I had been deciding on tires through the winter and finally decided on the Avon AM26 Roadriders from American Moto Tire(insanely fast and free shipping and the best prices I found). Now I dont have much to compare them to and I have more time on a dirtbike than a street bike,but here is my take.
I scrubbed them in for about 20-30 miles then my wife hopped on and we put 125 miles on the bike the other day going around the lake in winding,hilly,country new york roads in 53 degree sunny weather. So far the tires are very predictable and offer great traction when braking hard on dry surfaces. They dont take long to warm up either. They seem to me to have more tread depth than what I expected and Im thinking that might have to do with why they seem to offer more "damping" over bumps. The excedras,they wouldnt warm up,they were highly unpredictable and very skaty if you will to me.
The bike seemed to handle grooves,cracks,asphalt patches and bumps very well and didnt seem to wander around much at all compared to the excedras. I even hit a pothole I didnt see while following a car,about 13 inches in diameter and 4 inches deep around a light corner and the front forks seemed to scream at me but the bike remained predictable.
Im mainly a commuter,but I like to have fun too. In cornering I wasnt afraid while alone to lay over a bit on these tires,they offered a very reassuring grip and stability in sharp slow corners,in faster sweeping corners and in mild corners as well. The bike seemed to lean smoothly and roll into corners with ease and confidence.
I mounted the tires myself and did not balance the tires. Up to an indicated 85 mph I noticed no vibrations,shakes or shimmies. These tires do NOT have a valve stem alignment mark,just slap em on and make sure the rotation is in the correct direction!
I was torn between BT45's and Speed Demons. Without riding the others its hard to say but Im sure these are just as good if not better in some areas,super smooth ride and are well rounded. I think if you are stuck between the other 2 mentioned,these might be a good bet for you between the comfortable ride for the commute,the grip for those fun times and predictability on different surfaces,they give me confidence in on throttle and braking performance.
When it warms up I hope to ride in some wet conditions and give a mileage report on the tires. I hope this helps tire shoppers in the future for making a purchase. :thumb:
You can't go wrong with roadriders!
Cookie
Quote from: goobydoo on April 08, 2014, 07:31:16 PM
I had been deciding on tires through the winter and finally decided on the Avon AM26 Roadriders from American Moto Tire(insanely fast and free shipping and the best prices I found). Now I dont have much to compare them to and I have more time on a dirtbike than a street bike,but here is my take.
I scrubbed them in for about 20-30 miles then my wife hopped on and we put 125 miles on the bike the other day going around the lake in winding,hilly,country new york roads in 53 degree sunny weather. So far the tires are very predictable and offer great traction when braking hard on dry surfaces. They dont take long to warm up either. They seem to me to have more tread depth than what I expected and Im thinking that might have to do with why they seem to offer more "damping" over bumps. The excedras,they wouldnt warm up,they were highly unpredictable and very skaty if you will to me.
The bike seemed to handle grooves,cracks,asphalt patches and bumps very well and didnt seem to wander around much at all compared to the excedras. I even hit a pothole I didnt see while following a car,about 13 inches in diameter and 4 inches deep around a light corner and the front forks seemed to scream at me but the bike remained predictable.
Im mainly a commuter,but I like to have fun too. In cornering I wasnt afraid while alone to lay over a bit on these tires,they offered a very reassuring grip and stability in sharp slow corners,in faster sweeping corners and in mild corners as well. The bike seemed to lean smoothly and roll into corners with ease and confidence.
I mounted the tires myself and did not balance the tires. Up to an indicated 85 mph I noticed no vibrations,shakes or shimmies. These tires do NOT have a valve stem alignment mark,just slap em on and make sure the rotation is in the correct direction!
I was torn between BT45's and Speed Demons. Without riding the others its hard to say but Im sure these are just as good if not better in some areas,super smooth ride and are well rounded. I think if you are stuck between the other 2 mentioned,these might be a good bet for you between the comfortable ride for the commute,the grip for those fun times and predictability on different surfaces,they give me confidence in on throttle and braking performance.
When it warms up I hope to ride in some wet conditions and give a mileage report on the tires. I hope this helps tire shoppers in the future for making a purchase. :thumb:
I'm getting some Roadriders next week to replace my very well worn Sport Demons. I love the SD's but I think I have a sizing issue due to my skinny 18" rims which is why I'm trying the Roadriders.
I'll try to remember to post back here with a comparison...
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I like the feel and grip of the SD's but I wore the tread in the middle of my rear tire in 3500 miles :(. I have a new SD on the rear now, because I didn't want to mismatch the front and rear. Next time I'm going to be looking for something that gives a bit more life. Maybe a dual compound or a radial tire.
A comparison would be awesome!
Bombsquad what kind of riding do you do? I also wanted a dual compound tire,but one that had a good ride and traction as well. From reading about SD's and BT45's and riding the AM26's these seem to be a middle of the road tire. Im hoping my rear will last more then 3500 miles, I ride 40-70 miles one way to work depending on where im needed so the miles add up very quickly.
