[dennisinmd]

I currently have about 13,000 miles on my Metz 880 tires. The front looks hardly worn at all, but the rear looks like I will have to replace it in the not too distant future. Can anyone that has worn out a set of the Metz 880's tell me how many miles they got out of their rear tire?

 

[jm1515]

I currently have about 13,000 miles on my Metz 880 tires. The front looks hardly worn at all, but the rear looks like I will have to replace it in the not too distant future. Can anyone that has worn out a set of the Metz 880's tell me how many miles they got out of their rear tire?

Dennis...Check your air pressure in that rear. It should be at least 40psi. I run at ~ 37psi front and 41rear (Metz recommends 36 & 40 f/r), check it religiously, and my last set of 880s lasted me just over 22000mi on both. I don't do burnouts, but I run pretty aggressively.....and I could have easily gotten another 500mi or so out of the rear.

 

[Bruce]

How much do you guys weigh? Weight and load makes a huge difference in wear. A guy who is 240 lbs and has his 140 lb girlfriend riding pillion most of time isn't going to get nearly the treadlife that a 130 lb solo rider will.

 

[jm1515]

How much do you guys weigh? Weight and load makes a huge difference in wear. A guy who is 240 lbs and has his 140 lb girlfriend riding pillion most of time isn't going to get nearly the treadlife that a 130 lb solo rider will.

True, Bruce.
Or maybe not.....
That's why it's crucial to follow the mfg recommendations if they give one...
I'm 5'9" 160lbs.
Metz recommends the pressures above for 'average' solo riding, the rider being 170lb; they also stipulate psi for higher loads.

In their 04 fitment guide they say 'generally' 2-up 'light' would be 40/46 psi f/r
and 2-up 'heavy' could be 41-42 f/48-49 r psi.
So your hypothetical 380lb riders had better use higher pressures!
(pc question of the day....are they 2-up 'light' or 2-up 'heavy?? )

Metzeler also says "...All pressures shown are MINIMUM pressures. Using higher pressures (up to the maximum listed on the sidewall) will result in higher mileage..."
Bottom line....when you get tires other than the exact oem ones that came w/ your ride....please throw out the OM psi recomendations and find out what the new mfg says...

I'd be interested in hearing what psi Dennis is running in that rear tire....

 

[dennisinmd]

I run 40 PSI in the rear tire. I weigh 180 - 195 depending on time of year. Heavier in the winter. I took a much closer look today while changing the oil and cleaning up the wheels. Rear tire appears to have maybe another 5,000 miles in it, possibly a bit more. I will put that much or more on by early summer. Main wear is right in the center, of course. Wear outside of a one inch center strip is much less.
Front is 37 PSI.
I check at least once a week, sometimes more often that that if I am riding more.

 

[jm1515]

I run 40 PSI in the rear tire. I weigh 180 - 195 depending on time of year. Heavier in the winter. I took a much closer look today while changing the oil and cleaning up the wheels. Rear tire appears to have maybe another 5,000 miles in it, possibly a bit more. I will put that much or more on by early summer. Main wear is right in the center, of course. Wear outside of a one inch center strip is much less.
Front is 37 PSI.
I check at least once a week, sometimes more often that that if I am riding more.

Sounds like you're in the ballpark....
I might consider going to 41-42psi tho, seeing as how you are a tad over the 170lbs Metzeler bases it's recommendations on, esp if you carry stuff.
The max on the rear is 52psi, IIRC, so even with 10% heat expansion you would be fine at 42psi IMHO.....

 

[dennisinmd]

Will add a few pounds (of air to the tire that is) and see if it makes a difference. Thanks to all who responded.

 

[rvdaise]

Hi all,
Very interesting reading on tire mileage. Sounds like I need to buy Metzlers next time and save some money in the long run. My original back tire only got about 6500 miles. My second rear tire, Maxxis Classic, got only 5800. Am now runing a back tire Dunlop 404. Front tire experience is much better. Got about 10,000 on the first one. Still on the second one. I do not run my bike hard as I am a 60 year old retiree and weigh in about 175 pounds. Would appreciate any other comments regarding tire mileage and brands of tire used.

