AVON'S crap or not

[RHINO]

CENTAUR

What sort of mileage are you getting from your setup?

I have just cheched my service folder and i can tell you it was 3,890 miles from my last rear which was combining all conditions, surfaces, speeds and road types. So far i have had 6k out of my AVON which to me is excessive, it shows to me that the compound is too hard for wet weather riding.

I think a few more people on here should be honest and not cover up their feelings just to avoid the critisism from the 'ROSPA Gods'....... We are talking about a tyre which is the difference between life and death.
I do believe that a tyre with (IMHO) crap wet weather performance is being over rated, promoted and endorsed by some members, and other members who know no different are acting like sheep and following the pack..
I had problems early on with my Avons and put it down to poor shock setup, i have since had it set up and YES in the dry they're ok but in the wet ,, slippy, unsettled and unable to use anywhere near the power i could on previous tyres.
Most of you have come from 020's,, i cannot comment on them as it was 4 yrs since i used them but shop about and try other stuff.

 

[Jaws]

Tsk tsk Rhino ! I thought you knew about such things as tyre compounds seeing as you spend so much time on track..
Theres me, and apparently all of the racing fraternity thinking all this time it was the tread pattern that dictates grip, not the hardness of a tyre.

Yes, the make up does make a difference and if we go back 30+ years to the everlasting no grips from the likes of Battleaxe and Firestone we have proof posetive of that..
But why do you think you can get wets in various compounds Joe ? !
Perhaps it is so folk can fall off quicker or slower !

I can only comment on my own findings..
After years of wobbling around like a lemon if it was raining three towns away, the latest offering from Avons has given me a marked boost in wet weather confidence ( Note, we are talking about the NEW Avons here.. not the old Mk II things which quite frankly were rubbish ! )
During several k miles in Euroland they let go on me once.. that was coming down a pass and was on gravel rather than normal tarmac..

Actually I have just had another thought..
Joe, you, by your own admission, ride bloody quickly. Me on the other hand am just jonny-average.. Perhaps tis merely a case of different strokes for different folks.. Would make sense mate :beer:

 

[birdinflight]

I just spoke to Derek

about his thoughts on the Avons. He said that he may ride differently to many of the members on here, when he is on the Bird, he is much more cautious in the wet. He certainly does not open her up like he would in the dry. He always waits until the bike is upright coming out of corner before accelerating. On a 600 though he said it was a different ball game!!! He said he has a great respect for the amount of power the bird has and will not risk it riding aggressively in the wet unlike in dry conditions.

He finds the grip no different to that of the Bto2os, which let go sometimes in the wet too. He has only had one or two moments in the wet with the AVons, one on a manhole cover and the other on a greasy roundabout.

The roads are especially slippy at the moment. Doesn't help with the leaves and crap on the road.

I agree with Jaws, I think it may have alot to do with ones personal riding style.

Joe, you obviously have a problem with dribbling, these might come in handy for you...................

to help Joe with his dribbling


:neenaw:

 

[Fodder]

Tyres suffer from ?washing powder syndrome? i.e. ?new formula washes whiter and brighter than ever before?, its been said by the manufacturers for years, if there was any truth in the repetitive claim for each new product coming on the market your whites would be brighter than a thermonuclear reaction and your tyres could get you around a ninety degree bend at 200mph.

As I see it the main problem here is the lack of quantitive data for tyres. All we seem to have to work with is manufactures claims and recommendations from other riders whose riding style will be different from your own and whose ability to make an assessment could well be called into question.

I?d like to see tyre manufactures produce some hard test data under a set of standard conditions. Not a perfect solution it has to be said, but it would go some way to allowing people to make in informed choice based on something more concrete than claims and recommendations.

 

[nigs]

Glad you started this thread, coz I was about to.

I've had the 020's on for about 10k miles. WInter commuting up ere in the frozen north included. In the rain, I hardly ever had to change my style of riding - very rarely had the back step out (apart from hitting gravel, mud, other slippery crap half way round a corner).

Changed to the Avon's just before going over to France and Spain a few weeks ago. In the dry, absolutely fantastic - used far more of the front tyre than I ever managed on the BT020 (but that may have had something to do with the haispins in the Pyrennes :lick: ). But in the wet they were terrible. Probably had to ride about 1/3rd slower than I would normally have done, but the bike was still sliding about around the corners.

Not sure if this was because of the road conditions in that particular part of France or whether it's down to the tyres. The only wet weather riding I've done so far has been from Weymouth to South Yorkshire - dual carriageway and motorway, so haven't had a chance to compare them to the roads that I'm used to riding up here.

