Dunlop Elite 4 or Avon Cobras

[Jimmytee]

Anyone have experiece with either of these tires on a Wing? The Elite 4s are brand new tires.

[opas ride]

Anyone have experiece with either of these tires on a Wing? The Elite 4s are brand new tires.

I have the new E-4 Dunlops on my F6B and so far so good....but, the mechanic that works on my bike and many, many, Goldwings over the years, has Avons on his GW and really likes them..Great handling, good wear, and very good in rain so he says,....Had I known he was a huge fan of these tires perhaps I might have tried them.....Both seem to be excellent tires and I doubt you will go wrong with either....Ride safe

[seadog]

I have heard really good things about the elite 4 and right now have one on order for the back of the F6B. I had elite 3's on the M109R Suzuki I had and they never did anything like lose traction or anything that I thought was out of line and l Like running curves and they held up well. Now the new 4 is suppose to be better with a harder center and softer sides for traction when leaning it over. So the wear should be better and its cornering ability should be spot on. I definitely like the look of the tread design on the new 4. I think it's really going to be the right tire for my F6B.
Don't get me wrong I have nothing but good things to say about Avon tire also, they have always been up to the task and a lot of guys run them and like how they handle and their longevity. I have friend that have run them for years but have nobody I know now that has them on the F6B

[Steve 0080]

I ran a set of Cobras on my Rune. Handled real well and stuck good in the wet...did not last long though...

[Jimmytee]

I've got experience with the Avons on my Valkyrie. They have been a good tire and stick like baby s#!t on a blanket. Never got great mileage out of them, About 9-9500 or so. When it comes to bike tires, I usually wear my fronts and rears pretty evenly and just prefer changing both. This last spring, I picked up a item in my rear Cobra on the Valk and decided to try DS with a YH Avid Envigor. There have been pluses and minuses in my book, and I'm not yet ready to do that on the F6B

Anyways, I've ran three sets of the OEM Bridgestones getting around 9500 on the first 2 sets, but now with the third set I'm about at the wear bars at only 7 k.:icon_rolleyes:

I went down to my Honda dealer and was going to go ahead and tell them to bring me in a set. Figuring that I'm going to need them before the Rally. I was talking with Ray, their head mechanic, and he asked why not put on Dunlops. I have not been a fan of Dunlops, but he told me about their new ELite 4s and they have those in stock. I started looking for reviews on line, but they're so new , there wasn't much on them. I know the Cobras would perform, but it would be nice to get a little more mileage. I am an aggressive rider, so cornering performance is a must, but that also means my tire wear surely suffers some becaus of this. The 7k on my current tires throws me though. In June, I went to Inzane and rode a lot of rough roads in WV,Pennsylvania and Maryland, so that may have played a factor in the 7 k this time too.

[dmize]

I have had really bad results with all OEM tires.
Best for my wings have been E3's. Best for my cruisers have been Avon Venoms....Got 14,000 out of the rear on my VTX1800C
FTR the OEM's I have delt with are Elite 2's on first GW, Bridgestones on the newest GW and ANYTHING made by Metzler.....FJR 1300 trashed its Metzler at 3,000 and the Raider shit canned its by 2,000 miles

[Jimmytee]

What air pressures do you run?
I've owned and still own many of the same bikes mentioned and I always get at least 10k out of any brand, front and rear.
Just sayin.

I run 40 plus psi in the rear and no grandma chicken strips on my tires.

Not intending to poke at you, just curious.

Jim

My Chicken Strips consist of a very thin line at the very edges of my tires. Maybe 1/8" :icon_wink: Oh , I run 41 psi cold in the rear on the F6B with the stones. On my Valk with the Avons, I run the rear at 42 cold. front 40 to 41. Avon wants 42. However, right now I am darkside on the Valk.

I ride very aggresively Never have I got 10 k out of my tires. Close, but not quite. Now I don't run them until they're bald either like I have seen some do. That bike is heavy and I'm not petite.:icon_rolleyes: I want my tires in really good shape. I'll just put it this way. recently I and three other "spirited " riders were taking sweepers at 95 -100 mph dragging pegs and throwing sparks. Man it was a blast.:shhh:

[Dirtstiff's F6B]

I just replaced my oem stones with 15k+, with the new Dunlop E4.
They are hiped to wear very well.

For me, the jury is out.
I can't say they handle any better or worse than the oem stones, aside from my perception they are better in the rain.
Oh, did I mention they are considerably noisier than the stones.

J

[Jimmytee]

I just replaced my oem stones with 15k+, with the new Dunlop E4.
They are hiped to wear very well.

For me, the jury is out.
I can't say they handle any better or worse than the oem stones, aside from my perception they are better in the rain.
Oh, did I mention they are considerably noisier than the stones.

J

I'm inclined to give them a try. However, trying the Cobras on the F6B also has me thinking. How does your front end feel. I read one review, not many reviews available yet, where the reviewer complained of some front end wobble he attributed to the new Elite 4.

[Dirtstiff's F6B]

I'm inclined to give them a try. However, trying the Cobras on the F6B also has me thinking. How does your front end feel. I read one review, not many reviews available yet, where the reviewer complained of some front end wobble he attributed to the new Elite 4.

