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[heirloom]

My 1800R is loaded up....somewhere over 900 lbs. now.  Won't be long before another set of tires is in the offing.......would like some Brand recommendations from experience.  I'm looking for good mileage as well as grip.  Are the Dunlop Elite III any better than the OEM's?  I have found fitment in Avon, Metzler, Bridgestone and Maxxis.  Also, could I expect any better mileage if I went to a 200 or 190 on the rear?
Thanks to all that respond.........

Heirloom,
Candy Red '03 VTX1800R with too much crap to list.

[Claw]

  Also, could I expect any better mileage if I went to a 200 or 190 on the rear?
Thanks to all that respond.........

I was TOLD that the 200 Metz actually has a couple of 32^nds less tread than say the 180 from the get go.

[cybrhick]

The Metz and Avons have the best grip, but the Avons will net you more miles.

[ChipsMayhem]

I have a dunny E-3 on the back of my bike. I seems to be a long lasting tire, however I have found the traction is not that good..

[heirloom]

Many thanks to all that responded........good info.   I did settle on the Dunnie E3's, mainly because I got a super deal on them and went with the stock sizes.

Now for another question that has me baffled:  The left side of my front tire is wearing more than the right side!  I have check alignment, no fork seal leakage, wheel bearings fine, brakes fine (both sides)....what could possibly cause this?  Some folks have said "You make too many left turns" (I'm not buying that one) and others have said they have seen this before and it is due to the crown in the roads....which could make sense, but, I have never had this occur before.  I have looked at many other bikes and not seen this.  My rear tire is wearing evenly and has lots of tread left, well above the wear indicators.....if crowned roads were the culprit, why wouldn't they affect the rear, as well??  BTW, the wear difference is significant....the tire is below the wear indicators on the left of center and above on the right of center.

Stumped in Tyler......
Heirloom

Oh yeah......having the old board hacked is a real pisser!  I now go from "Old Timer" (which fit perfectly) to "Trailer Queen"
.........there should be some way to regain one's status!!!

[twistedrcpilot]

Are yuo that person on that commercial that only makes left turns?.....J/K

I wonder if the front shock levels are the same.  Have you ever done any work to the front end?  Maybe one shock is sitting lower in the tree.

[Claw]

The Metz and Avons have the best grip, but the Avons will net you more miles.

Outcast or not, good to hear from you!

[ChipsMayhem]

I wonder if the front shock levels are the same.  Have you ever done any work to the front end?  Maybe one shock is sitting lower in the tree.

I was thinking the same thing.. But it would steer really strange woundn't it?   Have you had progressive springs put in? I did and the bike handles better to me anyway..

[heirloom]

Forks and alignment are perfect and, no, I don't make all left turns.....besides, the rear tire is wearing perfectly even all the way across.  The bike tracks straight (rear tire track centers on the front tire track)......I can ride with no hands and it doesn't drift at all.  There is no wobble or weave at high speeds, well, up to 126 mph (haven't been any higher than that).   I have measured, with an inside mic, from the wheel rim and brake rotors to the forks....both sides even and have run a dial guage on the rim...it is true.  I don't have a clue.   I guess I will just have to keep a close eye on the new rubber when it goes on, next week.

[twistedrcpilot]

Forks and alignment are perfect and, no, I don't make all left turns.....besides, the rear tire is wearing perfectly even all the way across.  The bike tracks straight (rear tire track centers on the front tire track)......I can ride with no hands and it doesn't drift at all.  There is no wobble or weave at high speeds, well, up to 126 mph (haven't been any higher than that).   I have measured, with an inside mic, from the wheel rim and brake rotors to the forks....both sides even and have run a dial guage on the rim...it is true.  I don't have a clue.   I guess I will just have to keep a close eye on the new rubber when it goes on, next week.

Have you checked the shock oil level?  I've never delt with this on a bike, but on a rc cars, if the oil is below a certin point, it will fizz and the shock will give out.  Meaning at ride height, all the geometry is correct, but when compressed, one is shorter, giving you camber towards the shorter shock.  I would think you would be able to feel that thought. Maybe your right side is low.  notice any oil a sut at the bottem of the forks?

[hipshot]

Your OEM tires are prone to cupping, but running max air pressure in the front tire will retard that process somewhat. You'll notice a marked improvement when you switch to the Avon tyres.

[heirloom]

Hipshot!....you ol' cat hair!  How you doin?  Thanks to you and 'RC' for the responses.   Yes, I have checked the fork seals and oil........all is well and I have always kept the pressure about a pound below max (except on the rear, I run that slightly lower to spread out the wear).   A mechanic that works at a Kaw shop told me that he had seen this before and thought it may be a faulty tire carcass.  I find that doubtful on a radial tire, but, I don't have any better ideas.  When the new 'skin' goes on, I will be able to visually inspect the bearings.  I'll let y'all know if I find the cause.

[snake]

My 1800 R always wears more on the left front, through all the tires I've put on. I have to shift my butt one inch to the left to keep it tracking straight when riding without hands, also. My last bike did the same too, I've just thought my butt was crooked!!! I run Avons at 42 and 40 PSI for best tire life/reduced cupping. Good to hear from ya' Roland.

[UncleMike]

Here is my take on the left side of the front tire wearing faster.  Since the weight of the stock exhaust is all on the right side of the bike it causes the bike to pull ( just a little bit) to the right.  While riding down the road we "counter steer" a bit to keep the bike going straight, probably without even realizing it.  So to keep the bike from drifting right we are actually pushing a little on the left handle bar which would lean the bike left ever so slightly, thus moving the contact patch a little left of center thereby wearing on the left side of the front tire......or not.   My method of analysis: SWAG

[cisco_k]

Here's the best explanation that I have found for left side front tire wear.  These folks actually did some testing before giving out their answers.

http://www.rattlebars.com/valkfaq/tirewear/