Recommended tires..

[1st one]

Another great front tire for 1700 Voyager is a Metzler 880 I changed mine out at 27,000 kilometers and there was no cupping on the sides and it was siting at 5/32nds in. tread left

1st one,

Don't know how you ride, but I'm a pretty conservative rider, and only got 3600 miles out of the Metzler 880. I replaced the Metzler with a Dunlop E3, which is wearing far far better. Don't waste your time on the Metzler. It's a piece of garbage.

FRONT TIRE 27,000 kilometers! not rear. I ride Hwy 100 - 120 kilometers per hr

[Voyager_1700]

I'm going for the Dunlop E3 in the fall..

I got about 9000 miles out of the orginial Bridgstone
about 8000 on the second.. it literally melted on my last trip.. 2750 miles.. 5 days.. lots of highway and heat..

The front tire I got 17000 mile.. no real disappointments there, but the back tire is just disappointing.. I don't feel like replacing it every year.. Ugh..


That's for all the input, opinions and advise...

[Kevin B in Illinois]

I am considering going to the darkside on the rear tire. The Bridgestone Exedra is the second one on the back. First one went 9600 miles and this one is going to be toast after 7000 miles. Currently looking into the darkside option and will definitely go with the run flat and a tire pressure monitor. One of my riding buddies went to the darkside on his 1800 wing and total cost for the run flat tire was $72 and it has lasted 35,xxx + miles so far. Also considering the option that Duane suggested with the Bridgestone or Metzler on the front and the Elite 3 on the rear.


Kevin Braddy
IPVMC
President

[David (N. Alabama)]

I am considering going to the darkside on the rear tire. The Bridgestone Exedra is the second one on the back. First one went 9600 miles and this one is going to be toast after 7000 miles. Currently looking into the darkside option and will definitely go with the run flat and a tire pressure monitor. One of my riding buddies went to the darkside on his 1800 wing and total cost for the run flat tire was $72 and it has lasted 35,xxx + miles so far. Also considering the option that Duane suggested with the Bridgestone or Metzler on the front and the Elite 3 on the rear.


Kevin Braddy
IPVMC
President

I sure would like to ride someone's darkside bike before I ever put one on my bike.

When pushed into a corner most darksiders will admit that it takes getting used to; especially on serpentine roads.

[TheAudiDoc]

[/quote] I sure would like to ride someone's darkside bike before I ever put one on my bike.
When pushed into a corner most darksiders will admit that it takes getting used to; especially on serpentine roads.[/quote]

Well I am doing a darkside experiment as we speak...my E3 on the VV1700 lasted 14000 miles on the rear and had 1mm of tread left.. after checking on 2 other forums(vulcan and darkside riders) I got enough good info to give it a try.... I installes a 205/60r16 92V Yokohama AVID ENVigor on the back and have logged 300 miles so far... My inital impressions are:
1...waaaaayyyyy better ride quality...all those spine breaking bumps in the road are hardley felt now..sidewall has more give to it than a M/C tire
2....the rear brake can be used harder before lockup...2x more
3...wet road traction is awesom...even in heavy rain
the down side ..if you can call it that... there is a slight loose feel in hard turns or abrupt lane changes...not bad and took a couple rides too get used too...i've since scraped the boards in a couple corners in the school parking lot and grip is no different than the M/C tire even better if there is some sand or gravel on the road..there is 2-3 times more rubber on the road ...so far so good

[Kevin B in Illinois]

I have ridden one and the rounded profile of the tire didn't seem dramatically different than an older motorcycle tire. It seemed to need a little more input on roads that have a crown on them, and also when going over a lip when they do new paving on Interstates you need to go at more of a direct angle to make a smooth transition, but you do this generally with a motorcycle tire. I am probably going to go with the Yokohama tire and see what type of mileage I get. Thanks for the input on the size, have you had any issues with it rubbing on the drive belt? j

Kevin Braddy
IPVMC
President

[TheAudiDoc]

no problems at all...perfect

[1700Guy]

Maybe someone can answere my question. I am wondering what happens if you have a flat tire at highway speeds. A M/C tire has thick side walls as so that the tire will not collapse and a car tire has a thin and soft side wall. would this not be dangerous if you had a blowout. Just a concern would not want to see anyone get hurt.

[TheAudiDoc]

you will feel it going flat...use tire pressure monitor...or check pressures every fillup...you will know if you have a slow leak...if the rear starts getting loose...better pull off and check it...good tires do not just blow out(you have to hit something or you have an old tire) ....I see hundreds of destroyed car tires and all are from running them flat....only pothole hits cause blowouts on good quality tires...thats 21 years at a car dealership experience....we change a lot of tires every year..if you are going to run a car tire..BUY A GOOD ONE...no chinese made...korean..vietnam junk...read the tire reviews on tire racks web site

[Kevin B in Illinois]

Most of the Darkside riders that I know recommend using a RUN FLAT tire and also a tire pressure monitor. Checking your tire pressure should be a routine before each ride procedure for riders, but I know that the majority of riders just jump on the bike and go. I have checked tire pressure for friends and have found alarming low pressure in tires on big touring bikes. I know that I got in the habit back in 1994 when I was riding a new BMW R1100RS and had witnessed Don Douglas (former BMWMOA editor) have two rims bend due to the new materials that they were made from. BMW's response was to make sure proper inflation was used to avoid bending the rims and at $1100 a rim, I didn't want to fall victim to the issue of having a rim get bent. The idea of the changing to a 205-60-16 rear Mini Cooper tire is looking more and more like what I will do when I get ready to change the rear.