I'll be really pissed off if they haven't got the same amount of wet weather grip as I can't afford to bin the Avons and replace them with the 020's at the moment.

 

[Fat Bert]

My 10p's worth~~~

Chunky Monkey [who can ride!] has the Avons on his VTR

With it being a Twin with low-down grunt it chews up anything "rubber"

Of all the tyres he's used - he reckons that wet or dry they are more than capable boots - as well as lasting longer

Having [attempted to] followed him during the end of season bash ride out - in daft amounts of rain - the water that the Avons pumped out [therefore drier contact patch] was amazing - and they never let go once - and we were riding quiet hard even in the wet

My Conclusion

1200Pete uses them
JAWS uses them
Buzz [sorry Ellen] uses them
Chunk Monkey uses them

and I respect the opinions of all 4 riders as they are more able riders than me!

Guess what I'll be fitting next?

Phooking Avons

 

[Wolfie]

mine have slide in the wet, but then again i am a crap rider.


joe wait for you?????? feck off i will wait when i am having a smoke!!

 

[nigs]

FB - all I can say is the two days in the rain going up and down the motorway in the UK they were fine - as you'd expect with the lack of corners!! But the one day in the rain on the twisty French roads around the Bordeaux area had me looking at the map for the nearest straight piece of road. Slipping and sliding all over the place. Bloody horrible - never known anything like it - in fact the original rubber that the Bird came with had more grip, and the only way you could get some heat into those damn things was to use a blow torch :}

Like I said, I'm hoping that it was just the crap road surface in that general area. No doubt there will be plenty of opportunties to try them on wet UK roads soon :xm

 

[RHINO]

Chunky Monkey [who can ride!] has the Avons on his VTR

With it being a Twin with low-down grunt it chews up anything "rubber"

Of all the tyres he's used - he reckons that wet or dry they are more than capable boots - as well as lasting longer

Having [attempted to] followed him during the end of season bash ride out - in daft amounts of rain - the water that the Avons pumped out [therefore drier contact patch] was amazing - and they never let go once - and we were riding quiet hard even in the wet

My Conclusion

1200Pete uses them
JAWS uses them
Buzz [sorry Ellen] uses them
Chunk Monkey uses them

and I respect the opinions of all 4 riders as they are more able riders than me!

Guess what I'll be fitting next?

Phooking Avons

BERT you 8l1nd twot........
Allan (Buzz) does'nt like them either, he thinks they're twitchy too.
Are you saying that the above named riders are far superior in talent and our views do not count :dunno: , sorry pal, your a mis-guided sheep.
Yeh the AVONs are cheaper and they last twice as long......why?
Please don't slag of what i have put after all, it was me who endured it not you and its cheaper to replace B/stone tyres after 4k than replace the bike coz the non stick teflon Avon have let go on a patch of rabbit piss on the Cat'N'Fiddle..
Wake up Bert, i'm not alone in this argument (which incidentaly i started months ago)..
How the bleeding hell can you stick your bit in anyway,, you've never ridden on the damn things..

 

[skippy]

Interesting thead, my ageing D207s are in need of replacement and I was about to go the Avon route. Anyone of you peeps with the slippery Avons ridden on D207s in the wet and how do they compare cos if they are any less grippy in the wet I'll have to reconsider.

 

[RHINO]

Interesting thead, my ageing D207s are in need of replacement and I was about to go the Avon route. Anyone of you peeps with the slippery Avons ridden on D207s in the wet and how do they compare cos if they are any less grippy in the wet I'll have to reconsider.

I once had 'LARD' soled shoes which were a tad slippy but its too close to call.

 

[Minkey]

Avons or Dunlops

I fitted Avons and took them off after a thousand or so miles, I hated them in the wet, went back to Dunlops which I prefer overall to Bridgestones. I found Bridgestones felt soft walled when used hard. In the wet the Dunlops are better IMHO

g0551p

 

[Nick Brett]

Im confused now. I use Bridgestones and Im happy with them. But with everyone on here singing the praises of the Avons, I was going to try them next time. Not so sure now, I dont like slippery, (some slippery things are good, but not tyres).

 

[skippy]

I once had 'LARD' soled shoes which were a tad slippy but its too close to call.

:} If the Avons are no worse than the 207s in the wet I can live with them as I'm pretty used to the odd slide or two by now :}

 

[chuck]

Feel them!

