Dunlops

[b1rks]

My Valk Needs a new rear tire. Me and the Wife do allot touring . Loaded down pretty good. The last tire flattened out allot at the bottom, understandably. The Dunlop E3 , the route to go? Would appreciate any input.

[KSDragonRider]

I have a pair of E3s on my bike now, they have about 3k on them or a little more.  Im personally not real impressed with the way they are wearing.  Here on the flat lands, they are developing a large flat spot in the middle of the rear and get very squirmy at 80 on the new concrete freeways we have.  I have talked to another I/S rider that had the same tires, and he reported the same. 

Of course he fixed it with the darkside, and I plan on doing the same in the spring.  One thing about the E3 is if you keep it aired up to over 40 it does seem to help the flat spot, and it also makes it last alot longer.  Mine both seep down from sitting, so after it has set for over a week, I need to add at least 10 to the rear and 15 to the front.  Riding once or twice a week, that number goes way down...

[old2soon]

My I/S came with E3s. Since i got my fat girl and joined the V R C C I've noticed two very seperate and distinct camps where the E3s are concerned. 1 camp swears by them the other at them. Had that same flat spot you describe show up on my drive tire. MY solution may not be YOURS. I ended up going D/S General Ultimax H P in 205-60-16 and a Metzler 880 on the front. Dyna beads in both. Over 10 g on this setup and not the LEAST bit sorry or wishin i should have done something else. D/S may not be the answer for you but it is for me. And B T W mama and both daughters say it rode lots better with the D/S tire i chose. RIDE SAFE.

[Hoser]

I use bias ply Dunlops and have not had any flat spots or cupping.  20k on the first set, and 15k so far on the 2nd set. Hoser 

[98valk]

I have a pair of E3s on my bike now, they have about 3k on them or a little more.  Im personally not real impressed with the way they are wearing.  Here on the flat lands, they are developing a large flat spot in the middle of the rear and get very squirmy at 80 on the new concrete freeways we have.  I have talked to another I/S rider that had the same tires, and he reported the same. 

Of course he fixed it with the darkside, and I plan on doing the same in the spring.  One thing about the E3 is if you keep it aired up to over 40 it does seem to help the flat spot, and it also makes it last alot longer.  Mine both seep down from sitting, so after it has set for over a week, I need to add at least 10 to the rear and 15 to the front.  Riding once or twice a week, that number goes way down...

the new concrete hwys, do they have grooves in them?

[KSDragonRider]

I have a pair of E3s on my bike now, they have about 3k on them or a little more.  Im personally not real impressed with the way they are wearing.  Here on the flat lands, they are developing a large flat spot in the middle of the rear and get very squirmy at 80 on the new concrete freeways we have.  I have talked to another I/S rider that had the same tires, and he reported the same. 

Of course he fixed it with the darkside, and I plan on doing the same in the spring.  One thing about the E3 is if you keep it aired up to over 40 it does seem to help the flat spot, and it also makes it last alot longer.  Mine both seep down from sitting, so after it has set for over a week, I need to add at least 10 to the rear and 15 to the front.  Riding once or twice a week, that number goes way down...

the new concrete hwys, do they have grooves in them?

yes they do.  But they did not bother my other bikes...

[98valk]

I have a pair of E3s on my bike now, they have about 3k on them or a little more.  Im personally not real impressed with the way they are wearing.  Here on the flat lands, they are developing a large flat spot in the middle of the rear and get very squirmy at 80 on the new concrete freeways we have.  I have talked to another I/S rider that had the same tires, and he reported the same. 

Of course he fixed it with the darkside, and I plan on doing the same in the spring.  One thing about the E3 is if you keep it aired up to over 40 it does seem to help the flat spot, and it also makes it last alot longer.  Mine both seep down from sitting, so after it has set for over a week, I need to add at least 10 to the rear and 15 to the front.  Riding once or twice a week, that number goes way down...

the new concrete hwys, do they have grooves in them?

yes they do.  But they did not bother my other bikes...

They just grooved some hwys around here in NJ last yr. I have an E3 rear and Conti-go rear on the front, some sections of hwy I don't notice it others it is bad. non-grooved, smooth riding.
A little background for those interested.
those grooves are OSHA noise reduction grooves sold as rain grooves for our safety. What those grooves actually do, besides reducing noise, is cause tire thread squirm, which results in reduced MPG and increased tire wear, something tire manufactures try to eliminate in their designs for better tire wear and mpg and here comes big brother going backwards.
Tire pressure affects how much movement u will get, but it will always be there and some sections of the hwy whereas the grooves are waving will be worst. They can only make the grooves so straight with the low bidder technology they are using.
This is our Govt folks, they don't really care about MPG and pollution, only how the leaders can make money and get votes.
There are many research papers out there that show asphalt roads are the worst for MPG but are quieter and concrete roads esp well worn are best for MPG, but are louder than asphalt.
cummings diesel has one such report on their site.

[Ricky-D]

I have a pair of E3s on my bike now, they have about 3k on them or a little more.  Im personally not real impressed with the way they are wearing.  Here on the flat lands, they are developing a large flat spot in the middle of the rear and get very squirmy at 80 on the new concrete freeways we have.  I have talked to another I/S rider that had the same tires, and he reported the same. 

Of course he fixed it with the darkside, and I plan on doing the same in the spring.  One thing about the E3 is if you keep it aired up to over 40 it does seem to help the flat spot, and it also makes it last alot longer.  Mine both seep down from sitting, so after it has set for over a week, I need to add at least 10 to the rear and 15 to the front.  Riding once or twice a week, that number goes way down...

That is absolutely abnormal!

You should not have anything like this problem and it would be imperative to get to the bottom of this trouble.

Sometimes only immersion in a tub will reveal the source of the leaking air.

