Look what the UPS guy just dropped off at my house...
I ordered online, after I gave my local (Harley) tire shop first shot at a best price, I've been going there since '95. His price was over a hundred bucks more just for the tires, and his reasons were getting lame, since he doesn't really warranty anything the company does. So anyway here is what I decided on, Michelin Commander II. I did my research and seems 99% of everyone reviewing these tires loved them. They are *supposed to* last longer - go faster - give better gas mileage - better wet traction - better dry traction - all around better flat prevention (Kevlar belting) but they do cost more.
I have a guy that does the spoke wheel mounting for a great price, seems the local guy doesn't give any deals anymore, not even for old customers... too bad for him, first step in going under is not being competitive... names withheld to prevent any hard feelings.
Anyway this is how they ship, just banded together and label stuck on them.
I take the wheels off the bike myself, gives me a chance to detail the inside of the fenders and check brakes and do any maintenance that might be needed. I give the wheels a really good cleaning then bring them down to the tire shop where they change out the new ones. I have spoke wheels so I also got new tubes, they should be here tomorrow.
Once home with new rubber mounted I wax and polish the wheels one more time before I put them back on the bike and off I go.
Ill keep you all posted as to how these new tires ride and hold up as I put the miles on them.

Nice.What they run you?

I bought a set for my FL back in Aug 11 replaced the rear one in Oct, the front is still on but almost gone. Liked the tires paid 180 for the 2 tires, great handling and wear was a lot better than the Dunlops. I put over 9,000 on the rear which is good for me when I am going crosscountry in the summer and running 80 plus all day and night long. Usually when I go crosscountry with dunlops at about 7500 they are bald and just hope it doen't rain before I get back to Ma. and that is generally in 17 or so days. The only thing I don't like about them is no skinney whitewalls, I did buy some tire paint and painted the small letters, looked decent but didn't last long. Normal running I usually see 15,000 for rears and 30+ for fronts. I usually replace fronts because they get to hard. I use dyna beads for balance and change all my own tires. Deerslayer

Delivered they were $230, and the new tubes were 11 each.

Mounted and balanced

On the bike and riding.

After a few hundred miles so far I have to say I like the new tires.
They ride really smooth, and cornering is confident. They have very good adhesion and I find that I stop in shorter distances without loosing traction-skidding.
So far I would recommend them.

Ready for some new tires myself. Thanks for the heads up, I've been thinking of getting something other than dunlops.

The more I ride the nicer I realize they are. Smooths out the road and has very nice turning feel. I like them. I can't tell if the wet claims or the longevity are true yet-but so far compared to the reviews I read - my results are true.

500 MILE UPDATE

Just checked the air pressure and did a visual... they still look brand new. They corner well and soak up most small bumps. I'm very happy with the new tires so far. I haven't had to ride in the wet yet so I can't report on wet traction but as for dry traction they do a great job. Came around a steep down hill corner in unfamiliar territory, to a red light with cross traffic in the intersection... 55 mph to 0 mph in a very short distance, chirping the back tire with down shifts and hard braking. Front tire never skidded back tire only lost traction shortly with the downshifts... I stopped *BEFORE* the crosswalk... not bad. For comparison sake I've had to do that before with the dunlops and I'd be sliding both tires to get the bike to stop (almost) that short.

Summary:
The claims I read are true - better dry traction, smooth riding.
Better gas mileage??? I'm working on seeing if thats true but I drive a city/highway mixture and many traffic lights with fairly good pulls from a standing stop. Its hard to get a real definitive number. When I get a better average I'll post it. Also forgetting to keep a record at gas fill ups doesn't help either ...LOL