Tires

[10spd]

At the risk of starting a war of opinions. Has anyone put a Michelin Comander on the rear of their bike if so how well do you like it?

 

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[cowpuc]

Yep, was one of the last tires we wore out on Tweeks before I retired her.. I usually dont spend the big bucks on tires but got caught in a need and the Michelin was about all the dealership had. The salesman who sold me the tire declared it to be a super high mileage tire because of its "harder rubber" but, after staring out the window at our bike - warned me about slamming my scoot in the twisties cause "the Commander doesnt have the stickiness like the cheaper tires do".. Found out he was correct on both counts - got almost 7k miles out of the Michilen (probably the highest mileage rear tire running fully loaded in the Desert we ever had) but it definitely handled differently.

Something I noticed about the Mich was that I could lock it up in the rain fairly easily and even on dry pavement - my 1st Gens have all had brakes that defied lock up (MK1's come stock with a rear brake that was designed to speed up the bike when engaged = IMHO) but the Commander made it possible. Definitely a hard core long distance hot pavement winner but probably better tires for less money if your a canyon carver..

Oh yea,, another point - if you hand mount your own tires with spoons,, heating the Commander with a torpedo heater is about the only way to get it good and pliable - most tires you can just lay em in the sun for an hour or two and they will soften up nicely - didnt work as well with the Commander.

I am no tire expert but have a buddy who uses those 300 dollar Dunlop/Harley dual compound tires on his Ultra. Was checking them out and I think the "hard center" on that tire is about the same consistency as the Commander tire was.. Have never tried a dual compound but there is a good chance that that arrangement would offer the best of both worlds..

All I know, my brain is empty..

[utadventure]

I have a the Commander on the back of the '86 and it's been great!

 

Dave

[pope3567]

I have Michelin Commanders front and rear. Wouldn't run anything else. Puc is right, they do change the way the bike handles, but overall a very positive improvement. I will reiterate one thing Puc mentioned, the rear wheel will lock up easier when getting on the brake. Not a huge negative but something to be aware of.

[BlueSky]

Puc mentioned dual compound tires. They may be just the ticket on the rear but not on the front. On the front due to cornering, the soft sides wear quickly leaving a ridge down the middle of the tire about an inch wide. This makes the bike really unstable at low speed. It'll tip over twice as quickly.

[camos]

Puc mentioned dual compound tires. They may be just the ticket on the rear but not on the front. On the front due to cornering, the soft sides wear quickly leaving a ridge down the middle of the tire about an inch wide. This makes the bike really unstable at low speed. It'll tip over twice as quickly.

I don't know about other dual compound tires but the E3's are not super soft on the sides and the center still wears out first. That's mostly while commuting with a mix of highway, back road and city riding.

 

It could be just the rider, of course, but I have noticed there seems to be less of a tendency to get a flat spot in the middle compared to what I see on tires of other bikes around here.