This whole tire thing leaves me perplexed....

[Adrian R]

Okay, like I have about 7500 miles on my 21' R18C. Absolutely love the bike, breaking in very nicely, and building more power with every ride... Thought I would never like it more then my 2 generation, 6 cylinder Honda Valkyrie 1800, but I am. The Honda is faster and smoother...more torque too, but it takes more work to get into it's power/torque band...and it lacks cruise control, as well as a 6th gear.

The R18 though with the upgrades (BT, DNA2) is getting closer to the same power, but still not 118hp, but it does get close to 100hp, and good torque at like 3-4k rpms..which really is never needed, but pulls with authority at lower rpms... I can now set the cruise at 65mph in 6th gear, and it never bogs down, or kick out of cruise on an INCLINE with a passenger and gear! Amazing, the damn thing is like tractor...I just love how it pulls me around...cool... The bike just blasts down the road effortlessly, or cruise at slow speeds in a very behaved manner. BMW really did their homework on this bike with respect to engine timing, gearing, and power..just brilliant.

However, I am learning that these Commander 3 tires just suck. Tires are everything, learned this years ago, and with every new Honda purchase, I would just buy new tires soon after because the stock tires were usually junk.

When I was looking at buying the R18, I noted how it came equipped with Michelin tires, and was very pleased to see this thinking I wouldn't need to replace them right away. I had previously put Michelin Pilot 4 and 5s on my Valkyrie, and loved the tires... I just assumed that the Commanders would be excellent as well. Certainly a good looking tire, but man... they don't steer well, ride rough, follow cracks/imperfections in the road, make noise, and the front tire is wearing oddly. In short, with 7k they kinda suck.

Fortunately my Classic came with equipped with wheels that are pretty common HD sizes, so there is quite a few tires to pick from. This is what I have seen thus far...

1. Metzler Cruisetech
2. Dunlop American Elites
3. Metzler ME 888
5. Bridgestone H50
and lastly, Pirelli Night Dragon GTs.

All tires cost about the same... I just don't know which one to get! I don't want to go through the expense again anytime soon having them mounted and balanced. What is your experience?

Thanks!

 

[Rufus]

Big ask that. Tyres are such a contentious issue/choice however I am going to stick with the H50’s, I like them. They may not last exceptionally well but that’s an ok compromise ( for me ).

 

[nielsm]

The Bridgestone H50 also came OEM. I have those on my R18C. Usually, I don’t like Bridgestone tires, but these tires stick very well and my R18 can do 20-30 over the speed limit in the twisties. While I like the stickiness overall, the front tire will need to be replaced at just 6000 miles which seems very low for a cruiser tire, let alone a front tire. Oddly, my rear still has plenty of tread. On all my other bikes, fronts are usually about twice the mileage of a rear. This is more like the mileage of my sport bike. I’m meticulous about tire pressure on all my bikes, so it’s not a low pressure issue. Revzilla’s review of the tire said the manufacturer claimed 10-18K miles. I may do that on the rear, but not the front.

I was thinking to go with the Commander 3 as I’ve had good experience with Michelins on my other bikes and others have said good things about them. This post was the first I’ve noticed with a bad experience on the Commander 3, so now I’m unsure. I like everything about the H50 except the low mileage on the front. Maybe that is what I have to live with on the tire, as I like everything else about them.

 

[Adrian R]

The Bridgestone H50 also came OEM. I have those on my R18C. Usually, I don’t like Bridgestone tires, but these tires stick very well and my R18 can do 20-30 over the speed limit in the twisties. While I like the stickiness overall, the front tire will need to be replaced at just 6000 miles which seems very low for a cruiser tire, let alone a front tire. Oddly, my rear still has plenty of tread. On all my other bikes, fronts are usually about twice the mileage of a rear. This is more like the mileage of my sport bike. I’m meticulous about tire pressure on all my bikes, so it’s not a low pressure issue. Revzilla’s review of the tire said the manufacturer claimed 10-18K miles. I may do that on the rear, but not the front.

I was thinking to go with the Commander 3 as I’ve had good experience with Michelins on my other bikes and others have said good things about them. This post was the first I’ve noticed with a bad experience on the Commander 3, so now I’m unsure. I like everything about the H50 except the low mileage on the front. Maybe that is what I have to live with on the tire, as I like everything else about them.

Yeah, the Michy Pilot 4s and 5s were excellent tires, but these C3s are slippery bricks that follow contours in the road...

 

[Alf]

I’m with you Nielsm, the H50 sticks well and provides good feedback……however this front tyre comes with very little life, mine will be knocked out at around 4K.mls on my R18 FE.