Email from Avon rep

[Paul Carver]

I sent Avon a note about the concerns of many of us regarding the quality of the new Avon Cobra tires. Here is his response:

Thank you for contacting Avon Tyres. The Cobra is our newest replacement for our cruiser touring radial and should exceed all of your expectations of the Venom-R. The Cobra features the same mileage expectancy and the added benefits are some new technology to the casing as well as the tread design. We have incorporated our sport tire technology to the casing which allows for smoother transitions from side to side and leaves you with a larger contact path in the turns for added grip and more even wear. We have minimized a few of the tread grooves also to help with more even wear by having less blocks of rubber moving freely. The Venom-R tread design was borrowed directly from our bias ply Venom and we have found that due to different flexing habits, tread patterns can work better for different construction types. Overall the Venom-R was a successful tire for most bikes and throughout its manufacture life we gathered some new ideals to make it better for all bikes. Use the same recommended air pressures for the Cobra as you did in the Venom-R. Let us know if you have questions.

 

Thank you for supporting Avon Tyres and ride safely.

 

F6C 1500 Valkyrie,Tour,Interstate (1997 - 2003)
Front tyre
Cobra  AV71

Pressure front:

 (36psi)

Front size:

150/80 R17 72H

Rear tyre
Cobra  AV72

Pressure rear:

 (42psi) 

Rear size:

180/70 R16 77H

 

 

Jesse Priel

 

 

Avon Customer Service

c/o Hoppe & Assoc, Inc.

PO. Box 5112

Lynnwood, WA  98046 USA

Tel:  800-624-7470, Fax: 425-771-4246

[Strong Eagle]

I must say I REALLY like my new Avon Cobra rear.  Sure, every time I put on a new tire the bike handles better, but this is much better... drops into the turns sooo easy.  Now to see how wear and wet weather traction will turn out.

[FLAVALK]

WOW! They really addressed those concerns, huh? Kinda like the response you get when emailing a state senator or representative.
 

[thumper]

Seems like there is some real conflict about tire pressure.  The factory rep is calling for 36 lbs. in the front....this seems contrary to what other riders and my tire supplier have told me.

General consensus says 40 in the front and 42 in the rear.  That's what I run.  I've always wondered if tire suppliers are recommending overinflation which would cause increased tire wear which would boost sales. 

What do you think?

Paul

[Cruzen]

I just replaced the Avons on my Valk Interstate with a new set of Avon Cobra’s.  I noted an immediate improvement in handling but then the previous Avon tires did have over 12K ( that seems to be the average tire wear for my Interstate) and showed some cupping.  I’ve got about 1000 miles on these new tires and they ride quite well.  The believe the bike drops down a bit easier in corners.

I had a discussion with the shop during the mounting of my new tires and they showed me some examples of excessive tire wear.  It seems that some riders don’t watch their tire pressure, overload the bikes, push them too hard and then complain about tire wear.  The tires are designed for the average use. In this case that expected use is touring.  Someone riding a Valk or Goldwing like a sport bike can only expect to have premature and excessive thread wear on just about any tire. 

The guys at the shop comically pointed out that some people don’t understand that when the bike manufacture sets the load rating, that includes the weight of the driver and his passenger and ALL the accessories that may have been added.  Some bubba’s and bubbets come close to the weight limit then they add another 100lbs of chrome this and that on the bike and expect it to carry another 100lbs of luggage.  Then they wonder why the tires wear. DAAAAAA!!

I weigh 195 give or take a burger, my passenger weighs about 130 and we carry about 40lbs of stuff (usually a bit more on the return) on trips.  I have the rear shocks set to the 5th position so the back doesn't bounce a lot.  I have not added any chrome or stuff to the bike so it is the standard weight for a Valk Interstate and so far after 38,000 miles I have not experienced any problem with tires other than normal wear of around 12K per set mostly highway.  Of course we are interested in touring and don’t ride it like some idiot on a  sport bike either so that may help.

