Has anybody had better luck w/ different tires for a v star 1100?
Dunlop d404's were good, but thought about trying something else. The only thing is , the Dunlops tend to wander at low speeds, and follow cracks. Would a diff. tire help? Been looking @ continnentals, or Kenda tires. Anyone tried this to see if it helps?
Thanks, Larry S.

I switched to Metzlers on my Victory. Seem to be better than the Dunlops that came on the bike.

Metzlers FTW!!! Spend the money and upgrade to metzlers. You wont be dissapointed. Pirelli's are good to.

I dont know i like the dunlop myself. Great long lasting wear pattern, handles very well wet or dry, and even handles the dirt and gravel very well.

My last bike was a adventure tourer (suzuki V-Strom) came stock with a tire every one labbled as really poor a bridstone trail wing better known as death wings. So when the time came for tires i "upgraded" to metzlers and was VERY dissapointed. Ended up with highspeed head shake, and very poor gravel road manners. The only thing they did better than the stock bridgstones was handle wet roads very well. After that i will NEVER own another set of metzlers.

My 1100 vstar came with Bridgestone, I was ready to get rid of the bike, hated the ride, handling,the whole thing. Went to Metzlers, WOW, had a new bike, sticks like glue, smooth as silk, this is just what happened to me, but I will run nothing else on this vstar as long as I have it. They do cost more that a lot of the others,like Avon, also a very good tire. This is just how it went with me. Also, I will not run Bridgestone again if I can help it, on anything.

I have an 06 1100 Vstar silverado with 60k mile. the bike came with Brigestone, next I put on Metzlers. Hated them always felt like I was riding on marbles on wet roads. I live near Seattle and ride year round. Next I put on a set of Dunlops D404 love them. Right know I have on a set of Pirrelies. Not a bad tire but I think I like the Dunlops best.
hope this helps
Doug

guess thats why they sell more than one brand and type of tire. I run Dunlop on my 750 and love them, wear very good, ride good, but on my 1100 vstar, Metzler 880 marathon is it for me, in 45 years on the road, never had tires that felt, handled, and are wearing like these, So. Ind.plenty of hills, curves ect, like I said, these are great for here and the riding here. Just depends on what works for each guy,(or girl).

when i bought my 1100 classic, it had d404 on the rear an exedra on the front...
i hadn't owned or riden a bike in 30 plus years, i HATED the ride. then a friend told me to buy a new rear (which was going to be due at the end of the summer anyway), just before i got the new tire, i checked tire pressures, WOW !!! 12 measly pounds in BOTH tires... lesson learned, ANY tires stink under-pressured, and my life was probably in jeopardy, anyways, the only tires recommended (by yamaha) were front and back d404's

when i bought my 1100 classic, it had d404 on the rear an exedra on the front...
i hadn't owned or riden a bike in 30 plus years, i HATED the ride. then a friend told me to buy a new rear (which was going to be due at the end of the summer anyway), just before i got the new tire, i checked tire pressures, WOW !!! 12 measly pounds in BOTH tires... lesson learned, ANY tires stink under-pressured, and my life was probably in jeopardy, anyways, the only tires recommended (by yamaha) were front and back d404's

You make a very good point on pressures, my 1100 book says 33 and 36, Ask my shop guy, he said run 40 and 40, I tryed that and the whole ride changed (for the better,much better) Just for the few that don't know, cupping on your front tire is more than likely due to lower than needed pressure. Just a note, do not inflate over what is printed on the tire itself, but I have found up to max works well.

sugar bear 06, i was wondering, what kind of mileage are you getting from the metzelers?? i considered getting those this spring, but i read they dont give the mileage of d404s

sugar bear 06, i was wondering, what kind of mileage are you getting from the metzelers?? i considered getting those this spring, but i read they dont give the mileage of d404s

This is my first set of Metz, guess that's why I am so impressed. So far I got maybe 5 grand and don't see much wear. Yes, I too have read the stuff about low mileage, but for my case, I do not see that, they may wear down like a booger real soon now, do not know that. My shop guy was claiming 15 or so, we will see. I do know they have give me the best ride overall I have had on anything. These things I say are true for me and my case, others will not agree. Hope more folks respond.:)

I got 20k out of the Metz 880's I had on my 1100. Thought the tires were great on dry roads. Only problem was that half of my riding is during the rainy season. They don't like the rain, other wise a great tire.

