Dunlop D404

[tkent02]

Not to spoil the conversation but any new tire will feel better than skinned ones you have been tolerating for who knows how long. Honestly I think we think we can tell the difference from one tire to the next but I beg to differ. Old freaking rubber is old freaking rubber and new freaking rubber is new freaking rubber. Tires threads are all over the internet and everyone thinks there particular brand of choice is better. The reality of it is only professional riders can really push a tire to the limit and know the difference. On the street we are amateurs and really dont have a clue from one tire to the next.

Not true, if you get on the bike and it's losing grip, squirming and stepping out all over the place in moderate riding, it's a poor tire. If it sticks like glue through everything on the road it's a great tire. The difference is obvious.
You don't have to be cornering like a madman to know whats happening down there.

Some tires ride so poorly that they are truely unsafe, even when they are new.

But yeah, new mediocre tires are going to be much better than old hardened tires.

Just not as good as new good tires.

[1980GS1000E]

Tkent is right. The Bridgestone tires I had were squirmy right the time I put them on. I even tried to scuff them in with a sander. No improvement. I felt the difference immediately when I put the Dunlops on.

[BassCliff]

Hi,

I swore I would never post a response in another tire thread. For some reason I posted in two tire threads yesterday. I gotta getta life.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[bwringer]

Hi,

I swore I would never post a response in another tire thread. For some reason I posted in two tire threads yesterday. I gotta getta life.

Join the club -- it's been a long, cruel winter. Even you folks out in sunny SoCal are picking up the crazed vibes emanating from the heartland.


What's interesting is how individual tire choices are -- you normally get 10,000 miles on the Spitfires, and I struggled to crack 3,000 on the same bike.

Then again, I'm a lot heavier than you and my set of Spitfires was the hapless victim of a trip to the mountains in North Carolina/Tennessee -- that was 700 miles of interstate on either end of 1,200 miles of crazed corner carving. They were 99% roached by the time I got back, and I had to get a new set of tires a couple of weeks later.

Normal people will experience tire life and results much closer to your experience than mine.

I think familiarity counts for a lot, too -- there's a lot to be said for knowing exactly how your bike is going to handle. The Avon Roadriders have a slightly "pointier" profile than most, and the quicker steering is spooky until you get used to it.

[BassCliff]

Hi Brian,

What's interesting is how individual tire choices are -- you normally get 10,000 miles on the Spitfires, and I struggled to crack 3,000 on the same bike.

Then again, I'm a lot heavier than you ...

Well, I wasn't going to say anything.

I guess the tire threads caught my eye because I have to put new tires on this weekend. I'm a little surprised at how much the price has gone up on these Spitfires. My local bike shop wants $140 for the rear. But then I checked swmototires.com and they want $208! Americanmototire.com has a good price on their website but by the time I pay for mounting it's pretty much a wash. Mounting is free at the bike shop I buy tires from.

I may have to re-think my favorite tire, or start spooning them on myself. But it's so convenient to bring in your wheels, just hand them to the guy, and 20 minutes later you have new mounted and balanced tires. I'm getting lazy in my old age.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[jeff.saunders]

Put the same tire on different models and you get different results.

Put the same tire on the same model with different riders and you get different results.

I have run D404 on Kawasaki Z1/KZ900/KZ1000 models and I find they are a decent tire for the price. I wouldn't put them on a performance bike. I have GT501's on my turbo bike and they handle the power without sidestepping under load.

I've run D404 on smaller bikes (kz650 and GS750) and didn't like the way they handled. Some of this is down to the weight distribution between front and back - a mix of the bike and riding position of those bikes.

I disliked Michelin tires on each bike I've had with them on. I like Continental tires, but not the price. Pirelli are the best performing tire I've had on any of my bikes - I had an old set of Phantoms on my turbo bike 8-9 years ago, great traction - but the rear tire only lasted 1,000 miles.

One thing to consider is the choice of handlebars - this influences the weight distribution hugely - and consequently how the tires grip the road.

[limeex2]

D404 are for harley's. Yuk. Use sport touring tires. Use good stuff. Michelin, Pirreli, Bridgestone, Avon, Dunlop. I get 10000 out of a rear on my Triumph's. There are non-radial versions out there and they work great. And I can tell the difference in brands and compounds. Tires are like womens bra's. I you got $5 girls get a $5 bra. If you got $100 dollar girls get a $100 bra. Same go's with tires...

[1980GS1000E]

Well, compared to the Bridgestone tires I had, they are great. I will run them until bald and see what kind of mileage I get. The bike feels totally predictable and solid with them.