[fbnewell1]

About time for a new rear tire. Has been feeling a little “unstable” at first tip into a corner - especially a right-handed. Pressures are fine, but noticed some cupping on both sides. Currently have a Michelin Commander II on with ~8,200 miles. Previous was a Bridgestone ExedraMax that went ~9,800 miles, and before that another ExedraMax that went ~10,100 miles, but was showing some cords. Thought the MCII would last longer than the EMax, but I did ride the MCII pretty hard.

My question now is: Since the MCII is not being made, anybody have any real experience with the MCIII? How does it compare with the MCII for mileage & performance? Should I go back to the EMax, which is cheaper?

 

[Scott Cunningham]

I think the mc3’s are great,though I’ve only done 6500km’s on them. Heaps better feel and a lot more compliant than the Pirelli night dragons that were on before.

 

[Glen Chapman]

About time for a new rear tire. Has been feeling a little “unstable” at first tip into a corner - especially a right-handed. Pressures are fine, but noticed some cupping on both sides. Currently have a Michelin Commander II on with ~8,200 miles. Previous was a Bridgestone ExedraMax that went ~9,800 miles, and before that another ExedraMax that went ~10,100 miles, but was showing some cords. Thought the MCII would last longer than the EMax, but I did ride the MCII pretty hard.

My question now is: Since the MCII is not being made, anybody have any real experience with the MCIII? How does it compare with the MCII for mileage & performance? Should I go back to the EMax, which is cheaper?

I like Michelin tires, never had complaints. But going forward; for me I will choose Bridgestone (original) or Michelin.
M y worst tire was Dunlop - NEVER again. And mechanical balancing, no beads.

 

[BlueThunder]

I went a different route. As many of you know, I ride between 13K - 20K miles a season (April - October). It has been my experience that it doesn't make any difference what tire I use, I only get 6k out of my rear tire. Yes, I tend to ride aggressively especially in the mountains. Front tire I get 12-15K miles.

The best tire I have found for my riding style is without a doubt a Shinko 009 Raven. This tire grips incredibly well, does not slip in the rain and (best of all) is inexpensive. I buy Shinko 009s for $60USD. For me.... why pay more for a fancy name that doesn't give me better use or wear? BTW, Yokohama (Japan) race tires sold their motorcycle tire business to Shinko (South Korea). Which explains why the tire performs so well.

 

[bambr]

"...is inexpensive. I buy Shinko 009s for $60USD "
205cad in Canada

https://fortnine.ca/en/shinko-009-raven-rear-tire

the dark side of power draws me in, the young padawan...

 

[TennesseeSmith]

I run the OEM Dunlops and I've never had any issues on two CTX1300s. The front tends to wear out first when I primarily ride twisties and the rear wears out first when I primarily ride highways.

I ride in rain and even a little snow with no problems.

 

[BlueThunder]

"...is inexpensive. I buy Shinko 009s for $60USD "
205cad in Canada

https://fortnine.ca/en/shinko-009-raven-rear-tire

the dark side of power draws me in, the young padawan...

I feel for you. Even with the US conversion that is an expensive price. I suspect it has to do with Canadian tarrifs.

 

[fbnewell1]

Ordered a Shinko 009 Raven last night. Will see how this one lasts, compared to the MCII and the ExedraMax. I know it’s WAY less money ...

 

[Traversing2]

I have used OEM Dunlops for first two tires on rear and front, then Honda dealer suggested Metzler for the rear. I got about 10K kilometers on Dunlops but only 5k kilometers on Metzler. Never again but my mate just bought Shinko for his bike so will see what he gets. I do ride aggressively as our roads are designed to be ridden and I can use all the tire. The problem I have is the tread feathers on the edge and makes the tires a bit slippery in the wet. The mechanic told me it was caused by the torque when accelerating out of the corners but I just cant stop.

 

[fbnewell1]

Well - got the Shinko in. Won’t be mounted for a few days, though.

