Finally installed 130/90/16 front tire

[Joesmoe]

Alright. With all the sand down there, I guess it'll come soon enough.

Be safe out there and keep the rubber side down.

 

[Fingers]

@Joesmoe my apologies I forgot to mention that I put the match rear 180/65/16 Commander ll on the bike.they handle and feel so much better than the Metzler's.

 

[Joesmoe]

O.k, so everything in life is a trade-off.

The smaller tires will have more revolutions per mile, if I read the calculators right (I don't know the first thing about tires).

So, in theory, they would wear faster. I do recall back when I was riding my Honda Helix scooter and later an Aprilia 500 Scarabeo scooter, with their relatively diminutive tires, they would go through them fast.

Presumably, the handling characteristics are sufficient off-set (read 'trade-off') for the added wear, unless of course, Michelin is magic, and their Commander wears better AND handles better. I do know that when the dealer changed the OEM tire on my daily commuter Honda CTX700D for the Michelin, it was a near night and day difference in favor of the Michelin.

You see where I'm going with this. If I have to buy five Michelins for every Metzler, then I'd be looking as others have at the Excedra Max and Avons.

I really appreciate your sharing your experience with us.

 

[Fingers]

I got 29,000 mi. out of the front Commander ll on my 13' and believe would have gotten at least 20,000 out of the rear tire.Time will tell if this bike gets similar milage .

 

[rocket51]

I got 29,000 mi. out of the front Commander ll on my 13' and believe would have gotten at least 20,000 out of the rear tire.Time will tell if this bike gets similar milage .

I got 20,000 out of my first Michelin commander 130/90-16 and still have a lot of tread on my second one. The rotation of the 150/80-16 is nearly the same as the rotation of the 130/90-16.

 

[IMFASTTOO]

I got 29,000 mi. out of the front Commander ll on my 13' and believe would have gotten at least 20,000 out of the rear tire.Time will tell if this bike gets similar milage .

WOW thats good mileage Im running a commander on the rear almost 5000 miles and shows hardly any wear and if you get that mileage why would anyone use anything else

 

[IMFASTTOO]

I REALLY like my 130/90/16 the bike handles SO much easier now. A lot of the problem with my 150 tire was with uneven wear but I don't think a new 150 would handle near as good as the 130. I highly recommend the 130 if you like a bike that flows into corners and turns. Also it is much easier to handle in tight places at slow speeds and when moving bike with your feet. Bike feels more like a sport bike now and less like a tank.

Weve been running the 130 and 140 front tires for years but you cant go smaller than 140 with ABS

 

[Joesmoe]

Yes, with those two tires on front -- I'm sorry -- I was referring to the 180/65/16 on the rear.

Per @rocket51 it would appear the Michelin tires do approach magic.

They are now on my list.

 

[DaddyRabbit]

I see most everyone here has the Touring model..... I've got a 06 Classic! What size tire could I drop to?

 

[Joesmoe]

Well, this thread happens to be in the Touring forum. If you research tires in the search function, and start in the Bearclaw forum, and look in the Technical forum, you will likely see what folks have done on all the bikes with 17" wheels, which is what I believe yours has.