Topic: Avon Cracking

[Stev-o]

That sucks.  I hope I don't regret buying my Avons. I have BT45's on my K4 and Dunlop 404's on my 550, both great, just wanted something better[?!] on the Z1.

[harisuluv]

I think I am going to try bt45 next Steve.

I bought the avons based on mostly recommendations here and honestly when I saw the cracks I just kind of figured I had a bad pair. Manufacture date recent too.  Interesting this is a "known" issue.

[splitt]

As promised here's a picture of the tire. The date code is 8-2810. I'm guessing that means August 2010. I'm going to call the retailer tomorrow to see if there is any chance of replacement. I'll report back for those who are curious.

2810 means that it was manufactured on the 28th week of 2010. So the week of July 11th to 17th of 2010.

[Duke McDukiedook]

20 psi may be part of your cracking problem.
Like Bobby said you usually want to inflate tubeless tires with tubes a little more than the tube inflation says.
I usually go around 38 psi on each tire.

[crazypj]

I am wondering about under inflation. I have found the modern tires require more PSI than you will find on the fender sticker. The new tires have more flexible sidewalls. I say that because the cracking is just below the rim where the maximum deflection would be.

I think you may be right
I have some old AVON race tyres that are fine (bit harder than they were 10 yrs ago though)
I've seen the cracking on a friends bike, he doesn't check tyre pressures, I do it for him when I notice (he has excuse of being a mortgage broker not mechanic )

[Dave Voss]

The date code is 8-2810. I'm guessing that means August 2010.

The 4-digit date code '2810' means the '28'th week of the '10'th year, or roughly mid-July 2010.  Three years old doesn't seem old enough to crack, unless perhaps they were not stored correctly prior to the point of sale.  I've read that storage in extreme heat (like inside a shipping container sitting outside in the summer sun) can cause premature cracking in tires, something about the elastic agents gassing off and drying out the rubber.

[redpine]

Another quick update.  I got shuttled around a bit, but was able to talk to someone at Avon and the retailer (Motorcycle Superstore).  Avon appears to have a decent warranty policy and will replace the tire as long as it hasn't been raced, is withing a certain level of tread life, and less than 7 years old.  They obviously need to inspect the tire to make sure I haven't performed any illegal voodoo on it.  It's not clear yet how much of a credit I can get for the tire, but the general guidelines look to be a full refund if the tire has more than 50% tread life and prorated if there is less than 50%. 

As far as I could tell Motorcycle Superstore didn't really understand the Avon warranty process.  Because I bought the tire in 2011 it was beyond their general one-year policy.  But Avon won't take the tire back directly so you have to go through your retailer.  Anyway, after multiple calls back-and-forth I now have a return authorization number from Motorcycle Superstore and I'll be sending the tire back to them as soon as I have a chance to get a wrench on the bike.

The bummer is that this is my everyday bike.  With such a short riding season up here this process is going to eat up some valuable time.  I knew I should have worked harder on that project bike over the winter.

[Duke McDukiedook]

And check your tire pressure on a daily basis, I do this on my motorcycles and my bicycles.

[Stev-o]

Hey redpine - so will you dismount the tire, send it back and wait for them to send a new one? That could easily be two weeks. 

[redpine]

Hey redpine - so will you dismount the tire, send it back and wait for them to send a new one? That could easily be two weeks.

Yeah. Unfortunately that's the plan. Not much choice at this point. I know the tire is probably fine and I could wait until winter but now it's creeping into to my mind more than it should and I don't want to be distracted by it when I should be enjoying a ride. There are enough other things gunning for me when I'm on the bike. I should at least have a clear mind.

I'll just use the shop time to clear out some maintenance stuff I haven't had time for. Maybe switch up to a 530 sprocket and chain setup as well, then do a long weekend ride up in the High Peaks to make up for it.

[Stev-o]

Yes, change it ASAP for peace of mind.  How 'bout buying a replacement so you can ride and then selling the one they send to you?

[redpine]

That's possible, but I think I'd rather use the 100 bucks on my project bike or towards a new sprocket and chain set.

[dave500]

chuck some sport demons on it,,thank me later.

