tires

[warriorhoneybee]

fixing to buy some and i've heard alot of you say dont go back with the met go with the avon vennom. my local dealer said that he's had trobule getting the avon to balance,has anybody run into this problem? according to the laod limt u think that the met had the highest but may not be good for thr rsv.

[Yammer Dan]

I've heard a lot are using the new Dunlop E-3s on the 2nd Gens Mark. I like the Avons on my 1st Gen but am going to try a set of the E-3s next on Brown Sugar.

[warriorhoneybee]

thanks yammer dan,i noticed thats what sleeperhawk rides on.

[Sleeperhawk]

thanks yammer dan,i noticed thats what sleeperhawk rides on.

 

The only reason I went with the E3 was because they were cheaper than the Avon.

Both have about the same tread pattern. And I have never had an issue with Avons.

 

I will go with either of them, depending on what has the better deal at the time.

[straycatt]

I've got around 7K miles on my E3's and I'm still lovin' them.

[MiCarl]

The problem with balancing Avon tires is that they do not mark the light spot. It becomes a crap shoot if the tire ends up on the wheel in a good position. If it ends up needing too much weight (Avon says 2 1/2 oz.) then the tire needs to be dismounted and remounted in a different position.

 

I'm seriously considering increasing what I charge to mount tires (Avon, Pirelli etc.) that aren't marked for balance.

[Monty]

E3s FTW!

[Rick Haywood]

thanks yammer dan,i noticed thats what sleeperhawk rides on.

 

E"3s...............E3's I had the Avons and the wouldn't handle well and I couldn't keep them balanced. Plus they wore out in about 9,000 miles. I have the E'3s and I love them They have staryed balanced and I have 10,000 miles on them and I will get another 6-7 thousand before I need to replace the back one. They are a little noisey when cornering but I don't care.

[Bobby G]

http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=54722

 

[ediddy]

I'm on my second set of avons. Ride 2 up loaded with luggage most of the time. I have 9,000 miles on current tires and they still look good. Never had a problem with balancing.

[Guest]

I have never had issues with my Venoms. Had plenty of problems with the Metzlers. Havent tried the E3's yet but my past experience with Dunlops have always been positive. We all have preferences on what we buy which will influence our opinions. Only thing bad I can say is the Metz failed me twice.

[V7Goose]

I mount and balance my own tires (and have done a lot for friends too). I prefer the Avon Venoms over all others I have used.I have NEVER had a single issue balancing Venom tires. When I bought my first one and saw they did not have a mark for light point, I asked Avon about it. They claim that their tires are made with such a uniform process that it is not needed.

 

I have never taken the time to fiddle around with a new Avon and position it in different locations to compare the balance point, but I also do not think I have ever had an Avon take more than two ounces of weight to balance. That is absolutely not true for Dunlop E3s.

 

I have worn out several E3s on my RSV, and I am becoming less pleased with them - especially the front. Although the rear E3 lasts longer than a Venom, they do not handle quite as well and they make more noise. Despite the rear tire lasting longer, the front E3 does not last as long as a Venom, and the bike's handling degenerates as the front E3 wears in a way that never happens with a Venom. I think I'm going back to the Venoms despite the slightly higher cost.

Goose

[warriorhoneybee]

thanks for all the input. since v-gooze seems to have tested alot of tires according to other post i've read, think i will go with his reccomendation of the avon venom and hope this dealer can balance them,if not i'll just lean to one side.

[darthandy]

For what it's worth, here is a link to a site where people are writing in to review the tires they have used.

 

http://motorcycletirereviews.com/

 

It may help you decide or just make the whole process more difficult. One thing caught my eye, though, since the PO of my bike had just had Metzeler ME880's installed before I bought the bike. In the review section, one of the reviewers seems to work for either a wholesale firm or directly for Metzeler (Which would make him biased, of course) but what he says does make sense. I've noticed this for other tires...namely, that some tires seem more adversely affected by incorrect tire pressure, either requiring higher or lower pressures than normally recommended. According to this guy, the Metzelers work best with the maximum air pressure that is suggested for them. It could make a difference and I plan on checking mine more closely since that is what I have, like it or not, till they wear out.

[Skid]

Elite 3's on my Midnight....

[warriorhoneybee]

how are you liking them skid? handleing,wear etc?

[warriorhoneybee]

i have noticed with the avon,in order to get the venom for the front i have to go with factory size when i perfer the 130/90 15 but it comes in the cheaper marathon,whats up with that?

[warriorhoneybee]

based on where i live i do alot more twisties than anything, although i realize on the interstate in windy conditions i get beat around more than i'm use to.

[MiCarl]

IWhen I bought my first one and saw they did not have a mark for light point, I asked Avon about it. They claim that their tires are made with such a uniform process that it is not needed.

 

 

The Avon rep here claims they aren't marked because Avon wants to force the installer to balance them (rather than aligning the mark with the valve stem and calling it good enough).

 

When I mount tubeless tires I find the heavy spot on the wheel rather than assuming the valve stem is the heavy spot (half the time it isn't) and align the tire mark with the heavy point on the wheel. Usually the heavy spot is the same after mounting the tire. This tells me that in general the tires are more uniformly made than a cast wheel. The Avons seem to be no better or worse than most tires.

 

If the heavy spot swings 180 and needs 2 oz. to balance you can bet it's a Dunlop.

 

BTW, the Avon rep here made the statement that Avon tires, like all premium tires (he listed Metzeler and Pirelli by name) should be run at higher pressure than the stock tire. He said to go with the tire manufacturers recommendation rather than the motorcycle manufacturers recommendation.

[Kirby]

I have tried the Avon Cobra radial on the front back when I went to the darkside for a while and it was the absolute best tire I've ever had on the front. Since they don't make a radial for the back of the RSV, I put on an Elite 3 when I took off the car tire. Now, after about 15,000 miles I've started looking for another just like it (E3). I recently replaced the front tire Cobra with an E3. Although these tires(E3) do make a good deal of noise after they get a little wear on them, IMHO, they are very good and I will probably stick with them for the forseeable future or else try an Avon Venom on the rear. The problem with the Venom is there's been a good deal of tire failure (cracking) reported on this site. BTW, the Cobra was still in very good shape with plenty of tread left after 20,000 miles but I hit something in the road and cut the tire too much for comfort so it was replaced. I know there are some people who don't like them, but as far as balancing, I just throw in a couple of ounces of Dynabeads and go. Contrary to what some think, they work for me! One more thing, the E3 seems to be a lot harder to install on the rim than others I've mounted in the past. If you install them yourself, just remember to let them lay out in the sun to warm up and use lots of lubricant when mounting. Hope this helps.

[warriorhoneybee]

thanks for the info. i guess its like ford or chevrolet good and bad in all.

[shikano53]

Go with the Avons. Hands down a superior handling tire in every respect over the Crudlops.

 

I have been running Avons on all my bikes for over 15 years. Ist gen Venture, 2001 RSV, 1500 Goldwing, 1800 Goldwing, 2006 HD and now back to a 2004 RSV.

 

I just ordered a set of Avons to replace the Elite III's that are on the bike even though they are still good. Won't use them.

 

I tried a set of Dunlop Elite III's on my wing and went back to Avons. The Dunlops are stodgy tires. Better mileage perhaps but the Avons are a flat out better performing tire. They will delight you and make you smile.

 

But if you never go over 50 miles an hour and always drive straight roads then I guess the Dunlops will do you fine.

 

In 15 years of running Avons on all my bikes I have never ever had a balancing issue ever.

 

Chris in Red Deer, AB.

[warriorhoneybee]

thanks avon it is