Avon Storm Report

[zx5go]

I put a pair of Avon Storms on at the end of last season and I now have about 2000 miles on them. Thought I'd give a little feedback in case someone is in the search for tires. I have a 40-45 mile round trip commute on mostly secondary rodes that have a decent mix of light corners and a marked speed of 45-55. After only 2000 miles the rear is already noticably "squared off". I consider myself to be a pretty tame rider (I mean this isn't from spinning the tire) and with the mix of corners on the ride in and the fact that this is more of a touring tire I thought I'd get considerably better wear. I'd say no more than another 1000 miles and it will be done in the middle.

[hondalover]

Good to know. It appears as I'll be sticking with the PR2s for a while after this review.

:biggrin: You still looking for a 5-spoker? If so, PM me.

[timmythecop]

for that type of ride....Pilot Road II or Diablo Strada is the way to go in my estimation.

[hondalover]

for that type of ride....Pilot Road II or Diablo Strada is the way to go in my estimation.

I had the Strada's before the PR2s and wasn't overly impressed. Not a bad tire though.

[timmythecop]

for that type of ride....Pilot Road II or Diablo Strada is the way to go in my estimation.

I had the Strada's before the PR2s and wasn't overly impressed. Not a bad tire though.

same here, went from stradas to pr2. grip seemed close but the pr2 has much better handling.

[Guest]

PP2ct on the front PR2ct on the rear. 11,000+ mi. of commuting, interstate travel and trying to keep up with Crazy T across the Cherohala Skyway. Kinda like the benelli slogan- "Performance worth the Price"

[zx5go]

PP2ct on the front PR2ct on the rear. 11,000+ mi. of commuting, interstate travel and trying to keep up with Crazy T across the Cherohala Skyway. Kinda like the benelli slogan- "Performance worth the Price"

I've heard others say to stay away from the CTs and just stick with the PP front and PR2 rear.

[pres589]

If I can pull Hyper's mileages out of the PR2CT's I picked up recently, I'll be very pleased, and well worth the price over the competition. Diablo Strada's before this, they were competent in most any situation but I really like the profile of the PR2's.

[Jon28]

That's strange.......I live in flat, boring Florida and outside last year's deals gap run......my Storms have been great. My set has over 5,500 miles but the rear is finally squaring off. It will have to be replaced prior to TMAC. I can't say enough good things about them. Haven't tried the PR2's but the Storms are getting replaced with more Storms!

I have a friend that has over 9k miles on his Storms....on his busa.

Prior to the Storms I have the Stradas.......I won't use them again. Done after 3-4k miles and the Storms just grip better.....for me:-)

[SEBSPEED]

I put a pair of Avon Storms on at the end of last season and I now have about 2000 miles on them. Thought I'd give a little feedback in case someone is in the search for tires. I have a 40-45 mile round trip commute on mostly secondary rodes that have a decent mix of light corners and a marked speed of 45-55. After only 2000 miles the rear is already noticably "squared off". I consider myself to be a pretty tame rider (I mean this isn't from spinning the tire) and with the mix of corners on the ride in and the fact that this is more of a touring tire I thought I'd get considerably better wear. I'd say no more than another 1000 miles and it will be done in the middle.

What tire pressures do you run?

[zx5go]

I put a pair of Avon Storms on at the end of last season and I now have about 2000 miles on them. Thought I'd give a little feedback in case someone is in the search for tires. I have a 40-45 mile round trip commute on mostly secondary rodes that have a decent mix of light corners and a marked speed of 45-55. After only 2000 miles the rear is already noticably "squared off". I consider myself to be a pretty tame rider (I mean this isn't from spinning the tire) and with the mix of corners on the ride in and the fact that this is more of a touring tire I thought I'd get considerably better wear. I'd say no more than another 1000 miles and it will be done in the middle.

What tire pressures do you run?

42 rear and 36 front. Perhaps I should bump the rear up?

[TheJay]

I've run storms since they came out and the azaros that they replaced and have had nothing but good performance out of mine. I've got @ 4000 miles on the rear and a lot of that was interstate and straight road commuting and it is still in great shape. I had @ 6000 on my last set and the rear was just starting to square.

[spotthedogg]

What tire pressures do you run?

42 rear and 36 front. Perhaps I should bump the rear up?

Wouldn't that make the center wear faster, just smaller......

I only run 34f/38r most times. Manual does say 36/42 though.

[SEBSPEED]

What tire pressures do you run?