Kevin Braddy
IPVMC
President

[Turbo4x4]

I sure would like to ride someone's darkside bike before I ever put one on my bike.
When pushed into a corner most darksiders will admit that it takes getting used to; especially on serpentine roads.[/quote]

Well I am doing a darkside experiment as we speak...my E3 on the VV1700 lasted 14000 miles on the rear and had 1mm of tread left.. after checking on 2 other forums(vulcan and darkside riders) I got enough good info to give it a try.... I installes a 205/60r16 92V Yokohama AVID ENVigor on the back and have logged 300 miles so far... My inital impressions are:
1...waaaaayyyyy better ride quality...all those spine breaking bumps in the road are hardley felt now..sidewall has more give to it than a M/C tire
2....the rear brake can be used harder before lockup...2x more
3...wet road traction is awesom...even in heavy rain
the down side ..if you can call it that... there is a slight loose feel in hard turns or abrupt lane changes...not bad and took a couple rides too get used too...i've since scraped the boards in a couple corners in the school parking lot and grip is no different than the M/C tire even better if there is some sand or gravel on the road..there is 2-3 times more rubber on the road ...so far so good[/quote]
Mike,

Thanks for the input. I still have a lot of tread left on my rear E3, but when it is time to replace it, I'll check in with you again for more feedback on the performance of your Yokohama. After a great deal of research, I actually bought a set of the AVID Envigors for my wifes car (2008 Hyundai Santa Fe) and am very very pleased with them. I am not opposed to crossing over to the dark side if the Yokohama's prove to be stable for MC use. I have absolutely no concerns over their quality. I'll check in with you again in a few months. Thanks Mike.

[Turbo4x4]

AudiDoc,

By the way, what pressure are you running on your Yokohama's??

[TheAudiDoc]

39 psi cold 1 up 2 up i'll go 2-5 psi higher

[jhellman]

I'm also going to replace my current Metzler radials with E3's.

I'm a 240# guy, 1 up only, lots of highway and summer heat in the 90's, and got 7100 on the original Bridgestones, then went Metzler. The rear Metzler was good for 6400 and after this weekend, has about 1 mm tread left in the center.

For me, the two tires are a wash for my type of riding.

[TheAudiDoc]

I just got back from northern Michigan....ran 3 of my favorite twistie roads(M22,M119 and E. duck lake road) and rode in heavy rain for an hour too...the yokohama performed perfectly all weekend...even when dodging the tourists from Japan who love to pull out in front of you love the C.T.

[1st one]

Just replaced my rear tire on my 2009 Voyager put on a 180/65B/16 Michelin Commander 11, had to ride home in the rain 8km city traffic tire handled great in the rain compared to the bald Anon Venom that had no trace of wear bars. I will post later on this summer. By the way the mileage on the venom (160/80/16) was 15,000 kilometers prior to this was a Dunlop E3 (160/80/!6) 17,000 kilometers and still had 3/32 tread left.

[Kevin B in Illinois]

My next set of tires will be the Dunlop American Elite touring tires that they have just introduced. After looking at a set of these and talking with Dunlop reps, I believe that these tires will last longer than the Elite 3's on the Voyager 1700. When I put a set on, I will definitely post pros and cons and mileage for this set. Probably be this fall before I mount them.


Kevin Braddy
IPVMC
President

[veeger]

I cannot find any of these new model tires from Dunlop or Michelin in the stock 170/70-16 size. Am I missing something? I currently ride the E3's on rear with stock front still good at 13,000 miles. E3 does jack the rear up a bit and my inseam is only 30" (5'6"). Would really like to return to stock size in high-wearing tire but manufacturers don't seem to be making this size. Any recommendations?

[David (N. Alabama)]

I cannot find any of these new model tires from Dunlop or Michelin in the stock 170/70-16 size. Am I missing something? I currently ride the E3's on rear with stock front still good at 13,000 miles. E3 does jack the rear up a bit and my inseam is only 30" (5'6"). Would really like to return to stock size in high-wearing tire but manufacturers don't seem to be making this size. Any recommendations?

There are none that I know of. You have to decide if you are going to go one size wider or one size narrower.

I am on my second 160/80B16 Dunlop E3 on the back. I might go with something different next time. Waiting on the reports from the Commanders and American Elites.

[1st one]

RE: 180/65B/16 Michelin Commander 11
Just a short update I now have 5,000 km. or 3,100 miles tire still shows no sign of a flat contact patch, still has a rounded patch all other tires before this one were already wearing flat