Gotta give props to AmericanMotoTire once again!!! Ordered it a couple minutes before midnight Wednesday Mar 10th, showed it shipped via FedEx before 5pm Thursday, and was sitting at my house Monday Mar 15th before noon. Freight charge was exactly $0.00. Tire has a date code of 0121 - made 1st week of Jan 2021. Fresh tire. Free freight. Quick service. And as cheap or cheaper than anywhere else. Same as the last 2 times I ordered from them. Might give them a try.

 

[ctxbryan]

I decided to go with the Michelin Commander III this time and ordered it last night. I considered getting the Raven but didn't want to switch back to the 50 profile from 55 profile that is on the Commander II that I am running now. The OEM Bridgestone lasted 5000 miles and Commander II has 7000 now with probably 500 remaining. Hope the Commander III lasts at least 9000.

 

[HefmoGB]

I decided to go with the Michelin Commander III this time and ordered it last night. I considered getting the Raven but didn't want to switch back to the 50 profile from 55 profile that is on the Commander II that I am running now. The OEM Bridgestone lasted 5000 miles and Commander II has 7000 now with probably 500 remaining. Hope the Commander III lasts at least 9000.

Hey CTB, any further thoughts on the Commander III? Looking to replace my rear tire here soon, this one is a contender. Thanks. Oh, and the size change, going to the 55 from the 50, any issues with that?

 

[ctxbryan]

I haven't installed the Commander III yet. I still have some miles on the Commander II. The 55 series is approximately 1/2" taller. I like it better because of the extra ground clearance. It is easier to get on the center stand and there is a little more lean angle before the pegs drag in the curves. The negatives are longer reach to the ground and the speedometer is off a small amount.

 

[fbnewell1]

^^^^ Exactly what he said. I, too, found it easier to get the 55-series onto the center stand. But going with the Shinko means going back to the 50-series. At least my speedo will be correct again (whenever I get the tire changed)!!!

 

[Scott Cunningham]

I Have commander 3’s on , and my Speedo reads correct according to my phone gps and my Garmin ,though my rear tire just touch’s the ground when on the centre stand

 

[Stlburd2]

Just had a Mich 3 installed this afternoon. Scuffed it in with a nice slow twisty back road ride home. So far so good. I think it handles at least as good as the Mich 2 it replaced. My speedo is 2 mph slow according to my GPS. Of my last two Mich 2's I got 11,000 miles and 9636 on the one I just changed out. It probably had another 500-1000 miles left in it but would just have had to change it in mid riding season. Stay safe all

 

[BlueThunder]

Wow! Wish I could get that kind of mileage out of a rear tire.

 

[fbnewell1]

My MC II now has 9,121 miles on it. Getting quite thin on the LH tread area (like my ExedraMax’s did). Will probably be OK for another 500-1000 miles. I have a Shinko 009 Raven on hand - waiting ...

 

[Blue Baron]

Are you guys putting helium in your tires? Am i this much overweight? At 13000 miles i got my 4th rear tire installed, together with the 3rd front. This time Comander III . Please tire god give me a break with this set. Performance wise they feel great, they even make it a touch easier to enter a sharp curve. One downside so: the bike now leans noticeable more on the side stand, scary at times.

 

[bob]

Do you ride especially hard?
Are all the roads you ride made of Chip-n-Seal? (those eat tires for breakfast)
I hope you verify tire psi regularly. I usually keep my mc tires pumped up to at least 39 psi front and 42 psi rear. Have found since my Gold Wing many years ago this helped the tires last significantly longer than keeping to the OEM recommended psi.
But with the CTX I found only the OEM Dunlop tires lasted more than 11,000 miles. I hated them for performance but they lasted (translate: I had to put up with slipping and sliding all over on any kind of tar snake or paint or manhole covers and couldn't really enjoy twisty roads for longer than I would have preferred).
I also found that both the Bridgestone and Shinko tires I tried were WAY better performing, even in rain, but only lasted around 6,000-7,000+ miles for the rear.