Avon Tyres - Any good?

[angryfarang]

My Honda Hornet has a 16" front wheel. So far the only brand I can get in that size is Avon. Are they any good?

[taninthai]

depends what they are there is a goood write up on the avon storm 3dx-m tyres in mcn this week these seem to be new out though so i doubt its them you have,check out www.avontyres.com to get an idea ,bridgestone make bt016 in 16" which i have fitted on my hornet,but again i know your a bit limited in options over there...so maybe impossible to get ,have you tried the contacting the big shops in bkk see if they will order in the tyre you want red baron ,dirt bike etc

[angryfarang]

Thanks. This is from a local place on Samui. I'll give Red Baron a try and also Summet. I tried Pirelli but they don't stock 16".

[Maybole]

Back in the 80s my Yam 750 wint throughte original Bridgestones in 8000mi rear, and 19000 front. Replacement Avons did 18000rear and 31000 front. that was good then.

[chris1dna]

I used the Avon gripsters in my 1993 kawasaki klx650. Great tires.

Sent from my iPhone using ThaiVisa app

[piston broke]

i've used avon tyres before....would recommend....

[angryfarang]

Thanks Guys. I'll get the exact model number and check them out. I don't need amazingly expensive good tyres on this bike, so will probably go with them.

For my other hornet, it's time for the 17" front wheel upgrade. Pirelli's for that baby!

[jollyrog]

From 1990 to 2000 after trying several noted brands of tires on my Harley FXSTS and getting only 6000 to 8000 miles miles on them I tried Avon. Constant 10,000 miles (on rear) between replacement. I would recommend them with one caveat......be careful riding on wet roads. Avon are hard rubber....hence the good mileage. 'nuff said.

[Gsxrnz]

depends what they are there is a goood write up on the avon storm 3dx-m tyres in mcn this week these seem to be new out though so i doubt its them you have,check out www.avontyres.com to get an idea ,bridgestone make bt016 in 16" which i have fitted on my hornet,but again i know your a bit limited in options over there...so maybe impossible to get ,have you tried the contacting the big shops in bkk see if they will order in the tyre you want red baron ,dirt bike etc

Be interested to know how many klm's you get from your BT016's in this climate. In NZ I used them and loved them, great grip for track days and equally as good on the road. But the fronts were only good for 5,000 klm at best until the 2nd zone tread shredded, and the rear was good for a little more than 4,000 klm before the 2nd and 3rd zones got a bit raggedy. I was actually wearing out the outer zones before the centre of the tyre lost its shape and flat spotted.

Great tyres though, beats Pilot Power and Pilot Sport in my book any day. I only ever had Avons on a bike once and that was enough - a little unpredictable.

[angryfarang]

Hmmm... those don't sound good for Samui roads!... Maybe on good tarmac. I think I'll keep shopping around.

[Gsxrnz]

Hmmm... those don't sound good for Samui roads!... Maybe on good tarmac. I think I'll keep shopping around.

You should be very careful in matching your front and rear tyres. Generally they should be the same tyre compound. A harder rider might use different matches - but that would be somebody who is pushing the envelope and knows how the bike will respond.

You need to be wary of the way your tyres handle in the wet. If you mismatch the compounds/brands they will respond differently under all riding conditions, particularly cornering. The last thing you want is vastly different compounds as it's likely that one or the other will let go unexpectedly - not just because of the different compounds but also because the tread design will move water differently. Your front might do a good job of sweeping the water but the rear may not perform as well resulting in a low-side. Can even result in unexpected aquaplaning (at speed) in a straight line if extremely different tread designs.

[angryfarang]

Thanks for the advice. Personally, I'd use the same make and model of tyre front and rear. It makes sense to me.

[Spoonman]

I just purchased Pirreli Sport Demons for my SR400 in Bangkok and I notice they also list 16" tyres as well.

Ask them if they have a dealer near you.

http://www.competizioni-moto.com/

Edited June 16, 2013 by Spoonman

[angryfarang]

The official Honda size for the Hornet 250 front tyre is 130/70/16, Could I get away with 120/70/16?

[Spoonman]

Yeah I personally would not go narrower.

[angryfarang]

Thought so. I guess you can't fit the 130/70/16 Rear tyre they list to the front?

[Gsxrnz]

Thought so. I guess you can't fit the 130/70/16 Rear tyre they list to the front?

It will fit the rim, but the tread pattern/direction and profile of the tyre are designed for the rear. In general you shouldn't fit a rear tyre to the front. In theory you can put the tyre on in the opposite rotation to get the tread going in the right direction. I do this on a scooter but wouldn't do it on a bigger bike.

Re going to a narrower tyre than standard on the front - can be done but not recommended if you ride hard.. A narrower tyre is also not as tall as a wider tyre. The 70 means that the height of the tyre is 70% of the tread width. So the narrower you go, the shorter they are. Not by much, but enough to make a handling difference if you push it. If you're not at the knee scraping level of riding, then it will be OK.

The front and rears are designed to be matched in profile. In racing it's common to fit a narrower than standard rear because it allows a quicker and easier "turn-in" at high speed cornering, and a quicker flick from left to right through a chicane. But generally the front is matched in profile and/or compound to make them work together.

Edited June 16, 2013 by Gsxrnz

[angryfarang]

Thanks for the replies. I'll keep looking for a 16" in the right profile.

[VocalNeal]

Angry,

Did you call Mr. Pairoj? Tel: 02-222-7535

Oh and here's why rear on front isn't ideal.

AS you can see the rear has a lower profile.

Edited June 16, 2013 by VocalNeal

[bigdod]

The biggest problem if you put a narrower section tyre on your rim is that the mean profile of the tyre flattens out, which is OK in a straight line, but gives you less rubber on the road the further you lean over - not such a good idea really. As for the question of Avon's - whack a set on and give them a try. There's really no difference between any of the tyre manufacturers these days - its all down to personal choice...if it feels right for you, thats the tyre you want. And for sure harder compound tyres will take a bit longer to come up to operating temp in the wet, but as with all of the manufacturers, Avon also offer many different construction/compound alternatives, just pick the one that suits the way you ride, but in all fairness, unless you're a hard/fast rider, you'll be pushed to see much difference between any of them on the road here.

[angryfarang]

I'm slow and steady here... on the corners. But love to open it up on the straights.

[BSJ]

If the roads are so bad this is the tyre for you, and it's a Pirelli. I want them in 14" but can't get them. Maybe you will have better luck with 16"

[bigdod]

I'm slow and steady here... on the corners. But love to open it up on the straights.

Go for the Avons then mate....