I commute to work on city streets, and when i ride out the country it's mostly flat land here in Central Illinois. Unfortunately, to even get to some mildly twisty road, I have to ride at least 15 miles on flat straight roads.
I'm also 6'1" tall, so I probably tend to put a little more weight toward the back tire due to the way I sit on the bike.
I went with Avon Roadriders and installed them myself. The difference between the stock tires (I think they were very old Bridgestones) and the Avons was amazing. They've worn well. I ride conventionally but the tread seems to be holding up really well. They have great grip in dry conditions. I don't ride much in the rain, but when I have, haven't had any slippage problems.
My rear SD lasts typically about 5500km's before the centre is worn out. The front tyre is different... the centre and edges are ok but I have worn them into a triangular shape and the centre of each side is pretty worn.
I commute every day (pretty straight) and get out as much as I can on the weekend chasing guys on Katanas which is why the front is worn like that.
In my case, the sizes I should be running are 90/90-18 front, 100/90-18 rear, but due to the availability of SD's I have to run 100/90-18 front, 110/90-18 rear. I think the profile is too pointy which is what is causing the premature wear.
I can't wait to get the Avons on and get out for a good ride to compare!
Edit: Forgot to say I ride all weather too and the SD's have been great in the wet as well. I hope the Avons are as good in the wet...
Bombsquad thats tough on the center of a tire! Im hoping as a commuter that the centers dont get destroyed on these tires!
I have heard the SD's are great in the wet. Im hoping the Roadriders can match them!
Update...
I rode about 300 miles over the last week. Ive noticed that when the tires warm up they are very responsive and are super smooth in all types of cornering.
I had my first ride in the rain on the GS and with the Roadriders. It may just be me and my first time in the rain,but anything beyond moderate braking and the rear wheel locked up. The front remained planted through moderate to heavy braking,but if I had to stop on a dime it wouldve been a little tricky(might be my inexperience riding on wet roads) Due to that inexperience I rode within my comfort level and the tires did exactly what I wanted,though on relatively new blacktop it felt kind of sluggish in response and maybe a little slick in cornering. On throttle traction was stable in wet conditions and i only spun the tire once on a good solid launch.
Overall so far,I LOVE the tires on dry pavement and need more time and experience on the wet roads before saying how i feel overall about the performance in those conditions...hope this is helpful. I will update later on in the season with a ton more miles on them! :thumb:
Got mine fitted yesterday, have just scrubbed them in and that's about it.
Turn in at low speed is much slower, but I think that's the narrower tyre than the SD's. No wet weather riding yet.
I'll be out for a bit on Saturday so I'll get to see how they feel in the twisties.
Thanks for the review so far!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Quote from: peteGS on April 09, 2014, 01:01:13 PM
..................In my case, the sizes I should be running are 90/90-18 front, 100/90-18 rear, but due to the availability of SD's I have to run 100/90-18 front, 110/90-18 rear............................
Just curious, what size are your new Roadriders? Avon tire fitment guides recommend 90/90-18 front and 4.00-18 rear for a GS450E and not a 100/90-18 rear you said it should be. The 4.00-18 is 4.6" wide with 7.5 mm tread depth and the 100/90-18 universal rear is 4.3" wide with 5.6 mm tread depth. The 4.00-18 would certainly be a longer lasting tire and probably have a quicker turn in with its inch larger diameter and resulting steeper rake.
I went with the 100/90-18 rear, maybe the 4.00-18 would be better? I can certainly give that a go next time! I get confused by this sizing stuff...
I'll report back after Tomorrow's ride. I didn't see the difference in tread depth!
Incidentally I paid a little less for the Avons compared with the SD's.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Update:
So far Ive put about 2000 miles on the Roadriders,about 75 miles on wet roads(35 of them today).
On dry roads,the tires handle pretty well,turn in is very smooth. Through sweeping corners the tires seem to have a pretty consistent feel. Through sharper twisties the tires grip well coming off the corners,but seem to roll into the turn kind of slow,but theyre forgiving to corrections.
On wet pavement, I cant stress enough how POOR these tires are in the rain. I have to drive VERY slow. Today doing 40 in 5th gear the tire instantly broke free with a slight roll onto the throttle. The bike started to lowside twice while making right hand turns at low speeds(10-12mph indicated) rolled onto the throttle to bring the back end around a little to keep from dropping it. Going around a sweeping corner (45 mph turn) doing (38-40 mph indicated) the back end would unpredictably and quickly kick out.
So far,on dry pavement these tires are good commuter tires and show very little wear from highway and riding the twisties.
If you ride on wet pavement,from my experience with these tires,avoid them like the plague!
My experience has been different on the Roadriders. About 20000+ miles. I never felt that the wet performance was unacceptable. Only once did the rear step out, and that was expected. Of course, my suspension is different, and the tire size was probably different.
