Avon Tire

[bucks1605]

I'm looking at this tire http://www.ironpony.com/ironponydirect/product.asp/ImageName/AVON-HKM.jpg/Brand/AVON/Class2/Tires%20and%20Wheels/Class3/Street%20Tires/Class1/ as it was suggested at the wiki. Just wondering if it would be a good buy. I don't ride like a racer on the streets, more laid back cruising style. So this tire seems to be a good choice. I'm only buying a front tire btw.

[badguy]

I've had that tire on my front wheel for a little under a year now and it's been fine for me.  I don't really race on the streets, but I do carry some speed in corners once in a while.  In other words, I'm sure you'll be fine with this tire. 

Also, look for posts by gsJack, I'm almost positive he's commented on this model before, and he knows his stuff.

[bucks1605]

Ok thanks a lot.

[manofthefield]

I've got just the rear of that set.  I guess these tires have been discontinued... but they're still a good deal.  Probably not the best tire out there, but certainly not the worst.  On par with BT-45's (except maybe the brand new BT-45s which may have been updated)

[gsJack]

Those AM51/52 tires have been discontinued since the new Roadrunner came out.  I think the Roadrunners will be considerably better for just a little more money.

I rode those AM51/52 tires at a pretty good pace and thought they were as good as the old BT45 (before updating)  except for the squared off shape of the rear tire.  With about 9k miles on it, I hit those construction grooves one evening and was all over the place with that square rear.

Put a Lasertec on the back and went back and hit those grooves again and couldn't hardly feel them, still had the Avon on the front for a while.

See you live in Columbus so you can buy the AM51 locally.  They have the new Roadriders at Tires Unlimited over in Dayton and also the OEM BT45 G spec tires used on the GS-F models at about the same price as the Roadriders.  You might want to check them out in the future.

http://www.tiresunlimited.com/default.htm

My tire log:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/jcp8832/GS500tirelog.jpg

A couple pics of that Square AM52 new mounted on a Ninja 500 wheel:

[bucks1605]

Cool, thanks a lot. I'll take a look at those.  My sister lives over in Dayton so she could pick it up for me. 

[debtman7]

I was looking at those too, I live in columbus and my new/old gs500 is being dropped off tonight

I was leaning towards the new roadrunner's, but they're not listed at iron pony's website, anyone know if they have them? Also for the locals, where around here is the best place to get tires put on? Iron pony seems to have decent prices on their tires, cheaper to order from other places online but with shipping it seems about even, so I was thinking I'd just take the wheels over there and have them mount the tires. But if they don't have the roadriders that may not work...

[bucks1605]

Jack gave a link to a site that has the roadrunners, the company is over in Dayton, but you can have them shipped. As far as mounting goes, I'm not sure if iron pony will mount the tires for you, I didn't see anything on their site.  But some of the bigger dealers, i.e. Ask powersports, Honda northwest will mount them for you. I'll probably end up going to northwest. I'm sure there are some smaller places that will do it too, but northwest is really close to me so I'm going there. Congrats on the new bike. 

[debtman7]

I'm on the west side out in hilliard so it's probably cheaper and easier just to take the wheels out to dayton and have them put on, assuming tires unlimited does mounting. I'll keep them in mind. Honda Northest is the closest place to me but I figured being a dealer their prices would be high, but I don't know. Iron pony seems to have reasonable prices so I didn't know how honda northwest compared.

I'm probably going to wait a few months anyway, since we're just starting to ride and I don't want to add slick new tires into the equation until I'm a bit more comfortable on the bike... Plus, I'd have to figure out how to get the wheels off

[badguy]

Update:

I think I'm gonna have to retract my previous claim about this front tire.  I was out riding yesterday on one of my favorite roads, and it felt like the tire was gonna wash out in a tight turn.  When I turned around to take the corner again to see if maybe it was something I did wrong, or if there was some dirt in the road (I didn't see any the first time) I noticed that it was clean.  So I tried it again, and it was on the verge of slipping again. 

It wasn't a case of cold tires, because I had been riding for a while.  When I got home, I checked my air pressure and it was just a little over the recommended amount (I chalked that up to the tires' being warm) 

I'd have to say that this front tire is good for cruising, like you say you'll do, but for more spirited riding, I'm going with something stickier next time.  I guess you're going with the roadrunners, but I figured I'd clear up my position.

[bucks1605]

Update:

I think I'm gonna have to retract my previous claim about this front tire.  I was out riding yesterday on one of my favorite roads, and it felt like the tire was gonna wash out in a tight turn.  When I turned around to take the corner again to see if maybe it was something I did wrong, or if there was some dirt in the road (I didn't see any the first time) I noticed that it was clean.  So I tried it again, and it was on the verge of slipping again. 

