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[old school Mike]

Hey Guys and Gals
Looking for a high mileage touring tire for my 1300R  any suggestions
Old School Mike

[CouldBFaster]

metzler 880

[matap]

metzler 880

+1.  Once I wear out these dunlops, that's what I'm going to.  Metzler ME880.  They have a harder compound on the upright and supposed to have a softer compound on the side walls for cornering.

[hooter]

Metzler 880 or Avon Crobra. never ran Metzlers but I've heard nothing but good stuff. I have ridden Avon for the last 60,000 and have nothing but praise. I replace front and rear after about 14,000 only because I'm going on a road trip. They have lots of life left but I want fresh meat on the ground for the road. I don't think you'd go wrong with either one.  

[j1mmyj4m]

metzler 880

+1.  Once I wear out these dunlops, that's what I'm going to.  Metzler ME880.  They have a harder compound on the upright and supposed to have a softer compound on the side walls for cornering.

It's a single compound, but it does offer great grip with pretty good mileage.  I strayed to bridgestone once, but never again.

[CouldBFaster]

Metzler 880 or Avon Crobra. never ran Metzlers but I've heard nothing but good stuff. I have ridden Avon for the last 60,000 and have nothing but praise. I replace front and rear after about 14,000 only because I'm going on a road trip. They have lots of life left but I want fresh meat on the ground for the road. I don't think you'd go wrong with either one.  

14k really? with meat still on them? I only get about 8-9k on my 880's but I ride hard and not one burn out on these tires.

[bluestreak]

On all of the bike forums I attend...........This is what I've seen and experienced with popular tires for the VTX.

The Marathon 880 seems to be a consistent high mileage tire albeit with the lack of traction to some degree due to its hard compound.  I've heard of Goldwing riders having their 880's over heating and delaminating on long highway rides.  The 880's seem to have a problem with the heavier Goldwing.  I haven't heard of delamination issues on the lighter VTX.

Avon Cobra is softer and sticks better in the wet and dry, but won't last quite as long. 

Bridgestone Exedras are a compromise between the two. They have a thicker sidewall carcass which is better for heavy bikes because they will run cooler from less deflection.  I prefer them on the Goldwing.  The VTX and Goldwings run the same tire sizes so I've had actual experience on both bikes.

OEM Dunlop’s are middle of the road tires like the Bridgestone’s.  Good dry performance but have been known to slip more when wet than Avon or Bridgestone’s.

Personally I run the stickier Avons on the VTX and get about 10-14K miles out of a set. I'm ok with that.  I'll give up a little mileage in an effort to avoid ever slipping a tire and dumping the bike.  Drop the bike once because it was a harder compound and you'll never get the extra mileage that tire may have offered...............but you will get a big repair bill.
I'm not saying you WILL drop your bike if you run a Marathon but a softer tire will offer better traction than a harder one. 
It's a decision of risk tolerance.  What's more important to you?  Mileage or grip?
If you like pushing the envelope in turns, I'd be considering a soft tire and give up some mileage.  Mileage difference between a hard and soft tire will generally be about 3-5K miles on the VTX but really depends on how hard you ride them.  Your 1300 is lighter than an 1800, so the negative attributes of a harder compound tire will be more pronounced on your bike compared to the heavier 1800.

Whatever tire you go with, experiment with tire pressures.  A difference of only 1-2 psi can make a difference in wear, bite, braking grip, feel, noise and operating temperature of the tire.  Finding the correct pressure really can make a difference in determining the best braking grip and stopping distances.  Personally I experiment by continually dropping pressures from their DOT max until I can feel the tire squirming in turns and then raise it back up until the squirming goes away.  Then I check the tires hot temp and pressure rises from those cold values.  If both are within nominal rises, that the pressures I use for those tires and then accept the mileage I get at those pressures, if it proves not to be absurdly low.  As I mentioned before, I choose to accept the tradeoffs of slightly reduced mileage to get superior grip and handling from tires both in compound type and operating pressures. 

[xcaliber]

Dunlop Elite 3's They are a radial Touring tire. the 880's are classified as a cruiser tire. The oem Dunlops are crap but I have gotten 14 thousand out of E-3's and they outlasted the set of 880's by a long shot. If you look at Jake Wilson the E3's are classed as a touring tire for the wing. Depends on the type of riding that you do.

[Steamboat]

Dunlop E3. I've been using them for several years with no problems.

[murray_61]

Well, if no one else is going to suggest it, I will...  For the rear, get a CAR TIRE!!!   

[vtxsimon]

 :agree:Darkside over a year no problems - great in the rain - good road manners straight or curves .  car tire for me from now on.

[CouldBFaster]

I went to the darkside once and I have to say that I really didn't like it. I ride hard and fast and push the bike to no end and I don't think that's the right setup of that type of riding. If it was the best setup for motorcycles they would put them of bikes from the factory. Other that Boss Hoss bikes. IMHO Not trying to start anything on this thread with you darksiders. 

[hooter]

No matter what you get, just invest in a good tire guage and watch your pressures daily. A low or over inflated tire will reduce your mileage faster than you would think.
I went to the darkside one time for about 1,800 miles and got tired of the way the bike handled. It just wasn't the secure feel as before.   

[murray_61]

darkside for the past 4 years and grind pegs/floor boards no problem...  if i made motorcycles i wouldn't necessarily give you the best setup or the most bang for your buck.  I would give you what makes the most money for me in the short and/or long term...  $0.02...  Drive shafts, batteries, and radiators were once just for cars too...   

[tom cat]

Murray you have a good point there. Our bikes didn't come with Dunnies because they were the best tire on the market. I was surprised at how well my bike handled after I got rid of those tires.