Michelin commander III poor in wet ?

SPR

SPR

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Afternoon

So I've just about hit 600 miles on the R18 and I'm less than impressed with the wet / damp tyre weather grip.

Noticed a couple weeks ago the back end would snake and slide in the damp / wet on roundabouts and low speed corners .... I thought it was due to

  1. Tyre pressure
  2. Tyre not scrubbed enough
  3. "Rock" mode acceleration out of corners a bit too enthusiastic
Checked pressures and all OK - date codes show late 22 for the rear and late 20 for the front (bit odd but hey ho). Mileage is up to 500 ish so there should be no issue with them still needing scrubbing

Went out again and left it in "Roll" mode to be smoother ..... wasn't wet per se but there were a couple of wet patches of water running over the road and bike still lost grip .... and I mean it went a good 6 inches - or so it felt.

Any ideas ? Any one else had this ?

I've never had this on the Harley's but was running either Dunlops or latterly Avon Cobra Chrome .... the Avons were superb

Cheers

Simon
 
So sorry you are experiencing that. I have heard complaints about vibration and noises at the front end from other riders, not all of them R18 owners.
My bike came with the Bridgestone Battlecruise H50 and so far they have performed very well, but then again, I am biased as I have been using Bridgestones on my cars as well as I prefer them vs Pirelli’s or other performance tyres.
 
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I've got about 350 miles on my 2023. I haven't ridden on a wet road yet but I'm surprised to hear that on such a heavy bike.....
I put Pirelli Night Dragons on my Harley that were fantastic...and a some kind of Michelins on my R9T that were great.
I like a soft tire that grips like hell and corners without slipping, but they don't last as long. Who cares, it's worth the tradeoff....
 
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I'm running michelin commander 3 tyres on my TC, no problems in
the wet, although I do change to roll mode if it is very wet.
What pressures are you running, as I noticed that BMW set the pressure
at the usual 36 front 42 rear, where the handbook lists 43 & 47psi.
This may be different on the classic & pure models.
 
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Rider0974 said:
I'm running michelin commander 3 tyres on my TC, no problems in
the wet, although I do change to roll mode if it is very wet.
What pressures are you running, as I noticed that BMW set the pressure
at the usual 36 front 42 rear, where the handbook lists 43 & 47psi.
This may be different on the classic & pure models.
Click to expand...
I'm running the 36/42 - I think that the TC is different as it is heavier - I'll try and double check
 
Randy Kahn said:
I've got about 350 miles on my 2023. I haven't ridden on a wet road yet but I'm surprised to hear that on such a heavy bike.....
I put Pirelli Night Dragons on my Harley that were fantastic...and a some kind of Michelins on my R9T that were great.
I like a soft tire that grips like hell and corners without slipping, but they don't last as long. Who cares, it's worth the tradeoff....
Click to expand...
I'm with you .... I'd rather have the grip than the mileage
 
Anibal said:
https://motorhungry.com/michelin-commander-3-problems/

Found this as well in tinternet
Click to expand...
That was the first iteration, they later revised the Commander III.
I believe his model (dated 2022) is already the revised version.
However, storage may have played a role in the tire losing some of the flexibility (Stickyness or however you want to call it)
I have a 2022 Classic and, to this date, have not experienced peeling, or had any ‘Depends’ moment.
 
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emgarciax said:
That was the first iteration, they later revised the Commander III.
I believe his model (dated 2022) is already the revised version.
However, storage may have played a role in the tire losing some of the flexibility (Stickyness or however you want to call it)
I have a 2022 Classic and, to this date, have not experienced peeling, or had any ‘Depends’ moment.
Click to expand...
It could be poor storage .... but there are some "moments" everytime in the damp which spoils a great bike .... I'll try it a couple more weeks and if still the same get them swapped
 
SPR said:
Afternoon

So I've just about hit 600 miles on the R18 and I'm less than impressed with the wet / damp tyre weather grip.

Noticed a couple weeks ago the back end would snake and slide in the damp / wet on roundabouts and low speed corners .... I thought it was due to

  1. Tyre pressure
  2. Tyre not scrubbed enough
  3. "Rock" mode acceleration out of corners a bit too enthusiastic
Checked pressures and all OK - date codes show late 22 for the rear and late 20 for the front (bit odd but hey ho). Mileage is up to 500 ish so there should be no issue with them still needing scrubbing

Went out again and left it in "Roll" mode to be smoother ..... wasn't wet per se but there were a couple of wet patches of water running over the road and bike still lost grip .... and I mean it went a good 6 inches - or so it felt.

