Is the Elite III still the best tire for a 1200?

[Dave-85-LTD]

After 2 years of not being able to get on my LTD because of a bad right hip and a bad left knee, which stopped me from balancing on either leg. I finally am ready to ride.
Bought and installed a new battery last night. Rode it a hundred yards and realized the tire pressures were down much more than they looked like.

Filled the front tire to 36 and then the whole valve stem broke off.

I knew I needed tires, but I wanted a short ride.
My guardian angel is telling me to get new tires.

Is the Dunlop Elite III still the most recommended tires for the 1200's???

My bike of course is a 1985 Limited Edition, GL1200 LTD

[neoracer]

have ,them on my 87 Aspy and on rear of my SEI,have over 23K on the Aspy and still have miles left,only have about 10K on the SEI and it is fine,regardless of the price i'd have to say its a great tire and well worth the money,as for the best,i'm sure others my argue that but i would put them on again when needed,

[Darth]

I'm pretty sure the Elite 3s are no longer available. I put a Michelin Commander 2 on the rear of my 87 last fall.

[bs175dths]

First and foremost, welcome back to riding!
Don’t push the recovery time, let your body, not your mind dictate when you are ready.

I have been using Shinko, Tour Masters 230s on my bike, front and rear, since resurrecting it from two years of non-use by the OO/PO.
According to my records, the following are the miles I have put on tires before needing to replace:
Front tire: 11,000 and 23,000
Rear tire: 11,500, 13,800 and 14,300

For my application, I can’t beat the price/value.
I get mine from the Motorcycle Super Store on-line
The life expectancy of the rear tire closely coincides with the time when I need to apply Moly grease to the splines and teeth of the final drive unit.
I figure, change the tire and grease things up all at the same time!
I use my bike as a commuter and I try to limit the down time.

I have no complaints about the miles I get or the performance, wet, dry, cornering, stopping, or just launching from a dead stop to show some young buck, there may be luggage, but there are 1200cc’s down thar!
(I know, I shouldn’t do that, but hey, sometimes, yadda, yadda, yadda.)

Anywho, that is my .02

-Ride On

[mtnsurgtech]

First of all I just bought some Dunlop E3's and just had them mounted. Second for my opinion Shenko's suck lol. Yes they wear well and are a great price but for me the ride was horrible. Their tread pattern has them following every crack in the road and god forbid if you go over one of the bridges that has the expanded metal all over. Hang on for dear life. I thought it might be just me but if you do some searches you will find that other people have had the same issue with the shenko's. They are a good deal and do wear well but again for me and MY BIKE the ride was not worth the savings.

[bs175dths]

and we all know everything will not fit or suit everyone which is why we have such a variety of pizza toppings........
another good example of 'what works best for you' can be witnessed if you ask the 'What oil do you use in your bike, and why' question.
We all use what works for us, in our situation/application.

to quote a very simple wine commercial of many, many (many) years ago,"I am no connoisseur, but I like what I like."

[Darth]

I wore out a set of Shinko Tourmaster 230's this summer in 4900 miles. The were quiet, comfortable and grippy but once the rear squared off it went away fast. YMMV.

[Dave-85-LTD]

My bike had a Dunlop 491 Elite 2, when I got it, and it seemed alright to me. I got a new 491 for the rear and a Shinko for the front.

I had to be real careful with the cost and was able to get both plus new valve stems for $ 166.00

My new leg joints have healed great and I can do almost anything I want. The doctor told me I can do anything except bungee jumping.

[wingandaprayer]

I've been very satisfied with Michelin Commander 2's on our '85.

[Dave-85-LTD]

In 1986 I bought a 1982 Honda CB 650, it was the first road bike I ever had. The rear tire was worn flat almost 4" wide. I didn't think too much about it as it was summer and the roads were dry. I rode it around town for a few weeks to get used to the power, which was amazing.

Finally I figured I was ready to hit the freeway. I accelerated down an entrance ramp that required a 45 degree turn just before getting to the merge lane. I could make the turn at 60 in my car.

I hit the turn at 50, and the bike absolutely would not lay over and turn!!!!

I hit the brakes, and got down to about 35 and then it simply banked over and turned. I was maybe 40 feet from going into the freeway at a 45 angle.

I made it to my friends place riding very carefully. He took one look at the rear tire, and told me that was why the bike would not lay over at high speed. I asked the Honda shop what was the BEST tires I could put on the bike, he told me Metzeler's were the best but that I didn't need that good a tire. I told him I wanted to keep my a$$ off the asphalt. The bike had an Avon rib tire on the front, in good condition. I hated that tire, it would lock into the seams between concrete panels on the highway. That got scary also.

Two new Metzeler's and that bike would lay over and handle like a racing bike. the control-ability was fantastic

[bagelboy]

I had the Elite's on for about 20,000 miles before they needed changing. I now have a set with about 10,000, and they are holding up great, perhaps another 10,000. I keep the front at 36psi and the rear 40psi. I think the air has a lot to do with tire wear!