Freebird Posted June 17, 2011 #1 Posted June 17, 2011 Just got home and saw that my new tires had arrived. I went with the Avons again. There was a recent comment the the problem with the sidewalls cracking has been resolved. That may be true but the dates on these tires are 0610 for the front and 4310 for the rear so any changes were likely made after these were produced. I was a little disappointed in that these were made last year. I'm replacing two Avons that still have a lot of tread the the sidewalls are all cracked. I'm going to mount these but if I have the cracking issue again, Avon and I are going to have a little chat.
BuddyRich Posted June 17, 2011 #2 Posted June 17, 2011 I went to Pirelli's. After the third set cracked that was it for me.
LilBeaver Posted June 17, 2011 #3 Posted June 17, 2011 Best of luck to you! They [Avon corporate] "Gaurnteed" me that the sidewall cracking issue was resolved after my first 2 failed. Well, the replacement set they sent cracked even worse than the first (on the sidewall) and one of them started cracking/separating IN the tread itself. My local place (and the local tire rep) were profusely apologetic and replaced them with a set of E3s. I really do hope that the issue is TRULY resolved for you. I wouldn't mind giving them another go but I'll let some others be the Guinna pigs first. They do ride nice...
BuddyRich Posted June 17, 2011 #4 Posted June 17, 2011 Yea, They were good tires cept for the cracks.
reddevilmedic Posted June 17, 2011 #5 Posted June 17, 2011 i was thinking d404's. ive heard enuff about the avon problem to scare me away. which perelli's?
XV1100SE Posted June 17, 2011 #6 Posted June 17, 2011 So... let me see if I get this straight.... Metzler's chunk (loose pieces of rubber) Avon's crack Dunlop E3's.... ? Dunlop 404's not beefy enough (read somewhere that E3's not so good in wet - is this true?)
LilBeaver Posted June 17, 2011 #7 Posted June 17, 2011 ... (read somewhere that E3's not so good in wet - is this true?) I don't recall what others think Avons vs. E3s in wet riding, but My E3s have been fine in really nasty [wet] weather. With that said, I am super cautious when it is wet out...
BuddyRich Posted June 17, 2011 #8 Posted June 17, 2011 which perelli's? These fit the RSV Pirelli MT66
OB-1 Posted June 17, 2011 #9 Posted June 17, 2011 For what little it's worth; I had an Avon Venom on the rear of my bike for approximately 5k-miles with no sidewall cracking. Unfortunately, the tire got punctured from road debris. It's also time for a new front so I'm going back with E-3's. I got the pair from Motorcycle Superstore for $275.98 delivered.
FuzzyRSTD Posted June 17, 2011 #10 Posted June 17, 2011 Hope they work out Freebird. I have not had any issues with my Avon tires. But since reading all this about the cracking issue, then I am persuaded to give mine a close look see. The Avon Venom have proved to be really well in the rain and the ride is excellent. Fuzzy
Eck Posted June 17, 2011 #11 Posted June 17, 2011 http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=60863
Snaggletooth Posted June 18, 2011 #12 Posted June 18, 2011 When I received the Avons I ordered just before Memorial Day from SWMoto they were dated 1010 and 0610. Look good at this point. Be getting them mounted in the next couple of weeks I hope. The ones I had on the bike were installed in early 2008 and have almost 18,000 miles on them with no signs of any cracking. The local indendent shop tried real hard to sell me an Avon off their rack for 60% off. It was only four years old. LOL! I love the Avons. Been great tires. I hope I have the same luck with this set I had with the last. Mike
