| Author | Message | ||
     Windrider |
Badwebbers, At 4500 miles my rear Dunlop D616 was just past the wear bar. I decided to try the Syncs and while I had the bike up on the stand I decided to replace both as a set. The front still had some life left but was cupping badly. I never liked the center groove in the front tire and felt it caused the tire to follow every road surface groove. I have now put 300 miles on the Syncs and they are much better in every situation IMHO. They make the bike feel much more planted and stable. The ride and road feedback are better and they grip like glue. I was surprised to find that they hook up better in the gravel and sand as well. Still not knobbies and the Ulysses easily overwhelms them in the dirt, but I feel more confident in the loose stuff on the Syncs. If they wear longer or as long I will keep using these tires! Buell did the right thing by making the Syncs stock rubber on the 07s.  Happy Trails, WindRider | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
I only got 2600 miles out of my rear. The tire did the final melt down as I rolled into the parking lot. I switched to the Avon Azaros and have been very pleased with them. The Syncs are the next to be tried. | ||
| M2nc |
I went to the Diablo Stradas because I could not find Syncs before a big trip and my second D616 rear was gone at 7.5k. The Stradas are an improvement over the D616 as far as for turn in but they too follow grooves and do not stick as well as the D616. They did eliminate the high speed wobble, though with 4500 miles on the front tire, its back though not as bad. On my way back from VIR I turned down the rear pre-load to get the bike to settle down at 80mph. I will try the Syncs next and see if they are as good as most people say. I was disappointed with Stradas because to me they are not as good as so many people built them up to be. I give them a B- rating. Good wear life (4.1k and 2/32 off the wear bars, decent wet and dry grip, but follow grooves, slip on tar strips and painted lines where the D616 would not. | ||
| Fubar |
+1 on the Syncs. Very happy with ~1K so far. | ||
| Oddsc |
I just switched to the Syncs too, now my Uly is finally the PERFECT bike! The Dunlops absolutely SUCKED! I think they should have been recalled as unstable as they were on the highway. So anyone else waiting to switch out tires, don't wait, and switch out the front too, you won't be disappointed! | ||
| Warbaby |
I switched to Syncs at 130 miles (only 350 total miles so far) and recently gave the Syncs a good scuffing followed by a heavy twisty workout on great pavement at Deal's Gap. I'm very impressed with the Sync's dry road traction, straight-line tracking, and tenacious grip at hard lean angles. | ||
| Debueller |
I'm going to go against the grain here and say I prefer the 616's I've worn out 3 sets of 616's, 1 set of the Sync's, and a set of Bridgestone 020's. I'm going back to 616's next week. None of them lasted longer than 6K miles on the rear. The Sync's were by far the most expensive and lasted only slightly longer than the 616's. They worked very well but IMO dosen't warrant the higher price. I'm a little price aware because I buy tires every month during the summer. Next to fuel it is by far the most money I spend on riding. While the 616's do "swim" a little, I don't find it as unnerving as some people. I was getting them for almost the same price as the 020's (which sucked off pavement). The Sync's were $50 more than the 616's and 020's. I get about the same mileage out of all them. What I do like about the 616's is the off pavement performance. To me they perform well on the Uly with it's go anywhere attiude. I feel they stick good on the pavement also. I've got a backlog of 3 rears and 2 fronts in my garage ready to mount-up. (I'm afraid Dunlop will discontinue making them) I guess it's a personal preferance. BTW, Windrider and I have ridden together (great ride Neil, thanks) and we enjoy similar types of riding. It further proves the personal preference. | ||
| Superglide |
The FedEx guy just dropped off my new Sync's. Hopefully I can get them mounted within the next week. FYI: my original 616's are at 7975 miles. | ||
| Bosezone |
superglide...how did you manage 8k miles on the 616's??? You must weigh 125lbs, be running on one cylinder and live where there are no straight roads or something. I haven't heard of anyone getting over maybe 5K max. that's amazing. What kind of gas milage do you get? | ||
| Superglide |