Jimmie,
The review could have been mine. I definately have a pronounced front end wobble 35 to 40 mph. The oem stones had a very slight wobble, same speed.
I of course, have checked neck bearing, pinch bolt and brace bolt, torque
The tire and rim were mounted and installed by someone I trust, so.
I'm going to throw some dynabeads in the front to see what that does for the wobble.

Jim

[Jimmytee]

Jimmie,
The review could have been mine. I definately have a pronounced front end wobble 35 to 40 mph. The oem stones had a very slight wobble, same speed.
I of course, have checked neck bearing, pinch bolt and brace bolt, torque
The tire and rim were mounted and installed by someone I trust, so.
I'm going to throw some dynabeads in the front to see what that does for the wobble.

Jim

This was a review I read on Wing Stuff's site. He described a more pronounced wobble than that. I have had the 35 to 40 wobble with the Stones. I had it with the first set new, oddly the wobble was completely gone with the second set of stones and came back with the current third set. Go figure. I am thinking about painting my bike this winter, and if that carries out, I think I'll try changing out the steering head bearings to tapered bearings. The wobble I experience is very subtle though. Really only notice it at thhe 35-40 mph band with both hands removed from the handlebars.

[Jimmytee]

Jimmie,
The review could have been mine. I definately have a pronounced front end wobble 35 to 40 mph. The oem stones had a very slight wobble, same speed.
I of course, have checked neck bearing, pinch bolt and brace bolt, torque
The tire and rim were mounted and installed by someone I trust, so.
I'm going to throw some dynabeads in the front to see what that does for the wobble.

Jim

So I was told one of the reasons Dunlop redesigned the Elite, was because of road noise. You're saying they're louder than the stones? The stones don't bother me too much, they really only make noise in corners, can't hear it if the stereo is on.:icon_lol:

[Dirtstiff's F6B]

Yes, they are louder than oem stones.
I noticed from the start, then even a F6B group rider told me he thought my rear tire was louder while he was along side..

I too usually have my tunes high enough to not notice.
The E4 is definately noisier than the stones.

[Kolsch]

I got 17,500 miles out of the original stones, still have around 2k left on the rear. Bought a set of elite 4, getting them installed Saturday. Hope they give me high mileage?

[seadog]

More noise usually means that they are gripping the roads better than the OEM tires although I never had any trouble with the stones sticking to the road, my new elite 4 is on the way and will probably be on the bike by the 25th or 26th this month. I have the stock stone on the front yet. But will change that out when it wears out. Like I said before I love running curves and the 7000 mile tire replacement on the rear I am hoping the Dunlop will give me a little more mileage.

[opas ride]

I have noticed a small amount of increased tire noise when riding with the E-4's, but until someone brought it up on the board, I had not paid any attention to it at all.....Ride safe

[Jimmytee]

Thanks everone for your input. I'm leaning towards giving the Dunlops a try, if I don't like them, the next set will be Avons.:icon_wink:

[SPGrenier]

Gonna keep an eye on this thread. At 14,500 miles; the rear has to go. I was considering the E-4 Dunnies but am mildly considering any noise issues.

I've always had good luck with the Metzlers on my VTX and have no experience with Avons. Time to do more reading.

[CoCoKola]

I'm in the market for new tread - I've been reading first impressions and I'm still not clear on how long the e4s are supposed to last?

Also, they are $60 more than the Bridgestones currently at wingstuff. 320 vs 380, is that what folks are paying?

Finally, are they unadvertised run flats, similar to the e3's?

Thanx all!

[Jimmytee]

The marketing for the E4s aya 6 times coast to coast . They actually had a someone ride on a Gold WIng six times coast to coast. He probably doesn't ride like I do.:icon_wink: I'm going to give them a try. There isn't a lot of anectdotal reviews for them yet because they only just came out in May.

[Jimmytee]

Well, I just got the Elite 4s. So far so good, but haven't really rode them yet. That'll be this weekend. Will be riding the BRP with a rowdy group of Valkyrie riders. I had the infamous low speed wobble between 35 and 40 with the original tires. Second set of Stones the wobble completely went away. Third set, the wobble returned. Now with the Elite 4s, the wobble has disappeared again. That's a plus. The wobble was never intrusive and really only noticed it if both hands were off the bars, but it is gone again.:shhh:

[CoCoKola]

Well, I just got the Elite 4s. So far so good, but haven't really rode them yet. That'll be this weekend. Will be riding the BRP with a rowdy group of Valkyrie riders. I had the infamous low speed wobble between 35 and 40 with the original tires. Second set of Stones the wobble completely went away. Third set, the wobble returned. Now with the Elite 4s, the wobble has disappeared again. That's a plus. The wobble was never intrusive and really only noticed it if both hands were off the bars, but it is gone again.:shhh:

Keep me posted. So no info on semi run flats? The wobble can be fixed with the tapered (fork berings?)

[Jimmytee]

Keep me posted. So no info on semi run flats? The wobble can be fixed with the tapered (fork berings?)

