Avon Viper Sport tyre evaluation

[Blackbird]

There's nothing like a question on tyres for riders to push their favourite brands. Problem is, it seems to generate a great deal of passion with very little in the way of quantifiable facts to back up the recommendation.

I've been a fan of Avon Storms since they were first released because in nearly 7 years of Blackbird ownership, I'm able to say by experience that they offer the best handling and grip for that type of bike than any other tyre I've tried.

I've recently had the opportunity to evaluate the Viper Sport for the NZ Avon importer on the front of my bike. The construction is stiff enough to handle the high loads imposed by the heavier sport tourers like mine, but the compound is softer than the Storm. I'm a couple of months away from the "end of life" report but I thought that the interim report might be of interest. I've tried to be as objective as possible

Oh, and another thing whilst I'm rambling. The new Hamilton Honda dealer charged me over $70 for 4 litres of Castrol GPS 4T synthetic last week. I found the same thing in Thames Repco for $54 at the weekend. Pays to shop around

Cheers

Geoff

[Owl]

Good write up. I currently have a Storm on the rear, but unfortunately I won't reach 7500km. I'm at a fraction over 6000km and it's pretty much toasted. I'd like to try the Michelin PR2 next, but as there's a shortage in the country, I'll probably go back to the Pilot Power.

[Blackbird]

Good write up. I currently have a Storm on the rear, but unfortunately I won't reach 7500km. I'm at a fraction over 6000km and it's pretty much toasted. I'd like to try the Michelin PR2 next, but as there's a shortage in the country, I'll probably go back to the Pilot Power.

Yep, I killed my first Storm in under 7000 km but the second one would have probably been closer to 9000 km on the south island tour I did, but then I undid all the "touring mode" savings by travelling to Coromandel most weekends .

The PP 2CT? They are popular on Blackbirds in Australia. I'm wondering whether road temperatures also affect the effectiveness of a given brand of tyre. One thing is for certain, there's no such thing as one specification of tyre which suits all models.

[Meanie]

Good informative write up
I ran Storms on the Concours and got about 9000kms on them which wasnt bad considering the weight of the new Kwaka
I did however get the steering wobble at low speeds which was a little unnerving when low speed cornering. Nice tyre though
Running Stradas at the moment to see what i get out of them

[AllanB]

Storm users certainly appear to like them.

Question 42psi in the front? Is that standard 'Honda' for the Blackbird or just recommended for the front Viper as it sounds high for a front.
That's pretty much the maximum recommended on any tyre I have seen (absolute max pressure is on the sidewalls, its not a recommended setting).

I just recently fitted a pair of Pilot Road 2's to my Hornet - they have transformed the bike (for the better ).

Good review - will they throw you a free front Storm?

[Blackbird]

Storm users certainly appear to like them.

Question 42psi in the front? Is that standard 'Honda' for the Blackbird or just recommended for the front Viper as it sounds high for a front.
That's pretty much the maximum recommended on any tyre I have seen (absolute max pressure is on the sidewalls, its not a recommended setting).

I just recently fitted a pair of Pilot Road 2's to my Hornet - they have transformed the bike (for the better ).

Good review - will they throw you a free front Storm?

42 psi front and rear for the 'bird. Partly because of its 230 kg dry weight and partly because of the tendency to push the front. If it's below 40 psi, you can noticeably feel the handling get more vague if you're pressing on.

Thanks for the nice comment and the answer is NO because they already have my "end of life" evaluation of the paired Storms. (Posted on KB last year)

[Hitcher]

Storms rock. I've just worn 11,500km off a rear riding two-up on an FJR with luggage on North American roads. The handling attributes I've discovered are consistent with Geoff's evaluation -- they stick like ice cream to carpet in all conditions.

A bike shop in Flagstaff Arizona recommended and fitted a set of the new Dunlop Sportmax Roadsmarts, which have received promising reviews on several web sites. So far I'd rate them OK in terms of handling: the front turn-in is very quick indeed, and takes a bit of getting used to. Time will tell how they go in terms of wear. Given my experience with dual-compound tyres on the FJR and my ST1300 before that, I suspect that they may be found wanting.