I haven't chimed in yet.... I love these tyres! Only just over 1100 km's but they are fantastic so far wet or dry. They are smoother than the sport demons and all my favourite twisties are much better with the Avons.
I haven't done a huge amount of wet riding yet but what I have done has felt at least as good as the demons were.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
This may sound funny...but what type of pavement are you guys riding on? Around here we have a lot of oiled and stoned roads where over time the stones have slowly diminished...could it be an oily surface that I am experiencing?
It seems odd that these tires would be so good for some on the same bike,even at different sizes,from some being great to mine being terrible...seems like as soon as I touch the brakes they lock up.
What speeds do you guys ride at when in the wet?
Today was gorgeous out and I was able to ride very spirited on a good 5 mile section of twisties on the dry roads...felt pretty good to hit some twisties up with confidence and having the tire stick solid.
In most cases the less it rains, the worse the roads are when they're wet. Are you in a nicer area by any chance?
Our roads in Aus are crap and more abrasive than the US is what I'm told.
They're definitely more slippery if it hasn't rained for a while as all the oil soaked in to the surface is brought up to the top.
I'm not the fastest wet rider but I do find I go quicker than some others...
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I live in the sticks on a dirt road so no nice area for me...roads tend to have a lot of potholes and cracks etc...some areas are more abrasive than others and we get a bit of standing water depending on the area....maybe its not the tires and wet weather riding on my local roads just sucks lol
Several other riders including myself have found that the rear brake of the GS500 can be a little grabby and lock the rear wheel without too much effort. Even on dry pavement at a strong stop the rear can start sliding, especially if you have grippy pads in the rear. For this reason I only use standard organic pads on the rear of my bike and the stronger sintered pads in the front. That and a more cautious foot solved the issue for me.
I can't speak to the tires, I have old BT45s on mine that are needing to be changed. I will probably do that soon but have not picked out a tire yet.
Well the 450 has a drum on the back :D
It's good enough for a bit of drag into corners for stability if necessary and for hill starts...
Quote from: 89500inPA on May 21, 2014, 01:57:56 PM
Several other riders including myself have found that the rear brake of the GS500 can be a little grabby and lock the rear wheel without too much effort. Even on dry pavement at a strong stop the rear can start sliding, especially if you have grippy pads in the rear. For this reason I only use standard organic pads on the rear of my bike and the stronger sintered pads in the front. That and a more cautious foot solved the issue for me.
I can't speak to the tires, I have old BT45s on mine that are needing to be changed. I will probably do that soon but have not picked out a tire yet.
The GS has a strong rear brake that should be well used but respected. I low sided my 97 GS purchased new the first month I had it when a car pulled out on me and I hit the brakes hard. Had 4 old Hondas with drum rears I put 230k miles on before the first GS. I learned to use that rear brake well and use to joke that a GS rider needed 100k miles of GS experience before using HH pads on the rear. :icon_lol: Later model GSs came with HH front and FF rear pads, my 97 and 02 didn't have friction grade marked on OEM pads as required by fed regulations now.
I like the Roadrider tires myself and have put most of my last 40k miles on Roadriders and never found them to be a problem in the wet. Good tire well suited to the GS for most and give great tire life. I was using radials back during the years we were travelling to the mountains to play but the name brand bias tires have all been upgraded in both profiles and compounds since then and the difference between bias and radials in the wet isn't so great now.
Quote from: goobydoo on May 20, 2014, 06:34:02 PM
This may sound funny...but what type of pavement are you guys riding on? Around here we have a lot of oiled and stoned roads where over time the stones have slowly diminished...could it be an oily surface that I am experiencing?
It seems odd that these tires would be so good for some on the same bike,even at different sizes,from some being great to mine being terrible...seems like as soon as I touch the brakes they lock up.
What speeds do you guys ride at when in the wet?
I see a variety of pavement. Asphalt, concrete, chip-seal... I am more careful in the wet, of course. Once I did slide the rear pretty bad on some slippery pavement braking for the curve, but that was just a bone-head move on my part.
I guess Ill just go out in the rain and hope for the best from now on and keep trying!
I have a hard time believing a tire with the tread depth and type that it has could be as good on dry pavement as it is and as poor as it felt the other day on wet.
I've got over 60,000 miles on the Roadriders and have had great success with them. Most of my riding is highway commuting and I get very good wear - I average about 13,000 miles on the rear (130-70/17) and 26,000 on the front (110-70/17). Dry pavement grip, to me, is excellent. As for wet weather... and being a year-round rider I do my fair share... I have not had any issues with wet traction. To be completely honest, when the going gets wet I ride very conservatively. I tone it down big time. I have no need or desire to find the tire's traction limits in the rain - it's more important that I get home in one piece.
Sure there are other tires that may grip better in the rain, but I am primarily a commuter riding 13,000 miles a year. I need tires that wear well and still give a great ride. Hands-down Roadriders offer me the best bang for my buck.
Of course, YMMV...
:cheers: