OK, i've heard both are good tires, I have the BT45s now, and thinking of getting some AVONS.
I would like to hear from someone that has tried both tires and can compare the two.
I like the BT45s, great grip, how are the Avons.
Tire life? Comparable?
I have AM5/52...grip is very good...but never tried BT45s to compare...
but the price is just unbeatable
Yea, price is what is drawing me to the avons.
Well, after getting my Avon AM51/52's on, I am very pleased with these tires compared to the BT45's. I would have to say they are just as good as the BT45's.
:cheers: and half the price.
How many miles do you get out of the Avons? I got about 10,000 from my BT-45 rear and it looks like I'll get 20,000 from the front. The rear was ALMOST smooth when I took it off.
Quote from: joerockerHow many miles do you get out of the Avons? I got about 10,000 from my BT-45 rear and it looks like I'll get 20,000 from the front. The rear was ALMOST smooth when I took it off.
I have about 4,500 mi out of my AM51/52 set. Probably too soon to tell, but I could probably make the rear last to 10 grand, the front longer.
QuoteHow many miles do you get out of the Avons? I got about 10,000 from my BT-45 rear and it looks like I'll get 20,000 from the front. The rear was ALMOST smooth when I took it off.
I can't answer that yet, only 300 on my new Avons. Got 12,000 out of the BT45's, front still had alot of life left and the rear was getting flat down the center. I would have ran the BT45's longer, but had to get a new set on the bike for the trip to the Tail of the Dragon.
I just had AM 51/52 put on my bike yesterday, so I'm hoping to have a good experience. However, I was told that AVON no longer makes the 52 in the 130 70/17...so you'll have to use the 130 80/17. Just an FYI.
QuoteHowever, I was told that AVON no longer makes the 52 in the 130 70/17...so you'll have to use the 130 80/17. Just an FYI.
Avon's website still shows them, and I just got mine last week in stock size 130/70-17
Quote from: FFDougKI just had AM 51/52 put on my bike yesterday, so I'm hoping to have a good experience. However, I was told that AVON no longer makes the 52 in the 130 70/17...so you'll have to use the 130 80/17. Just an FYI.
when and where did you hear this?
I got them mounted yesterday by a guy that runs a shop out of his garage (great prices, great work, and highly recommended in the area). He was told by his tire source when he ordered them Friday that the 130 70/17s were out of production although this could really just mean that the distributor didn't have any. He specifically said that the distributor said the tires aren't being made anymore in that size.
If anyone can prove me wrong I'd be very interested to hear it. Perhaps this guy isn't as great as everyone says.
Just got off the phone with AVON, tires are still in production.
Quote from: FFDougKI got them mounted yesterday by a guy that runs a shop out of his garage (great prices, great work, and highly recommended in the area). He was told by his tire source when he ordered them Friday that the 130 70/17s were out of production although this could really just mean that the distributor didn't have any. He specifically said that the distributor said the tires aren't being made anymore in that size.
If anyone can prove me wrong I'd be very interested to hear it. Perhaps this guy isn't as great as everyone says.
I've known distributors, and retail stores in general, to say that something doesn't exist so you'll buy a similar product from them instead of buying the "nonexistent" product from a competitor. Happened to me when I went to a dealer and he told me that IMS doesn't make a bigger gas tank that will fit the DRZ-400SM--it turned out his distributor was dry at the moment. Don't believe everything you hear...
Well that's good to know...my mistake.
(sorry for hijacking the thread unintentionally)
title says avons, you weren't hijacking, merely filling us with :bs: , just kidding, I meant filling us with information.
Quote from: tdan553527title says avons, you weren't hijacking, merely filling us with :bs: , just kidding, I meant filling us with information.
That sounds a lot like my molecular genetics professor...but what does he expect to get out of 4 hour essay exams. Anyway...I'm glad I could contribute the inaccurate portion of the accuracy duality.
you're taking molecular genetics too?...that's my major... :)
Does anyone have those Chang-Shin tires? I was looking at the HIMAX ones. They're pretty cheap and they look ok. I'm thinking about trying some out. They only come in 130/90 for 17" rims on the rear; would that fit the GS being that tall? They have 110/70 on front though.
Stay away from cheng shin, I've heard they have no grip and are horrible tires.
The Maxxis Promax is a better option, Maxxix and Cheng shin I believe are the same company.
The AVON's I just got were only $105 for both.
yeah, i'd stay away from the maxxis promax as well...i've used a couple sets on my bike and it seems like they wear pretty quickly. i'm estimating i only get about 6k out of the rear tire. they are easy on the wallet though.
wow....105 for both is CHEAP!!!!!!...
i got mine 175CDN for both...so around 140
Here's where I got mine from
http://www.americanmototire.com
Quote from: EklipseDoes 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.
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.
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)
Quote from: manofthefieldOld 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.
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.