[gonzozen55]

Hi everyone; Looking for some input here. Been awhile since I have popped into the site.

In August, I am headed to NFLD. On the way home I am looking to get some new rubber (front and rear). Will be getting them put on at the Victory dealer in Bangor, Maine.

I was thinking Avons, but am looking for suggestions from other Vision riders.

Thanks for your comments and suggestions in advance

gonzozen55

 

[wcato3]

Metzler 888 are rolling great on mine and they now come in the right size. Wet traction is twice as good..... only have 1500 miles on them so wear cant be commented on. Another 1000 this weekend to the dragon and smokies so maybe will check wear and get back to you then

 

[Fishtale_19]

I got half the life out of my rear Avon Cobra than I did on OEM E3. I didn't notice any difference in drivability between the 2. I went back to Dunlops....

 

[El_Spanky]

I looked into Metzlers, Michelin, Dunlop.... Stayed with the E3s...

 

[primethious]

I went darkside (car tire), and love it

 

[Rockitman]

I have run Venoms, Metzlers, and Dunlops on the various bikes I have owned (all cruisers/touring), and currently run Michelin Commander II tires on my "other" bike, a Harley Ultra Classic. By far the best tires I have used, and will be installing them on my 2013 Vision once new tires are needed. Excellent grip, no tracking on grooved surfaces, and excellent adhesion when roads are wet. Highly recommend them! BTW...they are rated for high mileage as well...I have read where some riders have gotten 20K miles out of their Commanders. Here's a link for info on the Michelins. Best of luck with your choice!

MICHELIN Commander II - Tires On-road MICHELIN - Motorcycle - United States - Motorcycle-website

 

[Ridelife1]

Dunlop e3mt on the rear. Dunlop E3 on the front. Do it before you leave.

 

[mister-g]

:couch1: I've been through 4 sets of E3's , good quality tire. I'm now trying the bridgstone exedras the goldwingers use and with about 5 thou on them they're wearing great so far, time will tell. pros , less expensive and a much quieter tire especially in the twisties. the only con I noticed noticed was that I was going wider in corners on them, at first I thought it was a traction thing but it may have just been a confidence thing. they are getting the job done so mileage I get out of them may be the deciding factor down the road.

 

[Chucknorris]

I have the Metezlers on now and the back one is getting pretty noisy at 10,000 KM. I think I will try another tire the next time... as for traction & ride they are great.

I live in NFLD by the way and it is still pretty chilly here... yep I said chilly.. It has been one of the coldest Julys in history this year.... today is 10 degrees Celsius with misty rain & overcast.

Enjoy the ride.

 

[Scuba77]

Have to say I'm a bit disappointed on the E3's wet performance. Commuting in Florida there is a daily 50% chance you'll get wet on the way home and the E3 doesn't seem to cut through the water very well for being mounted on a +800lb bike. Still have plenty of miles to go on them but will be looking for something a bit more all weather for the next set or at least for the front.

 

[Oldman47]

I replaced mine at about 17k with new E3s. On the rear I got the new E3-MT. I used balance beads on both tires and have had no issues. I'm now at 21550 miles, 34700 Km. My tires still look new.

 

[Charlie N.]

I have run Venoms, Metzlers, and Dunlops on the various bikes I have owned (all cruisers/touring), and currently run Michelin Commander II tires on my "other" bike, a Harley Ultra Classic. By far the best tires I have used, and will be installing them on my 2013 Vision once new tires are needed. Excellent grip, no tracking on grooved surfaces, and excellent adhesion when roads are wet. Highly recommend them! BTW...they are rated for high mileage as well...I have read where some riders have gotten 20K miles out of their Commanders. Here's a link for info on the Michelins. Best of luck with your choice!

MICHELIN Commander II - Tires On-road MICHELIN - Motorcycle - United States - Motorcycle-website

+1 on the Commanders, great tires!

 

[bikendad]

I got half the life out of my rear Avon Cobra than I did on OEM E3. I didn't notice any difference in drivability between the 2. I went back to Dunlops....

