see how many tar patches they can fit per Sq ft.

 

I have a shinko tire on the front of my vintage,never really cared for them on my harley but is doing well on the front of my indian.
I went with a vintage style tire with tread,says rear fitment but handles great on the front.
And no more throwing me around on those tar snakes,dam must be a road work
Contest in north dakota to see how many tar patches they can fit per Sq ft.

You are running rear tire that is 30% beefer(80 load rated compared to 63) than the front so,it should be okay.

 

@Charlie Chaplain I've never had a tire that handled tar snakes well. You always get that unexpected wiggle, which is always a pucker factor.