[crazypj]

And check your tire pressure on a daily basis, I do this on my motorcycles and my bicycles.

I'm running all 'modern' tyres at 32~36psi they do seem to flex at lower pressures

[750K]

I've been keeping an eye on my road riders and just caught the front sidewall starting to check and crack, got a hold of the shop I got them at and have started the return process. Bought them new in Feb 2013, have put 3,700km on them, running 35-38psi on them. We shall see what the deal is, My parts lady is on real good terms with the Avon rep and I have bought a ton of parts over the last year or two between my wifes bike and mine. So hopefully they will take care of it.

[BobbyR]

This a very valuable thread. If these tires begin to degrade so quickly, I would not buy a pair. Having had a front flat at moderate speed, I can tell you it is a life changing experience.

[Stev-o]

This a very valuable thread. If these tires begin to degrade so quickly, I would not buy a pair.

+1.  Wish I had read it before I bought a set. I haven't noticed cracks yet but will be checking them regularly.

[Retro Rocket]

And check your tire pressure on a daily basis, I do this on my motorcycles and my bicycles.

I'm running all 'modern' tyres at 32~36psi they do seem to flex at lower pressures

And wear out much faster, modern tires need modern tire pressures, forget what Honda says in the manual, its completely irrelevant these days as the tires are made much better and differently than days of old...

[crazypj]

I'm actually getting much better mileage with modern tyres than I ever got in the 70's ~ 80's
Rear Pirelli Phantom only did 1,800 miles on CB550 (no burn out's, steady acceleration)
 I think better suspension (and better understanding of suspension) is the main reason improvement in tyre life
Most generic aftermarket shocks are way too stiff for smaller Honda's and may only work properly on a loaded CB750 so the tyre is 'working' much harder than it's design capabilities?

[Retro Rocket]

I'm actually getting much better mileage with modern tyres than I ever got in the 70's ~ 80's
Rear Pirelli Phantom only did 1,800 miles on CB550 (no burn out's, steady acceleration)
 I think better suspension (and better understanding of suspension) is the main reason improvement in tyre life
Most generic aftermarket shocks are way too stiff for smaller Honda's and may only work properly on a loaded CB750 so the tyre is 'working' much harder than it's design capabilities?

I suspect you are partly correct PJ, modern shocks are definitely better and understanding how it works is probably more prevalent today than days of old, but funnily enough, I am have the same shocks now that i used in the late 70's, early 80's...the good old Koni {now Ikon}...I think there's a common misconception that for a tire to be sticky it has to be really soft, thats no longer the case, its more about how the compounds work, hence the longer life of newer tires....

[BobbyR]

If you look at some of the higher end modern tires you will see that the center of the tire has a harder compound than the edges. Modern manufacturing methods and chemistry make a lot of this possible.
I am not sure about the shocks making the tires work more. It may also be we work the tires harder since we found out they stick better, so we lean more at higher speeds.

[crazypj]

around 1978~, BMW were the only manufacturer who 'explained' you needed relatively 'soft' suspension with well damped travel
Prior to that, 'everyone knew' you limited suspension travel and fitted stiff springs to 'make' bikes handle
 It was something of a 'secret' as knowing how to set up suspension gave a major advantage in all forms of competition (except maybe drag racing?)
 It was well into the late 90's before suspension advice became somewhat common outside of MX magazines and probably mid 2000 before many people took much notice (particularly as factory stock suspension was better than full race from 10 ~ 15yrs earlier)

[Retro Rocket]

around 1978~, BMW were the only manufacturer who 'explained' you needed relatively 'soft' suspension with well damped travel
Prior to that, 'everyone knew' you limited suspension travel and fitted stiff springs to 'make' bikes handle
 It was something of a 'secret' as knowing how to set up suspension gave a major advantage in all forms of competition (except maybe drag racing?)
 It was well into the late 90's before suspension advice became somewhat common outside of MX magazines and probably mid 2000 before many people took much notice (particularly as factory stock suspension was better than full race from 10 ~ 15yrs earlier)

I agree with everything you've said on suspension PJ, I learned this at a young age and have reaped the benefits of having good suspension for years...Preaching to the converted mate....