Back to the Bridgestones -- And Glad!!!!

{PLEASE NOTE: YOUR RESULTS MAY BE DIFFERENT THAN MINE!}

I put new tires on my 2016 F6B today and the bike reminded me of just how nice and smooth it is, especially on the new asphalt coming up the pass from the Springs!!!! 20,500 miles on the stead now!

Well, I went back to the Bridgestones and my smile was from ear-to-ear. Very smooth and quiet, and absolutely no hint of the 40-50mph wobble. That's the way it was with the stock Bridgestones that came on it also. I got about 10k miles on the original tires. The rear was down to the wear bar and I almost always replace the front at the same time as the rear. (In 154k miles on my 2002 GL1800 I tried almost all the tires [really did not like the E-3s] and always went back to the Bridgestones. Best overall characteristics of all of the tires that I tried.

When I replaced the original Bridgestones I decided to go with the Dunlop E-4s since most people were raving about the handling and mileage. For me, they were okay but not as good as the Bridgestones. I had a 40-50mph wobble from day 1. Not bad. Not noticeable in the handlebars when you have hold of them, but if you loosen the grip it was there. It was better with tar snakes than the E-3s, but not as good as the Bridgestones. They all hate tar snakes however. It was bad on grooved pavement when the grooves run parallel with the tire/bike. It seemed to want to follow the grooves around too much. Handling was good on dry pavement, comparable with the Bridgestone. Can't speak much to wet riding as I fortunately have not done much of that on this bike. Mileage was comparable with the Bridgestone -- no better, no worse. I don't know how the folks who are getting upwards of 15k miles on the Dunlops, but 10k in my max on both the E-4s and the Bridgestones. I run 42R and 40F consistently and check that on every ride with my GARMIN TPMS (which I have calibrated to be accurate). Perhaps I twist the throttle a lot more than others, but it is a big difference from what some are getting. Also, in my 154k miles on my 2002 GL1800, my average miles for the rear tires was about 8,500, so I am doing better than that with the F6B. I do replace my tires when the wear indicator is even with the rest of the tread -- I do not run them until all of the tread is gone!!!

So, I'm happy and hopefully everyone else is also. Just thought I would share my current perspective.

I agree. I really like the Bridgestone tires. They're a good compromise of smooth, grippy and fairly long lasting. They tend to do well in both dry and wet. There's also nothing like that new tire feeling...makes the bike feel like it turns in so quickly with the new/round profile.

I do get a bit of a howling sound in early lean-in on the rear as it begins to wear. The middle flattens a tad, and the shape of the sipes make little "V" shaped knobs and they sing a little. Once further over into the turn it goes away.

I've mounted both the Bridgestones and the Dunlops by hand (on mine and another forum member here's bike). While neither is a walk in the park, the Dunlop had much harder sidewalls and required more foul language than normal. :)

And I forgot to mention that the Dunlops required some pretty large weights to balance. The Bridgestones required no weight on the rear and just one tiny one in the front. Now I need to clean the glue from the old weights off the wheels.

The Stones also cost less than the other big names. Not counting and will not consider stinkos.

I just replaced the OEM’s with another set. I like them, but this set is giving me the slightest squishy feeling in the handle bars on certain roads. I can’t pin it down. Not a balance thing, that’s smooth and always has been. They’ve been on about 1,500 miles. I had to add three pounds to each tire once. I carry 40/40. I don’t check them each ride, but I will in the next couple days before my 3,000 mile trip. It could be air, and if they’re down a tad, I’ll have to check more often and see if that’s it. I didn’t like E4’s when they were on my last bike. That got totaled before they were fully tested anyway.

The Bridgestones are a very good tire and the price is right. My only complaint is they don't seem to last as long as Avon tyres do on my Valkyries. So, I'm trying a set of Avons on the F6B right now. They ride and handle great. If they outlast the Bridgestones I'll stick with them. Otherwise I'll switch back as the Avons cost more.

I had the same problem with the Dunlap tire. I could not wait to have it removed and the 40-50 wobble went away. I knew it had to be the tire. The bike had never wobbled before.

I changed out the original Stones @ 17,000 miles for a set of Avons. I liked Avons on my Valkyrie, but I can't wait to get them off of the F6B. I doubt that I will ride them out. I don't have a wobble in the 40 - 50 MPH range, my front tire wiggles as I am coming to a stop. I'm talking at speeds of less than 10MPH so I know it's not a balance issue. I've had 2 front Avons do this. It isn't a dangerous situation but I don't like it. It makes coming to a stop kinda disconcerning. I'll be going back to the Stones soon.