I can't express any more powerful encouragement than to find the leaks and get them stopped.

It's a safety issue, you know.

Happy New Year

***

[98valk]

I have a pair of E3s on my bike now, they have about 3k on them or a little more.  Im personally not real impressed with the way they are wearing.  Here on the flat lands, they are developing a large flat spot in the middle of the rear and get very squirmy at 80 on the new concrete freeways we have.  I have talked to another I/S rider that had the same tires, and he reported the same. 

Of course he fixed it with the darkside, and I plan on doing the same in the spring.  One thing about the E3 is if you keep it aired up to over 40 it does seem to help the flat spot, and it also makes it last alot longer.  Mine both seep down from sitting, so after it has set for over a week, I need to add at least 10 to the rear and 15 to the front.  Riding once or twice a week, that number goes way down...

That is absolutely abnormal!

You should not have anything like this problem and it would be imperative to get to the bottom of this trouble.

Sometimes only immersion in a tub will reveal the source of the leaking air.

I can't express any more powerful encouragement than to find the leaks and get them stopped.

It's a safety issue, you know.

Happy New Year

***

+1

bad valve stems, corroded tire bead to rim seat, etc.

[Farther]

This is our Govt folks, they don't really care about MPG and pollution, only how the leaders can make money and get votes.

This caught my interest.  Please explain how our leaders are making money and getting votes off the rain/noise reduction grooves in the nations highways.

[KSDragonRider]

I have a pair of E3s on my bike now, they have about 3k on them or a little more.  Im personally not real impressed with the way they are wearing.  Here on the flat lands, they are developing a large flat spot in the middle of the rear and get very squirmy at 80 on the new concrete freeways we have.  I have talked to another I/S rider that had the same tires, and he reported the same. 

Of course he fixed it with the darkside, and I plan on doing the same in the spring.  One thing about the E3 is if you keep it aired up to over 40 it does seem to help the flat spot, and it also makes it last alot longer.  Mine both seep down from sitting, so after it has set for over a week, I need to add at least 10 to the rear and 15 to the front.  Riding once or twice a week, that number goes way down...

That is absolutely abnormal!

You should not have anything like this problem and it would be imperative to get to the bottom of this trouble.

Sometimes only immersion in a tub will reveal the source of the leaking air.

I can't express any more powerful encouragement than to find the leaks and get them stopped.

It's a safety issue, you know.

Happy New Year

***

The front i have narrowed down to valve stems.  The rear, I cant find anything wrong with it.  I am planning on going dark side in the spring, and at that time, I will put in new stems front and rear as well as ride on.

I keep a pretty good eye on it, checking it every day before I leave the house, and have yet to find one low while being rode, put 500 mile on in one day, checked when I got home, still right at where it was when i left..

[sutterhome]

check your valve stems for cracks near the rim.take off plastic retainer thingy and move the stem around and look /listen for air hiss. my 2cts

[sandy]

The Avon Cobra has a dual density compound tire. The middle of the tread is a harder rubber than the outer edges. That way the center wears better and leaning still has good traction. Keep the pressures up. I run 42F and 46R.

My Valk Needs a new rear tire. Me and the Wife do allot touring . Loaded down pretty good. The last tire flattened out allot at the bottom, understandably. The Dunlop E3 , the route to go? Would appreciate any input.

[98valk]

This is our Govt folks, they don't really care about MPG and pollution, only how the leaders can make money and get votes.

This caught my interest.  Please explain how our leaders are making money and getting votes off the rain/noise reduction grooves in the nations highways.

our tax dollars paying companies/unions to do work that is not needed, union/company workers votes in exchange for the jobs. needed equipment to do the work equals jobs, either here or overseas making the equipment, etc
less mpg, means more tax dollars to the feds and state govts through gas taxes, need to buy more, equals more money to oil companies equals for votes/support
increase wear of tires, supports the tire industry, which includes oil, jobs, machinery needed to change tires, etc
less noise for sensitive greenies, noise that can't be heard 500 ft from the hwy equals more votes/support from that crew, etc.

Am I on the wrong track?

[Hoser]

I have a pair of E3s on my bike now, they have about 3k on them or a little more.  Im personally not real impressed with the way they are wearing.  Here on the flat lands, they are developing a large flat spot in the middle of the rear and get very squirmy at 80 on the new concrete freeways we have.  I have talked to another I/S rider that had the same tires, and he reported the same. 

Of course he fixed it with the darkside, and I plan on doing the same in the spring.  One thing about the E3 is if you keep it aired up to over 40 it does seem to help the flat spot, and it also makes it last alot longer.  Mine both seep down from sitting, so after it has set for over a week, I need to add at least 10 to the rear and 15 to the front.  Riding once or twice a week, that number goes way down...

That is absolutely abnormal!

You should not have anything like this problem and it would be imperative to get to the bottom of this trouble.

Sometimes only immersion in a tub will reveal the source of the leaking air.

I can't express any more powerful encouragement than to find the leaks and get them stopped.

It's a safety issue, you know.

Happy New Year

***

The front i have narrowed down to valve stems.  The rear, I cant find anything wrong with it.  I am planning on going dark side in the spring, and at that time, I will put in new stems front and rear as well as ride on.

I keep a pretty good eye on it, checking it every day before I leave the house, and have yet to find one low while being rode, put 500 mile on in one day, checked when I got home, still right at where it was when i left..

Give a shout out to smokin joe, he knows how to replace the stem without removing the tire.  I use steel stems because I had the same problem.  I was ready for new tires when it happened.  Hoser

[john]

the e3s are very good .... 
i get 20000 plus ride'in solo  ..
 air to "between" 45-50 psi
replace your air valves ... with next tire change
 find  after market valves ... 
the stock valves suck              my $.02