front tire size

[larue]

need a front tire very soon, and going dark side with terrys tire 205/60-16 MICHELIN PRIMACY MXV4  . Question: whats a good and bigger front tire that would be a good match with the dark side? thanks all

[Tundra]

Larue,
  I am an Avon Cobra fan and quite honestly I wouldn't try another brand.
I am COMPLETELY SATISFIED with the Cobra. Several of my local riding friends have the Dunlop Elite. I was never a Dunlop fan, but they have really come a long way and improved with the Elite. Nice aggressive looking and better mileage then my Cobra and handles very well. I have ridden a Valkyrie with the Elites front and rear and it was nice.

[Bert AKA,Valkaholic]

I have the Dunlop 404 on the Front of my Bikes due to the fact that I have Two Brand New Avon tires in my Scrap pile due to the Sidewalls Cracking, needless to say, I will not be buying any more Avon Tires. Chapparal motorsports.com has about the best price on tires,whickever brand you decide to buy.
I went with the Dunlop D404F 150/80/17 on my Standard and the D404 130/80/17 Rear tire on the Interstate with the Austone Taxi Tire on the Rear.

[Thunderbolt]

Larue are you just going for an all around BIGGER look?  I never considered going with a larger tire in the front.  But I think you will like the Michelin, I still am impressed with the fact that it feels closer to a MC tire than the old Bridgestone HP 550 that I removed.  I run Avon Cobra's on the Valkyrie and the Rocket III.  Believe it or not the same exact front tire.  I have run the Metzeler ME880 once when they were giving away a front if you bought a rear.  They seemed to wear out a little sooner, but were good tires. 

[John Schmidt]

I have a stock size Metz on the front with mileage in excess of 15k, run it with a c/t in back. Works for me.

[larue]

No I'm not looking for a beefy look, the fat girl is beefy as is, just something good, I have been running cobra Avon both front and rear and wasn't impressed with how quick the front got bold the rear still ok both at 8k lifetime. Does that letter H or R or B (bias or radial) in between the tire numbers matters?

[James III]

I went with an E3 on the front after replacing the no longer available D206. The E3 being one of the most common I felt was the easiest to replace if needed on the road. Certainly not a great looking tread pattern but I have been very pleased with its performance. Rain or dry it has exceeded any expectations I had for a front tire. I had an E3 on the rear originally but replaced it with a taxi tire that I also feel very comfortable with. I have over 7000 on the front E3 now and 10,000 on the taxi tire and both look brand new and feel great on the road.

James

[larue]

Hey guys I found a Dunlop D206 150/80 17 rear which is stock size, looks nice and meaty , would it be a good fit as Valk front tire???

[John Schmidt]

Hey guys I found a Dunlop D206 150/80 17 rear which is stock size, looks nice and meaty , would it be a good fit as Valk front tire???

Larue, check the sidewall to see how old it is. If it's very old I wouldn't mount it myself.

[larue]

No way of checking John it's on evil bay and its brand new with stickers. Close up pics look great cant really see anything like cracks on sidewalls or anything:(

[Thunderbolt]

Larue that was the original manufacturer and size on the Valkyrie.  To my knowledge they quit making those and went to the Elite then the Elite 3 back about 10 years or so ago.  I would not buy that one unless I knew for sure the date code on the tire.  Too old, all tires now have a 4 digit code on them in a rectangle on one side of the tire.  A code like DOT 0409 in that rectangle would tell you that it was made in the 4th week of 2009.  I always check this code if possible. 

[larue]

hello Terry, i see 2 codes one is white like ink  # 3868 the othere one is part of the tire 3604, there is also a sticker that D206 ELITE 150/80 17 FRONT. ANY IDEA??

[John Schmidt]

Sounds like it might be nine years old. I wouldn't go for it, that's just over cautious me talking. 

[Thunderbolt]

Are the letters "DOT" before the 3604?  If so it is the 36th week of 2004.  Like John said 9 years old.  I wouldn't buy it, rubber ages just sitting on the shelf in a warehouse somewhere.  This applies to your Car and Truck tires also.  I always check the dates on all of them and especially my RV tires.

[larue]

Thanks guys