Cali 1400 Tires

[et18]

I know, several posts over the past four years listing the best tires at the moment for 1400's, but tire compounds improve all the time.  The OEM rear tire on my '14 Tour lasted about 4300 miles, and the Avon on it at the moment has 4700 miles and 3.2 mm of tread left, so maybe it will be good for 5500 or so.  I really don't think I'm tough on tires, at least all of my other bikes have average or better mileage on tires, and I keep the air pressure up.  Maybe it's all the chip seal roads I ride on.

Anyway, it's clear that I'm going to mounting a rear tire in the next month or so and I'm wondering what we all are using now.  Steve Ford recently posted here that a lot of us are using Bridgestone Excedra Max tires so I might give them a try, a quick search tells me I can save at least 30 bucks by buying a Bridgestone rear over Avon, and I've had good experiences with Bridgestone before on other bikes.

I'm really interested in all the folks that have moved to 180 size tires and what their experience has been.  Will you stay at 180 or move back to 200?  I saw a special on 190 size tires at Cycle Gear last weekend, anyone try these?  I'm a big fan of Pirelli Night Dragon GT's as I used these on my BMW R1200CLC (another big, heavy cruiser / tourer) and really liked them.  They last a while and you can usually find a set shipped to your door for around $250, anyone try these in 180?

TIA,
Eric

[guzzisteve]

There are those on the dark side that use a car tire for mileage.

[blu guzz]

i just had a set of metzler 888's put on.  very progressive and neutral roll in.  secure feeling at all times.  i scraped a floor board today and did not upset the tires at all.

[et18]

There are those on the dark side that use a car tire for mileage.

Yeah, I think about that sometimes, but I'd have to see one on a similar bike first.  Even then I'm not sure that I'd try it.  Really, I don't need 30K out of a tire, I'm just trying to get 10K.

[guzzisteve]

My friend does it on his Honda Valkyre, Frank W from the club did it also. I just got 17K w/880 V rated rear, H rated got 21K. I don't need a bike that big, EV is plenty.

[vintagehoarder]

i just had a set of metzler 888's put on.  very progressive and neutral roll in.  secure feeling at all times.  i scraped a floor board today and did not upset the tires at all.

I'll second this one one.  Completely transformed the bike, love them!

[JohninVT]

I wish I could find an unbiased, head to head, long term comparison between the Commander II's, Excedra's and Metzeler 888.  Feedback on bike forums is great to read but riding styles are so different that things like longevity and handling are completely subjective.  I also tend to ignore when people rave about new tires.  OF COURSE new tires are a tremendous improvement, you just took off a worn out set of tires on your bike and put new ones on.  I take raving reviews regarding new tires with a huge grain of salt.   

[OldMojo]

I run Michelins on my EV and can easily get 10-12k. Those Commanders are available in 180s - I'd be curious about opinions on them.

[kingoffleece]

I know a lot of Triumph Thinderbird (1600,1700) owners.  Like the Guzzi, big twin with a goodly amount of torque, which can eat up a tire in and of itself.  Plenty of them have the same concern-4500 miles or so and the tire is toast.  The Bridgestone, however, as reported by them, offers at least 1000 miles more tread life.

For what it's worth, this may help.  What's the worst that could happen?

[Texas Turnip]

There will never be an answer to your question as mileage depends on heat, road surface, speed etc. My mileage will be low living in Texas as road speeds are 75+ and lots of roads have had chip seal put on them which makes the roads safer in the wet, but eats tires. Even car owners are complaining about the poor mileage after chip sealing roads. Mileage is like life, my dad said I'd never make 20

Tex

[oldbike54]

My friend does it on his Honda Valkyre, Frank W from the club did it also. I just got 17K w/880 V rated rear, H rated got 21K. I don't need a bike that big, EV is plenty.

 Could be why FW sold the 1400 and went backwards . It's a $15K motorbike , don't cheap out on tires .

 Dusty

 

[guzzisteve]

I don't see it as backwards. Who wants to have dash and electrical problems, not me. There is a reason Ken has so many EV's around.