I got 20k out of the Metz 880's I had on my 1100. Thought the tires were great on dry roads. Only problem was that half of my riding is during the rainy season. They don't like the rain, other wise a great tire.

Doug, 20k would tickle me plum pink, I know none of us like wet roads, other than that, you were happy? I like the ride VERY well but never run the Metz till now. Thanks for the input on your experience with these tires.:)

I just swapped out from the factory bridgestones to the metzler 880 tires. I can't compare to other brands but they are far superior to the bridgstones comparing new to new.

I just swapped out from the factory bridgestones to the metzler 880 tires. I can't compare to other brands but they are far superior to the bridgstones comparing new to new.

As an aside tidbit, my brother just put a set of Metz on his 1300 Honda, I measured his tread against mine(with about 10 grand on them in a year) My Metz, I swear, a guy could not tell any wear on mine vs brand new ones:eek: Love these Metz 880, so smooth, ride great and so far, wear outstanding. I will post how long they lasted when I have to replace(may be another year or so, I hope) :D
( My stock, orgninal Bridgestone tires totally sucked, handled BAD, no milage, glad to be rid of them, never again)

I ride the metzeler 880 marathon , 10k now , and they are still OK.
The only down size is the wet weather.Definitively they were not made for rain.On dry roads , they are great , better than the original dunlop.

I ride the metzeler 880 marathon , 10k now , and they are still OK.
The only down size is the wet weather.Definitively they were not made for rain.On dry roads , they are great , better than the original dunlop.

do you think the metzelers are worse in the rain than the dunlops?
i think the dunlop 404s aren't great in the wet, and i've never used another tire on the 1100.. i keep ordering the dunlops :o

Not worst , but pretty much the same.
I think they are both dangerous in the rain.
I read somewere that the firestone (donīt remember the model) , are very good in the rain.
On dry weather i feel much more safe with the metz.

I ran metz on my 03 1600 vulcan classic,3 sets for 40,000 miles. The first thing i noticed was the change in handeling,stuck like glue.more important to me was they were oustanding in the rain. Never felt like you were on water ,totally different than stock tires.i now have a 08 stratoliner s with 7000 miles willdefanately be buying m880 marathons. Bob z

Metzlers is what i prefer completely satisfied with its performance .Not even think of having some other brand for My bike .

Has nobody outthere tried the Kendra or Shenko. My Mexican peso is hard hit by the Dunlops and Avons. The Pirelli are costing a fortune so I am considering the Kendra. They are supposed to have a long milage life and that is important. I pay double what you guys do for tires. Any word on Kenda or Shenko would be helpful.
Thanks and Ride safe

Just got a new set of Dunlop 404s put on my VStar 650 after reading your opinions in this thread. Thanks to those of you who chimed in, this thread was really helpful. I love my new tires! My old ones were original to the bike. Yep, 13 years old. They were in surprisingly good condition for that vintage, with lots of tread left, and no dry rot, but I'm still comforted knowing that I'll be riding through the winter on fresh tires.

I am a fan of my Metzler rear tire it has got about 3k on it so far in 4 months and it looks brand new with all sorts of gravel and crappy areas i drive.

Iīve been a Pirelli fan for years. Got my first set after the Bridgestone stock set ran out at 6000 miles. I put Pirellis on my vstar 1100 Siverado and they run so well I almost cry from the ease. I need to redo the front wheel because I lose pressure a lot. Spoke wheels do that so I have to fill up the tires every time I fill up the tank. i read somewherre about sealing the spoke rims to ensure pressure control. Now I got to search for the link.
Buys tires is like buying icecream, there are at least 31 flavors and they make them for a reason.

I liked the Perelli Route 66 , had them on a Suzuki C50. Tracked real nice, didnt catch grooves in the road at all. I was impressed.

But, as most seem to agree the Metz 880's must be great for wear ...
I have a Metz on the rear now but can not compare, bought the bike with it and still have a stock Dunlop on the front. It does catch the groves in the road for sure, I am just not sure which tire it causes it.

