Metzeler 200/60/16

[Xtracho]

Opinions? Thoughts? Experiences? Nut Cage Mod required?
Thanks!

[John Schmidt]

I ran them all the time prior to mounting a car tire. In my opinion.....you get a better ride(42psi) and longer life. Also, better braking due to slightly larger contact patch on the pavement. I did the nut cage mod while the wheel was off for mounting, sorta "just in case" and it was easier to do at that time.

[fudgie]

Loved it. Had 3 or 4 before going CT. Excellent off road handling. Only got 12,000 miles out of mine. Prob coulda got a little more but I change them in the spring for upcoming road trips.
Nut cage, might not if your solo and not a lot of baggage but once I was 2 up it rubbed. Easy to do since the tire is off.

[Steve-L]

Opinions? Thoughts? Experiences? Nut Cage Mod required?
Thanks!

Lifted from the Rattlebars FAQ:

Metzeler 200 ME880 Rear -- ME880 200/60VR16 (radial)
Excellent tire for the fat & meaty look. Fits the VTX rear without modification. Mods may be required to mount on the Valk and VTXr models. Tire is 1/2 inch taller than stock (raises bike 1/4"). No reports of any problems and this tire will increase your ground clearance slightly. Excellent views and a review of this tire can be found at [http://www.rattlebars.com/vtx/metzeler.html]. Good match for the Metzeler front tires availble for the Valkyrie and the VTX.

[Anthony]

That tire is designed rather as a sports/tourer tire, means good grip, but
Tread depth is less then on the 180 tire, means less life, not more.
Looks great, felt normal.
the tire is squeezed onto a rim that is narrower then what the tire is designed for, so it sits a bit 'rounder' on the rim.
Anthony

[Xtracho]

Thanks all! Found the Bridgestone BattleAxe 200/60/16 on Amazon. I've been running the Exedra 180 on the rear and it has about 12K miles on it. Since I'll be doing my 10K mile servicing on the final drive when I get home I wanted to go ahead and mount a new tire as well. Already did the Nut Cage Mod on the rear bolts. So I'll do it on the forward ones as well. Really happy with the 'Stones as I also ran them on my Wing. And the price is about $70 less than the Metzeler. Based on my experience I don't think I can go wrong with the BattleAxe.