Anyone ever run Avon "tyres"?

[SCJJR65]

I was going to spring for a set of Bridgestone Spitfires for Britta, but my mechanic says he has a set of Avons that will fit her perfectly, for only $110 mounted & balanced!  The tread design looks really cool, pretty aggressive, too.  He said they are in the middle as to "stickyness vs. mileage".  I've not read much at all about fellow R65ers running with Avons, so I thought I'd ask.  I understand they are pretty popular in Europe!  

Any opinions or thoughts?  :-?

[Bob_Roller]

My first question would be, how old are the tires ?

[nhmaf]

I haven't tried them on an airhead yet.  I've just recently put new Z rated Avons on my Kawasaki concours.
They are a bit stickier/softer than the Dunlops I had on there, and will probably wear out faster.  The ones that
are on the Concours are a bit more 'sport' oriented, and also claim to have great wet-weather traction.
I've only a few hundred miles on them so far, so can't offer much of an opinion, except they seem to be working
well on the Concours (Azaro/Storm model tires) .

[larstorders]

Hi
I've used AM20 and AM21 on R65 s and been very happy with their performance. They're good as anything when new and their performance doesn't suffer unduly as the miles build up. They're certainly better than a comparable metzeler ME 77 / ME33 set up when they're carrying a few thousand miles of wear. The rear AM21 probably, would outlast  an ME77. They're predictable tyres nice enough for scratching on an R65 which isn't pushing out huge horsepower. In the wet they have no vices. all round ideal tyres for the R65 I thought. Can you still buy them ?  Like Bob says check their age. Via the DOT code on the sidewall.

[Ed Miller]

You didn't say what model of Avons.  I've read that they are no longer making the Road Runners or Super Venoms (the ones Lars was mentioning), and have replaced them with a model called Road Riders.  I always used Road Runners on my Triumph (duh, Made in England) and used them once on the R65.  They are good tires.  I switched to Bridgestone Spitfires on the BMW because they seem just as good but are cheaper.  

It sounds like he's trying to get a set of old tires out of the shop, at that price.  

[SCJJR65]

My mechanic told me they are '06 tires, and I believe they are "Road Runners".  He had ordered them for someone that didn't have the money to pay for them when they arrived.  He said he is selling them to me at cost.

[Bob_Roller]

$110 for a new set of tires with mounting, is a real good price. My last rear tire, a Metzeler Lasertec was $125 for the tire, $22 for a tube, and $20 for mounting and balancing.

 So I think you're getting a great deal.

Even if they turn out to be not the greatest tire you've had, it's going to wear out, so you're not stuck with it for life.

Just go easy on them until you learn how they feel.



 Weather for the northern Sonoran Desert :
 Severe Clear , Sunny
 94 F (34 C)
 Humidity 12 %
 Wind East 25 mph (40 km/h)
 Another perfect vacation day !

[nhmaf]

If they are '06 year tires, then I would say OK if you like the look/specs of the tires.   I think that
these retailed for around $65-75 a piece in my area for the tires.   Be sure that you put in new tubes,
even if that adds to the cost that he quoted you.   I ALWAYS replace valve stems when I replace tubeless
tires, and well, the same general principal thing applies with tube-type tires.   I like the Metzler tubes, though
they aren't usually cheap/inexpensive, the stems work well in my LS wheels and they seem to be made of
good rubber.

[SCJJR65]

Yeah, I plan on getting new tubes put in, 'fer sure!  

I figure these new shoes should last me for the remaining time Britta and I are partners on the road.  And since I'm not an aggressive rider, they should wear nice and slow!

[NC Steve]

If you recall the conversation, John, Graham (tire engineer) said he'd run strength tests on several popular brands of tubes, and the el-cheapos from Kenda and (what's that Chinese-sounding brand?) actually were much more puncture resistant that Metzeler, Michelin, etc. Thicker rubber too.
But, I'm sure any tube new is better than any tube old!

[Justin B.]

The last pair of tube I got were Pirelli - natural rubber, thicker 'n hell, but weighed a ton...

[Semper Gumby]

I have the AM26 V-rated Road Riders on the BSA Firebird.  They "feel" sticky and don't seem to have any bad habits.  If it is any consolation - almost all of the Vintage Riders at Barber last weekend had either race Avons or Race Dunlops on their bikes.  I'm sure some of this expertise translates over to the AM26.

I have the H-rated Macadams on the R65LT.  I will not change tires as long as Michelin makes them.  To me they are the best for the riding that I do (Long distance + commuting in all kinds of weather.).  My current set has 15,000 miles.  The rear may last another 2000 miles but the front looks like it might make 30K!

TTFN,

[Justin B.]

On my '95 R100 I got about 14k out of a rear Mac and just changed out the front with about 18k...  I agree, now that Dunlop won't be making the Touring Elite anymore I'll probably use the Macs on everything 'til they're discontinued.

[dewjantim]

For 110 bucks, mounted that is one hell of a deal. Buy them, I would.....Dew.

[NC Steve]

True that!  

John, if you don't want those Avons, I don't mind riding down and letting the man mount them on ol' Blue, as long as I can crash at your pad overnite before riding back...