I'm a Metz man. I've Dunslops on my HD and when coming out of sweeping corners they break loose with hard acceleration and seem to get radial runout and road wander real easy like. Didn't have that problem with the Metz. I don't care too much for them in the rain, but on dry pavement it was a night and day difference.

i've read from a lot of testimonials that the metzlers are good for traction and handling at the expense of wear; they don't last very long. i've got a Dunlop E3 on the rear and it has great handling and i've put about 7K miles on it and looks like the tread is only down about 20%. it does catch grooves in the road and doesn't have the best traction when making steep corning/turns. other than that it's great.

I've always bought Dunlops and most likely always will. They're a good all around tire for my style of riding, witch is easy cruising.

Metz 880, boys I shit you not, damnest set of tires I ever had. 15k or so right now, look to be maybe half:eek: Like Taboo, I am pretty easy on 'em. Next set for me will be exact same set. Love em all the way.

The wife's V-Star came with Bridgestones and she hated them, especially riding on freeway rain grooves; scared her half to death. Went with Dunlop 404's next and they were better. Since her bike was going through tires pretty quickly, we decided to take a chance on Kenda and ordered a set of their Kruz 673 tires (At that time we paid $99 for both front and rear. Those were the days!) She immediately noticed the difference. No more wiggling on the rain grooves, smoother ride and better handling. The front tire was replaced before the tread actually wore out due to cupping (which also happened with both Bridgestone and Dunlop), but that seems to have been solved by increasing the PSI to 35. The rear tire we replaced a few months ago after 22,000 miles. She rides daily, rain or shine and loves her Kendas. She sold me; I ended up putting them on my Victory, too.

That's an interesting point. My stock Dunlops (555) tend to get jerked around in the freeway rain grooves quite a bit. Not a big fan of surprises at speed.

I tend to lean toward the Metzlers, but how are they in the grooves compared to the Dunlops? Anybody know......?

metzler m880 is the best tire i have ever had on bikes rain or dry roads.be carefull not too deflate more than 1 or 2 lbs of air,you will get cupping.my first set years ago i was 4to5 lbs low for a softer ride.the people at metzler told me that caused the cupping. good luck, ride safe. BOB Z

metzler m880 is the best tire i have ever had on bikes rain or dry roads.be carefull not too deflate more than 1 or 2 lbs of air,you will get cupping.my first set years ago i was 4to5 lbs low for a softer ride.the people at metzler told me that caused the cupping. good luck, ride safe. BOB Z

Yep, as long as a guy reads the tire wall, forget the book, read on the tire wall (my metz 40-42) one super fine set of tires, I am still crankin miles on a set from 2 years ago, and still nowhere near done:)
Ride Safe:cool:

40-42....?? Wow.

Metz has a loyal following. They just LOOK like a cruiser tire........

40-42....?? Wow.

Metz has a loyal following. They just LOOK like a cruiser tire........

Different strokes paddy, but yeah, it takes good light and eyesight to see the recommend(for 2 up or loaded) It is 40 F and 42 R, that's what I always run, served me well:cool: Ride Safe:cool:
(I run an 1100 Silverado)

I have Dunlop 404 on the rear of my 03 1100 Classic. I'm looking at replacing at 6k. Not happy about that. The front still looks great though. I ride easy and I have no performance enhancements on my bike. Tires ride and handle great though. No complaints about that. Maybe the wear is dictated by the general locations we ride? Each state seems to have different road conditions. Oh, I put about 10k on my bike each year. It is more than a toy. It is transportation as long as the roads are safe.

I have Dunlop 404 on the rear of my 03 1100 Classic. I'm looking at replacing at 6k. Not happy about that. The front still looks great though. I ride easy and I have no performance enhancements on my bike. Tires ride and handle great though. No complaints about that. Maybe the wear is dictated by the general locations we ride? Each state seems to have different road conditions. Oh, I put about 10k on my bike each year. It is more than a toy. It is transportation as long as the roads are safe.

I am disenchanted with the Dunlops, too.:mad: I do not believe that the wear is good, long lasting, or that they give the best road grip and preformance.:( I truly love my Pirelli RT 66 tires.:D
I am on a set that have over 5000 miles and they look great. I had another set on another bike and they were still plenty good when I sold.
If you have the cAsh maybe buying Metzler is a good idea. I have harley friends that swear by them.:rolleyes: Me, I have lesser cash available so I choose what is a value for me. Pirelli does the trick and they do not, I repeat, do not Track grooves and tey handle very well inthe rain.