The trip is short,
Enjoy the ride,
Denny

[Dogg]

i have never run more than 36 psi in any front tire. 40 psi is so much. makes for a stiff ride too. I would use reccommended tire pressure from manufacturer before a supplier. each have totally different reasons for telling you that.

[Bob E.]

After wearing out the original Dunlops in less than 6000 miles (front was gone in just over 3000 miles!!!) due to not checking tire pressures, I've become pretty fanatic about checking them.  And I had read a ton here on what people were running...some as high as 50psi.  Also, some were posting that Avon Reps were suggesting that the max pressure on the side-wall of the Venom was a little low for a big heavy bike like the Valk.  So since then, for the last 30,000 miles or so, I've settled on 45/45psi front/rear.  This is a few psi more than what is in the side-wall, and I was almost doubling the life of the tires (except for the Metzelers). But I still do not get the mileage out of them that some report.

Now, that being said, I wonder if the new Avon Cobra still needs this high of pressure.  With about 5700 miles on the rear tire, I've got a pretty good flat spot down the middle, and some cupping of the edges of the tread blocks.

[Momz]

 And all along my wife thought that all they made were cosmetics!

[ValkyrieRider]

I have the Cobra's on front and rear. Run 40psi front and 42 psi rear. Love the way they handle. They also hold excellant in the corners in the rain.

[alph]

i had avons on my cycle, got rid of them when they started 'cracking' out and i figured why go back to a company that makes a crappy tire.  now i run dunlops, 3000 miles and no problems yet.... only time will tell.

[RLD]

"General consensus says 40 in the front and 42 in the rear.  That's what I run.  I've always wondered if tire suppliers are recommending overinflation which would cause increased tire wear which would boost sales."


I always thought underinflation caused faster tire wear due to more heat being generated from additional flexing.

[Momz]

"General consensus says 40 in the front and 42 in the rear.  That's what I run.  I've always wondered if tire suppliers are recommending overinflation which would cause increased tire wear which would boost sales."

I believe that they recommend the higher pressures because most of us don't check our tire pressures often enough, we overload the bike and ride fast on crappy roads. Underinflation just compounds the severity of tire wear.

[T.P.]

Jesse told me to run 42 front and 44 back on my Interstate Venoms

[Strong Eagle]

I've been running 40 front, 42 rear.  If you run less than that you do get a softer ride at the expense of much more tread wear 1 to 1.5 inches from the tire center line.  In other words, you don't wear out a strip in the center, you wear the tire out at the edges of the contact patch.

OTOH, too high a pressure will result in wearing out a narrow strip down the middle of the tire.

Can't worry about it too much though, at least on the rear... twisting the throttle at every green light just wears that tire out.

[FryeVRCCDS0067]

The reps info is at odds with their website which recommends 40PSI front and rear for the valk. Or at least it did a month ago.

[Bagger John - #3785]

The Avon Cobras on Blondie's Tourer/State are inflated to 42PSI front; 44PSI rear. The things stick to the road like glue and make no discernible noise.

[Cruzen]

I contacted Avon and this Jesse Priel is no longer with them.  The people I spoke with today did not seem to be as helpful as this thread suggests Jesse was.

[czuch]

39 rear, 33 front. Thats what it says in the swingarm. We have a lot if dirt and small gravel on the roads here that are tantamount to ball bearings. I had 40/42 and slid real good in a turn. Thank you motocross and flattrack experience. Way not cool on 1125 lbs.
Second set-o-Dunlops and no problems,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,yet.

[John Schmidt]

40 psi in the Metz in front, usually get 15k plus on it. Been running a c/t for over two years with 37 psi in it, still looks new and sticks like glue. Frankly, I don't worry about the amount of wear on a tire. I watch the pressure closely and change them out when I'm not comfortable with how they look, regardless of the miles. It's cheap life insurance.

Just my overpriced .02

As for Avons, had a bad experience some years back on my Wing, and read all the comments re. them on this board. So....I just stay away from them and stick with what has given me good service and no cracks, separations, breakdowns whatsoever.

[ricoman]

At first I thought it was going to be about perfume or base make up-they're Avon too!

At least I can relate to your post.