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Stelvio tyres, Avon TrailRider

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    Posted: 17 Sep 2016 at 23:01
Not the usual "what tyres should I fit?" but feedback on a new set I recently fitted to my 2014 Stelvio NTX.
 
Didn't like the original fit Pirelli's as the bike squirmed on white-lines & over-banding and never felt safe in the wet. Unhappy
When the time came for a replacement pair I decided to go for the tried & trusted Tourance that had served me for oh so many years on my 1150GS. What a MASSIVE disappointment!! They squirmed just like the Pirelli's and the handling was way off. Needless to say that I experimented with pressures & suspension settings but it made little difference and by this time I was beginning to think that it wasn't the tyres at all but perhaps the bike itself (or me)? Add to this that for the first time in my 35years of road riding the front tyre wore down at exactly the same rate as the rear and when I changed them there was nothing to choose between them.Cry
 
Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago.
 
I needed a new pair and as I was so unhappy with what I had experienced so far I decided it had to be something different.
Was going to try Avon Distanzia's as although I had tried them on the GS and not liked them I figured that it might work the other-way round on the Guzzi. Turns out the Distanzia is now old hat and has been replaced with the TrailRider. My local dealer had never sold a pair but he ordered them in and I dropped the wheels and took them in to have the Avon's fitted. The first surprise is that although he had quoted a price about £20 more than the Tourance, when it came to it they were actually the same price. Thumbs Up Second surprise, they are still made in GB when more and more makes are now manufactured in the far east. Thumbs UpThumbs Up  Fitted the wheels and went for my first ride.
Started raining almost immediately so I was scrubbing in new tyres on wet road, great fun (not!) or so I thought. Actually it turned out not to be a problem, within a few miles (about ten) I felt at home on the tyres and the bike handled better than it has for the past 2+years and as the miles went by I found that they give absolute confidence not reacting to road imperfections at all.
Up to now I was running them at standard pressures but today I was carrying some serious weight on the rear (luggage, not a passenger) so I stiffened the suspension and added another 5PSI. Handled like a dream so I took the twisty route to Oxford and there were no surprises at all. Unloaded the bike at the far end, softened the suspension (but left the pressures as they were) and on the way back the handing was even better than before. These tyres just keep getting better and better!
 
Is there a downside?
I suppose the grooves are wider and I seem to be picking up more stones than before (I can hear them being flicked into the hugger) but that is it and not something that is giving me any cause for concern.
 
Still only done a few hundred miles on them (apart from today, most of it in the wet) so wear is not something I can comment on but even if they turn out to have less life than the other tyres I will stick with them as they are such a FANTASTIC tyre.
If in doubt about your next set of rubber, give them a go as you might just be as impressed as I am. Smile
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote johnno Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Sep 2016 at 17:02

I loved Distanzias but next time I'm going to try these Avon trailridersThumbs Up

1100 sport corsa , Yam R1, guzzi 650tt rider
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Litch Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Feb 2017 at 11:02
Just a bit of an update now I have covered more miles.
 
Still impressed with the Avon's and will certainly be replacing like for like when the time comes. Wear rates look to be the same, I think I will get 5-6K miles out of the rear, will be interesting to see what the front is like when that time comes.
Bike feels just so much nicer to ride. Big smile
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Doc. Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Feb 2017 at 04:33
Were the Tourances you tried the originals, or the more Road oriented 'Nexts'?
I've ridden on both (originals on the 2014 model I rented in Italy, originals then Nexts on my '09), couldn't fault either, in any conditions.
Totally neutral at any lean angle, any speed.
Very sensitive to pressures though, stray more than 2-3 psi from the 36/42, and it feels 'odd'.
Doc out!

Stelvio/V85 Owners Group on FB
https://www.facebook.com/groups/888995181188209/?fref=nf
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Litch Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Feb 2017 at 09:38
They would have been the standard Tourance.
I did try the (old) EXP on my GS but found that they wore out so much quicker for no real benefit that I reverted to the standard type and used several sets of them.
 
Will keep to the Avon's now, they suit the bike and my riding style so see no reason to experiment further.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Doc. Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Feb 2017 at 06:20
That's what counts!  Thumbs Up

To be honest, if you stick to the 'big' Brands, it's quite difficult (if not impossible) to find a truly 'duff' Tyre nowadays.
Those of us 'of-a-certain-age' that grew up on skinny hard-compound Cross-Plies are really spoilt for choice!
Doc out!

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Litch Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Feb 2017 at 11:51
True. Smile
My first tyres were Avon SM's, when I moved onto Road Runners I thought they were the bees knees!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Doc. Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Feb 2017 at 05:51
Anyone that rode on Cheng-Shins, and is still alive, be thankful!

Doc out!

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mike H Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Feb 2017 at 18:00
Worst tyres I ever knew were branded 'Nitto'. They came with the Honda CD175. They were absolutely useless in the wet. I remember pushing the bike out to the main road one frosty morning, to get away from the icy bits before attempting to mount up, and covering the brake lever with two fingers. Got to the end of the road and tried to stop only to find the front wheel hadn't been turning!



"Chicken nuggets don't dance on a Tuesday."
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Litch Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Nov 2017 at 18:23
Time for an update on the Avon TrialRiders.
 
The first rear tyre was getting low so was replaced after 4021 miles, not as many as I was hoping for but the performance was excellent so I had no hesitation in replacing it with another of the same. Move on another 3610 miles and both the front & rear tyres are both just about gone, I can probably get another 100-200 miles out of them but that will be about it.
 
So, what to do?
They are an excellent tyre but wear rates are quite high although this is probably offset by the front lasting as long as two rears (unlike the OE fit Pirelli and the Tourance which required both tyres being replaced more or less at the same time). 
I am probably going to finish them off this week so I will than have to make a decision one way or the other..............
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote cugsy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Nov 2017 at 18:51
I can remember cheng shins on my maggot when I despatched. I saved up for some pirellis....my clacker valve was doing overtime when it rained.  Back to the Stelvio though and my tourances were great in all weathers. It was the most planted bike I ever owned.  
Due to italian electrickery I am saying nowt. Despite nearly giving the Vstrom away the honda has gone...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mike H Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Nov 2017 at 20:06
"clacker valve" LOL


I seem to remember Pirelli Phantom rear used to last about 2,000 on mine, problee new front needed double that, so your 4,000+ for a rear seems much better than that! Big smile

I took the view grip took precedence over economy, so sucked it up and paid up Big smile


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Litch Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Nov 2017 at 21:43
"I took the view grip took precedence over economy, so sucked it up and paid up"
 
That's probably what I will end up doing.
 
The original Pirelli's (F&R) lasted 5158 miles, to be fair there was probably some life left in the front but it was easier to drop both wheels and run them over to the 'shop at the same time.
The Tourance lasted 6101 miles and at that mileage the front was completely shot (moreso than the rear) but I found them a terrible tyre to live with so the long life was not something I appreciated.
Getting 4021 miles out of the first rear Trailrider, 3610+ miles out of the second and 7631+ miles out of the front is probably not a bad deal bearing in mind just how much they suit the bike.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mike H Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Nov 2017 at 19:29
It seems modern tyres have a better lifespan than what I was using years ago - and I wasn't a "knee scraper" by any stretch of the imagination. Mostly touring trips.


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Litch Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Dec 2017 at 20:36
Pair of Avon Trialriders fitted today!
 
£220.
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