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The front tire on my bike is badly cupped and little tread left in the lowest spots. When I bought the bike, the previous owner said the tires were new and they looked fresh when it was delivered. Air pressure checked before every ride @ 40psi (tire max is 42) If that is true, it is almost done @ 2,500 miles. I also picked up a nail as well. So, my question is: what brand front tire are you car tire people using for maximum life? For those that may not realize, the front tire wears more on one side due to the bike being almost always on an angle.

I don't think anyone runs a car tire on the front. I'm running a Falken on the rear and a Metzler rear tire on the front.

Just to clarify, I intend to continue to use a motorcycle tire for the front. How is the Metzler holding up and how many miles on it?

Bill,
if you are using the Avon front tire, the recommended pressure by the factory and Avon is now 50psi, even it says 42 on the tire. I also started many years ago to mainly use the rear brake for regular braking and the front only when necessary. This way the Avon front lasts a lot longer without cupping.
Peter

P.S. it was great to see you again Daytona. Sorry I had to leave the next day already.

V8Bikers wrote:Just to clarify, I intend to continue to use a motorcycle tire for the front. How is the Metzler holding up and how many miles on it?

I kinda figured that's what you meant to say. I don't recall when I put the Metz on. It has, maybe 2-3000 on it. So far, so good

I use the same combo as Carl!

I ran a car tire on the rear for the 11 years i owned my 350 Boss Hoss (1998) as that was the way that they came from the factory...... always kept the air pressure at 49-50 lbs in the front and also ran a Metzler and usually got about 18-20,000 miles out each tire. AND...........also got into the habit , very early on, of using the rear brake to avoid cupping. The rear tire was a Firestone Firehawk police pursuit tire and in the 48-50,00 miles I rode - NEVER changed that tire!!

When my Avon wore out, I went to the Falken. No regrets. It feels just fine under 99% of conditions. There's a spot, near me, where trucks stop and turn to enter the landfill. The pavement has big divots in it and if the light is red, when I slow down, it feels wonky and unstable. It's just an odd feeling and since I rarely encounter that stretch of road and have to stop there even less, I don't sweat it.
If I need a new tire, I drop the wheel off with my guy, go grab a cheeseburger and pick it up after lunch. Lunch and a tire...........under a hun

The Metzeler on the front at 49 psi works well on my BB and I also run a Falken on the rear. It's a 275-35-18 F452 I believe. On problem with the rear though. They don't last long! Really though, the only issue I have with the Falken is that the tire when hot at normal road speeds is sticky enough that you really don't want to ride behind me. It throws up a lot of road crap.

I ran a couple of years with the stock Avon, then switched to Falken (ran four of those), and finally back to the Avon, now I have a Tire groover, because we get a fair bit of rain here in Canada, and the Winter's wreak havoc on our highways… so the flat car tire tends to perform 'wonky' like that road that CLF sometimes rides.

As for the front tire, the only problem I had was with a Mezzler ME880, that only lasted about 1500 miles. Pressure kept at 50 psi on the Big Block… so switched back to the stock Avon front tire. While on a road trip this summer, I had to swap out my front tire because of blown wheel bearings caused it to wear very poorly. The Harley shop in Salt Lake City didn't have an Avon, so they put on a stock Harley Dunlop. I put almost 12,000 miles on it during that road trip. It still looks better than any of my other front tires did after that many miles. I'll stick with the Harley Dunlop for at least another year or so… and see if they all perform this well.

Just my thoughts, is all. No argument here.

Ric, If your running a Harley Dunlop, I would worry about the load rating..You ride a lot more than I, and if it works for you than I wouldn't worry about it. On the rear I am going back to the Falken car tire.. a lot less money to burn!

take a look at the Kendra rear touring tire for use in the front. Has a high load rating, is noiseless and has superior wear and is very inexpensive.
Buck

It should be good Randy, same load rating as the stock Avon.