I fitted Avons in June after reading about them on the site (I was new to the bird). In the dry fantastic. In the wet ..jury's out. I am a shit wet rider and haven't done a lot in the rain this summer other than on straightish roads ...except once:...

The first time it really rained I was inspired by all the comments about them and did think I'll be OK, but every corner and I mean little corners with hardly any lean angle I was sliding all over the place. I was petrified and tip toed home crapping myself. Stopped then ran my hand over the rear tyre and it was like feeling slime. Same with the front. I had to conclude the rain has mixed with all the shite and oil/diesel etc and just coated my tyres.

I washed my tyres thouroughly and havnt had a problem since but then not a lot of wet riding. I'm stil nervous.

Did the skills day and other than 1 hairy moment I found them brilliant. But then again it was hardly proper wet..just damp really.

 

[RHINO]

OK

I am a quick rider generally, not knee down arse up quick, just quick.
I was out a few weeks ago with the Cloggers on the Lincs ride and in the rain i was still up front, 2up with a bit of luggage,, yeh i could keep up and didn't look to many like i had issues but all the time it was weaving about in the wet until it dried and i left Clive & Quiney to make some time up.
On the Matlock run i left Madhouse28 & Murt in the rain but i think this was purely down to knowing where i was going and the fact that i couldn't care less by that point.
Yeh the 010's have a softer wall but i have NEVER slipped a tyre or run OFF ROAD (Bert) with them fitted.
I'm not the one with a buisiness to run or a point to prove,, i'm not the one who does track days trying to get rid of chicken strips, i'm just a guy who enjoys staying the right way up and facing the direction in which i wish to travel..
Bert, 'CHUNKY's' bike is a lot lighter than the bird and produces significantly LESS power than it too, so if i remember rightly more power trying to push more weight means chances of a slip :dunno:
SO that leaves PETE & JAWS, John has already stated that he's a wuss and we all know PETE is a GOD so whats your point??????????
:f :f

 

[nigs]

If the Avons start slipping around over here in the wet as they did in France, then they'll be off the bike and I'll go back to the 020's. They really were that bad - even slipping when I was pulling away from a standing start at the lights in second gear with luggage on, and after about 800 miles they must have been run in properly.

As we tend to ride all year, I'm not going through a winter tip-toeing gently around corners every time a drop of bloody rain appears. Cheaper to replace the rubber than the plastics!!!

 

[D.S.]

I am a quick rider generally, not knee down arse up quick, just quick.
I
:f :f

Interesting comments John. I consider myself to be less than average, therefore I am not worthy & will never contradict you again :bow: :bow: :bow:

 

[Fat Bert]

Point is Blubber Man

.......so whats your point??????????

I too have an opinion !!

My point was that JAWS, 1200Pete, Buzz and Chunky all rave about them [albeit mostly in the dry] and these guys are better riders than me - therefore better qualified to comment

I've seen you ride and sorry [IMHO] you don't fit in anywhere on this debate My Cuddly friend, as you aren't included in the list above !

Now given the barstool bollox that is often spouted by keyboard kings/queens I'd rather trust the opinion of actual riders who's riding skills I aspire to and have ridden with than said barstool bollox

There joint opinion is "Excellent in the dry - not so sure in the wet"......now I don't delibaretly set off in the pouring rain and if wet conditions are encountered en-route then will adjust my riding style accordingly - as ANYONE would on ANY tyres in the wet

So that's my point....................!!

Anyway.....thought your bike was in wraps and up for sale because you couldn't handle the BIRD - wet or dry - so who are you to pass "considered comment"?

 

[PsychoBikerBen]

I too have an opinion !!

My point was that JAWS, 1200Pete, Buzz and Chunky all rave about them [albeit mostly in the dry] and these guys are better riders than me - therefore better qualified to comment

I've seen you ride and sorry [IMHO] you don't fit in anywhere on this debate My Cuddly friend, as you aren't included in the list above !

Now given the barstool bollox that is often spouted by keyboard kings/queens I'd rather trust the opinion of actual riders who's riding skills I aspire to and have ridden with than said barstool bollox

There joint opinion is "Excellent in the dry - not so sure in the wet"......now I don't delibaretly set off in the pouring rain and if wet conditions are encountered en-route then will adjust my riding style accordingly - as ANYONE would on ANY tyres in the wet

So that's my point....................!!

Anyway.....thought your bike was in wraps and up for sale because you couldn't handle the BIRD - wet or dry - so who are you to pass "considered comment"?

Somebody get me some more pop corn....I'm enjoying this.