 

[jm1515]

Hi all,
Very interesting reading on tire mileage. Sounds like I need to buy Metzlers next time and save some money in the long run. My original back tire only got about 6500 miles. My second rear tire, Maxxis Classic, got only 5800. Am now runing a back tire Dunlop 404. Front tire experience is much better. Got about 10,000 on the first one. Still on the second one. I do not run my bike hard as I am a 60 year old retiree and weigh in about 175 pounds. Would appreciate any other comments regarding tire mileage and brands of tire used.

Welcome, RV!
The Metzeler 880 has a strong following among the VN750 crowd, so do Dunlops.
My only experience has been w/the stock Bridgestones (replaced at 12000mi) and the Metzeler880s I replaced them with.
I would check w/ Dunlop to see if they have recommended pressures for our bikes. If they don't...for solo riding I would run at somewhere between 15% & 20% less than the maximum as listed on the sidewall, depending on how firm you prefer.
If you carry passengers, I would definitely go up 3-5lbs from there..

 

[Bruce]

rvdaise,

What pressures did you run your old tires at? Your tire life is shockingy low for a 175 lb solo rider. Is the pavement rough in your area? I know from other MC forums that a few areas of the county use a brutally rough stone mix in their pavement and this chews up tires like crazy.

 

[rvdaise]

Bruce and John

Thanks for your replies. My original tires were run at the owner manual recommendation. Probably why the back one had a short life. The Maxxis Classic rear tire was run close to the maximum pressure listed on the sidewall and did even worse than the original. I have been running the rear Dunlop 404 within 15 to 20% of the max listed on the sidewall. Still have the Maxxis front on with about 5000 miles on it. Looks to be good for another 5000 or so. We do not have rough roads here in Kansas. Mostly pretty good blacktop stuff. Hope the 404 beats the heck out of the first two rears. Any information on the Dunlop Cruisemax which is hard to find apparently. Looks like it would be a good tire.
Ron

 

[Bruce]

The Cruisemax is OEM on the front of the Victory Vegas, so that says a lot about performance/quality. A few boys on the VN750 Yahoo group have run 'em over the yrs and find it doesn't wear well. I think the Dunlop D404 is probably the best bang for the buck. I put a set on my buddies V-Star 1100 and he loves 'em. You do have to shop around though, it's overpriced at some mail order places. www.ronayers.com has good prices on all their tires and only $6 shipping plus a great reputation.

 

[rvdaise]

Bruce

I guess that I will be a good test to see if the D404 is better than the oem tire. Sure hope it is.
Ron

 

[kas750]

hello people ; speaking of tires ,i have on order a set of the dunlop 404 for my 2001 .was wondering has anyone have a set up or method of balancing their tires as i am planning to mount them myself. also what is the cost at a dealer to do the balancing, thoughts on stick on weights ? i have 8500 on the factory bridgestones.9previous owner,wear bars peaking threw down the center on rear pretty much same on front . i guess he was a straight line rider with alot of pressure. i hope to better the8500 miles then some with the 404's ,ken in penfield ny

 

[Bruce]

I'd make sure to run what PSI Dunlop suggests on their website and not the supersoft low PSI recommendation from the manual. Yes, the D404 is better than the old style Dunlop and Bridgestone tires that come as original equipment on the VN750. The $10K - $13K metric cruisers come standard with the D404 - that's a decent endorsement. I've ridden a V-Star 1100 with 'em and they were fine by me and I had Metz 880 on my Vulcan. Just last month another friend of mine put a set on a set on (a V-Star 650) and he loves 'em. The Metzeler ME880, Avon Venom, Michelin Comander are great but it's awfully tough to justify their high price when compared to a D404.

 

[VN750INVA]

Glad I found this site and registered! Great reviews of tires fellow members!

My only experience with tires are the OEM Bridgestones. 12.5K on the first set. The second set are doing much better. Why? The key, as many of you have indicated, is the tire pressure. I was lax with the first set and paid the price. Now I watch my pressure closely. It's paying off, I have nearly the same mileage on this set and they still look new.

The next set will be ME880's though. I work in the parts dept. of a Kaw dealership now and receive a lot of feedback... They have great life and rank high with riders of many bikes. A friend has them on a Concours and has put nearly 20K on his (and he tips the balance at about 340).

As for the D404, feedback is marginal, at best.

Can't go wrong with the ME880. But no matter what your choice, pay close attention to your tire pressure!