FuzzyRSTD Posted June 18, 2011 #13 Posted June 18, 2011 When I received the Avons I ordered just before Memorial Day from SWMoto they were dated 1010 and 0610. Look good at this point. Be getting them mounted in the next couple of weeks I hope. The ones I had on the bike were installed in early 2008 and have almost 18,000 miles on them with no signs of any cracking. The local indendent shop tried real hard to sell me an Avon off their rack for 60% off. It was only four years old. LOL! I love the Avons. Been great tires. I hope I have the same luck with this set I had with the last. Mike Mmmm, so looks like I got another 8-10,000 left to ride on mine. I have around 8.000 on my Avons now. My buddy JD put a set of Dunlop 404s on his Road King at the same time and has around the same miles. His back tire is really getting close to change. I ran the Dunlop on a Honda Magna 750 V45 and they would last around 8,000 and that was it. Tried two sets and same results. I have to admit that I got on it pretty hard sometimes though. That bike was a super quick V4 cylinder and handled the twisties with ease. I hated the little 100 mile tank though. Fuzzy
Freebird Posted June 18, 2011 Author #14 Posted June 18, 2011 Well, I didn't get to ride much last year. I doubt the current Avons have more than 5,000 miles on them. The rear is cracked very bad and the front has a lot of smaller cracks that are getting worse. I contacted Avon yesterday with my concerns that these new tires, at least one of them being over a year old, will exhibit the same problem. I did get a reply and according to my source at Avon, there has been NO change in the formulation of these tires so the previous report that they had made changes is simply not correct. I guess I'll mount them anyway and hope for the best. He sent me the same document that shows things that might cause these cracks but none of them are applicable to my situation. There is no reason for them to crack. It was suggested that it could possibly be something in the garage where I park the bike that is causing the problem. When I replied that there was nothing new in the garage and that previous tires from Dunlop and Michelin did not have this problem then there was really no answer to it. He did tell me that if I had the problem that they would warranty the tires and that I should have sought warranty replacement for the old ones. I knew that but just decided it would be too much hassle since I bought them online. If these crack though, I will certainly be seeking warranty replacement.
camos Posted June 18, 2011 #15 Posted June 18, 2011 I don't recall what others think Avons vs. E3s in wet riding, but My E3s have been fine in really nasty [wet] weather. With that said, I am super cautious when it is wet out... I ride all year round and am now much less cautious in the wet since putting the E3s on my Virago a year ago.They are so much better than the Bridgestone Spitfire II tires that were on there before. Rarely get even a pucker from the tar snakes on my commute. Got 20,000 km (12,427 mi) on them now and they don't look like they are even half worn down. It's difficult imagine that the Avon tire is so much better than the E3's that anyone would choose to put up with cracking sidewalls and only 16,000 miles just to run them. The Virago is a light weight bike so comparing mileage is kinda like comparing apples to oranges. Anyway, that's my
Condor Posted June 18, 2011 #16 Posted June 18, 2011 Well, I didn't get to ride much last year. I doubt the current Avons have more than 5,000 miles on them. The rear is cracked very bad and the front has a lot of smaller cracks that are getting worse. I originally went with Venoms on the '83VR on Buddy Rich's recommendation back in '07. Loved the handling, but was one of the first to experience bad... actually scary.. front tire sidewall cracking after Venture West Susanville. Avon replaced the tire with another with only 2 months difference in the DOT date.. About 6 month later the second one started to go, but not quite as bad... Replaced the second, and #3 is doing good at 6K miles with Ft Collins and Cody '09 on them. So third time must be the charm... I decided to go with the E3's on the '99RSV because of the similar tread pattern to the Venom's. So far no problems, but I haven't logged a lot of miles on them either. What puzzles me that some riders are getting great performance from the Avons, while others are not. Since they told Don that there has been no change in the compound formula, what is causing the problem?? Avon has been very tight lipped on the subject... Quality control??
