To BT, or not to BT....

With apologies to the Bard.....

Friends, ukrm-ers, countrymen, lend me your ears.....

To BT, or not to BT: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The Avon Azzaros with outrageous fortune,
Or to take Bridgestones against a sea of troubles.......

A bit of a tyre quandry. I've currently got front and rear 020s - after
12000 miles the front is knackered, while the rear has done about 6000 but
is not yet down to the wear indicators.

With the onset of autumn, I'm looking for a tyre that is good in the wet as
well as the dry. Shopping around I reckon Central Wheel of Coleshill are
about the best in terms of value and service so intend using them. When I
rang for BT prices, they also recommended Avon Azarros (AV45/46) for the SV
citing wet weather grip and long-life. The Azarros are about £30 cheaper
than BT-010/020s at about £170 fitted while the 010/020s are about £200
fitted.

Anyone any thoughts about the comparative merits of Avon vs Bridgestone?

Cheers

 

I got AV45/46ST's put on the ZRX about a month ago after having got thru
1 front and 2 rear 020's, the Avons are much better than BT020's, even
in the wet.

Do it!

 

I haven't used Avon's since the rubber started to come away from the
carcass on the front tyre when I was on the IOM, I just don't feel I can
trust their tyres any more.

Fair play to Avon though, they did refund the replacement tyre (different
brand) without even seeing the old tyre.

--
Lesley
ZXR400SP
"Not bad for a Scouser"
SBS#11[with oak-leaf cluster]
BOTAFOT#101A UKRMHRC#12
BONY#54P BOB#18

Un-cork me to reply

 

Ginge said:

Ginge is usually talking bollocks. However, on this subject he is bang
on the moeny. Avon AV45/46 - the best tyre out there at the moment.

 

Bear said:

The OP was asking about an SV650 - hardly a balls-out sports bike.

Actually, I think they'd be great on a balls-out sports bike too - they
do grip exceedingly well, while still lasting well too.

Still, what the **** do I know?

 

It's irrelevant, the person asking the question rides an SV.

That said Avon do do the 45/46ST in sizes to fit:
ZX12R
Hayabusa

So they must be happy with doing so as a "sporty enough" but not
completely balls-out tyre[1].

[1] They also have a AV49/50 for that, available in 2 different
compounds, road and race.

 

What kind of mileage do you get with them tho?

--
Mike

I didn't crash, there was a sudden burst of gravity.

icq - 219328929

 

OK, for sports tourers, heavy bikes, musclebikes, and everyday commuters
where excelent grip even from cold and decent wear are important, my
view is yes.

For blatting around on sportsbikes and doing trackdays, sticky rubber is
more important than longevity, so obviously not. Things like
Rennsports, BT012's etc that fit the bill far better I'm sure.

Context, mate, it's all about context.

 

mike said:

On the Pan Euro (doing 75% motorway mileage at the moment) - I get 12 to
14,000 from a rear and 20,000 from a front.

 

Good grief! I'm lucky to get 5,000 (rear), 7,000 (front) from the 010s
if I stay off the freeway. If I ride on the freeway on hot [90F] days,
it's like someone took an angle grinder to the tire.

--
Mike

I didn't crash, there was a sudden burst of gravity.

icq - 219328929

 

Hmm NT, that'll mean that you'll need to get a team of consultants, sysadmin
and copious EKs round to adjust the tyre pressures then.

 

I recently put a set of Azaros onto the RT, which, being a tourer,
undoubtedly exceeds Bear's minimum criteria for a "lardy sports
tourer" - and have covered about 1500 miles on them. I have no
complaints with their performance in the wet (like yesterday's
torrential rainstorm on the A5 at Atherstone) or dry. They are also
almost completely unaffected by white lines or cats eyes, whilst the
O.E. Michelin Macadams were decidely skittish.

 

Paul Varnsverry was seen penning the following ode to ... whatever:

Sounds good. I've got a '46 on the Bimota and am quite happy with
it and I was tempted to stick them on the Triumph as well. Don't
like the way it tracks over white lines once the tyres are worn a
bit.

 

Heh. You ought to try riding in Basel, with tram lines galore, when
they're completely shagged.

 

Oldbloke wrote:

Steel belted instead of Kevlar.
They reckon the reduced movement that comes with the steel belt will
increase tire life while not adversely affecting performance.

Or words to that effect.

 

Champ said:

I bet you say that to all the boys.

Remember - tyres last longer doing motorway miles.

 

Eeeh lad, them were proper tyres, like...

 

They were commonly regarded as the best shit for any sporty bike -
better than roadrunners, at any rate...

 

Ace fascinated us all by saying...

They were shit, but they were the best of the shit we could get to fit
RDs.

--
Lozzo
ZZR1100D (Working), GPZ500S (Project), CB250RS (Dead)
BOTAFOT#57/70a, BOTAFOF#57, two#49, MIB#22, TCP#7, BONY#9,
ANORAK#9, DIAABTCOD#14, UKRMT5BB, IBW#013, MIRTTH#15a/16,
BotToS#8, GP#2, SBS#10, SH#3.
Url for ukrm newbies : http://www.ukrm.net/faq/ukrmscbt.html
www.mjkleathers.com