You have to run higher pressure with the Avons, that and they are a softer compound for more stick. I hear a lot of good reports on the new Metzeler 888 as well.

 

[diamonbird]

I got 17,000 miles out of the E3's and still had enough tread left for maybe 1,000 miles or more, just don't trust worn
tires on a bike. Also used beads in the tires. My new tires I switched away from the beads for Ride-On for extra protection and like the ride much better, don't know if the tires will make 17,000 miles again but so far they look good.

 

[steve76t]

In my opinion the Avon Cobra tires are a fantastic choice. I've run the E3's, ME880's and the Bridgestone's. The Avon Cobra outshines them all for my riding style. They handle smooth from the 1st mile to the last, DON'T get noisy like the E3 or ME880s, great wet grip, outstanding dry grip. You'll get more miles out of the 'Stones, but the 'Stones are a harder tire (so are the ME880s) and didn't grip as well in fast sweepers or tight switchbacks.

As for mileage, the Avons do "okay" but it's probably the biggest weakness. I got about 9,000 miles out of my last rear tire and 14,000 out of the front. However, Avon now warranties the Cobras to 15000 miles.

I love the Cobra tire and will be sticking with 'em for some time to come.

 

[ljurgens]

I just put a set of the Avon Cobras on my 13 about 500 miles ago, they are very quiet tires. Definitely feels different to me, the bike turns in much quicker, and it feels like the bike wanders a little bit now. Maybe that is the tire following the imperfections in the road differently than the E3 did, I don't know.

 

[steve76t]

In my opinion the Avon Cobra tires are a fantastic choice. I've run the E3's, ME880's and the Bridgestone's. The Avon Cobra outshines them all for my riding style. They handle smooth from the 1st mile to the last, DON'T get noisy like the E3 or ME880s, great wet grip, outstanding dry grip. You'll get more miles out of the 'Stones, but the 'Stones are a harder tire (so are the ME880s) and didn't grip as well in fast sweepers or tight switchbacks.

As for mileage, the Avons do "okay" but it's probably the biggest weakness. I got about 9,000 miles out of my last rear tire and 14,000 out of the front. However, Avon now warranties the Cobras to 15000 miles.

I love the Cobra tire and will be sticking with 'em for some time to come.

I just installed a new front tire on my Vision (the current rear tire was changed about 3000 miles ago) and it reminded me of another reason I love these tires and felt compelled to add one more comment... new vs old/worn handling.

Other tires that I've tried always had a fairly dramatic difference between new and old tires. Change out the old ones and the new ones always provided a very noticeable improvement in ride & handling. The Avon Cobras on the other hand don't provide that same improvement. The ride, feel, sound and handling on a new set is nearly identical to the worn set of Cobra tires. Love how they are so consistent from set to set and day one on the bike to the last day on the bike.

 

[Ghostrider25]

I have heard great things about the Avons but the tire life is not good. I personally have had very good luck with the Dunlop E3s. I'm on my second set now and they are doing great. For the third set I may go with the Metz triple 8's. I like the Metzeler tire very much and the 888 is getting excellent reviews, so I have to try them! Although putting the Dunlop E3MT on the rear and E3 on the front is an excellent idea. But to be clear, if I do change brands it will be the Metzeler ME888.

 

[DarkHorse9825]

My prior ride was the Yamaha Venture and I was running Commander II's on it. They ran great, and like one other has said they don't track the imperfections in the road. Don't know why? They were a quiet ridding tire and did well in wet weather too. I still have the E3's on but will look at the Commander II's for the future.

 

[samsplace]

I replaced the Dunlop OEMs with Avons, the rear tire has lasted 6k miles, 2-up riding with some pullign a trailer as well, the front is still good, I just purchased another Avon, these have been very good tires even though the rear wwent out kind of quick but not once in all the rain that we have ridden in did it ever get squirelly with me, cannot say that for the dunlops that I replaced.. with all that said my next set may be Metzler.