Any ideas ? Any one else had this ?

I've never had this on the Harley's but was running either Dunlops or latterly Avon Cobra Chrome .... the Avons were superb

Cheers

Simon
Click to expand...
Mines on mitchellons and always gave a wee snake coming out the corners in wet I just thought it was the torque my I add in rail mode its nearly impossible to get the tail out
 
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SPR said:
Afternoon

So I've just about hit 600 miles on the R18 and I'm less than impressed with the wet / damp tyre weather grip.

Noticed a couple weeks ago the back end would snake and slide in the damp / wet on roundabouts and low speed corners .... I thought it was due to

  1. Tyre pressure
  2. Tyre not scrubbed enough
  3. "Rock" mode acceleration out of corners a bit too enthusiastic
Checked pressures and all OK - date codes show late 22 for the rear and late 20 for the front (bit odd but hey ho). Mileage is up to 500 ish so there should be no issue with them still needing scrubbing

Went out again and left it in "Roll" mode to be smoother ..... wasn't wet per se but there were a couple of wet patches of water running over the road and bike still lost grip .... and I mean it went a good 6 inches - or so it felt.

Any ideas ? Any one else had this ?

I've never had this on the Harley's but was running either Dunlops or latterly Avon Cobra Chrome .... the Avons were superb

Cheers

Simon
Click to expand...
The Commander II is a better tire. Give it a shot!
 
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My R18C has about 15,000 miles on it. I am UK based so plenty of miles in cool wet conditions. First observation is that in over 50 years of riding bikes ( mainly BMW & Harley ) I have never known tires last so long. The front is more warn than the back which is unusual in my experience. Too me at times the front end does seem to lack feel and and appears very hard. I have reduced the front pressure at times to experiment a little. It didn't make much difference. I am thinking of putting Avon Cobra on the front and would be interested to hear if anybody has done the same on an R18 Classic.
 
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Tony the Skin said:
My R18C has about 15,000 miles on it. I am UK based so plenty of miles in cool wet conditions. First observation is that in over 50 years of riding bikes ( mainly BMW & Harley ) I have never known tires last so long. The front is more warn than the back which is unusual in my experience. Too me at times the front end does seem to lack feel and and appears very hard. I have reduced the front pressure at times to experiment a little. It didn't make much difference. I am thinking of putting Avon Cobra on the front and would be interested to hear if anybody has done the same on an R18 Classic.
Click to expand...
I used Avon Cobra Chrome tires on Honda Valkyrie and the R18FE and liked them a lot.
The front wore faster then the rear but it still lasted for 11,000 miles of very spirited riding.
Got a nail in the rear tire and I had to change to a different brand since the Cobra Chromes were out of stock for a very long time.
I run Michelin Commander II these days and I like them just as much.
I had bad luck with the Cobras. They were nail/screw magnets for a reason or another.
Had to change a tire or two with only two to three hundred miles miles on it.
 
Calboy said:
I used Avon Cobra Chrome tires on Honda Valkyrie and the R18FE and liked them a lot.
The front wore faster then the rear but it still lasted for 11,000 miles of very spirited riding.
Got a nail in the rear tire and I had to change to a different brand since the Cobra Chromes were out of stock for a very long time.
I run Michelin Commander II these days and I like them just as much.
I had bad luck with the Cobras. They were nail/screw magnets for a reason or another.
Had to change a tire or two with only two to three hundred miles miles on it.
Click to expand...
Thanks for reply . Very sorry to hear of your misfortune with the punctures. I think Avon will be my choice.
 
Hadn't seen anyone mention either that the Commander 3's come in two types - Touring and Cruiser. For the B or TC, you will probably want to go with the Touring. For the Pure/Classic, you will probably want the Cruiser.

Fortnine discussing Commander 3-
 
Not an expert here but looking at the rain groves on the Michelin Commander III gives me the impression that in the wet this tyre may be more slippery that a bucket of eels. I mean, look at the bold area in between groves. I could be wrong and I am aware some owners have not experienced any issues in the wet with the Commander III and I am glad this is the case but in my head I would not go for this tyre for road use. IMG_0473.png
 
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