Ratings and Reviews for GL1800 Tires Metzeler ME880 Gold Wing Tires

I went from Dunlop 3's to the Metzlers and loved the change on my 1500. I think the Metz ride much better w/o nearly the road whine. I just changed the rear out w/12K but the front has alot of tread left. We ride dbl up and usually haul a camper trailer so the cupping on the rear was to be expected. Be sure to monitor your air pressure w/these. My dealer recommended 45psi. I expect I'll be a Metz man from now on.

Great when new. Started to get the growl in the turns at about 8,000 miles nothing crazy just annoying. Switched them out at about 11,000 miles. I could have got another thousand or so miles out of them. Didn't want to push my luck. Trying out Avons this time. Only have a thousand miles or so on the Avons, so far Fantastic.

I Think that the bridgestone tires that came new on the bike have been the best tires so far. I have put 6k on these tires and at 4500 they started to cup. Still sticks well in the corners and they have have plenty on meat left on them. I'm a big guy and i have played with pressure on all the tires that I have owned. If your riding 2 up you should increase your tire pressure 2 to 4 pounds. If you weigh more then 200 pounds you should adjust for that as well. I think the Metzeler 880's is a good tire, But I feel the tire manufactures are shorting us. I have had plenty on bikes over the last 25 years and have learned how to take care of my tires but the wing is a tire eater due to it's weight and front end rake. I ran the 880's on my Harley dresser and was surprised when I would get 8k to 10k on them. Don't spend your money on upgrades to you bike I have tried them all. My Buddie installed a steering dampener and when rear tire started to cup the wobble came back. Take care of your tires and remember to keep the pressure checked

I bought my 2008 Goldwing new with the Dunlop Elite 3. I ride alot of double up and after 12000 miles, I had Metzler ME 880's installed. Unless you have done this then you cannot appreciate the difference between the tires. Wait till you get the shine knocked off and then hang on. There is not a curve that I worry about and they have never slipped once in the rain. I have full trust in these tires and will never ride with anything else.

With over 70,000 miles on our Wing now and trying all 3 of the so called name brands, I still like and prefer the Metzeler ME 880 over any of them. I get more miles, less wobble and superior handling and control compared the Dunlops.

I replaced a set of Dunlap Elite 3's with these and they seemed much better for the first 1k miles but then about the same as the Elite 3's, grabbing ruts and holes and made me somewhat uncomfortable, but then I spend most of my time on goat trails. But then most of the roads in California have a lot of potholes and ruts.

I have a used 2002 Gold Wing that I bought in 2004 with 15,000 miles on it. It came with Dunlops. I don't know if they were the second set or not. However, in 2006 with 25,000 miles on the bike I changed to Metzlers. I now have over 44,000 miles but my rear tire is going low on tread and is cupping. I use 40PSI in the front and 42 PSI in he rear. But almost 20,000 miles on Metzlers tells me about the quality of the tires. BTW I travel to and from work 208 miles round trip. Metzlers are definitely my choice.

I have a 2005 wing and I'm installing my 5th set of ME880s. I travel 130 to/from work 5/6 days a week (mostly highway) at 75 miles an hour. After tring the Bridgestone and Dunlops (not the E3s). I'll stay with the 880s. I run 42/46 PSI front and rear and get 18K per set. They grip the road and run thru the rain with ease. At 141K on my machine, Metzelers are my choice.

I had these tires front and rear. I put them on at 5k miles and replaced them both with Dunlops at 12k miles. They are sticky and have great traction which I like. My GL1800 has a horrific front-end wobble that eats my tires up. I get cupping around 2k-3k miles and I max out my air PSI - front and rear. I'm giving up on trying to correct the wobble. I put bearings and Traxxion suspension on for $1,500 and the wobble is worse but my front tire is wearing more evenly. I'll probably get 10k miles or more out of my Dunlops. My original tires were the Bridgestone. I don't know if they were good or not. The dealer told me they were the reason the bike has a wobble. Four trips to Rick Case Honda and they have never been able to help. I've seen bull riders put up with less stress than the GL1800 between 35-44 mph. Shakes like a palm tree in a hurricane. I'll probably go back to the Metzler. They gave me the most confidence in the corners. Good luck.

