I can say without hesitation that every car tire purchase I?ve made has been done somewhat grudgingly, with safety and practicality being the primary concerns. When it comes to new motorcycle tires, the return feels more worthy of the investment. The Michelin Commander III tires proved this in spades.

In a word: Giddyap!

When I was asked to review the Commander III tires on my Harley?­Davidson Heritage Softail Classic, I was a little nervous, but not because I questioned the quality. Michelin has been my brand of choice for car tires for years, but that is primarily because of their reliability in the snow and ice where I live. But I don?t ride my bike on snow and ice. I assumed many of the same attractive attributes of traction and grip would apply on a motorcycle, but was I attuned enough to my bike to recognize the difference between these new tires and my old ones"
The answer was immediately ?Yes.? 

There are two versions of the Michelin Commander III: Cruiser or Touring. Given the weight of my bike, I went with the Touring, which has less siping than the Cruiser tires for better stability. The potential tradeoff is less grip in the rain, but Michelin says the 100% silica?reinforced rubber in the tires? compound addresses this. I haven?t yet taken my bike out in a deluge to test this claim, but on a curvy road leading up to a nearby ski resort, I hit a decent storm and didn?t sense any slippage at speed.

Another feature of the Commander ...