Avon Cobras

[Hedgehog]

I've got Avon Cobra tires fitted to my 1997 Standard... OK but not too impressed in the wet. Not terrible, just could be better.

I appreciate that the tire thread has been done to death (and I've been reading using Search) but has anyone any experience / views of these particular items?

What is the preferred tyre for wet climate? ???

 I used to have Dunlop Roadsmarts on my Blackbird and was very pleased with them...

Thanks.

[Philthy]

My IS came with Avons, which performed very well.

I put on Dunlop Elite 3's.  They're noisy, but otherwise great tires, including in the rain.

I've ridden through downpours with absolutely no problems...except for not wearing a full face helmet and having water hit me in the kisser...highly annoying.

As for the tires, I can't recommend them enough.  I wear ear plugs, so the noise doesn't bother me.

My only gripe is they aren't whitewalls.

CS

[9Ball]

Have you experimented with different inflation?  I tend to run mine on the harder side, 45 psi front and back.  This has been the best all around pressure for my riding style.  As you may know, a few pounds different pressure can make a big difference in handling.

Good luck...

[old2soon]

The Metzler 880 i replaced was very good in the rain. In fact couple of days before i replaced it i ran about 110 miles in a real toad drowner. I now have a Shinko 890 up front and the only water it's seen up to this point is from the hose i use to wash the M/C.  Soon as i get to run the Shinko in the rain i'll post about it. RIDE SAFE.

[Gryphon Rider]

My confidence in Elite 3 front tires was significantly lowered after riding through the mountains on a cool rainy day with a half-worn tire.  It slipped a couple of times in corners at speeds that would not have troubled the Avon Venom previously installed.  Although I wasn't riding slowly, I wasn't exactly scraping pegs either.  I run a Cobra front tire now with a General Altimax rear.

[Hedgehog]

Thanks guys.

The Cobras are OK - just not outstanding.

I'm looking to shorten stopping distances in the wet and figure that grippier tyres would be an easier way than tinkering with the braking - which by all accounts is generally rated quite highly.

I changed the tyres on the Blackbird to Roadsmarts from Bridgestones and the result was about a cars length shorter stopping distance (3.85M) from 40mph (measured on a private track).

In the end I'm aware that the biggest single improvement is likely to be found in the rider!


HH

[Cattman]

43 F, 46 R and on my 3rd set of AVON's  average 14-5 K on rears and 18-19K on fronts. Never had wet problems and I manage to hit rain every trip.

[Philthy]

Follow up on the Elite 3's...

I figure I might as well give a more accurate description of how these tires performed in wet weather.

I road through a pretty heavy downpour on Los Angeles freeways (134 East from Pasadena, South on the 605, and East on the 10).  Plenty of curves, but nothing sharp or exciting at Southern California freeway speeds.  The roads were fairly clean of oil and crud, as it had rained pretty good a couple weeks ago.  Speeds were between 65 and 80, balancing visibility, aspiring proctologists attempting a freeway exam, and my own bravery.  Tires had about 3,000 miles on them, bike in good repair, brakes rebuilt a few months before.

The freeways around here drain fairly well, however I did catch a puddle in the far left lane going about 75 or so.  I was going straight, and I never felt even a hint of a loss of control.  Of course it's difficult to say whether I hydroplaned, but I've felt more handling weirdness on dry roads with rain grooves, so whatever physics issues were going on, the bike handled very well.

I know, this is fairly long winded, but hey, there are a lot of variables in how a tire handles.  Just knowing what brand of tire it is, what bike its on, and a vague description like "wet" isn't really enough to properly judge how a tire handles.

For instance, I lost traction with my Royal Star once, doing a weird burnout while the tail slid around my lane and half through the next.  All it was was a busy road surface that didn't see rain for a few months, some water leaking from a Roach Coach, and a desire to leave a stop light just a bit faster than the cars next to me.  Otherwise, these tires (Dunlop 404's) performed just dandy in dry and wet weather.

CS