I AGREE WITH TODDICUS. I HAVE A METZELER FRONT TIRE. HAD 6,000 MILES ON IT WHEN I LEFT LOUISIANA FOR CALIFORNIA ON JUNE 23. HAD 9,000 MILES ON IT WHEN I GOT TO CALIFORNIA. DEVELOPED A WOBBLE ON THE FRONT END WHEN TAKING OFF AND SLOWING DOWN BELOW 20 MPH. AIR PSI O.K. AND I HAD A FEW CHOICE WORDS FOR THE METZELER TIRE. PULLED IN TO A MOTORCYCLE SHOP ALONG 101 IN EURIKA, CA. AND ASK THE YOUNG MAN TO PUT ME A NEW FRONT TIRE. AFTER INSPECTING THE FRONT TIRE HE DID NOT THINK THERE WAS ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE FRONT TIRE (STILL LOTS OF THREAD) HE CHECKED THE BACK TIRE AND SAID IT NEED CHANGING. CHANGED OUT THE BACK TIRE AND BIKE RODE GOOD WITH NO WOBBLE. SO I LEARNED THAT WHEN YOU GET A WOBBLE IN THE FRONT DOES NOT MEAN IT'S YOUR FRONT TIRE. NOW HAVE 13,000 MILES ON THE METZELER FRONT TIRE AND STILL GOOD.

These are great tires.As with any tire-proper air pressure is essential.I will be install my second set of the Metzeler's.My friend who has the same year as mine (2005) cannot believe that my tires don't wobble (he has another brand).Spend the extra money-worth it

THIS IS NOT A REVIEW> IT IS FOR INFO ONLY! EVERY brand of tire has someone who has a `horror' story, and says "never use this brand". I actually heard someone tout never to use an Elite 3 because he'd had a flat! DUH! He had a NAIL in it! Tires are a matter of preference. A stickier tire will get less mileage, probably around 10k. I hard tire will get more, but have a lot less grip to the road. Make your choice, and accept it as your choice. There are multiple stories for every single brand (Go to the motorcycle chat sites!). Truth is, the MAJORITY of tire issues are a lack a proper PSI. Honda sites tout 39 PSI front, 40 PSI in the rear. GO TO THE TIRE MANUFACTURER SITES AND CHECK! I went to the Metzler site, and they recommend 41-43 front, and 41-45 rear to help eliminate cupping (and use common sense, a soft sticky tire will cup faster, duh!). So if you are over 200 lbs, and think 40 PSI is fine, think again. Especially if you are riding 2 up, or pulling a trailer. Sticky will wear and cup faster. Hard will last longer but good luck in rain and tar spots. So again, make your own private choice. Every tire has good and bad.

I have a 2002 Goldwing and have had the Dunlops and Bridgestones that gave up at 4-5000 miles due to cupping and the inherent noise then. I have had the Metzelers ME880 for 6500 miles and are still like new in performance, noise and tread. These are a great tire. I have 40 years of racing and riding experience with 15 years on Goldwings. PS I have never the "Goldwing Wobble".

So far so good. I love the way they handle. They are great on the corners and I have had no wobble or road noise. If things change I update the review.

