Avon Storms

I wanted to post my impressions of the Avons After a good work out today. In addition to what TWN said here I wanted to address some of the issues brought up here.

I will start off with the end. I'll give them a big thumbs up. **

Today's ride was 590 miles round trip with temps ranging from 16 degrees to 51 degrees.

They performed well in the cold. I had no issues with traction at any temp. The back tire skid on me once on a mountain curve, but I am not sure if I hit an Icy patch or a pile of salt laid on the road as this area was heavily salted. I had two "oh shit" moments today with both being a case of rider error. The first, I entered a tight turn and found two long strands of loose asphalt on my apex, I over corrected and crossed the center line by an inch, riding on the paint line. (luckily there was no oncoming traffic)

The second, was a case of entering a turn "hot" and forgeting everthing I should know. I hit the breaks (mistake one) and forgot to lean the bike over (mistake two). This time ther was oncoming traffic and I crossed by a foot. As soon as my brain kicked in and I pulled the bike over, a very messy catastrophy, was avoided.

I will give them good marks for grip and stability. I touched the feelers down a few times today and got rid of the "strips".I only briefly touched a buck today, but the tires felt good in the whole range.

** I have just one issue with these tires. For a new tire I have "head shake" from the get go. not a low speed wobble, but a slight head shake in the 60-70mph accel and decell and a decell shake in the normal 40-50 range. My Metzlers did not develope the shake until half life. These tires were doing it before I hit the twisties - out on the slab.

Now we will just have to wait for longevity.

Kevin

Try playing a little with your tire pressure. It worked on my wing when I put the Dunlop Elite III's on. It never got "right" but I could improve it by lowering the pressure some.

MotorSWATCop said:

Kevin
Try playing a little with your tire pressure. It worked on my wing when I put the Dunlop Elite III's on. It never got "right" but I could improve it by lowering the pressure some.

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What 2-3 lbs?

It can make a difference. The way I understand it, tires are always trying to find a straight line. Placing a little more rubber on the deck can assist that and reduce the wobbles. I may be wrong here but it might be worth trying.

I put the Diablo Stradas on mine for the CLASS school. I have no complaints after about 1500+ miles on them. I know that they are basically Metzeler's but we'll see. My OEM Metz Z-6's had about 30% life left after 2400 miles. I'm hoping for a little better with the Diablo's.

MotorSWATCop said:

Kevin
Try playing a little with your tire pressure. It worked on my wing when I put the Dunlop Elite III's on. It never got "right" but I could improve it by lowering the pressure some.

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Agree it is worth a try. Two pounds makes a difference on my Metzlers.

FJRFencer said:

** I have just one issue with these tires. For a new tire I have "head shake" from the get go. not a low speed wobble, but a slight head shake in the 60-70mph accel and decell and a decell shake in the normal 40-50 range. My Metzlers did not develope the shake until half life. These tires were doing it before I hit the twisties - out on the slab.

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Have you checked/adjusted your steering stem bearings yet? Every bike I have owned needed this after a few miles on the clock.

Oh no! Howiewobbleosis! :lol:

Mine are dead stable. No shake at any speed up or down, hands on or hands off.

Bike Effects said:

FJRFencer said:

** I have just one issue with these tires. For a new tire I have "head shake" from the get go. not a low speed wobble, but a slight head shake in the 60-70mph accel and decell and a decell shake in the normal 40-50 range. My Metzlers did not develope the shake until half life. These tires were doing it before I hit the twisties - out on the slab.

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Have you checked/adjusted your steering stem bearings yet? Every bike I have owned needed this after a few miles on the clock.

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+1

Mine was loose after about 8k

I vote for a bearing re-torque.

+1 on checking the head bearings. If you don't have the tool order it up asap from bikejony.

So, is there early consensus that the storm performance is superior to the usual FJR goodies Avons? I want to confirm that before ordering a set...

To early to tell?

Much love for the new 'Vons... :good: ...so far.

I have never run the Azaros, but I do like the Storms.

Edit- I rode an 05 with the Azaros (briefly) and from what I recall, I like the Storms better.

Mogan, go ahead and order. In my mind the only test left for these tires is longevity (and maybe a ride in the rain, but some of the roads I tried them on were wet). It may be a bit before I get back to you on longevity.

Just be glad Brundog isn't the test mule :lol:

Call University motors $99 on the front and $134 on the rear.

FJRFencer said:

Just be glad Brundog isn't the test mule :lol:

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We'd find out how long it takes for a set to start rotting...

But seriously, I really wouldn't expect them not to last as long as the Azaros, unless there's some conspiracy in place to sell more tires.

From the Avon site:

The Storm-ST replaces Avon's Azaro-ST and builds on its predecessor's talents. Employing what's called 'Reactive Footprint' (RF) technology, the Storm-ST produces a footprint that changes size and shape depending on the bike's lean angle, growing in size the further over the bike goes. It means you get high grip through the corners yet in a straight line have a footprint which increases the Storm-STs lifespan. Avon's RF Technology is a quantum leap in technology from the dual compound tread, and will provide unparalleled evenness in wear patterns.The wet weather performance of the Storm-ST is outstanding, thanks in part to the tyre's Super-Rich Silica (SRS) compound. The extremely high silica content delivers optimum grip in the wet and dry. It also has the added benefit of warming up quickly.

On the front tyres, the Storm-ST benefits from Inverted Front Grooves (IFG) that resist stepped-wear and cupping, ensuring smooth handling for the life of the tyre and improving wet weather braking. The Enhanced Aqua Flow (EAF) pattern of the rear tyre also increases your safety and confidence in wet conditions.

With all this (together with many other unique-to-Avon technologies) it's no wonder the Storm-ST has gained numerous approvals from the tough German testing organisation, the TUV.

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I'm hoping for more than the 6k miles that the Azaros gave me...

I'm still running Azaros. Got one more rear tire in my garage.

In my experience the Azaros have at least 1 k miles still safely on them after the wear bars start showing. I wonder if that going to be true for the Storms.

FJRFencer said:

I have never run the Azaros, but I do like the Storms.
Edit- I rode an 05 with the Azaros (briefly) and from what I recall, I like the Storms better.

Mogan, go ahead and order. In my mind the only test left for these tires is longevity (and maybe a ride in the rain, but some of the roads I tried them on were wet). It may be a bit before I get back to you on longevity.

Just be glad Brundog isn't the test mule :lol:

Call University motors $99 on the front and $134 on the rear.

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Roger, that.

Geezer said:

In my experience the Azaros have at least 1 k miles still safely on them after the wear bars start showing.

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Actually, it was more like 1300 for me.

FJRFencer said:

Call University motors $99 on the front and $134 on the rear.

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SW Moto- one dollar more, shipped free. I'm working up a possible group buy, and my dealer said he'll do what he can to lower the price, but he'll have to add shipping. Stay tuned here.