Greetings from a new member

[judge]

I have just signed up in your forum.  Thanks.
I live in the Northwest corner of the US, Port Angeles, Washington.  I ride a '99 Valkyrie Interstate.  I have some questions that some of you may be able to help on.
1.  It is time for some new treads.  I want to try the Avon Cobra tires.  Has anyone got any experience with them?  Any rumors, good or bad?
2.  I want to try the Dyna Beads system of balancing.  Again, has anyone tried them or heard any scuttlebutt one way or the other?

I am planning on attending INZANE 9 in Colorado this year.  I was at Inzane 6 and enjoyed it.  Nice country to ride.

[Rocketman]

First off, welcome to the VRCC. 
Second, to answer your questions:
1) I put an Avon Cobra on the front of my Interstate, and loved it the whole time I had it running (the bike is no longer operable.  It seems they don't like to be submerged in sea water).  I put about 4 thousand miles on it.  Other folks have put lots more on Cobras, and like them a lot.  I say go for it.  When my current Valkyrie wears out her tires, I'll put Cobras on.
2) I've heard multiple folks swear by Dyna Beads.  Personally, I can't see how they work (seems to me that the beads would be drawn to any minimally out-of-round spot, and not the light spot of the tire, like they're supposed to, but that's just my initial thoughts).  Lots of people swear they do.  I'm an engineer, and in engineering, data trumps theory, so I guess if the data is trustworthy, go for it.

Just as a matter of our curiousity (read: nosiness), tell us about yourself.  I see you're up in Washington.  You may be a little disappointed with the rides we plan, as they won't be anywhere near you, I'm afraid.  We're all located in Texas.  We don't shoot Yankees on sight anymore, so you're welcome to poke around here, but if you're looking for something with a more nationwide flair, check out the national web page/forums located at:
http://www.valkyrieriders.com/
and for technical based discussion:
http://www.valkyrieforum.com/forum/vrcc_tech.cgi
and for general BSing:
http://www.valkyrieforum.com/forum/main.cgi

Mark Stovall

[RainMaker]

While true they don't shoot Yankees on sight in the Houston area where Rocketman has his pad, the same may or may not be true for the DFW area.   

The Avon front tires (Venom-R or Cobra) seem to be the hot ticket right now and they are the first choice if you decide to go "DarkSide", which is putting a 205-60-16 car tire on the rear.  Some (like me) swear by it, others think it's crazy and some think you will die a flaming death with the car tire.  It's your choice, but my reasons are 1) I have 4 times the rubber on the ground on straight driving; 2) seems to improve rear braking a lot (for the same reason) 3) cost half as much but runs 3-4 times as long as a motorcycle tire.

Reasons not are 1) it will find every rut in the pavement; 2) requires slight modification of the rear nut cages.   

Check the tech forum for more on pros and cons of darksiding.  It's a personal choice, IMHO.

I've run the Avon Venom-R on the rear and it was a good tire - just ran out of rubber at 9K.

RainMaker

[Lyn-Del]

And I generally get about 14-15K on Venom-R tires on the rear of my I/S - the one that drags the trailer for about 90% of her miles.

I love Avon tires!  Wizard has nearly 24K on his Cobra front, I think.  He put this front tire on at the same time he put on the current car tire.  We'll be replacing it before the Mid Winter Ride.  Just in case.

[LemonDrop]

stop by any time

[Disco]

Welcome, Judge. 

I love my Dyna Beads.  I put them in before last year's InZane 8 and have 6,000 miles on them with no complaints.  Check out the national tech board for a current "dis cuss ion" about them at http://www.valkyrieforum.com/forum/vrcc_tech.cgi?review=1421179

I have 13,500 on my Avon Venom front and 8,300 miles on my Cobra rear with lots more to go.  The Venom rear was replaced after only 5,200 miles due to an irrepairable flat. 

[Rocketman]

I love my Dyna Beads.  I put them in before last year's InZane 8 and have 6,000 miles on them with no complaints.  Check out the national tech board for a current "dis cuss ion" about them at http://www.valkyrieforum.com/forum/vrcc_tech.cgi?review=1421179

That link went to the wrong thread.  Try:
http://www.valkyrieforum.com/forum/vrcc_tech.cgi?review=1416380

I've read the thread, watched the video, and I still can't figure out how they work.  There's something going on I don't understand.  The beads SHOULD go to the heavy side of the tire.  I'll be pondering on this one for a while.

[f-Stop]

Greetings from Central Texas!  I have actually been through Port Angeles some thirty years ago on a road trip.  More recently been to Seattle and then Vancouver ( not really that close) for business.  I really like the Great Northwest...its like air conditioning all the time. 

Anyway, have heard alot of good things about Avons.  I'm running Dunlop Elite 3's on my '98 Standard.  No complaints.  The rear Elite was already on the bike, new, when I found her this past Summer.  I just recently replaced the old Bridgstone front with the Dunlop to match the rear.  I actually scraped my highway pegs on some twisties through the Hill country the other day.  Never had done that before...did not think I was pushing the limits or anything and I'm not a hot shot rider!  Something must be right.

My Valkyrie tires are balanced in the traditional manner, but one of my work trucks is using the bead system.  Our tire guy recommended them after we had had some problems with vibrations and bad tire wear.  Well...it works.   Can't figure out how, but the truck runs better/smoother now than when it was new.  I never even thought about using Dyna Beads on the Valk until I read about it on the VRCC Tech Forum.  Though I have no vibration issues,  I think having the wheels clear of wheel weights would be a nicer look.  Oh, and the beads do work!  (at least on my Chevy C5500)

Hey...if your ever in the area give us a shout!

[Disco]

Sorry for the bad link.   

[SideCar]

Greetings. Look forward to riding with you.