Tires

[Jun]

What’s the best tires for mileage for Goldwing 1800?

[Viking]

You gonna get every tire made for Goldwings in your answers. The best I got was with Dunlop D250 tires which is what came on my 2009. I have had Avon Cobra - got poor mileage but stuck like glue to the road and very smooth ride. I have had Bridgestones and they were ruff ride and did not last long. I went through several sets of the D250s but cannot get them any more. I have had Dunlop Elite 3 and the front one gave me good mileage, not so much the back. I am now rolling on Dunlop Elite 4 tires but cannot give a firm guess as I only have about 5K miles on the back and only a couple hundred miles on the front.

Most who run car tires on the back are going to say those, with a rear tire used backwards on the front.

Take all this with a grain of salt as everyone gets different results depending on riding style. Stay away from Avon Cobra if you want miles is all I can say. If you want excellent handling and comfortable ride, then the Avon Cobra is the one. Everyone who gets big miles on their tires air them up a bit harder than the manual calls for. I am running 43 pounds rear and 41 pounds front, which seems to keep tires from cupping on my GL1800.

[AZgl1800]

Agree,
you will get answer favoring every tire ever made.

me? my 1500s had E3s and seemed to do well.

my '02 had an E3 on the front with 14,000 miles and no cupping.
I just last fall, put on an E4.....

ran a Michelin ZP RF for 14,000 miles and it did not show any wear.

[Jun]

Who has ran Michelin tires?

[Jun]

Especially Michelin Commander II

[tmjdmay]

My 2002 Wing, I installed Dunlop Elite 4 series tires.
I've been extremely impressed with the performance of these tires, they were given the best report for Goldwings overall!

[mterraci]

I'm running Dunlop E 4's on my 2007 Goldwing. Just crossed 15,000 miles on them last week, no performance issues and still a decent amount of tread left on both tires. I'm eager to see how much additional mileage I'll get.
I've been really pleased with them.

[Viking]

Michelin actually informed Honda that they do not make a tire suited for installation on a Goldwing, so you are not going to get many answers on that Q.

[tmjdmay]

Your concerned about mileage, really enjoy the ride!

[Jun]

Thanks. I have ran Dunlop tires on about every bike I’ve ever owned and had good service from them. Thanks for the input. I really appreciate your opinions. Looks like my next tires will be Dunlop e 4.

[huggiebear]

This is for Viking
The sidecar you see in the picture has a car tire on the back and rear tire front. When I purchased the sidecar had the front tire (rear tire) mounted backward, when I took the bike to Honda for break recall the mechanic called me asking if I want the tire changed because it was mounted backwards I forgot, backward is the right way with a car tire on the back and I Sayed yes. When I picked up the bike it felt weird it felt like it was wondering left and right but now doesn't feel so bad but actually it's much easier to steer.
My question is why a rear tire in front needs to be backwards what's the advantage,
Should I change it back or can I leave it the way it is?
Thanks

[AZgl1800]

This is for Viking
The sidecar you see in the picture has a car tire on the back and rear tire front. When I purchased the sidecar had the front tire (rear tire) mounted backward, when I took the bike to Honda for break recall the mechanic called me asking if I want the tire changed because it was mounted backwards I forgot, backward is the right way with a car tire on the back and I Sayed yes. When I picked up the bike it felt weird it felt like it was wondering left and right but now doesn't feel so bad but actually it's much easier to steer.
My question is why a rear tire in front needs to be backwards what's the advantage,
Should I change it back or can I leave it the way it is?
Thanks

The theory is, that because the front tire is subjected to heavy braking, that it needs the support of the underlying carcass to prevent it from coming apart.

I am calling BS on this, I don't like the way it handles, and I am going to reverse the front tire on my 1800 and have it rotate the way it was intended.

Also, putting it on backwards, forces rainwater into the center of the tread, another instance where I call BS...

[Rambozo]

"The way it was intended" is subject to how the manufacturer intended the tire to be used. I have had a boatload of bike tires that were marked to spin one way for rear use and the other way for front use as those tires were of a size where they were made to fit either end depending on the bike. As was mentioned the front tire sees mostly braking force, while the rear sees acceleration, so it does make sense. How it handles is a very personal preference, so each person might like a different combination.

[huggiebear]

Thanks for the fast reply.
I think I leave it the way it was desine to spin.

[aperry]

I just put a set of Michelin Commanders on my O8 a few hundred miles ago. So far I really like them. I have read on several sites that they get way better mileage. Handling is about same as the Dunlops I replaced but smoother.

[Viking]

This is for Viking
The sidecar you see in the picture has a car tire on the back and rear tire front. When I purchased the sidecar had the front tire (rear tire) mounted backward, when I took the bike to Honda for break recall the mechanic called me asking if I want the tire changed because it was mounted backwards I forgot, backward is the right way with a car tire on the back and I Sayed yes. When I picked up the bike it felt weird it felt like it was wondering left and right but now doesn't feel so bad but actually it's much easier to steer.
My question is why a rear tire in front needs to be backwards what's the advantage,
Should I change it back or can I leave it the way it is?
Thanks

I am glad you got your answers Huggie, because I had no clue. I do not run car tires. This was totally out of my wheel house.

[Viking]

I just put a set of Michelin Commanders on my O8 a few hundred miles ago. So far I really like them. I have read on several sites that they get way better mileage. Handling is about same as the Dunlops I replaced but smoother.

Please keep us updated, as I would love to run Michelin tires. I ran them on my Harleys for the last 30 years that I rode them, but that statement from Michelin was a stop sign to me. I stopped understanding it when Harleys got to the same weight as Goldwings.

[Jun]

I just put a set of Michelin Commanders on my O8 a few hundred miles ago. So far I really like them. I have read on several sites that they get way better mileage. Handling is about same as the Dunlops I replaced but smoother.

Where did you purchase the Michelin Commanders for the Goldwing?

[aperry]

I purchased them from Revzilla. Got them really quick.
I did quite a bit of reading (everything I could find) and many people have had them for quite a while and getting great mileage. For the rear tire I got a 180/65/16. I could not tell a difference in height. I also had the installer put in Counteract balancing beads. All of that and new steering head bearings and I now have a really smooth ride.

[Willieiso118]

Who has ran Michelin tires?

I had Michelin Road Pilot 4's on my Triumph Trophy, there were a great tire...

[tommckay]

In regards to Avon Cobras, I ran them on mine, had very good luck mileage wise, 18k with a little life left. Ran front and rear at 41psi.

I'm currently trying "darkside" and kinda liking it.

[Wingsconsin]

High mileage tires can be a false economy-
I have had great longevity with Avon Cobra tires on my 1800 -- about 15,500 mile
But they cupped at 11,000 miles so the ride was conmpromised -
My riding buddy has used the E4s and reports the rear is worn out at 10,000 miles - he rides 2 up and pulls a trailer 2012 GL1800-
My Son has the E4s on his '03 and feels like they don't grip well ..?

For ME --
I have 2 sets of wheels front & back
I average about 10,000 miles per year -
I average about 10,000 miles per set on the Bridgestone 704/709 combo
They are the lowest cost GOOD tire I will run (there are others cheaper like Shinko) -
SO I buy a new set each year when they are on a rebate and change every time I wear them out which is about 1 time per year -
Riding on fresh rubber is always better no matter the brand so ..
FOR ME - I change tires every year and run fresh good affordable rubber all the time --

Right now I have a set of fresh and new on rims waiting for me to use up the set I am running right now which will be near the end of the year