Tapered like from All Balls. That is the supposed cure for the wobble, but mywobble seems to come and go with each set of tires. :icon_cool: 1st set(came with bike) wobble. 2nd set (same as OEM) wobble gone. 3rd set (again same as OEM) wobble returned. With this 4th set and now the Dunlop Elite 4s, the wobble has again completely gone away.:shrug: Not complaining. But if it was from the steering head bearings, it would seem the tires would not make any difference.

[stillridin]

Tapered like from All Balls. That is the supposed cure for the wobble, but mywobble seems to come and go with each set of tires. :icon_cool: 1st set(came with bike) wobble. 2nd set (same as OEM) wobble gone. 3rd set (again same as OEM) wobble returned. With this 4th set and now the Dunlop Elite 4s, the wobble has again completely gone away.:shrug: Not complaining. But if it was from the steering head bearings, it would seem the tires would not make any difference.

Not necessarily. It could be the new tires take time to develop the wobble-causing wear pattern induced by the loose/pitted head bearings. And there may be wear in other suspension parts, the Traxxion Dynamics guy said that they have seen significantly worn fork bushings on GL1800's at as little as 30,000 miles. There's a thread on here that talks about this, or you can jump over to YouTube to find the talk he gave... very informative (multi-part) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCIO7uGziS8

[Jimmytee]

Not necessarily. It could be the new tires take time to develop the wobble-causing wear pattern induced by the loose/pitted head bearings. And there may be wear in other suspension parts, the Traxxion Dynamics guy said that they have seen significantly worn fork bushings on GL1800's at as little as 30,000 miles. There's a thread on here that talks about this, or you can jump over to YouTube to find the talk he gave... very informative (multi-part) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCIO7uGziS8

I guess I didn't make it clear enough. :icon_rolleyes:
The wobble didn't develop over time. The wobble was present immediately and gone immediately. First set that came with the bike had the wobble. Second set didn't and never did have the wobble. Third set , immediately again had the wobble from the time I first rolled away once they were installed. Now with the 4th set ,again the wobble is gone.
I am careful to always watch my tire pressures. Only changes were tires. I've had the bike since brand new.

[stillridin]

I guess I didn't make it clear enough. :icon_rolleyes:
The wobble didn't develop over time. The wobble was present immediately and gone immediately. First set that came with the bike had the wobble. Second set didn't and never did have the wobble. Third set , immediately again had the wobble from the time I first rolled away once they were installed. Now with the 4th set ,again the wobble is gone.
I am careful to always watch my tire pressures. Only changes were tires. I've had the bike since brand new.

That IS a mystery. And you covered off the obvious sources I can think of, but I DO love a mechanical mystery. Guessing you checked the front wheel was properly aligned after each new tire install (just spouting the things that pop to mind), as it may not take much misalignment to generate wobble as the bike tries to track straight. The Dunlops will have different traction/hysteresis characteristics so may not be affected by whatever the ultimate issue(s).

Maybe it was just manufacturing variation in the OEM tires, slightly out of round or a belt not quite straight, but still within spec.

Often these elusive gremlins are a combination of things, where the thing that appears to be the issue is just the last requirement to complete the scenario. The 1980's CB900F's had a bad reputation for weaving if everything from head bearings to rear shocks weren't perfect.

I'm sure all here would like to know if you (or someone else has a suggestion) to figure out whatdunnit.

[Jimmytee]

I put over 1100 miles on the Dunlop Elite 4s this weekend. I rode down to Clinton,TN and met up with a group. We rode back roads to the southern beginning to the BRP. We rode the BRP up to Sparta,NC where we met a group that came from the northern stretch of the BRP (Blue Ridge Parkway) . Rode a bunch of twisty back roads through the mountains back to Clinton. TN. Yesterday I rode home to Elizabethtown,KY after a little exploring.Actually went and looked at a couple houses for sale down that way. I can report that I am pretty pleased so far. Rode some twisties at a very "spirited" pace and the tires stuck great. The tires did seem to be quieter than the Bridgestones. At least I didn't notice any noise from the Dunlops. More miles and time will see if this continues.

[olegoat345]

I've always heard that OEM anything (tires, batteries, head lights, pistons, valve stems, bearings), goes to the cheapest bidder that meets the buyer (Honda) specs. They might say it's "special made" for this bike or that bike, that's because it meets buyer specs. == It's good business for the factory (Honda or who ever) to save a penny anyway they can.

[53driver]

I've always heard that OEM anything (tires, batteries, head lights, pistons, valve stems, bearings), goes to the cheapest bidder that meets the buyer (Honda) specs. They might say it's "special made" for this bike or that bike, that's because it meets buyer specs. == It's good business for the factory (Honda or who ever) to save a penny anyway they can.

Be that as it may, I got 18k miles on my OEM stones and another 18k on a second set.
Like JimmyTee, I ride in a quite spirited fashion when I can.
Got the E4s on now.
I can feel the point in a lean where the tire goes from the hard compound to the softer compound.
We'll see how well they do.

Cheers,
Steve

[Broken Hand]

These Avon Cobras have around 6k miles on them.