Period tires: Dunlop TT100 vs Avon Roadrunner

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Been on the asphalt slide in the past and didn't much care for the ride. I think that I'd just as soon keep decent rubber under me. I do like my K81 tires a lot unless the roads are wet, and then I believe there are better choices for that sort of riding because I find them a bit too slippery.
Had a pair of Avon years ago( don't recall series), but they seemed best of all. I swear they could have grabbed traction on a Crisco highway....don't know why I switched really.
 
xbacksideslider said:
Main issue is surface hardness/slipperiness that can put you on the ground.

I recently bought a T100 which had Indonesian K70s on it. Tread would not allow my thumbnail to penetrate. I took a big disc sander to both wheels, allowing the sander to spin each wheel while cutting the hard surface tread off. Might have taken 20 thou off before I got down to soft rubber.

I had no prior experience with K70s and did not have a high opinion of them, based on looks alone. I was wrong. The disc sanding worked and I have ridden the bike fairly quickly
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Burt
Mun
Roe
 
Dommie Nator said:
"Back in the Day" Depending on which day I guess. Looks like Avon Roadrunners and Avon GPs were fitted on this day.
I thought GPs were rear only tyres, looks like I was wrong. Photos are from Wolverhampton and Mk III 850s.

I use Roadriders now.

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I don’t think roadrunners were produced until quite long after the last Commando came out of the factory. My first Commando a ‘72 had Avon GP when new. I did not like them and switched very soon to Dunlop K81....in 1973.
 
Using old tyres are OK if they been stored right in a cool dark place, its the side walls that would be the problem and if any pairishing on the side walls then throw them out, if the threads go hard it depends on the quility of the tyre if they will soften up again when used.
A mate of mine use to get tyres a few at a time the ones that weren't used straight away were stored under his bed, dark and cool, some tyres were under there for years and he had no problems at all using them when he needed them, but as I say it the brand and quility of the tyre compound that can be stored for long periods of time and where they been stored, the cheaper brands once they go hard they stay hard and become to slippery to use unless you ride in a straight line, good for burn outs lol.

Ashley
 
Period tires: Dunlop TT100 vs Avon Roadrunner
illf8ed said:
I don’t think roadrunners were produced until quite long after the last Commandos came out the factory.
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I thought we had found out they did.

Comment from LAB back in February.

"You're right, they are Roadrunners so it seems they were fitted to some late Mk3 Commandos. I stand corrected."
 
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I will check the dates but don’t have much concern about running them. They are not cracked, been stored in a garage out of sunlight.
I have another bike with Michelin dual sport tires now 10+ years old and needing a change due to limited thread, not age. Used regularly, i have not noticed a degradation in stickiness just more tire noise as the tread depth is reduced.
 
Dommie Nator said:
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I thought we had found out they did.

Comment from LAB back in February.

"You're right, they are Roadrunners so it seems they were fitted to some late Mk3 Commandos. I stand corrected."
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Like it says I stand corrected. My experience over the years of Commando ownership...Avon Roadrunners didn’t present themselves here as an alternative to Dunlap K81 until the early 80s. The reason I didn’t like the Avon GP was due to it’s instability on Southern California freeways with rain grooves. The K81s were much better on this type surface.
 
To be honest I don't hold rain grooves in high regard with any motorcycle tire. Never dealt with them running K81's, but ran me up the walls with Elites on the wing.
 
jbruney said:
To be honest I don't hold rain grooves in high regard with any motorcycle tire. Never dealt with them running K81's, but ran me up the walls with Elites on the wing.
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Interesting, cause I too ran the Avon GP's in the 70's. They tracked a little squirelly on the Freeways.
Was told the K-81's were worse, so I stuck with the GP's.
Understand this was back in the 70's when I'm in my early 20's and poppin for a set tires was a BFG!!
Couldn't afford to experiment and get it wrong.. So I stuck with what I knew.
 
For anyone who has bought K81s recently, where are your tires made?

I have seen some made in Japan and in Indonesia.
 
Mine came from Indonesia. Just not tops on wet pavement, otherwise quite good.
 
gortnipper said:
I just dont understand why anyone would NOT get a modern tire design, unless the bike was a trailer/conc0urs show queen.
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Cost, fear of the unknown ?
Maybe its better to have a average tyre/tire you know than a superior in all area tyre you do not know.

I picked up a set of Michelin Pilot Road 5's yesterday (120/70/17 & 150/70/17) for $468 ($440 if I had gone to the usual store who is bigger so has keen prices)

From that 'cheaper retailer I ordered in the Continental Classic Attack radials in 100/90/19 at $249.95 per tyre so nearly $500 a pair for 'razor blades + new tubes and rim tapes on top.
Maybe price is part of it, RoadRider Universals are around $162 a pop in 100/90/19.... K81 / TT100 are well under that.

On their website putting in 100/90/19 you got 2 pages at 48 tyres a page, not all are suitable but there was a lot that were.
You better believe I looked up Road 5's in Norton fitment but it was not to be, I think the modern look puts some folk off.

I don't mind going back to the 70's but don't want to live there in my mind.
 
Since converting my Commando to the Featherbed frame way back in the 80s I push my bike pretty hard in the twisties and alway ran K81s 3.50 on the front and 4.10 on the back the bike handled pretty good but pushing the tyres to their limits I had a few times lost grip on the near edge of the tyres but lucky they regripped then about 15 years ago started to run with the Avon RR and so far haven't lost any grip at all pushing them to their limits, I also ran them on my AC Thruxton without any problems pushing them to the edge, not sure what tyres I am going to run on my 1200 Thruxton when the stock ones wear out, so far its handling pretty good with the Pirelly Gran Turismo's on it and have pushed them to their limits as well.

Ashley
 
I like the appearance of one period stock- looking commando in my fleet and I have other bikes with more modern tires too. I am not pushing this bike too hard, dont need venoms to ride here with the club.
 
I no longer push that hard, but in the old days my K81's would hop every now and then. I've always run Dunlop on my bikes and never had reason to change, except for my one venture with Avon which became hard to find around here at the time.
 
The handling and stopping differences between this

Period tires: Dunlop TT100 vs Avon Roadrunner


and this

Period tires: Dunlop TT100 vs Avon Roadrunner



is night and day. Looks or no looks, ridden hard or just riding - this is the rubber hitting the road and being old school about it... well, that is making things more dangerous for yourself than needed, IMHO.
 
I am old school in everything I do but when it comes to tyres and safety you can't go better than modren compound tyres and better tread pattens and remember there is not much rubber that sits on the road, I no longer do high speeds on the road, I am happy to push my bike to the ton every so often, but when it comes to pushing it in tight twisties and big long high speed hair pin corners that is where I want my bike to grip the road and riding with mates I have been riding with for over 45 years we still try to push each other to our limits and knowing the roads we ride on it sometimes can be a race to see who gets to that corner first, whether on my modren bikes or my old hotrod Norton.

Ashley
 
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