• Home
  • Motorcycles
  • Electric Motorcycles
  • 3 wheelers
  • FUV Electric 3 wheeler
  • Shop
  • Listings

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest creative news from CycleNews about two, three wheelers and Electric vehicles.

What's Hot

Conspiracy World Thinks the Musk-Trump Breakup Is a ‘Psyop’

Apple’s WWDC 2025: How to Watch and What to Expect

5 Best Mushroom Gummies (2025), WIRED-Tested and Approved

Facebook Twitter Instagram
  • Home
  • Motorcycles
  • Electric Motorcycles
  • 3 wheelers
  • FUV Electric 3 wheeler
  • Shop
  • Listings
Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest
Cycle News
Submit Your Ad
Cycle News
You are at:Home » Michelin Commander III Cruiser Tires Review [Sportster Test]
Motorcycles

Michelin Commander III Cruiser Tires Review [Sportster Test]

cycleBy cycleAugust 20, 202404 Mins Read
Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email


In the initial 300 miles on mixed road surfaces and conditions, the Michelin Commander III Cruiser tires have lived up to the claims for handling, braking, and ride quality.

In my testing, Michelin Commander II tires have demonstrated impressive wear characteristics on both V-twin and V-4 powered motorcycles of comparable weight—a Harley-Davidson XL883R Sportster and a Honda VF700C Magna were the test beds, with the tires lasting longer on the V-4 Magma than the V-twin Sportster. That inevitably led to speculation about how the Michelin Commander III Cruiser tires would compare to the Commander IIs on the same XL883R.

Michelin Commander III Cruiser Tires Review: Sizes
The Michelin Commander III Cruiser tires have a similar tread pattern to the Commander II, enhanced with 100 percent silica compound.

The odometer reading on the Harley-Davidson XL883R Sportster at the start of this review was 34,208 miles. The Michelin Commander III Cruiser tires were professionally mounted and balanced by Vetesnik’s Powersports in Richland Center, Wisconsin. Inflation pressures are routinely checked, and no track days, burn-outs, wheelies, or other unusual riding techniques are used in this review. Also, the appearance of the Commander III features a sidewall treatment upgrade that Michelin calls the Premium Touch Design.

To minimize road surface contribution to vibration, I ran the tires for their first day on the road on a seven-mile stretch of new pavement completed just last summer. After double-checking front and rear tire pressure, I took the Sportster out for a run.

Michelin Commander III Cruiser Tire Review: Front
Michelin’s Commander III cruiser front tire view shows the substantial road surface contact patch.

The blacktop surface is as smooth as any I’ve ever ridden on, and I varied the speed from 40 to 75 mph with careful attention paid to times of acceleration and deceleration. After multiple passes through the stretch of new pavement, I couldn’t detect any unusual vibration above what I’d expect from the bike and normal road surface variations.

Michelin’s Aramid Shield Technology provides a more rigid tire structure, according to the French company, while the lightweight aramid-fiber tread plies on the rear tire are designed to prevent centrifugal force distortion and enhance stability.

Michelin Commander III Cruiser Tires Review: rear
The rear tire tread pattern is similar to the front, with alternating rain grooves approaching the midline, but still putting plenty of rubber on the road to maximize tread life.

Thus far, the tires have been exposed to routine riding conditions on essentially rural two-lane highways, paved secondary roads, and a limited number of Interstate highway-speed riding. The Commander III cruiser version is designed to cover a lot of road miles. Part of the approach used to achieve slower wear is in the rounder cross-tread profile that is designed to optimize the contact patch.

Most braking and turning has been as would occur under normal cruising conditions, though some instances of more aggressive braking and cornering were included. The double-disc front and single rear non-ABS disc brakes on the 883R worked well to bring the bike’s speed down quickly under hard application with no tire wandering from the line and no side slip or wheel-hop from the front or rear tire.

The Premium Touch Design enhances the appearance of the Michelin Commander III Cruiser tire sidewalls.

Opportunities to evaluate traction in the wet were limited to wet stretches from passing showers early in the review. That didn’t include hard cornering or braking on wet pavement, so there’s not enough road experience to comment. However, Michelin says the compound used in the Commander III tires includes silica in 100 percent of the tire to enhance tread grip in the wet. The rear tire tread pattern is reminiscent of the Commander II, but the III puts more silica-reinforced rubber on the pavement. The sipe of the Commander III rain grooves starts slightly further out from the midline of the tire than on the II. Michelin’s website says that in an independent test against seven leading competitors conducted in 2020, the Commander III rated best overall in traction in wet pavement riding conditions—we’ll see when the weather changes.

The Michelin Commander III cruiser tires have a tough assignment in surpassing the impressive performance we found in our long-term reviews of the earlier Commander IIs. We’ll keep you posted on how they do as the miles accumulate.

Michelin Commander III Tire Sizes

Front

  • 140/90 x 15
  • 150/90 x 15
  • 170/80 x 15
  • 180/70 x 15
  • 130/90 x16
  • 140/75 x 17
  • 100/90 x 19
  • 110/90 x 19
  • 80/90 x 21
  • 90/90 x 11

Rear 

  • 140/90 x 15
  • 150/90 x 15
  • 170/80 x 15
  • 180/70 x 15
  • 130/90 x 16
  • 140/90 x 16
  • 150/80 x 16
  • 160/70 x 17
  • 200/55 x 17



Source link

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
Previous ArticleThe Best Early Labor Day Mattress Deals (2024)
Next Article THE PACK Plaza is teaming up with 402 Automotive to present electric motorbikes and mopeds at international events in 2025 | thepack.news | THE PACK
cycle
  • Website

Related Posts

2025 Thunder Valley National Motocross Fantasy Picks: Fast Facts

June 6, 2025

2025 BMW R 1300 GS Adventure to Quail MotoFest: A Travel Story

June 5, 2025

Royal Enfield BTR Road Racing Road America Results, Coverage

June 5, 2025
Add A Comment

Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Demo
Top Posts

Conspiracy World Thinks the Musk-Trump Breakup Is a ‘Psyop’

June 6, 2025

The urban electric commuter FUELL Fllow designed by Erik Buell is now opening orders | thepack.news | THE PACK

July 29, 2023

2024 Yamaha Ténéré 700 First Look [6 Fast Facts For ADV Riding]

July 29, 2023
Stay In Touch
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • TikTok
  • WhatsApp
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
Latest Reviews

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest tech news from FooBar about tech, design and biz.

Demo
Most Popular

Conspiracy World Thinks the Musk-Trump Breakup Is a ‘Psyop’

June 6, 2025

The urban electric commuter FUELL Fllow designed by Erik Buell is now opening orders | thepack.news | THE PACK

July 29, 2023

2024 Yamaha Ténéré 700 First Look [6 Fast Facts For ADV Riding]

July 29, 2023
Our Picks

74 Best Buy Black Friday Deals to Shop Right Now (2023)

These Solid-State Drivers Bring the Future of Portable Sound to Your Headphones

An Innovative EV Motor Used by Lamborghini, McLaren, and Ferrari Is Being Mass-Produced by Mercedes

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest news from CycleNews about two, three wheelers and Electric vehicles.

© 2025 cyclenews.blog
  • Home
  • About us
  • Get In Touch
  • Shop
  • Listings
  • My Account
  • Submit Your Ad
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Stock Ticker

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.