42 rear and 36 front. Perhaps I should bump the rear up?

I was thinking you might be running them low on air; that would make them wear faster. I don't baby my tires and got over 4k out of my Storms(I change both tires at the same time).

Maybe I run more curves than you do, but my tires don't really show any squaring until they get close to the end.

I did prefer the Azaros over the Storms, I thought the old version was better. I am going with the PP front/PR2 rear next, I really liked them after riding Baileyrock's bike.

[enzed_viffer]

I've had Storms on for I dunno how long (over 18 months), and have commuted almost daily since they were put on. The major part of the commute is straight roads, and they show absolutely no signs of squaring off. Most of the time I've run them at 34-36F and 38R.

However (but!) even though they're not visibly squared off or even noticeably worn, I have noticed that tip-in is a bit less progressive than when they were new. It used to be that the bike just felt like it could lean and lean, but now sometimes when I lean into a corner, it feels as though the front end gets to a point where it suddenly tips in, which is disconcerting, as it's the same feeling as having the front end wash out.

It's not as bad as before I put the Storms on, when the front tire had a definite change of profile from too much commuting, too few hard cornering sessions, and no track days.

I try and throw in some twisty backroad routes on the way home home from work (and sometimes on the way to work), but I suspect I may have wrecked the tires. But (however!) there's still plenty of tread left, and since my current insurance company covers track days run by some organisations, I may be able to rectify things. It's either that or get in some recreational rides (I've been on only one in the last year.)

I did prefer the Azaros over the Storms, I thought the old version was better.

I don't. I've run a couple of sets of Azaros (on the VTR and then the VFR) and a set of the older Azaros, and I like the Storms a lot.

The Storms are simply the best tires I've ever had on any bike. (Having said that, I haven't tried many different brands/models).

However, since my 'Tire Guy' walked off and abandoned his shop, I'm going to have to go elsewhere, so I suspect I too may opt for Pilots - I've heard the PP front and Pilot Road rear is a good combo?

[Mac]

My Avons, used just like zx5go described, have no sign of squaring. I run 36 psi in front, and 38 psi rear. The only complaint I have with them is that they were not marked as to where to position the valve stem. I got lucky on the rear, no weights needed. The front has about an ounce and a half stuck to it.

I think that they handle as good as Conti Road Attacks in the dry, but give up a little more in the rain.

Diablo may be my next choice as I search for my favorite tires.

Mac

[enzed_viffer]

The only complaint I have with them is that they were not marked as to where to position the valve stem.

I asked the tire guy about that; he said (but I can't verify if it's true) that the Avon guys think it looks ugly having marks on the outside so they mark them inside the carcase. Did you look?

Also, he said the tyres are very well balanced from the factory. Presumably, if you were putting on consecutive sets of Avons there should be no need to change the balance weights (although of course you would check anyway).

[Mac]

Yea, I ran across that piece of info, in my internet search for where to put the valve stem. No spot on the inside either. As to the balance points, sounds like he fed you a line.

New Z-Land? I've never been there....Had studied up on it a little. I have said to the wife, in our life before kids, that if I was to expatriate, it most likely would be my country of choice.

God, bless ya!

Mac

[zx5go]

What tire pressures do you run?

42 rear and 36 front. Perhaps I should bump the rear up?

I was thinking you might be running them low on air; that would make them wear faster. I don't baby my tires and got over 4k out of my Storms(I change both tires at the same time).

Maybe I run more curves than you do, but my tires don't really show any squaring until they get close to the end.

I did prefer the Azaros over the Storms, I thought the old version was better. I am going with the PP front/PR2 rear next, I really liked them after riding Baileyrock's bike.

Yeah, I'm going with Baileyrock's combo next. Anyone who's eaten through that many tires has to have a combo worth trying.

[Trinith]

PP2ct on the front PR2ct on the rear. 11,000+ mi. of commuting, interstate travel and trying to keep up with Crazy T across the Cherohala Skyway. Kinda like the benelli slogan- "Performance worth the Price"

I've heard others say to stay away from the CTs and just stick with the PP front and PR2 rear.

I've got a 9,000+ mile PR2CT on the rear and it's wearing great. It's a little square, but I do a lot of highway riding and honestly I think after almost 10,000 miles anything is going to be atleast a little squared. I've never had grip issues that I don't blame on rider error, and the tread still looks fantastic. It's going to be a hard sell to get me to run anything else.