Thats the tradeoff isnt it as longer mileage is generally a factor of a harder tyre compound. I guess that would suit say a tourer style bike, but for a nimble Sporty being thrown around and braked hard my preference is for something softer/stickier, albeit at the cost of a shorter life. I'll easily go through 1 and 1/2 tyres each year.
I have tried several different brands on mine. To be honest I got sick to death of sliding around in the rain so I now choose my tyres based entirely on how sticky they are in the wet. I personally don't give a shit about lifespan as long as they grip the road properly. But here's a rundown of my findings for anyone who may find this helpful.
I found night dragons pretty good for general riding/cruising in dry weather and for lifespan. Was pretty substandard in the wet. Maybe could work better on a lighter bike like a sporty. I got about 15K out of mine. Cant say I was impressed overall, maybe a 5 out of 10.
Metzeler, I cant say anything good about them at all. I swear they were great about 7-10 years ago when I ran these on the metric cruisers. I don't know if they changed compound or manufacturers or something cause they were rubbish on my dyna. I got to 12K before I got rid of it. still had plenty of tread but couldn't stand riding with the damn things anymore. 2nd worst wet weather tyre I've owned.
Michelin Scorchers came stock on mine, and was great for life span, but completely useless in the rain. By far the worst for wet weather. I'd never get one again or recommend them. I hear the commanders are better, but I'm kind of Michelin has scarred me for life I reckon. I got rid of that one well before running out of tread but I got about about 20k on it before I did.
A decent one that's more or less best of both worlds was the Dunlop 402. Was OK in the rain, in my opinion was far better than metzeler, Michelin and night dragons. average life span. I think about 12-15k from memory.
I now only run Dunlop K591 front and rear. You may need to order these as they aren't stocked in as many places now days. Very good in the rain, sticks like shit to a blanket. My riding is now mainly freeway as I've moved further from town. So I found the lifespan of these is better now. I initially only got 5-7K for a rear (maybe double for a front) when I was doing more urban riding. Lots of traffic lights and shit. Attending building sites in the city...etc. Since I changed to mostly freeway riding, I've just swapped mine at 15K. So lifespan is not too bad if freeway riding is what you do mostly. Or if you want a good sticky tyre for wet weather that's what I recommend.
Lastly, a mate of mine bought an Avon rear for his fat bob and we compared them at a fuel stop after a ride. both were new tyres, our riding was the same and the avon was noticeably warmer to the touch. It also held its heat for longer than my Dunlop K591. I would love to see how these perform in the wet. My mate reckons they're awesome. These are next on my list.
Anyway, hope this helps. At the end of the day everyone's experiences with these brands and models do vary person to person, so comes down to a matter of personal preference.
