Tires again, and again...

o0norton0o · Mar 26, 2024

The Battlax 46's in 110/90/18 were delivered today. I mounted the tire and reassembled the whole mess. The tread is definitely deeper than the Avon RR universals. I also think the Battlax tire width is slightly narrower than the Avon of the same size. Just from looking at the gaps between the swingarm and the tire, I think I could have mounted a 120/90/18 battlax. I thought the battlax looked a little rounder shape than the Avon too, so I think it might have a slightly bigger circumference. The battlax rubber felt sticky but not quite as soft as the Avon RR. I'll come back here and update my impressions once I get a few miles on it..

thanks for all the comments

concours · Mar 27, 2024

I have a BT46 100/90-19 on the rear.
Great performance, run them on the RZ & H2.

Café au Lait · Mar 27, 2024

I run Avon RR mk2 on my Kawasaki W800 Cafe and boy were these a revelation compared to the OEM Dunlops which frankly freaked the hell out of me.

I’ve never ridden Battlax but my soon to arrive, my cNw is a standard spec for Matt’s bikes, 120/90/18 on the rear.
Might look a bit too modern for some but suits the cNw imo

That’s water underneath after a wash

o0norton0o · Mar 29, 2024

First impression of the Battlax 46 after a 1 hour ride through the foothills and B-roads. The Avon RR has a much better grip and is more confidence inspiring than the Battlax... It's supposed to be a nice weather weekend so I'll add more later

Café au Lait · Mar 30, 2024

Here in the U.K. the Bridgestone and Avons are pretty much the same price, £120-30 each. Sounds like the Avons are going to get the gong; explains their popularity with Classic and modern classic owners; Millyard swears by them too.

Schwany · Mar 31, 2024

o0norton0o said:
First impression of the Battlax 46 after a 1 hour ride through the foothills and B-roads. The Avon RR has a much better grip and is more confidence inspiring than the Battlax... It's supposed to be a nice weather weekend so I'll add more later

That's unfortunate.

The skinny Continental Go Conti tires on my Norton were scary in the cold when new if any moister was on the ground. They were definitely better in the warmer dryer weather after I got some miles on them.

Might be in the high 50F degree temp range today. Enjoy the ride.

o0norton0o · Mar 31, 2024

Schwany said:
That's unfortunate.

The skinny Continental Go Conti tires on my Norton were scary in the cold when new if any moister was on the ground. They were definitely better in the warmer dryer weather after I got some miles on them.

Might be in the high 50F degree temp range today. Enjoy the ride.

My lifetime learning style is to make mistakes and learn from them. I try not to have confirmation bias, where I make a choice, then bend over backwards justifying that it's better choice to make myself feel better about it. Granted, I've only had 3 test rides on the new rear tire. On the 2nd and 3rd rides, I adjusted the air pressure down to 30lbs from 38lbs originally, and the tire felt better. I'm also scuffing off the surface rubber in these first rides and I could see that maybe they might be impregnated with some sort of mold release agent which needs to scrub off. (or maybe not)

I bought the battlax based on my impression from reading comments here that it was "just as good" as the Avon RR performance. So far, that's not the case. If I had to do it again, I would have bought the Avon, at the higher price and accepted that it's going to wear out in 2 season's worth of riding. It's not that I ride around dragging my knees or wear some armored race suit and ride to the limits of my tire performance. It was just incredibly reassuring to lay the bike into a turn knowing the tires had more ability to stick than I would ever use. So far, I don't feel that "YET" with the Battlax... but time will tell

The 110/90/18 battlax measure 4.25" wide mounted on a 2.15 rim. I think the same Avon RR tire measured close to 4.675". The battlax is visibily smaller on the bike than the Avon of the same size.

I bought the battlax based on 2 things. One was the Battlax is a dedicated rear tire, so it has more tread depth, and two was that I got the impression that they are "as good as" the Avon RR, based on my interpretation of the many comments I read here. So,... there it is... Once you ride on sticky tires, you gain a lot of confidence in laying into corners, and any tire with less grip instantly makes you wonder if you will reach that tire's limit or figure it out before you reach your own limit first... which is the worst possible scenario...

