Tire of choice?

[Coastvoyager]

Likely been beat to death, however I thought Id ask about a few of my favorites Ive run on other bikes. The VII is new to me in recent weeks and Im trying to figure out its front end oddness. Bike is a 00, under 15K miles. Running a Dunlop of I cant recall series in back and a 404 up front. Im running a superbrace, just did Progressive springs,removed the forks to flush out and refill, checked the head bearings and all is good. Springs made s huge difference, running recommended 145mm bit on oil. I can say Ive owned many bikes, most recent 5 were Harley's of different types, last 2 heavy Electra Glides. At one point all ran a Dunlop's which to me are just a tire that holds air and lasts OK. The front 404 on the VII I see is made in Indonesia,this is a first for Dunlop's Ive seen, and with 2500 miles on it, its close to done with even wear and far less side cupping than some run before that still felt stable and still serviceable. I have head shake, bouncing in high speed corners which feels like I'll lose it If pushed, significantly louder road noise on left turns, and a feeling of hopping when turning doing U type turns. So...how about Michelin Commanders or any particular line of Contis that are a good fit for the Voyager?

[voyager55]

The 404's are terrible tires.
The Dunlop Elite 3's are great, probably the most popular. Bias tire
Avon, Pirelli, conts etc etc are fine to

[chevyman1]

Use the Dunlop E-3's, Avon Venom(I think they discontinued the Venom but have a replacement) or the Michelin Commander II .
They are a little more money then some of the others but you will fine they are well worth it.
Stay away from the continental it will not last as long and the one I tried had a shake until it wormed up.
A friend of mine has a Pirelli on the front and has a shake all the time at low speeds when he takes one hand off the bars (everything else was checked out), not sure what Pirelli it is.

[ScottLee]

I had the chance recently to compare two unmounted 130/90 16's. A 404 and a elite 3 side by side and there is no question which is a better choice for a bike like a voyager. Try and compress the 404 and it bends in half like a wet noodle. Try the same thing to the e-3 and it doesnt flex at all. Not even close.Thats the first indication that a 404 is not up to the task of being the choice of tire for this bike or any other of similar weight.

[chevyman1]

You want to use a tire with a heavy sidewall like the E3's.

[Coastvoyager]

Thanks for the responses guys.Makes me feel good to know the 404 is likely the culprit.

[SgtSlag]

If you want superb wet traction, the Pirelli MT66 Route tire is the best I've found yet. Been riding on them on three very different bikes, for more than five years: 440, 750, and the Voyager. We've ridden on them, two up, in all kinds of rain, dry, and some sand and gravel. We had the 750 heavily loaded, two up, touring, in the rain... Leaned into corners, at 60 MPH, in rain, suffering hypothermia, needing to make miles -- the bike, and us, were glued to the road. Similar results on the Voyager, in all kinds of rain, with heavy touring loads.

The only downside to the Pirelli's, is the lower mileage: we got around 12k from the rear, but the front is still strong, at 15k. I will pay extra for wet traction. YMMV. Cheers!

[ratiug]

I just purchased a new Dunlop Elite 3 for the front , ordered it from JP Cycles Tues morning it got here the next day,$125 with free shipping ,can't beat that. I already had the wheel off cause I changed the fork oil and put in new Progressive springs. Had the tire mounted and balanced today ,put the wheel back on and it rode straight as an arrow, now to put progressive shocks on the rear.

[krasmu]

I'm new to the Voyager myself. I've noticed lose handling and some bouncing as has been described here. The bike has Dunlop 491 elite 2's. I'm wondering how these compare to the elite 3's that are recommended by so many here. I'm not sure but would guess the bike is factory stock springs. I'm running the front forks at 8 psi and the tires at 30 front and 363 rear.

[bikerking.biz]

I'm new to the Voyager myself. I've noticed lose handling and some bouncing as has been described here. The bike has Dunlop 491 elite 2's. I'm wondering how these compare to the elite 3's that are recommended by so many here. I'm not sure but would guess the bike is factory stock springs. I'm running the front forks at 8 psi and the tires at 30 front and 363 rear.

The Elite 3's are much better than the 2's- especially the front. The 3's get better mileage life, and are not affected by steel bridge decks and the like as much as the 2's. Also, you are not running enough pressure in your tires. I now run 40 in the front and 42 in the rear tire. You may also have other issues with loose handling, but start by increasing the air pressure first. Are you tires cupped at this point? Running that low of pressure may have already cupped them, and that will affect handling somewhat.

[krasmu]

I'll push the air pressure up to those recommendations and report back.

It's not out of the realm for other things to be bad, but the bike only has 30K on it. so IMO things should not be warn out.

[bikerking.biz]

I'll push the air pressure up to those recommendations and report back.

It's not out of the realm for other things to be bad, but the bike only has 30K on it. so IMO things should not be warn out.

If your tires are already cupped, just increasing air pressure at this point will not return them to optimal handling. It would be a good idea to also check the steering stem to make sure it is not loose (or too tight), the front and rear wheel bearings, and the swing arm bearing tightness and condition. All of this can affect handling.

[krasmu]

that will give me plenty to look at to start with. thank you.

[TenRacing]

I'm new to the Voyager myself. I've noticed lose handling and some bouncing as has been described here. The bike has Dunlop 491 elite 2's. I'm wondering how these compare to the elite 3's that are recommended by so many here. I'm not sure but would guess the bike is factory stock springs. I'm running the front forks at 8 psi and the tires at 30 front and 363 rear.

From what I've heard the Elite 3's are not as strong of a sidewall as the Elite II...

Finding Elite II's is the issue...

Also finding a tire that is TRULY comparible in height to the MV85B15...

HD's used the MU90B16 for many years, and I can tell you that from experience 130/90's of ANY BRAND are NOT as tall...

Voyager XII's do not need a shorter tire... will bump up RPM and speed and drop MPG...

[TenRacing]

Elite 3 size Part # rim OD WIDTH Tread MAXIMUM LOAD @ PSI
160/80B16 80H 417996 3.50 26.10 6.10 11/32 992 @ 40 Multi tread
MV85B15 77H 407945 3.50 25.50 6.02 11/32 910 @ 40

What we need is Dunlop to make the Elite 3 multi tread in a 15" like the 16" for the wing...

[chevyman1]

I'm new to the Voyager myself. I've noticed lose handling and some bouncing as has been described here. The bike has Dunlop 491 elite 2's. I'm wondering how these compare to the elite 3's that are recommended by so many here. I'm not sure but would guess the bike is factory stock springs. I'm running the front forks at 8 psi and the tires at 30 front and 363 rear.

From what I've heard the Elite 3's are not as strong of a sidewall as the Elite II...

Finding Elite II's is the issue...

Also finding a tire that is TRULY comparible in height to the MV85B15...

HD's used the MU90B16 for many years, and I can tell you that from experience 130/90's of ANY BRAND are NOT as tall...

Voyager XII's do not need a shorter tire... will bump up RPM and speed and drop MPG...

I have put a 2" higher tire on the rear of a voyager as an experiment and it still has plenty of clearance.

[krasmu]

I did a quick check of all the bearings that were mentioned with the old push/pull/twist method and everything seems tight. Got no play on any of them. After bumping the tire pressures up to 40/42 as stated here. It rides like a whole new bike. Have not had it out on the highway at those speeds but in town up to 55 mph is seems to ride much straighter. My tires are still in fairly good shape. They have plenty of miles left in them, so I'll cross the new tire size and brand bridge when they are due.