bosezone...all black top, commuting 50 miles daily, averaging from 48-54 mpg with speeds up to 80 mph in the am and 50 mph in the evening (traffic), fyi: the scale currently reflects ~200 lbs..and moving in the wrong direction!! | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Why the variance on the rears for the D616s? Mine was completely shot at 2700 miles. I ain't no Ricky Racer. It was slimey and balled up on the edges as well so it wasn't that it had been slabbed to death. The front fared much better, but it was still well worn at 2700 miles. Were there good batches and bad batches. My build date was in November. For you guys that are getting high mileage, what is your build date? | ||
| Xbimmer |
My rear 616 took a puncture last week at 6600 miles, I think it would also have gone 8k. Was down to just under 1mm to the bars. I plugged it and considered finishing it off but that night I read a lot of controversy on plugging here, so I parked it to find a new 616. That is NOT an easy thing to do, unless you are willing to pay HD $180 and $45 to mount it. Local parts and accessories store had one backordered for me since July, he even joined in with the search for me. I found one at a Cycle Gear about 30 mi away, and lucky me it was on sale, and a surprise to me was their Road Hazard Protection plan! Three days w/o riding, longest since I bought the bike in May. Sucked. | ||
| Frankf |
I too am confused in the difference in milage on the 616's. I got 3500 on the rear, and the front is still going at 6,800. I am hoping that someone will soon make a Dual sport tire for this bike. Something with some bite, like the TKC80 or a Metzler Tourance. I currently have a Sync on the rear, which has 3800 miles on it now, and looks like it has a way to go yet. This bike was designed and is marketed as a all surface road bike. Until someone makes a tire for it the works off pavement, that statement will not be accurate. | ||
| Retired_cop |
Avon Azaro's with 3500 miles on them and still 2/32 to the wear bars. The original Dunlops were at the wear bars at 5400 miles in the rear, but still had 3/32 in the front. The Avon's seem to work better off road (gravel, loose sand, farm roads etc ) than the Dunlops did 7 they are much better on road as far as performance/handling goes. Just my humble opinion. | ||
| Brat |
I'm getting better mileage than quoted here, where are they wearing out, center or sides. Now switched to syncs, great tire. I tend to take off then give it a handfull, get plenty of front wheel lift and easier on tires!  | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Mine were worn from edge to edge on the rear, but he center strip is what killed it off. It was blued and balled up on the outer edges. The center was cooked. It looked like chewed Wrigleys and dryer lint and was into the wear bars. I'm considering using slightly higher inflation pressures than spec. The Avon website has inflation pressures for the X1 and XB9 as 36 front 42 rear. There is no fitment for XB12X. I have emailed the company but haven't heard back from them yet. I'm wondering if my pressure was too low causing excess flex and heat or if I need to run slightly higher temps to reduce flex and heat. | ||
| Chadhargis |
My Diablo Strada stick like glue, and I ride fairly fast. Never had a slide unless it was due to gravel or something. | ||
| Paochow |
After riding a DRZ with Pirelli MT-21 knobbies at high speed many times, I have to say the 616's are much more stable at highway speed. I'll have to see how they wear for me. | ||
| Debueller |
After being used to riding dual sport bikes with knobbies I guess I'm sorta immune to being bothered by the slight "swimming" effect of the 616's. I agree with Paochow, I think they feel fairly stable at hwy speeds. (I will admidt they are not perfect). As a matter of fact I would consider an even more aggressive off pavement tire...even if it had even worse pavement manners than the 616's. I guess I'm kind of a freak. IMHO, the 616's are the most aggresive off-pavement 17" Z rated tires available that are DOT legal AND come in the widths that the Uly uses. The Sync's are the only thing that even comes close. | ||
| Windrider |
Hey Debueller, Finally remembered to send you the pics from our Spring ride. I guess it is a personal preference on tire choices. I liked the Dunlops fine when they were on the bike and was used to the little high speed swim feel from the front (after all I have been riding D/S bikes for years) but think that the Syncs offer a better compromise for me and my riding style. They just feel better everywhere to me. Sadly, my riding time constraints allows them to last for quite a while. Nobody burns 'em up like you! Keep the rubber side down. WindRider | ||
| Jim_sb |
