So Unstable..A Nightmare to Ride!

[Mr Jensee]

In the past Michelin Commanders had issues with production. As far as I know there have been no production issues with the Dunlop E3 tires. It could be that the issues with the Commanders have been corrected.

[crownman56]

I too put the shinko's on my 98 XII and had the same experience the front end drifts all over the road. I had e3's before and it would do the tank slapper if I took hands of bars but did not drift.So I will try another e3 on the front and check the front end.

[JimK]

For what it's worth I have the Shinko 230s on my 97 XII and it tracks strait down the road and corners fine. 10k on the bike, 1k on the tires. No problem at all.
Yes it happened when you put on new tires but you had to r&r the wheels to do that. That put a lot more in play than just the tires.

[DailyRider]

Very helpful thread. I just had Michellins put on and had an aweful wabble. Checked the torque on the front and the mechanic tightened it too much. Adjusted to spec and yep, that did the trick. Took it for a ride and much, much better. Still might wander a little, too much traffic to get up to speed last night. My guess is that the back wheel also is out of spec. Checking that next.

[Brealytren]

I too adjusted the steering head and swing arm bearings. Slight improvement at low speeds...but highway wander was still unacceptable. It appears some have had a good experience with the Shinko 230 Tourmaster. It may be that they simply have inconsistencies in their production.

[DailyRider]

OK, after getting the front axle and steering head tightened to spec I now have a sold ride on my Michelin Commander II tires, that is up to 80 mph. At 85 the wobble is more present which I can live with as I rarely take her over 80 anyway. I also have dropped my air pressure a bit which made a huge difference as well. Next time I will go with the Dunlop's as touted. However, I do find the Commander II to be more agile in the twisties and muscling at slow speed. I think this agility is due to a more rounded tire. If I were back in the Texas Hill Country I might even opt for them again. It handles more like a sport bike. For most riders I would agree that the E3s are the way to go.