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Tourer
Posts: 416
Prairie City, IA United States | I have had both an E3 and Bridgestone 709 tire on the front of my touring bikes. I am looking for a good alternative to both. The E3 is a good tire but hopefully I can do better. The Bridgestone I had on the Goldwing was nothing to write home about. I never trusted it in a curve. I did run an Avon Venom on my old V Star 1300 and it was a pretty darn good tire for handling and mileage.
What alternatives has everyone ran? |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 752
Broken Arrow, OK | Never had a GW but I do like the Stone 709 on my Vision, I'm running it now.
Another popular choice might be the Avon Cobra up front. |
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Visionary
Posts: 1290
Ruskin, Fl | i have about 1500 miles on a Metezler ME 800 radial. Very happy so far. Rode invery heavy rain so far Rides great and better mileage. 2500 mile ride scheduled next week. will update after the dragon. |
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Tourer
Posts: 324
New Orleans, La, | My choice for the best front tyre is the Avon Cobra bar none for a Vision. JMHO/ |
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Tourer
Posts: 395
Moravia, IA | Ive ran the E3 and the Bridgestone Exedra radial.....I liked the Bridgestone better then the E3. I thought it handled sharper and I got more mileage out of it. I also ran a Kenda Kruz.....didnt like it at ALL. It wasnt unsafe.....just un-inspiring. It wore out a bit quicker to.....but then it was a $65 tire.
Right now Im running a rear Bridgestone Battleax on the front of the Vision and Im thrilled shitless with it. I think thats what Im sticking with for now.... |
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Tourer
Posts: 394
Tucson, AZ | I am due shortly for a new front tire. I want to try out the Battleax. Can you tell me what size I need.
TIA |
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Cruiser
Posts: 259
Land O Lakes, FL | Interested in that as well, what size and model tire did you use? I'm at about 9300 on my Vision on the stock E3's and they still have a pretty good amount of life left surprisingly, probably another 3k in them. However they do howl in the corners a bit but to be expected with all the slab riding I do here in FL...
Edited by PhantomX 2012-07-23 9:37 PM
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Tourer
Posts: 395
Moravia, IA | You can get the rear fitment Battleax in the stock size of 130/70-18. Alot of people also run the 140/70-18 as well. Fits fine with plenty of clearance. I took the advice of someone that had tried both sizes and thought the 140 rode better - so I ordered it. Ive been happy with it. I dont think you could go wrong with either size.
At Bike Bandit the 130 is $110 and the 140 is $116 - so the price isnt much of a factor.
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Central Wisconsin | lstayner - 2012-07-18 5:07 PM ... What alternatives has everyone ran? |
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Cruiser
Posts: 244
| I have a Metzler 880 up front and it has about 10K on it, It is wearing a lot like the E3 did, soft on the sides & hard in the center, but the hard center is just a little wider than the E3. Can't tell if the noise is from the frt or rear E3. Run 40 in the front. About 1/2 gone. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 222
Barefoot Bay, FL United States | Are there any wide whitewall tires out there that will fit on the Vision, 2008?? I just looked at the new Dunlop E-2's on a 2012 Sportster Rear, and they are a narrower, but wide whitewall (about an inch wide), at 180/80 B 16. Can you put a tire similar to that on the front, but run it backwards? |
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Visionary
Posts: 1632
Jasper, MO | wingit3611 - 2012-07-24 12:54 PM
I have a Metzler 880 up front and it has about 10K on it, It is wearing a lot like the E3 did, soft on the sides & hard in the center, but the hard center is just a little wider than the E3. Can't tell if the noise is from the frt or rear E3. Run 40 in the front. About 1/2 gone.
It's coming from the rear E3. The howling in the corners for the last half of the life of the Dunlops is what drove me to try a different brand. Other than that, I have no complaints about the E3s, but that issue was enough. To the point, I bought a set of Bridgestones in preparation for a trip and changed the rear one first. The howling was gone, even with the worn front E3 still on the bike. The bike handled fine with that combination, but was much better after I got the front Bridgestone on.
Ronnie |
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 28
Southern Va./2011 Vision silver | Checked on the bridgestone battleax on ebay, its $106 , but its a bias ply tire. Im not too sure about going with a bias on the frt with the radial on the back. My back tire looks like its got quite a few miles left . |
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Visionary
Posts: 1632
Jasper, MO | They can be had in bias ply or radial. Be careful when you order.
Ronnie |
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Visionary
Posts: 1229
Rancho Cucamonga, CA | Most that run the Battleax rear tire on the front are running a car tire on the back, so it really doesn't matter if it is bias since the handling will differ anyway. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 259
Land O Lakes, FL | Anyone know of the benefits of running a rear tire on the front? Better handling? More miles? More tread? I'm curious how different a rear is to a front... |
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Tourer
Posts: 395
Moravia, IA | PhantomX - 2012-08-11 8:06 PM
Anyone know of the benefits of running a rear tire on the front? Better handling? More miles? More tread? I'm curious how different a rear is to a front...
Usually more miles......due to more tread depth and higher load rating.
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Alternative front tires