WARNING: Michelin front Commander III tires

[NCB]

????

[Shores]

shores , you are on your 4th commander 3's? have they been out that long, or u thinking comm 2's?

No, metzler's. See below.

[NCB]

Well, Michelin replaced my 32/19 date defective tire with a 5/22 date tire and it has the same high spot in the replacement tire! So, now the dealership is going to replace the 2nd defective tire with a different brand and handle the second defective tire issue with their Michelin rep. Very frustrating to say the least! This tire should be on the list! 130/90 B16 73H

Tubeless

[brianmac]

tubeless or not?

[brianmac]

shores , you are on your 4th commander 3's? have they been out that long, or u thinking comm 2's?

[brianmac]

spread the word, dont by michelin C3's , hurt em in the pocket.......

[MikeyC]

Totally agree with NCB on cover their asses. On the other note, I was really happy with the Dunlop American Elite's and I think they are a hard soft compound, but I haven't verified that.

[NCB]

They know that their tires are being sold and installed on many bikes not listed on their website. Just another way to cover their ass as far as warranty issues are concerned!

[MidnightRide]

They obviously need to pull the recommendation from the 2000 in addition to everything else. I have an '01 and highly doubt there's any difference between mine and a 2000. Total clusterfuck IMHO. Just seems odd.

In the meantime my Shinko 777's seem to be doing fine.

I had some Bridgestone dual compound's on my last bike, a 550 lb. sport touring bike. Loved them. Hard rubber in the center and soft on the sides. Anyone know if they make that tire for a cruiser such as our RS's? I think they were Battleaxe's but don't quote me.

[Shores]

I guess I’m confused about why they say tire isn’t supposed to be on the Roadstar. Didn’t they say the tire works on a 2000 Roadstar? They make the tire size what does it matter what year bike it’s on? Am I missing a big difference between a 99 and 2000 and then again a 2000 and the rest of the years…….I didn’t realize the 2000 was that special……

It does fit but their policy is based on large corporate silos that don't really communicate with each other. Somebody made the decision years ago that it fits a 2000 and nobody ever questioned them or updated the info. Too many silos with local reps probably not having a whole lot of influence on marketing.

[NCB]

I never got a clear answer. The rep told me the only thing he could go by is their website. I told him they needed to update their website. I also told him that if you went to JP cycles or any place like that sells tires, they would tell you that commander 3s are a exact fit. Michelin's own ad says the Commander 2 and 3 are made for all kinds of V-Twin motorcycles.
I quit arguing with him when he said he would pay to replace my tires. I know that if your bike is not listed on their website they will consider it a misfit and not warranty the tire!

[Ahodge75]

I guess I’m confused about why they say tire isn’t supposed to be on the Roadstar. Didn’t they say the tire works on a 2000 Roadstar? They make the tire size what does it matter what year bike it’s on? Am I missing a big difference between a 99 and 2000 and then again a 2000 and the rest of the years…….I didn’t realize the 2000 was that special……

[NCB]

I didn't have a issue with the rear commander 3 just the front. If Michelin won't warranty the tire due to being on a RS I'm forced to go elsewhere.

[Shores]

I usually go with the metzler's because after about five tire changes I have realized that the handling, quality and mileage is pretty decent and the white walls don't yellow like a lot of other brands do.

[boomerA]

I recentlyhad to replace the Commander II on the rear of my RoadStar with a Commander III. Time will tell if I develop any problems with the rear tire...front is a Commander II. When I was searching for new tires for my 1300 Tourer, the Metzler 888 was the only quality tire that I could find in the required size.

[NCB]

I like the way the 888 handle. After looking into a bunch of tires I concluded that the Metzler's we're as close to the Commander 2s as I could get. Time will tell?

[Shores]

Shores, I went with the 888, what kind of milage are you getting with them?

I got 19,000 on one set. I couldn't believe it! Double checked my records and that's exactly what I got, front and rear. The next set I got 12,000 but only changed them because I had a road hazard on the front.

[NCB]

Shores, I went with the 888, what kind of milage are you getting with them?

[NCB]

OK, here is a follow up of what has happened since my last post on this topic.

The dealership started giving me the run around about the replacement tire so I emailed Michelin.

Michelin contacted me after I emailed them about the replacement Commander III tire having the same issue as the first. They said that they should have never reimbursed me for the replacement tire because the Commander series of tires are only recommended for a 2000 1600 Road Star. (check their web site and you will see they only have a 2000 1600 Road Star listed) He insisted that I remove the front and rear Commander III tires and they would reimburse me for a set of Competitor's tires of my choice, mounting and balancing included!

I know, I ask him to repeat what he had just said!

So, I ordered a set of Metzler 888 Ultra Marathon tires and got them mounted and balanced. I just talked with the Rep this morning and received an email with a link to get my reimbursement direct deposited!

The rep said as of early 2022 they changed the tread pattern so that it extends more to the center of the tire to stop the Harmonic Vibration that was happening on some make/model bikes. But for now Michelin does not recommend the Commander series for the Road Stars (other than the 2000 1600 RS). Which means they will not warranty the tire, It would be considered a misfit!

Also, there is no longer any vibration at my front end!!

[NCB]

That the tire is out of round