What controversy? I picked up a large staple in my rear D616 the day I rode my Ulysses home from the dealership. Tire had less than 100 miles on it, was flat as a pancake. I grabbed my fix-a-flat kit, plugged the tire, inflated it and put another 2700 miles on it at which point it was well done. At 4600 the front is still going strong. I never had a bit of trouble with the plug. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. The bike has been ridden hard and at speed with the plug. Many of my riding buddies have had similar success stories using the plugs. PS. I too like the D616's. I'm all for trying the Sync's just to see how they do, but on my S2 I ran M-1's (twice), BT-010's, BT-020's, D220's, D204/205's and the 616's are, IMHO, a good tire. If Dunlop has a sale I'll buy a bunch of 'em. Regards, Jim in Santa Barbara | ||
| Cygnus_x1 |
I had the Syncs, but the rear wore out real fast, so I think I'll stick with the 616 rear, and the MT60 up front!  | ||
| Chrisb |
I have about 5k on my 616 should be able to get another 1k on it before I need a new tire. I'm interested in the Connie Road Attacks however with winter around the corner I was thinking of trying the Avon SM Pro Rain tire http://www.avonmotorcycle.com/us/en/Product.asp?ProdType=SuperMotard&SubCat=31 | ||
| Roadrailer |
Rain tires generally wear VERY quickly on dry roads. | ||
| Debueller |
Cygnus, That MT60 looks awesome on the Uly! If i'm not mistaken the widest size in that tire for the rear is a 150? Is the mt60 a radial? How does that tire combo feel? Is it Z rated? Thanks. | ||
| The_raven |
I put 6200 miles on my 616's. the front could have lasted another 2k. I switched to the Conti. Road Attacks. These tires are supposed to last about 8000 miles. I have put about 2500 miles on them so far. Great dry road performance, they stick like glue and give excellent feed back. Off road is of course not an option with this tire. And from the reviews I have read the tire is supposed to be one of the better wet road Sport touring tires available. Have not had enough rain to validate this though. I will probably go back with the 616's or try the syncs next as I miss bombing down the bountiful fire roads here in sw virginia | ||
| Jim_sb |
Hello Dave, How does that MT-60 do in sand? Jim in Santa Barbara | ||
| Jim_sb |
Curiously my 2nd rear D616 appears to be exhibiting better wear characteristics than the original. #2 has nearly 2,000 miles on it and it still looks good. Time will tell. The front has some cupping at 4600 miles but it doesn't bother me, no adverse effects that I can discern for now. Jim in Santa Barbara | ||
| Buellysses |
10K service coming up tues. and it's time for my third rear. My front is original with close to 10k. .16" tread left. Looks new, though I'm certainly not an aggressive rider. Is this typical? thanks from a noob. | ||
| Xbimmer |
Front tires usually scallop or cup from brake loading forces over time, under normal or spirited riding conditions. In the old days with spindly 36mm fork tubes and contemporary front ends this usually resulted in the 40 mph headshake or worse. Stickier tire compounds or more aggressive street riding would wear away the sides of the tread before the shaky cupping would occur. If it's not obvious visually you can check for the scalloping by running your hand along the tire tread from the ground up to the fender, then back down again. At 10k I'll bet you're gonna feel the difference. With these great new radials I don't think it poses much of a problem though, especially with new-tech front suspensions. Mine is scalloped pretty well and still just fine. I'm gonna stick to my 2 rear/ 1 front schedule like always, unless the front 616 starts to get weird after 10k. | ||
| Neurorider |
I thought I would revive this thread...Just put Syncs on my Uly, and while I love the stickiness of these tires, the rear is almost to the wear bars with around 1500 miles on them. Looks like maybe 2mm of tire left before the wear bars. Since it was an expensive tire, I'll likely use it till that wear bar is gone, but this seems excessive. Maybe that 800 miles in 105 degree heat has something to do with that...gotta love Dallas in the summer. I've read a couple of thread suggesting that the newer 616's wear better than the OEM ones did-anyone seen this at this point? And, I see that the rear is available as a 190. Has anyone tried that? Might have more rubber to resist wear! | ||
| Whitj |
Neurorider, did you go back to the 616? i am in phoenix and have heat issues as well. if you only get 1.5k miles on a sync than forget it. 616 it is for me. i got 10k on my 1st set of 616's | ||
| Neurorider |
Hi Whit- I must have missed your reply. Yes, my rear Sync now has about 3000 and it is totally bald in the middle 4" or so. Was looking not-so-good at 1500. Time for another tire! I bought a slightly used 616 front on this forum, now have to get a rear. I do ride in gravel, mud and dirt so that matters to me. Just sold my dualsport KLX so now it's all Uly! |