First let me say I had nothing but Metzlers on my 1200's. LOVED them. Then we get to the 1800's.... My brand new '03 had ME880's put on several days after I bought it (stock Dunlops were 1" out of round!!!!I won't detail the 22 mpg due to faulty O2 sensors, the sand found clogging left bank, the overheating with coolant blowing out, the blown shaft seal, etc. All of which Honda Customer Service said was `within specs', and took the threat of a lawsuit to get rectified...) But I digress. My Metzlers rode smooth as silk and sticky as a Cinnabun. But then the wobble started at 4,000 miles. I replaced the stock springs with GoldPoints, and had the neck bearings replaced with tapered. (WHY doesn't Honda use tapered as stock? Apparently they have NO desire to improve the bike..)The wobble disappeared. After 10,000 miles, I replaced them with new Metzlers due to wear (I would trade performance for mileage any time). Then came the 2005 trip to Nova Scotia (I live in Calif.) 11,000 miles to and from, and it was the smoothest ride. No wobble. No Humming. The rear was worn, so I replaced them both with new M's. Unfortuately, 1,000 miles later, the '03 was totaled by a wayward winery truck...so I bought a friend's '04. Enter the '04 fiasco. I immediately did the neckbearings and spring thing. I tossed the POS Dunlops in 3/06, and put on M's. IMMEDIATE horrible wobble on the front. The dealer (Concord Honda and they work great with me) determined the tire was bad (it was dated 26/02). They sent it back to Parts Unlimited, wrapped in white paper, with `BAD TIRE' in marker across the paper. They ordered a new tire. Parts Unlimited sent them a new one. Guess what...It was the SAME TIRE STILL WRAPPED IN PAPER!They called the rep, and he said that was all he had. So they called Metzler. I told them I wanted a NEW tire, not a tire 4 years old. He said they didn't have any, and age had no effect on a tire. After 6 months of having to ride UNSAFE on the piece of crap tire I was stuck with, Concord found a tire for me, dated 21/04 at another dealer. They replaced it NO CHARGE. That tire never had a wobble. 10,000 miles later, I put another set of M's on. The front tire has never wobbled. Now, after 6,000 miles, the rear losing 10 PSI over a week. I have found a split, 4" long, inside the tread on the rear. So I am putting on 2 new M's, even though the front is still good. I bough the tires 6 months ago just to have, and they are dated 24/05. I just believe in replacing both at the same time. I know the story is long, but bottom line, I am giving 4 stars instead of 5 not for the tires, but for the fiasco I was put through by Metzler and Parts Unlimited in sending back a blatantly bad tire and not caring enough to replace it with a proper tire at the time. That, and the split I have found inside the rear's tread. I still believe the Metzler has the stickiest ride. My friends also swear by the Bridgestone, but they admit the front follows rain gooves and ruts. The M's totally ignore ruts, grooves, and metal bridges. Even at 10,000 miles on a set of very expensive tires, They stick to the road, even with tar patches. I will stay with the M's until they totally piss me off. Then I will use a M880 on the front, and a Bridgestone on the rear. AND, if you are experiencing the `1800 Wobble', I do suggest you install the aftermarket springs, and tapered bearings. That, and diabling the insipid anti-dive system (e-mail if you want to know how cheap and without alteration), will improve the ride immensely.

Replaced the stock Dunlops with these... Had to take the bike back 3 times before the incredible shaking went away!! They replaced the back one 3 times, the front one 1 time. They went about 10k before the front one was wasted! Back one was better than the front but I'm replacing both with Elite 3's.

Dont put these on a Wing!!! I have used these tires before with good results on a PC800 and Suzuki Intruder. Getting 12-14K from them with good wear. On my 05 Wing, they started cupping early on and the back flattened out after 4K. With only 8.5K on them since July, the back one let go zipping down the Hwy15 the other morning. WOW that was fun! Went to the Elite 3's this time, we will see. The stock Dunlaps lasted over 12K.

I have run Metzeler tires on many bikes and have had a few bad ones. However I have had bad tires from every manufacture I have ever tried in the last 600,000 plus miles! The stock Dunlop tires on my GL1800 lasted 6000 miles before they vibrated though every minor turn. My replacement Metzeler have 12,000 and are still going strong. If the next set give out at 4000 miles, then I guess I just buy new tires and they will be Metzeler, Dunlap’s, or Michelin if they come out with something different. I have had fairly good luck with Bridgestone’s but have had some really bad one there as well! Pirelli is about the only tire I will never own again! Which is the best tire? That really depends on the rider/operator’s willingness to keep them at proper inflation pressures and the way that rider...well... rides! Every tire company is going to turn out an occasional bad tire or even a series of tires. What can you do? Try to go with the best that is here and now, and forget brand loyalty. The Metzeler tires are good, give them a try and most likely you be more than satisfied with them.

I purchased these tires at 8000 miles now have 15000 went on a trip to the redwoods in calif, noticed a strang vibration on the way home, wifey noticed it too! this vibration occured only when leaning left, I thought something was going wrong with the driveline. turns out the tire devoloped a bad cupping only on the left side of the tire. I noticed on the trip that the tire was very hot at times, do not know if this contributed to the cupping. I do not trust this tire anymore and will replace it before the next riding season

DIDN'T THINK TIRES MADE THAT MUCH DIFFERENCE. WAS I EVER WRONG. MADE MY GOLDWING RIDE BETTER THAN NEW. LESS EFFORT TO TURN IN CURVY MOUNTIANS.HAVE SPEED UP TO 120 MPH (ONCE) AND NO WOBBLE WHAT SO EVER. VERY SMOOTH. WILL NOT HAVE ANYTHING ELSE ON MY BIKE.