Tires - It's 'weighing' on my mind...

[lshafer]

Howdy. I'll be replacing my stock Bridgestone tires in the next month and am in the middle of doing a little research. I've read a whole bunch on here about different tire brands and what people like and dislike and I believe I've decided to move forward and purchase the Avon Venoms for my 06 RSTD. My questions is about the tire rating. There are a lot of posts that talk about tire rating but I haven't found any that actually answer my specific questions. Hopefully someone can. Here goes:

 

If I have a front tire rated 71 (520 lbs) and a rear tire rated 80 (992 lbs), does that mean the total capacity for the bike is 1512 lbs? Put another way, if the above is true with regards to ratings and the bike weighs in at 844 lbs, does that mean I can have roughly 650 more pounds of me, the wife, cargo, accessories, etc?

 

The reason I'm asking this question is that I've always wondered how much I'm stressing the tires when both my wife and I are riding. I'm not a small guy (I go about 325) and with my wife (I'm not dumb and won't give out her weight) we weigh in right around 475 lbs (you do the math ). That's quite a bit and when you add in clothes, helmets, jackets and so on, we may get close to that 500 lb mark.

 

I just want to make sure I'm riding safe and I noticed the Avon Venoms have a high rating. What will that mean for me? I appreciate everyones thoughts.

[treeman]

Watch out for Side wall cracking on Avon they had a bad Batch.

i got a new set coming 1st two set had the ( Cracking ) i am 270 & ride solo But Avon told me to use (2 up heavy psi 42/48 & thats what i got in mine.

 

Good Luck

[MiCarl]

It's not as simple as you might think.

 

The load rating is the amount of weight it'll carry at the rated speed (H=130MPH) for some amount of time (amount of time is unspecified, but is probably not indefinite).

 

Of course there are other elements on the motorcycle that also have maximum capacities. Those capacities may be lower than the tire capacities.

 

Your owners manual will have the maximum load rating for your motorcycle.

[lshafer]

According to my owners manual the max load rating for the bike is 444 (I could be off a couple of pounds). I know for sure the max load is less than my wife and I weigh together. That being said, is it safe to ride two-up with us being the riders? What should I do, buy a different bike? It makes me a little nervous when we're both riding?

[Chinto]

Given the high end load you are likely to put on your tires and the predisposition for Avon's sidewalls to break down (crack) I would not pick Avon tires. The track record for Avon's and Metzler's to degrade would be enough for me to reject them. I would not care if they had the best grip over all others the fact is, for whatever the reason, there is a problem in manufacturing which is why they are frequently replaced by the manufacturer.

 

For as much as these tires cost and last, I want a tire with a track record for dependability , performance and longevity. Not one that works great for the first 2-4000 miles then degrades for no apparent reason.

[Steve S]

I'm going to throw my unsolicited dog into this hunt.

 

Yes, the tires do have load ratings and so do the bikes. And these are some important numbers. But these are limits that the companies put on there to avoid being held liable for accidents that could come from abuse. And the ratings are a good guidline to go by when purchasing tires to make sure you are getting enough tire. But they are not the end all to deciding whether you should take your wife's second bag of make up.. If I packed my bike solely on the tire rating, my wife, trailer, and most of my gear would be left behind. (I could probably do without most of it)

 

In my opinion, as long as you buy good quality tires (I prefer Metzler ), keep them properly inflated, don't run over something and ruin them, you will be OK on what ever tire you put on there.. Of course this is just my humble, and probably wrong, opinion.. (Yep, the wife says it's wrong)

[BigBoyinMS]

I would say Steve gave you a really good answer.

You and I are about the same size. Add my wife and a fully loaded bike and I'm hauling about 475-480. And, like you, I have never had a lot of confidence in the tires to handle the load. (Even though I know they will.) That being said, I have all the confidence in the world now but it's only because I went to a car tire on the rear. It has a 25% higher load limit and better traction than the highest rated M/C tire that I could find.

A good set of M/C tires will do the job for you but there is an option.

[lshafer]

After doing even more looking around at other posts regarding the pros and cons of Venom and E3, I really can't find anyone whos had bad luck with E3's. I've read a lot of posts about side wall cracking on the Venoms but other than that those that didn't have that type of problem seemed really happy with them. So, it boils down to this - I can find nothing negative about E3 but I can about Venoms. Therefore, I guess I'll go with the Dunlop Elite 3 and be happy. They don't have the load rating that the Venoms do but they're certainly better than the Bridgestones I have now.

 

So, unless someone has information that will completely change my mind (AGAIN) I'll be getting them ordered in the next 24 hours.

Edited April 4, 2011 by lshafer
Mind changer...

[MAINEAC]

Whatever you get will be an improvement over the Bridgestones (I loved them on my big truck)... If it's any consolation the older Boss Hoss' run the same front tire as our RSVs and with a 350 Chevy engine they are pretty heavy... I thought one of the manufacturers made a reinforced front tire with a higher load rating... Maybe it's a rear tire I'm thinking of..

