Can anybody share their experience with this tire on the front of their trike? Ride? Wear?
Dunlop Elite 3 Radial
- Thread starter msrvpeig
- Start date
John Luciano
One Of The Origionals , TOI - New England
Do not use the OEM tire Dunlop Elite ... It will wear out in 7,000 miles... Also it is a radial and the walls are too flexible. Use a rear motorcycle tire .. See below for info.
I usually got at least 15k out of Dunlop Elites on front. Felt they grabbed in rain great. Then I had two different rear Elites where the lining seperated from the tire (the flexibility John mentions). Close calls, could have been major, but I suspected what was happening. They've lost me now.
On a trike the front tire operates completely different than a two wheeler which is why the standard front tires don't work well.
The two predominant tires used on GL1800 trikes are the Michelin Pilot Activ and the Battleax BT-45. Both are bias ply, rear tires off of sportbikes. They have wider, flatter tread and extremely strong sidewalls which will withstand the extreme side loads a trike places on them, especially in the twisties. Use the standard size 130x70x18 and pressure of 41 psi.
There is mixed opinion about which tire is best. Personally, after beginning with the MPA I switched to the BT-45 because of an inherent "buzz" caused by the MPA's tread design. There is also varied opinions about whethere to mount them in forward or reverse rotation.
There is much info available if you search this and other sites. Your mileage may vary.
The two predominant tires used on GL1800 trikes are the Michelin Pilot Activ and the Battleax BT-45. Both are bias ply, rear tires off of sportbikes. They have wider, flatter tread and extremely strong sidewalls which will withstand the extreme side loads a trike places on them, especially in the twisties. Use the standard size 130x70x18 and pressure of 41 psi.
There is mixed opinion about which tire is best. Personally, after beginning with the MPA I switched to the BT-45 because of an inherent "buzz" caused by the MPA's tread design. There is also varied opinions about whethere to mount them in forward or reverse rotation.
There is much info available if you search this and other sites. Your mileage may vary.
I had a stock front tire on my 2004 Wing when I first converted to a Trike and then put a BT-45 on the front. The BT-45 seems to handle better and wear much better. Besides, the stock tire wore out very quickly
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