New Metzeler Tires

[roddman]

I also just put a set of  metzler wide whitewalls on my 800 this week ...except for the driving on ice feel ...mainly with the front tire for the first few miles till its broken in i love them ....they have much thicker belting in them so my local bike shop told me to run about 5 lbs or so more air than normal in them ...awesome ride... 

[ramakins]

Just my opinion
Very pleased wit da Metzlers, like them better than the bridgestones & dunlops

[ramakins]

Just purchased some Metzelers marathons for the bike, will be installed tomorrow. This will be my third set, bridgestones were stock, liked them, but thought they wore quickly, then dunlops 404s, next will be the mets. As long as they keep the rubber side down, its all good with me, and I do tend to push the lean on cornering, just me.

[chief]

I have the 880's on mine too... actually 2nd one on the rear.

Yep, new tires ARE slick! 

[MaggieQ]

I just put a new set of Metzler ME 880's on my 800 and except for the fact that new tires are slick....learned that in a scary almost pee my pants kind of way this morning ....darn those quick changing stop lights, and thanks to those patient guys that taught that motorcycle safety class I took last year!  but other than the slick when new thing..... its the best set of tires I have ever had, they are great.  I work at a motorcycle dealership and although Dunlops are probably the most common, because they come standard on Harley, they are an industry standard, I would say for wear and reliability and control  Metzlers are right up there with Avons but priced a bit cheaper than the Avons. But whatever you do, make sure you run the same brand/type/style front and back otherwise they track different in a stop and it could be disastrous.

[andrewdonald1]

Hi,

i did 10 year with my Metzeler. marahton 880 and did 32000 Km,
profile okey onley old age , i will be getting new ones next month.

Indy

On a motorcycle tire, I would suggest not going farther than 3 years on the tire max.
As they age, they off gas (UV also damages the rubber) and the traction of the tire begins to be compromised.

[Indy]

Hi,

i did 10 year with my Metzeler. marahton 880 and did 32000 Km,
profile okey onley old age , i will be getting new ones next month.

Indy

[andrewdonald1]

what kind of mileage are you getting? 

[chief]

I've used dunlops, bridgestones, maxxi's, and a couple of Metz's... which is what I use now. I am particular about my tires. I haven't used the Conti's but have heard good stuff about them.

[pcarrell]

I've always heard good things about Metzlers, and this ad does make them look good.

I had the Dunlops.........didn't care for them.

Last spring I put Conti Milestone WW's on the bike.  I have about 8000 miles on them now, and they look ready for AT LEAST another 8000.....probably more.  They stick like the road is made of Gummy Bears too.

I don't know........

It'd take a great tire to get me not to buy the Conti's again, but the Metzlers might be the one.

[funkeydragon]

metzeler marathon WW (white wall)
130/90 front
140/90 rear

Drifter size

very happy with them and a lot better compared to avon venom

This are the only two tyre choices in Italy for white wall

[andrewdonald1]

I watched about 2/3 of the video.

I have high regards for Metzler.  They were my tire of choice on a sport bike in the late 80's thru 90's.

I did have great experiences with Micheline in the late 90's and mid 2000's era on a sport bike.

On my Harley Road King (2005 through 2008 time frame, 36K miles on the bike), I was very impressed with the Dunlop D404.
I found the D404 achieved adequate performance (wet or dry: no safety issues) on the road king but provided fantastic mileage (rear's 16K miles, front low 20'ish K miles).

When you get down to it:  tires and oil have a lot of marketing BS.  "Show me the money" has always been my credo when it comes to tires and oil.

I have no problem going with a D404 (and it would be my first choice) if they make it in the sizes for the Drifter 1500 if I get to purchasing one of these bikes.
It is proven performer to provide great value juggling price/mileage/performance.
My understanding with Metzler's last round of cruiser tires was that yes you did improve on tire performance compared to the D404, but mileage was typically down at the 5K to 8K range (dependent on the user and how they ride: ie: nice easy acceleration from a stop light, or go get it...etc).  But clearly you paid a penalty in mileage for the extra performance - and frankly other than street bragging rights, on a cruiser with the weight of the bike I did not perceive this was a wise educated move on my part.

I would be interested to hear some experiences of the tire since I do believe in Metzler (that is their specialty) and motorcycle tire technology in general has improved greatly (infused by Moto GP).

But if I was a betting man right now and I purchased a Drifter and I needed tires, I'd go to what I know is a solid value.

Andy

[chief]

This is a video ad for the new Metzeler bike tires. Interesting info on the construction of these tires. I haven't looked to see if they are sized for drifters.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqXi6h2tJFM