I probably ride on the worst roads of any forum member, here in Mexico.:eek: I love my Pirrelis īcause they last, look good and most of all they give me a ride that I can count on. Safe and sure

I wrote the following report on Kenda Kruz 673 tires for Quick Throttle Magazine about 4 years ago. I hope it may be of use to some of you.

[I would have posted as an attachment, but the file was too big]



Bargain Tires: Do They Exist?
By
Robert Sweeney


Anyone who has owned a motorcycle long enough to require a little routine maintenance must be familiar with the fact that anything that’s labeled as being made specifically for a motorcycle costs at least twice as much as the same part made for a car. Since, for the majority of American bikers, the motorcycle has primarily been a recreational vehicle – and hence a “luxury” item – most have done little more than grumble a bit under their breath as they open their wallets and fork out the cash; few have taken the time to examine and debate the reasons why one can have the family SUV freshly shod in a complete set of 4 steel-belted radials at the neighborhood Pep Boys for a little more than half the price of 2 name-brand motorcycle tires. And the Pep Boys price generally includes mounting and balancing. Not to mention that most modern car tires can be expected to last 40-50,000 miles, as opposed to the average 12,000 miles or so one can expect to get from a set of motorcycle tires (sportbike riders are lucky to get half of that!).
The search for affordable rubber has even led some adventurous souls to install car tires on the rear wheels of their bikes (known as “darksiding” among the cult faithful), a practice not endorsed by any tire company with a legal department. The lure of cheap rubber – say, $50 instead of $200 – and way more miles of tread wear (let’s face it, a tire designed to go 50,000 miles on a 4,000 lb. car will expire from old age long before you wear out the tread running it on an 800 lb. motorcycle!) can be as seductive as a Sara Lee cheesecake at a Weight Watchers meeting. But even if you are willing to step over to the Dark Side, it’s not always easy to find a car tire to fit the relatively skinny rims on most bikes. In these troubled economic times, what’s a poor skinflint to do?
That was the question I posed myself a couple of years ago when shopping for new tires for my wife’s V-Star 1100. Monika puts a lot of miles on her bike commuting to work each day, as well as weekend rides and annual vacation miles. The factory Bridgestone Excedras had been replaced with Dunlop 404s, which are a pretty affordable tire, but I wanted to see if we could do better this time around. Naturally, I began my shopping expedition at that great world-wide bargain emporium, The Internet. I came upon a tire e-tailer that carries virtually (no pun intended) every brand of motorcycle tire sold in America, all at very good discount prices. I began comparing prices for all the different brands available in the sizes required for her bike and soon discovered that a brand I’d never heard of, called Kenda, had tires for her bike for less than half the price of the leading brands. Now, a low price is only a bargain if the product you get performs satisfactorily. Would these low-price tires perform? I figured, what the heck, let’s give ‘em a shot. It turned out to be a very sound investment.
Monika was never happy with the original Bridgestones; they gave her the heebie-jeebies on freeway rain-grooves and road seams and were less than confidence inspiring in the twisties. The Dunlops that replaced them were a marked improvement, but her new Kenda Kruz K673 tires turned out to be even better. She has been extolling their virtues to every biker she meets for the last 2 years.
I had been dying to give the Kendas a shot myself to see if they really are as good as Monika believes. Unfortunately, my 37” inseam is just too much acreage to comfortably (or safely) cram into the cockpit of her V-Star, so I had to wait for the OEM Dunlops to wear out on my Victory Touring Cruiser before I could sample the alleged benefits of her new favorite brand of motorcycle tire. At 12,500 miles, my rear Dunny was toast and the front didn’t have more than a couple of thousand miles left in the tread, so an order was placed and bike and tires were delivered to our trusted wrench, Chuck Lange at Pat Clark Motorsports, for mounting and balancing. I was positively palpitating with anticipation.
Riding the bike around town with the new tires, I noticed the ride was smoother; not altogether unusual anytime new rubber is installed, but there seemed to be less of a jolt when riding over potholes and small bumps (something to which my deteriorating spine is quite sensitive), possibly indicating a more supple sidewall in the Kendas. Even better was the almost total lack of shimmy when crossing back and forth over road seams and creases. The bike felt very stable and secure on city streets, but the real test would be out on the open road.
At the first opportunity, we planned a route that would provide a good road test. We started out on the infamous I-15 freeway, heading south and into California. The 15 makes a good proving ground as it runs through Las Vegas, as it is perpetually under construction and the road surface is often – shall we say – less than smooth. There are also rain grooves that even give my car fits. The Kenda tires handled it all perfectly, with nothing but the slightest wiggle. We crossed Stateline and headed for Baker, hitting speeds up to 90 MPH with no drama whatsoever.
Freeway performance was obviously very good, but there’s more to riding than just freeways. From Baker we headed up Hwy. 127 and took the turnoff to Tecopa, which would afford us a few switchbacks and hairpins to see how this new rubber corners. Again, no drama involved as we negotiated the corners. The bike felt totally stable and secure, tracking true with no hint of breaking loose. We got to Hwy. 160 and followed it through Pahrump. By the time we got to Hwy. 95, I was no longer thinking about the tires, which is maybe the best thing you can say about a set of tires; that you don’t need to think about them. After 300 miles I was completely sold on these Kenda tires. About the only road condition I didn’t get to sample was wet, but Monika has been riding to work, rain or shine, on her Kendas for the last couple of years – not to mention the rain we always seem to encounter on our vacations – and never experienced a problem, and so I don’t expect to, either.
Now, how about longevity? Again, I’ve only had my Kendas a few hundred miles, but Monika put 16,000 miles on her Kendas before replacing the front tire just before our 2,000 mile vacation ride this past September (The front tire still had a good amount of tread, but was cupped a bit and we felt it best to replace it. Both the Bridgestone and Dunlop front tires also cupped on her bike and it would seem to be the fault of the bike itself and not the tires.) Her rear tire now has over 21,000 miles and there is still quite a bit of tread left.
While I had not previously heard of Kenda Tires, a little Internet research has uncovered the fact that Kenda has been manufacturing tires since 1962 and they make tires not only for motorcycles and scooters, but also for ATVs, trailers, cars, industrial uses and even wheelchairs! They have factories in Thailand, China and Vietnam. In other words, they ain’t small potatoes.
Since prices do fluctuate, I won’t give you the exact dollar amount I paid for my Kenda Kruz K673 tires, I’ll just say that I got both front and rear tires for about the same price as one rear tire from one of the “major brands” would have cost from the same source. So, to answer the question posed in the title of this report: Yes, Virginia, bargain motorcycle tires do exist!
If your favorite motorcycle dealer/tire store doesn’t stock Kenda tires, ask them to order some. I think you’ll be very pleasantly surprised.