It wasn't a case of cold tires, because I had been riding for a while.  When I got home, I checked my air pressure and it was just a little over the recommended amount (I chalked that up to the tires' being warm) 

I'd have to say that this front tire is good for cruising, like you say you'll do, but for more spirited riding, I'm going with something stickier next time.  I guess you're going with the roadrunners, but I figured I'd clear up my position.

That's good to know, thanks. I called my local shop and they didn't have the tire in stock, the guy couldn't even find anything on it. And on thier site shipping was $20, so I said hell no. I'm gonna go up today and see what they have. He said they were having a sale on one kind of tire and it was $24! I bet it's a really good tire... 

[bucks1605]

So I'm going in there today and I've narrowed it down to 3 choices.
1.Bridgestone BT-45 Battlax $82.99
2.Avon AM20 Roadrunner (doesn't list my size on site) $99.99
3.The $24 tire that the guy told me about when I called (don't remember the name)

Whatcha guys think? 1,2, or 3 BTW all these prices don't include mounting becuase they don't mount tires there. 

[manofthefield]

I think there's been some confusion between the Avon AM20/AM21 ROADRUNNER and the AM26 ROADRIDER.... I've seen both names used interchangeably in this post, probably just by accident since they almost sound the same.  The AM20/AM21 Roadrunner is a cruiser/ old UJM tire which I don't think is even made for a 17" wheel.  The AM26 Roadrider is a modern bias-ply tire that it seems would make a great choice for the GS

In summary, if you want a bias-ply Avon tire, you want the AM26 Roadrider

[gsJack]

So I'm going in there today and I've narrowed it down to 3 choices.
1.Bridgestone BT-45 Battlax $82.99
2.Avon AM20 Roadrunner (doesn't list my size on site) $99.99
3.The $24 tire that the guy told me about when I called (don't remember the name)

Whatcha guys think? 1,2, or 3 BTW all these prices don't include mounting becuase they don't mount tires there. 

manofthefield is correct about the AM20/21 Roadrunners, they are UJM/cruiser size tires and don't come in GS sizes.  Avon doesn't call them Roadrunners on their site now to help avoid the confusion.

The new AM26 Roadriders will not only replace the HKM AM51/52 tires but also will replace both the AM20/21 Roadrunners and the AM18/20 Supervenoms.  The HKM have already been dropped from the Avon site and the other two will follow soon.

I took a quick look at the Ironpony site and that $24 tire referred to must be the GBC Street Shark listed at $23.99 for the 110/70 front and it is a CHEAP ChengShen tire I wouldn't touch.  Looks like the AM51 or the BT45 are the choices from Ironpony for a decent front tire.

I don't know if Tire Unlimited mounts and balances but a call would check that out, anyway their shipping charges are the lowest I've seen except for the free shipping on a pair from Southwest but that is included in the price of the tire.

[debtman7]

Well I'm undecided too

Just getting started, primarily I'll be commuting to work on occasion (freeway) and some fun rides. I'd imagine mostly commuting and I'm not going to be pushing the bike for a while. I'm considering the Avon AM26's, Bridgestone BT45's and Michelin Pilot Activs. The avon win on price and it seems that it'd get the job done since it's going to be a while before I have any desire to really push the bike. I hear a lot of good things about the pilots but michelin rates them as not so ideal for freeway use. I'm assuming these are a more performance oriented tire?

I'll check with tires unlimited about mounting. Iron pony says they only mount tires bought there. I don't know what honda northwest would charge but I'm betting it wouldn't be cheap

BTW is it standard practice to take the wheels off the bike and take them to have tires mounted? And will the haynes manual coming soon to my door explain how to do that?

[bucks1605]

Thanks for clearing up the confusion on the roadrunner tires. I appreciate it. I will stay away from the $24 tire. Probably go with the correct roadrunner or maybe the bridgestone. Thanks for your helpful insight. Also I didn't know Iron Pony mounted tires. Is it free with the tire purchase? (I doubt it)

[gsJack]

http://www.ironpony.com/display.asp?PGID=48

[bucks1605]

http://www.ironpony.com/display.asp?PGID=48

That's great, thanks for the link. So I have to remove my front wheel and take it in only? That's what it looks like, is there any kind of guide or could you maybe give me a quick guide to removing the front wheel, so I don't mess it up? Or if it's pretty simple I guess I could figure it out.

[debtman7]

Tires unlimited gave me a convoluted response to my email asking if they install if I haul the wheels out there. The basic answer I got was that they don't do it for those prices, you can only get tires at the website prices by ordering online. Since going out there would use their sales people, cash registers, showroom space, etc that I'd have to pay retail prices.

I would think they'd try and sell me and tell me what it would cost for the tires and installation but they didn't... Have to see what I can find around here then, or find someone to install without ripping me off.

[badguy]

...or if you're even the slightest bit mechanically inclined, you can save some money and do it yourself