Avon vs. BT45s

[Frost]

wow....105 for both is CHEAP!!!!!!...
i got mine 175CDN for both...so around 140

[tdan553527]

Here's where I got mine from

http://www.americanmototire.com

[Kerry]

Does anyone have those Chang-Shin tires? I was looking at the HIMAX ones. [...] They only come in 130/90 for 17" rims on the rear; would that fit the GS being that tall?

When my stock rear tire wore out I replaced it with a Cheng Shin Hi-Max 130/90-17.  I didn't know anything about tires at the time, and that's what the local backyard-shop mechanic had in stock.  I got about 9,500 miles out of it, including my longest trip to date (3,800 miles - from UT to AL and back).  That is actually the most miles I have gotten out of a rear tire yet.

It performed fine, especially for long trips.  And especially for the price.     It did feel kinda heavy, but that was probably because of the height.  The extra height also meant "instant higher gearing" - at a given speed in a given gear the RPMS were 1000 less than with the stock rear tire.  (You might want to drop a tooth in the front at the same time to retain some peppiness.)

So, while I wouldn't recommend them for track days or anything, they make pretty good commuter tires.  Especially if you have a hefty commute and put on enough miles to wear out 2 or 3 rear tires a year.

[Ry_Guy]

I just jumped on the bandwagon and ordered a rear Avon AM52. Great price...$67.54 including shipping. I'll update with my results in a little while.

[manofthefield]

Old thread revived!

Can some of you who've put some more miles on your Avon AM51/52s make some comments?  How do they compare to BT-45s? (I'm looking at replacing my BT-45 rear with another BT-45 or Sport Demon or AM52 and I love the Avon price, but  liked the BT-45 a lot)

[gsJack]

Old thread revived!

Can some of you who've put some more miles on your Avon AM51/52s make some comments?  How do they compare to BT-45s? (I'm looking at replacing my BT-45 rear with another BT-45 or Sport Demon or AM52 and I love the Avon price, but  liked the BT-45 a lot)

I've got about 5k miles on my AM51/52 tires that I put on my 02 GS on 4-29-05 and have mixed feelings about them.  They are wearing well and should go maybe 8-10k miles till they hit the wear markers.  I think they handle as good if not a bit better than the BT45s did, but it's been about 5 years since I had any BT45s and I had 3 years on sport touring radials between the BTs and the AMs.

Back in 99 I put on a set of BT45s to replace the OEM tires on the 97 GS and the rear lasted about 9500 miles.  A couple years later when I was pushing it much harder I put on another rear BT45 that was half worn out in less than 2k miles.  Tire wear depends a lot on how hard you run them.

I went to the OEM size AMs this year to lower the bike back to normal height after using the AV46 rear radial in the 140/80 size last year.  I think the AV45/46 sport touring radials are the best I've had on the GSs in both handling and tire life.  If they made them in our OEM sizes I'd go back to them.  Got about 100k total miles on the GSs now.

The AM51/52 tires are quite a bargain and I might use them again next year.  Would choose them over the BT45s since they are as good and cost quite a bit less.  I've never tried the Sport Demons but from what others have said I'd guess they stick better than the BTs and AMs but wear faster.

Anyone try the Michelin Activ or the Metzeler Lasertec in OEM sizes yet on the GS500?  They should both be very good but more expensive than the BTs or AMs.

[jag69]

I am glad this post has been revived.  I am shopping for new tires and currently run BT-45's.  They are great tires, but I would like to try something different.  I would like to go Avon's AM 51/52 or Michelin Activ's.  Thanks manofthefield and gsJack.