LilBeaver Posted June 18, 2011 #17 Posted June 18, 2011 ... I contacted Avon yesterday with my concerns that these new tires, at least one of them being over a year old, will exhibit the same problem. I did get a reply and according to my source at Avon, there has been NO change in the formulation of these tires so the previous report that they had made changes is simply not correct. I guess I'll mount them anyway and hope for the best. He sent me the same document that shows things that might cause these cracks but none of them are applicable to my situation. There is no reason for them to crack. It was suggested that it could possibly be something in the garage where I park the bike that is causing the problem. When I replied that there was nothing new in the garage and that previous tires from Dunlop and Michelin did not have this problem then there was really no answer to it. ... I will say that I have been impressed with their customer service and willingness (and quickness) to respond to customer inquiries. I too got the same attachment telling me to not part it in direct sunlight, by motors or pygmies. I had a similar conversation with my second set where they insisted that it was something in my garage that was doing it. I had two other bikes at the time, one had dunlops and the other had michelins neither of which showed any hints what-so-ever. The michilins have actually been on the bike they are on for over 10 years (I know that is a big no-no, but I actually haven't done more than ride that one around the block in quite some time). When I brought that up then they finally admitted that it is likely something with the tire or how it was stored in the warehouse before I got it (Both of those I thought were reasonable) and then agreed that it was likely not my fault. Anyways, who knows - maybe the goof-ball that was making them for a while slacked off when mixing the compounds and now he has been replaced with someone else... Best of luck! By the way on my last replacement my local dealer/tire rep replaced my more than half worn Avons with E3s and claimed it under Avon's warranty. I fully expected to have to pay some out of pocket since the Avons were rather well worn - I was there more out of principle to show them that there is a real problem with the tires as well after my first set of replacements the tire rep gave me his card and told me to call him directly if it happened again. So I did.
Sylvester Posted June 18, 2011 #18 Posted June 18, 2011 (edited) i was thinking d404's. ive heard enuff about the avon problem to scare me away. which perelli's? To me this is a great choice. I changed my stock Bridgestones after 3000 miles to D-404 and other than a set of Metzler tires (which the belts separated), I have run nothing but D-404 for 143,000 miles. They grip great and wear reasonbly well (9-11K+) and I change them myself and I use Dyna Beads for balance. That is all I have to say about that! PS I can buy them shipped to my door from Jake Wilson for $203.98 Edited June 18, 2011 by Sylvester PS added
lshafer Posted June 18, 2011 #19 Posted June 18, 2011 I've been running E3s for about 1000 miles after replacing the Bridgestones after only 6000 miles. The E3s are great. They handle like a dream and seem to grip really nice. I don't ride in the rain so I haven't tested them on wet roads much. I fail to understand why anyone would want to put Avons on with all the problems with side walls cracking. Especially when theres a great option out there in the E3s. Just my thought. Not trying to start a war.
Guest HdHtr Posted June 22, 2011 #20 Posted June 22, 2011 Good luck with them Don. But you should of had the talk with Avon before this. After my 2nd set cracked, I am on to another tire. I wish Pirelli still made front tires for the first gens. I'd go back to them.
eusa1 Posted June 22, 2011 #21 Posted June 22, 2011 i have the e3's on my rsv, and they handle great in the rain, i ran about 100 miles of rain on the way to don's md this year. they are giving me better miles than any other tire i have run before. mike
ricky lopckhart Posted June 23, 2011 #22 Posted June 23, 2011 What size rear E3 tire do I need for the 2nd Generation? I thinking about giving this tire a shot. I have been running the commanders but can't seem to get them now. Thanks
eusa1 Posted June 23, 2011 #23 Posted June 23, 2011 What size rear E3 tire do I need for the 2nd Generation? I thinking about giving this tire a shot. I have been running the commanders but can't seem to get them now. Thanks they offer the same size as the commanders, and they do last longer, however the commander does stick a little better in the floorboard dragging curves .
davecb Posted June 24, 2011 #24 Posted June 24, 2011 Gee Freebird...You really are a glutton for punishment.. :whistling:
yammie Posted June 24, 2011 #25 Posted June 24, 2011 Been running avon tires for about 2 years. have not noticed any cracks yet but will pay closer attention from now on. When driving in the rain lets just say that extra caution required. Also just paid my subscription for the year and it cost 12.09 Canadian verses 12.00 American. Not sure if taxes are involved or not. I work for an American company and with the current state of the Canadian dollar something don't add up. Just another conversation piece.
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