[Utrider]

I went from the 200 Metzler 888 to a 180 Dunlop American Eagle, and I will NOT be going back to the 200.  As you would expect the 180 handles better, it is a 180/65 so it's 3 mm shorter on the sidewall.  The tire selection on the 180's is so much more.  I've had this on for about 2k miles and am looking forward to many more over the year, so I don't have a mileage comparison yet.  My 200 width 888's were showing cord on a hot summer trip with 4800 miles on them. We were loaded with 2 up, but that's what I bought this bike for.

[et18]

Thanks to all for the answers, I ended up buying the Bridgestone because of the good reviews and I found one for $142 on Riders Domain shipped to my door, about $40 less than the best price I could find on another Avon.  I plan on riding the Avon down the wear bars before changing just to see how many miles I can get out of it. 

UTrider, let us know how many miles you get out of the 180 Dunlop and how it handles near the end of the tire's life.  I really think a 200 size tire is too big for this bike and a 180 would have been a better choice from the start.  As you said, there are so many choices in 180, and maybe 5 decent choices at 200.

[stephenm]

 I am on my second 180 tyre (American Eagle Dunlop dual compound type) on my Touring. The first lasted 15,000km  (9,000 miles) of two up, loaded touring in Australia and Europe. Handling was sweet until the last 2,000km, when the bike started to require more effort to heel into the corners.

Stephen

[Tom H]

On the Michelin Commander II rear. IMHO they are hard and not real sticky at least in the city when it's raining. On the freeway in the rain it was ok. My EV T uses 160/70-17 IIRR, so does my HD. I put over 7000 miles on the tire on my EV T and another 1000 with it on the HD. The tire would probably go at least another 7000 if it were on my EV T. If you want a tire that "should" go for miles on the freeway, the Commander II might be a good choice for a heavy bike.

While it was on my HD, it go another nail in it. While the shop had it off I had them install a new tire the ME888 and I brought the Commander home as a spare. So far I'm happy with the 888 for my style of riding, mainly city and freeway, not much in the way of canyon riding.

When I took the Commander off the EV T, I had them put a Shinko 777 on the rear. So far so good, a bit taller for the same size though. Have too see how the miles do.

I'm SURE your mileage may vary!!
Tom

[JohninVT]

I wonder if the short lifespan of Cali tires is partly due to the 200 profile?  It would be interesting to know if those running 180's get more miles out of their tires.   

[Smithy]

Avon Cobras...rides ace.

[mmcwhitehead]

The OEM tire on my 1400 Touring lasted 5,700 miles. I replaced it with an Exedra.

I replaced the Exedra after 10,400 miles (i.e., at 16,100 on the odometer). Per the recommendation of the dealer, I mounted a Commander II in a 180/65 size. Now, after 8,000 miles, it's still looking great. I predict up to 16k out of this rear tire.

I don't ride particularly hard and I ride 2-up approx. 25% of the time. I can say without a doubt the Commander handles better than the OEM or the Exedra, especially at low speeds. With the OEM tire and the Exedra it felt like the bike was being pushed to one side or the other at slow speeds on uneven pavement. I don't feel this nearly as much with the 180 series tire. I have never felt that it had less grip on dry or wet roads, but I'm not one to push the envelope.

I'm sold on the Commander II and I think it 180/65 is the best size for this bike.

[omega1]

The OEM tire on my 1400 Touring lasted 5,700 miles. I replaced it with an Exedra.

I replaced the Exedra after 10,400 miles (i.e., at 16,100 on the odometer). Per the recommendation of the dealer, I mounted a Commander II in a 180/65 size. Now, after 8,000 miles, it's still looking great. I predict up to 16k out of this rear tire.

I don't ride particularly hard and I ride 2-up approx. 25% of the time. I can say without a doubt the Commander handles better than the OEM or the Exedra, especially at low speeds. With the OEM tire and the Exedra it felt like the bike was being pushed to one side or the other at slow speeds on uneven pavement. I don't feel this nearly as much with the 180 series tire. I have never felt that it had less grip on dry or wet roads, but I'm not one to push the envelope.

I'm sold on the Commander II and I think it 180/65 is the best size for this bike.

Did you have any issues mounting the 180/65 on the 6 inch rim? The recommended rim width for the 180/65 is only 5 inch.

[mmcwhitehead]

I have not had any problems. The dealer (or, at least, they were still a dealer when I had them replace my tire) mounted the tire without any issues and it has not given any indication of a problem since then. They gave me the impression that the Commander II was the tire they were recommending for the 1400s they were servicing.