 

I don't have load rating concerns anymore... I run a car tire on the rear and a rear m/c tire on the front... My load rating is close to a ton...LOL

[Drkngas]

I went with the Avons last month. Never dreamed the RSTD would ride and handle like it does now.

[Eddie]

I just ordered my second rear Avon, I think the tires are great for these bikes.

[Snaggletooth]

I went with the Avon Venoms 3 years ago primarly for the grip and the load rating. I'm 285 lbs. and ride solo most the time. I've got over 17,000 miles on them now and just at the wear bar and no signs of cracking. I watch my tire pressure very closely. Seems to have worked ok seeing the mileage I got out of them.

 

I'm ordering another set soon and torn between the Avons again or chaging to the E3's.

[lshafer]

I'm getting the E3's installed tomorrow and will post back with my thoughts - at least when compaired to the Bridgestones. I'm sure I'll put some miles on tomorrow. It's gonna be in the upper 50's in Wisconsin!!!!

 

Havin' a heat wave, a tropical heat wave...

[Yammer Dan]

I'm getting the E3's installed tomorrow and will post back with my thoughts - at least when compaired to the Bridgestones. I'm sure I'll put some miles on tomorrow. It's gonna be in the upper 50's in Wisconsin!!!!

 

Havin' a heat wave, a tropical heat wave...

 

 

Be carefull scrubbing those things in. Did a complete end to end swap on a new set couple yrs ago. Pulled off end of bridge about 1/2 mile from where I live and installed tires. Pulled out and turned to the right cracked it a little and I was facing back across the bridge. Had to stop a minute to recoup from that!!

[lshafer]

What would you say a good break in would be? 100 miles, 200 miles? Obviously, I'll be quite cautious until I feel really confortable with them. I already told my wife she couldn't come along with me tomorrow just in case something were to happen on the new tires. I'd appreciate the feedback.

[Yammer Dan]

100 miles should do it. Ride some twisties but easy at 1st. Others will have opinions on this.

[lshafer]

I had my Elite 3's installed today. Let me tell you - everything I read about getting rid of the Bridgestones was right on. Talk about a change... No more road noise, the handling is better and it seems like the ride has improved significantly. I couldn't be happier with them so far. I wasn't able to find anyone who spoke negatively about them so hopefully I'll feel the same way in about 10,000 miles.

 

Thanks to everyone who provided feedback.

[starrider2010]

Howdy. I'll be replacing my stock Bridgestone tires in the next month and am in the middle of doing a little research. I've read a whole bunch on here about different tire brands and what people like and dislike and I believe I've decided to move forward and purchase the Avon Venoms for my 06 RSTD. My questions is about the tire rating. There are a lot of posts that talk about tire rating but I haven't found any that actually answer my specific questions. Hopefully someone can. Here goes:

 

If I have a front tire rated 71 (520 lbs) and a rear tire rated 80 (992 lbs), does that mean the total capacity for the bike is 1512 lbs? Put another way, if the above is true with regards to ratings and the bike weighs in at 844 lbs, does that mean I can have roughly 650 more pounds of me, the wife, cargo, accessories, etc?

 

The reason I'm asking this question is that I've always wondered how much I'm stressing the tires when both my wife and I are riding. I'm not a small guy (I go about 325) and with my wife (I'm not dumb and won't give out her weight) we weigh in right around 475 lbs (you do the math ). That's quite a bit and when you add in clothes, helmets, jackets and so on, we may get close to that 500 lb mark.

 

I just want to make sure I'm riding safe and I noticed the Avon Venoms have a high rating. What will that mean for me? I appreciate everyones thoughts.

 

 

I ride every day, and a lot of my riding is two up loaded. I do between 11 and 16 thousand miles per year, and i have found the pirelli route 66 tires last the longest and feel the best. granted, EVERYONE has a tire preferrence, and this is mine. I have never had a problem with them.

[twigg]

I would say Steve gave you a really good answer.

You and I are about the same size. Add my wife and a fully loaded bike and I'm hauling about 475-480. And, like you, I have never had a lot of confidence in the tires to handle the load. (Even though I know they will.) That being said, I have all the confidence in the world now but it's only because I went to a car tire on the rear. It has a 25% higher load limit and better traction than the highest rated M/C tire that I could find.

A good set of M/C tires will do the job for you but there is an option.

 

I'm curious as to why you lack confidence in a motorcycle tyre that is being used in accordance with the manufacturer's load limit.

 

It's made even stranger by your willingness to completely disregard the manufacturers tyre recommendations, and fit a car tyre to a motorcycle.

 

Car tyres on motorcycles are a very controversial subject, as I am sure you know. I am neither objecting to the practise, nor condoning it, it's very much a personal decision. Still, when we post on a site where advice to ignore manufacturers recommendations is generally frowned upon, I wonder where your confidence comes from.

 

I still have been able to find no definitive answer to the insurance and warranty implications involved here ... Although the warranty issue is pretty easy to guess.

 

The legal implications of using tyres not approved for the purpose are a potential nightmare.