Avon Azaro's

[FJrider1]

I put on the Avon's 45/46 just before the winter. I'm getting a strange feeling through these, guess I'd describe

it as feeling like there on ice and slight wobbling effect. Pressure is at 39 front 40 rear. I've tried changing the pressure but still get this feeling.

I know this has been discussed but need new input...

 

[Scab]

This tire thread is about the Storms, but may shed some light or similarities.

 

[sprint_st]

I put on the Avon's 45/46 just before the winter. I'm getting a strange feeling through these, guess I'd describeit as feeling like there on ice and slight wobbling effect. Pressure is at 39 front 40 rear. I've tried changing the pressure but still get this feeling.

I know this has been discussed but need new input...

Did you put them on yourself? How sure are you that they were mounted and balanced correctly? My recommendation would be to break the bead on them them and remount and balance. On switching from Z6's to Azaros I definitely noticed a difference in style but I liked it. Definitely not like ice skating.

 

[FJrider1]

Scab, thanks for the link, I'm getting exactly as skyway discribed;

Quote;

Anyway, to describe the front tire feedback. At speed there is a huge tendency for the bike to weave around, and get anywhere near the back of a semi and it becomes immediately apparent that something is all too wrong with this setup. It got to a point where I wasn't sure where the bike was going to track to next? I dare not take my hands off the bars for what might happen next. Never checked for the 50-45mph decell wobble either.

End Quote:

Sprint, I had a dealer mount them, even hed them rotate them on the rim to get a correct balance point.

Calling Avon now...

 

[Bounce]

Just an observation.

Designs that lend themselved to quick transitions (turn in on corners and respond quickly) tend to be twitchy in straight-line situations like highways. It's the quick response to minute rider input that does it (imo). Going from a good, straight-line tire to a good, canyon carving tire usually takes me a few hundres miles to get use to the difference. I initially find myself being too heavy-handed when need straight-line stability; leading to a weaving/twitchy "nature" until I learn to lighten up.

Some of this may be obvious, but holding your weight up off the bars (supporting your weight with your back instead of your wrists) can also make the bike handle better when behind a truck, etc.

 

[twowheelnut]

I put on the Avon's 45/46 just before the winter. I'm getting a strange feeling through these, guess I'd describeit as feeling like there on ice and slight wobbling effect. Pressure is at 39 front 40 rear. I've tried changing the pressure but still get this feeling.

I know this has been discussed but need new input...

It is simply not a matter of changing your air pressure. Front and rear suspension settings can and do affect the behavior of the bike when you change brands/models. Profiles are different, compounds are different, tread is different. Your skating feeling prolly comes from too soft rear compression/preload settings, allowing the front to 'float' over the road. Personally, I prefer a front weight bias to the suspension on the FJR. With the exception of the Z6's, all the brands and models I've run worked well that way and I wonder if I didn't muck up the settings on the Z6's to make me bash 'em so. Of course, you have to have your sag set properly for any adjustments to work well.

Caveat here is defective tires. Though, I doubt any manufacturer would keep on the market a tire that has a greater failure rate than non-failure rate.

 

[warsw]

Calling Avon now...

Let us know how they respond.

 

[FJrider1]

Calling Avon now...

Let us know how they respond.

They left a message (had to step out) Keith with Avon suggested starting with PSI, he feels the front is too high in pressure, suggested trying 42 rear/36 Front. I told them I'm running 39 front. These are their recommendations for PSI.

I'm also curious if my new shad topcase would effect the handling, I haven't put anything more then my laptop in it.

I'll try the PSI recommendation and take the topcase off...

If all else fails I'll try twowheelnut advise although my old FJ has over 90k on it and I have no idea how many pairs of different tires it's had and never changed the suspension settings...

Thanks for all the input!

 

[03HiYoSilver]

FJ,

I find with my '03 with the Yamaha topcase, I get a wobble type affect when I go over 80 mph. This is only with my Yamaha topcase on and the tires are Mich PR's which have been very stable. Originally I had older Avon Azaros and it seemed they wanted to wobble even without the topcase.

 

[S76]

I have the same exact issue with mine. If I let go of the bars at 50 MPH with the throttle lock on, the bars SHAKE.

I have learned this lesson many times before, but somehow forgot when it came time to purchase these tires:

DON'T BUY NOTHING BRITISH.......EVER!

 

[twowheelnut]

I have the same exact issue with mine. If I let go of the bars at 50 MPH with the throttle lock on, the bars SHAKE.
I have learned this lesson many times before, but somehow forgot when it came time to purchase these tires:

DON'T BUY NOTHING BRITISH.......EVER!

OK, so we can't buy British or German anymore. What's next - Japanese? :lol: Seriously, before you toss in the towel, take some time with the suspension settings. You'll be amazed how a few clicks here and there will change the entire handling characteristics of the bike.

 

[sprint_st]

It is simply not a matter of changing your air pressure. Front and rear suspension settings can and do affect the behavior of the bike when you change brands/models. Profiles are different, compounds are different, tread is different. Your skating feeling prolly comes from too soft rear compression/preload settings, allowing the front to 'float' over the road. Personally, I prefer a front weight bias to the suspension on the FJR. With the exception of the Z6's, all the brands and models I've run worked well that way and I wonder if I didn't muck up the settings on the Z6's to make me bash 'em so. Of course, you have to have your sag set properly for any adjustments to work well.
Caveat here is defective tires. Though, I doubt any manufacturer would keep on the market a tire that has a greater failure rate than non-failure rate.

I agree with the above and would add check the steering head for play while your at it. On the defective tires, I'm not sure any manufacturer has a defective line of tires but I totally believe that in any production run they do make a bad tire from time to time. I'd like to see ten or so sets of a particular tire, Z6, Strada, Storm, it doesn't matter and run some tests on the same bike and see how they perform.