Dennis Kirk will treat you right. Motorcycle superstore , Rocky mountain-something or other, JP Cycles I think, but I would check local and see how close they can get you before you buy online. I bought ME 880's and paid less than $10 more per tire and saved $25/tire on mounting them. So check all of you options. Your local smaller shops, maybe local beings 20+ miles away, will treat you good if you give them a chance. Develop a relationship with them and they will work with you on the price too! I have been using the same shop since they opened over a year ago and sending people to them, they appreciate it and will cut me breaks on work or stuff I buy, gear or parts!
Hook up the locals all you can, after all, they will be there when you get in a bind!
Go Metzelers, you wont be disappointed, I love mine!
Coop

 

...Rocky mountain-something or other...
Go Metzelers, you wont be disappointed, I love mine!
Coop

Rocky Mountain ATV & MC - best price (online or otherwise) when I got mine.

Ditto on the Metzelers. ME880s.

 

My front tire seems to need replaced with every other rear tire. I ordered me880's last week for 244 for the set, from motorcycle superstore. More than $100 cheaper than I could get them locally. I mount them myself, so that is not an issue.

 

go with metzelers. also, check with your local independent shops... help out the shops and they'll help you out when your in a bind.

if they are anything like our shop we can get the item next day if we don't have it in stock.

 

my bike had 4k on it when i got it,and the front tire was almost bawled,the rear is still in good tread condition for being an 8yr old tire...but i noticed it's starting to crack around the sidewalls next to the rim,,i was gonna change it out next year anyway just because it was an 8yr old tire...my old bike i put over 10k in just over a yr and neither tire needed replaced..i didn't understand that the front tire on this one needed replaced at 4k..but ive had guys tell me its normal to replace them at 4k.

 

you should get many more miles than 4k outta your tires. 4k is sportbike range for tire wear.

the reason why it probably needed replaced is because the previous owner didn't watch his/her air pressure. the incorrect amount will eat up tire mileage real quick.

 

My bike had 3k on the clock when I got it. Back tire blew out at 7400. Trying to get every bit out of it... I did lol. Just rolled 14k and both need replaced. not going to ride until the tires get here.

 

Whatever you get, Dennis Kirk is a good place to buy from.
Find a local shop who will help you mount them, and get pricing first. Make sure they are Ok with you bringing in the tire.
If you are mounting yourself, I love the dyna-beads for balancing.
Dan

 

Motorcyclesuperstore gets my business, and has fer the last three sets of tires...
Just bought a set that arrived Monday before Christmas...
Fresh Tires, FREE shipping and never a problem from these folks...
Pirrelli is my "drug of choice"...
Good Luck,
Dennis

 

Jake Wilson usually has the best prices on tires. That's where I bought mine from on both my 9 and my Sabre when I had it. They ship fast also.

 

Pirrelli is my "drug of choice"...
Good Luck,
Dennis[/QUOTE]

They are good tires and the price is RIGHT! But...they did not make 17" tires for my front or I would have bought the MT66, but Metzelers have been great and the ride improved a good bit over the Dunflops.
Coop

 

The last set that I got were from Competition Accessories. Most online stores are very competitive with free shipping but you will have to pay for mounting locally. Check your options.

 

try a local independent shop. they could help you out. be good to them and they will return the favor. consider metzeler. great tire.

 

I thought I would have to go online to get my Metzers. but the Dealer had the SAME prices. Installation would have been $20 more if I bought them online and had them install them. I don't let anyone work on my bike except the dealer. I would not have saved anything unless I physical took the tires off the bike and brought in the rims and re-installed them.

That's not going to happen. I would rather the dealer do that and make all the adjustments and inspections necessary. Pay the pros to do what pros do and help them keep a job as well. WIN WIN

 

I got mine at bikebandit.com and they were the least expensive I could find for the same tires.

 

Pirrelli is my "drug of choice"...
Good Luck,
Dennis[/QUOTE]

They are good tires and the price is RIGHT! But...they did not make 17" tires for my front or I would have bought the MT66, but Metzelers have been great and the ride improved a good bit over the Dunflops.
Coop

Yeah, and I had the reverse situation...
Metzler doesn`t carry the 120/90-17 to where as Pirelli does...
I did go with a size just smaller with Metz the one time...
I LIKE them Metzlers too though...
Pirelli beat the Metz price and I get the same milage...
Plenty of options here on your Choice KC...
Good Luck,
Dennis

 

Pirrelli is my "drug of choice"...
Good Luck,
Dennis

They are good tires and the price is RIGHT! But...they did not make 17" tires for my front or I would have bought the MT66, but Metzelers have been great and the ride improved a good bit over the Dunflops.
Coop

Yeah, and I had the reverse situation...
Metzler doesn`t carry the 120/90-17 to where as Pirelli does...
I did go with a size just smaller with Metz the one time...
I LIKE them Metzlers too though...
Pirelli beat the Metz price and I get the same milage...
Plenty of options here on your Choice KC...
Good Luck,
Dennis[/QUOTE]

They do carry that size. Mine arrived yesterday. Got it from Motorcycle Superstore, and american motorcycle tire also has it. took a little bit of searching, but it is listed as a brand specific tire. How much were your pirellis?

 

I hear and see a lot of the Metzelers. But, I've also had a few people tell me I should check my self, because they've had the same dunlop tire last near 15,000 miles. So, it makes me wonder if my lack of checking air pressure or something else is going amiss...

 

But, I've also had a few people tell me I should check my self, because they've had the same dunlop tire last near 15,000 miles.

What do you mean same?

Dunlop, like Metzeler, is a manufacturer that makes a number of models.

The OEM Dunlop tires on my bike were a K177 on the front and a K555 on the rear. I got 12k miles out of the rear and could have easily gotten another thousand. I replaced the front at the same time even though I could have gotten maybe another 3k out of it. So, yeah, I believe getting 13-15k out of Dunlop cruiser tires is possible.

BUT the recommended Dunlop replacements for my bike are D404s. I've gone through 2 sets and have found they are cheap (not just inexpensive) tires that are pretty much worn out in 8k miles. Since I don't feel like replacing tires every year, no more D404s for me.

The Metzeler ME880 Marathons I've got on my bike now look like they'll be going 18-22k miles. That, of course, is just tire life -- still a big plus but not the be-all-and-end-all. The handling with the ME880s is so far superior to the Dunlops (any that I've had) that it is hard to describe. This is particularly true on wet and/or rough roads, including steel grate bridges and grooved pavement. No way I'd ever go back to Dunlop after feeling the handling difference! And I get better MPG with the Metzelers, too.

 

With the very limited experience I have had with Metzlers ( 1 test drive on friend's bike, maybe 10 miles), his Metzler front was the noisiest tire I ever heard. Handled fine, but noisy when leaning at all.
If the Dunlops wear that well for you, then I would put the same tire back on it!
Dan

 

With the very limited experience I have had with Metzlers ( 1 test drive on friend's bike, maybe 10 miles), his Metzler front was the noisiest tire I ever heard. Handled fine, but noisy when leaning at all.

That contradicts my (over 1,000 times the miles) experience with Metzeler ME880 Marathons.

 

I appreciate all the opinions thus far, and am going to keep them all in consideration when I purchase my tires. Still reading this thread to see updated opinions Metzeler's are winning so far for what I'm reading.