Great article. I am amazedtp read that Monica had over 21,000 miles on a back tire. Good God, hey will probably take it offthemarket so that sales go up. HA HA.
Thanks for the info, makes me think about next set, even though I love my Piellis.

We ended up replacing the rear tire at 26,000 miles. With another Kenda, natch.

Glad to see all the opinions on various tires. I ran Continentals on my 400 Maxim and loved them, stuck well and wore great, but now that I have a 1700 Roadstar I am looking for something that will take the weight, handle reasonably and wear well.

I bought the bike last spring with the intention of flipping it and making a bit of profit. The rear tire needed to be replaced so I went with a "middle of the road" price and put on a Dunlop 404 150/80-16. The bike spent a lot of time sitting on the car lot until the middle of June when I started driving it on nice days. I ran a couple of fund raising events and did a bit of touring around the local area. When I put it away for the winter in November, I had put about 10,000 KM on it.

Now, the Dunlop felt good on the road and handled the corners well; on one run I followed a couple of sport bikes up a twisty "mountain" and led them most of the way down the other side. That isn't to say I pushed the bike to its limit, but I did drag the floorboards a couple of times. (scared the crap out of me) I didn't feel nervous in the rain nor in the corners, but the wear sucked.

I unwrapped the bike a month ago to get it ready for this season and the centre of the tire is bald as the proverbial baby's butt. Other than a few acceleration runs (no burnouts) my driving is at no more than 10km over the speed limit and is regular cruising. The majority of the mileage was put on in and around our small city so I am not very impressed with the wear.

So, I think I am going to be trying a Kenda or Metz, based on what I am reading here. The local dealer is trying to sell me another Dunlop (nor sure which model) for $280 CAD, but I am a bit soured after this experience.