Avon Super Venom - any good?

Peter Mille · Post by **Peter Mille** » Sun May 18, 2008 7:59 am

Those Pirelli's are on my Mille Special, they look a little modern to my taste, but I definitely wanted a 140 rear tyre, and only Pirelli had them two years ago.
The Continental TKV is still my favorite, they look very "seventies", but according to several test, they are as good as Bridgstone, but no 140-18.....
With Michelin I had some VERY bad experiences, so never Michelin again for me!

gorman · Post by **gorman** » Sun May 18, 2008 9:03 am

I've added the Continetal TKV and the Metzeler Lasertec tyre pictures to my previous post.

Those Continentals also look very nice - I'll investigate their availability as well. In South Africa Continentals are vey popular car tyres, but you don't see a lot of them on bikes.

If I have to sort them into an order which I'd prefer them, I'd say they rank as follows (this is based purely on the way they look!!...I'm sure they all handle and grip more or less the same):
1. Avon AM26
2. Bridgestone BT45
3. Pirelli Sport Demon
4. Michelin, Continental, Metzeler

Peter Mille · Post by **Peter Mille** » Sun May 18, 2008 10:48 am

Before the Pirelli's, I had the Metzelers Laser on my bike, they are "touring" tires, f.i. for BMW's.......!

German motorcycle magazine "Motorrad" tested tires for "youngtimers" a few years ago.
Almost all tires handle the same during dry conditions, but when wet, the Bridgestone and the Continental were superior, the Avon and Pirelli were bad in the rain.....!!
( I NEVER drive my Mille in the wet...!)

gorman · Post by **gorman** » Sat May 24, 2008 4:18 pm

Feedback: I decided to settle on the Avons and had a pair of AM26 Roadriders fitted yesterday. The wheels are still off the bike as I want to use to opportunity to clean all the little places one cannot get to with the wheels fitted. These tyres look a 100 times better than the ones I had on and by means of the "nail test" they also feel a lot softer than the 14 year old Super Venoms I had on (no surprise, really!)

Craig in France · Post by **Craig in France** » Sat May 31, 2008 1:13 pm

gorman wrote:Feedback: I decided to settle on the Avons and had a pair of AM26 Roadriders fitted yesterday.

(I know I'm coming in a bit late on this thread

, but ...)

Don't think you'll be disappointed.

I fitted a pair to my SSD last year when Venoms went out of production. Took me thru the Pyrenees, round the Riviera and on to Rimini for WDW; then back thru the Alps, Switzerland, France and back to the UK, 3,500 miles total. Had no problems - no loss of grip in the mountains and an acceptable rate of wear on the long boring bits (which wasn't true of the old BT45s altho' I understand Bridgestone has changed the compound these days).

And I found Venoms used to start tracking badly on long sweepers when they began to wear. So definitely an improvement.

Ciao

Craig

commotoed · Post by **commotoed** » Wed Oct 15, 2008 10:20 am

I have been re-searching tires for my newly acquired 900 GTS, 18 x 3.50 and 18 x 4.00 now my question, are there any period looking tires "worth" recommending?
I have found the Cheng-Shin C223 ribbed, C199 Dunlop K81 copy and I have found the Shinko 230 tour masters which favor an old Pirelli design.
Any past experience on the Forum with these tires? tia

A big thanks for this forum in general!

Peter Mille · Post by **Peter Mille** » Wed Oct 15, 2008 10:37 am

I have those Chen-Ching Dunlop Arrowmax copy's on my '73 Kawa 750 triple, and they are not bad at all, although I never used the bike in wet conditions...!
(And no, the roadholding of the MachIV isn't bad either, despite what everybody is saying, specially those that never have ridden one........!)
But if you are looking for period tires for your Ducati, go for the Continental TKV series, they actually look like seventies racing tires!!!!

Post by **BevHevSteve** » Wed Oct 15, 2008 11:21 am

FYI I have signed on with a huge mc distributor [tucker rocky] so I can sell avons, bridgestones, continentals etc].

I highly recommend the avon AM26

shoot me an email with your needs and I will quote you them. delivery overseas would be stupid as you guys have importers there... But if you are in north america............. let me know what you need.

I will have tires listed in my shopping cart soon...........

Kickaha · Post by **Kickaha** » Wed Oct 15, 2008 9:31 pm

gorman wrote:I'm sure the BT45's will be perfect

I've run BT45's on my post classic race bike (RD350LC)and they were very good wet or dry, I don't know anyone who has used them that hasn't liked them

In saying that, the Avons were the best tyre I ever ran on the Darmah I used to have (I didn't ever try the BT45)

cafe*racer · Post by **cafe*racer** » Thu Oct 16, 2008 4:29 am

I will throw my hat into the ring for the Continental TKV's. They are priced very competitively, look like period tires, and for as much as I will be riding they will be fine. If I ever do a track day, I would be swapping out the Borrani's anyway.

nottonight68 · Post by **nottonight68** » Thu Oct 16, 2008 4:33 am

why swap the borranis-you expecting to crash
what would you put on

cafe*racer · Post by **cafe*racer** » Thu Oct 16, 2008 4:50 am

Never expecting to crash, however would not want some low speed stupidity to cause damage. Will probably have a spare set of Akronts laced up and Avons mounted when the time comes.

MartinMille BANNED · Post by **MartinMille BANNED** » Thu Oct 16, 2008 5:11 am

cafe*racer wrote:low speed stupidity to cause damage.

I remember a few years back (10 or so ) The missus and I went to the I think but dont quote me on this, the National Ducati Rally at Wakefield race track any way...... I bought the Turkey and was going to split it with a mate of mine later ....hi Tony you never showed so as one does drinks his half as well and STUPID then gets on the Mille and does donuts on the tar no problemssssssssssss at all but get back to the tent on the grass puts his foot down slips and went arse over tit dents the tank ,smashed fairing and wakes up hours later in the cold with a drained fuel tank and a throbbing head

And another time Tony back then rode a GS1100S shafty off we went to the Laverda rally mid winter central west NSW between Lithgow and Bathurst on the old road that is no longer there there used to be this cutting where 140km was the norm when this gust of wind got the Mills fairing and where one used to turn in at full lean angle ,well have you ever made a flat turn -NO Lean Angle at speed- "hands up" I have and it scared the living daylights out of me heading for the cliff , later on the same trip Tony started to do a bit of rallying on the dirt about 5k's from the rally site when WHAM this 6 foot gray Roo T Bones him , Tony was a little while ahead off me and by the time I got there he has hanging off the wire fence and the bike was still spinning on the ground as the Roo kept heading of in the distance and to make matter worse by the time we got there he had lost the tent poles ,,,What a day that was

This might be a good topic on it own, what stupid things have you done one you bike?

About the tyres the new bike has them front and rear so they were either cheap or they work well, judging on the gear that is on the bike I dont think they would be crap

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Avon Super Venom - any good?

Period look