I usually stay out of the tire wars. I'm on my 3rd set of Dunlops. I never had a problem with them. I get about 14-15,000 from them. My bike felt smoother with the Dunlops than with the factory Bridgestones which only gave me 8000. On a dry road I'll scrape every part that will and the tires hold great. I've ridden in a lot of rain and have not had them slip. Tar strips are dangerous no matter what kind of tires you have. I'm not a tire expert but I'm happy with the Dunlops and I've put over 32,000 miles on them.
On the other hand, I like to try different things. I'll probably try the Avons in the future. Not sure I'll try the Metzlers because of their problems.
I read in Rider Magazine several months ago that Michelin is working on a new tire for the 1800. Looks like they might be giving it another shot. If they do we'll have some real choices to make.