TBW · Mar 31, 2024

o0norton0o said:
My lifetime learning style is to make mistakes and learn from them. I try not to have confirmation bias, where I make a choice, then bend over backwards justifying that it's better choice to make myself feel better about it. Granted, I've only had 3 test rides on the new rear tire. On the 2nd and 3rd rides, I adjusted the air pressure down to 30lbs from 38lbs originally, and the tire felt better. I'm also scuffing off the surface rubber in these first rides and I could see that maybe they might be impregnated with some sort of mold release agent which needs to scrub off. (or maybe not)

I bought the battlax based on my impression from reading comments here that it was "just as good" as the Avon RR performance. So far, that's not the case. If I had to do it again, I would have bought the Avon, at the higher price and accepted that it's going to wear out in 2 season's worth of riding. It's not that I ride around dragging my knees or wear some armored race suit and ride to the limits of my tire performance. It was just incredibly reassuring to lay the bike into a turn knowing the tires had more ability to stick than I would ever use. So far, I don't feel that "YET" with the Battlax... but time will tell

The 110/90/18 battlax measure 4.25" wide mounted on a 2.15 rim. I think the same Avon RR tire measured close to 4.675". The battlax is visibily smaller on the bike than the Avon of the same size.

I bought the battlax based on 2 things. One was the Battlax is a dedicated rear tire, so it has more tread depth, and two was that I got the impression that they are "as good as" the Avon RR, based on my interpretation of the many comments I read here. So,... there it is... Once you ride on sticky tires, you gain a lot of confidence in laying into corners, and any tire with less grip instantly makes you wonder if you will reach that tire's limit or figure it out before you reach your own limit first... which is the worst possible scenario...

Hi oOnortonOo,
FWIW I run 18 inch BT46 front n rear. Their tyre tech guys recommend 36 front n 42 rear… have you tried that?
tyres feel good at that set up - apparently due to multi material build however I’m definitely no racer.

o0norton0o · Mar 31, 2024

I originally tried 41lbs in the rear tire and went down to 38, then 30, and it felt better (to me) Perhaps the lower inflation gave a bigger contact patch area or just made the tire less rigid so it felt more well planted which translated into a better feel. I'm continuing to experiment with it. I just came roaring down the highway between exits to see how it feels on the highway and it was fine. So far I only notice a difference leaned over in tight corners. Perhaps I'll get used to it and it will be fine. thanks for adding your opinion.

Mart UK · Apr 1, 2024

The bike I tour on has a tyre pressure readout on the dash. Tubeless spoke wheels that seem to lose 2psi/week. So, I bought a lithium powered pump. That gave me all I need to play with tyre pressures to find my favourite. I found the higher pressure gave very responsive handling, but the jitters crept in on poorer road surfaces, especially on heavy braking for tight downhill bends. Lower pressures were smooth in a straight line, but it turned into bends like a slug.

I found my sweet spot and try to keep them there. Turns out it's pretty much what the factory recommended in the first place.

pkeithkelly · Apr 2, 2024

o0norton0o said:
A few years back I bought the Avon RR's like everyone else did when reports of their performance became common knowledge. I'm 19/18, so I am 100/90/19 and 110/90/18 respectively. Go ahead a few years and my front has plenty of tread left..... (the crazy thing is I bought 2 fronts back then, so I even have a new one to back up the old one which is in very good shape) My rear tire is worn down the middle and the snake-like groove on the crown recently disappeared from wear, so I'd rather not take a chance and ride it much longer even though there's good tread pattern left on the sides.

I just bought a Battlax46 to replace the rear tire, because it was about $50 cheaper than the Avon RR, and it's a dedicated rear tire, so I assume it has more tread thickness than a universal tire like the RR.

Being that my tires are different width, I can't just move the front to the back every time the rear tire wears out. I guess when I had tires that were the same size,(K81's) I never noticed how much my front tire outlasts the rear. I just moved the front to the back and bought a new front.

Anyone have a thought on the comparative lifespan of a front tire versus the back tire? double? triple? something else?

From what I've read, I'm sure I'll like the Battlax46 but am open to comments about it since it's the first one I've ever tried...

Thanks in advance..

Most mileage I have put on a single bike is my current HD Fat Boy, which is up to 110,000 miles. I kept a log of tire replacments since new, and like clockwork, my results have been pretty consistent (Dunlops, Continentls, Metzlers, etc. etc.)
Rear - 6,000 miles
Front - 9,000 miles
If i remember correctly I think that ratio of 2/3rds lifespan applied to my Commando as well, which I put about 28,000 miles on. Don't remember the rear vs front longevity on my various other ikes, but I suspect the ratio was similar.

Fast Eddie · Apr 3, 2024

pkeithkelly said:
Most mileage I have put on a single bike is my current HD Fat Boy, which is up to 110,000 miles. I kept a log of tire replacments since new, and like clockwork, my results have been pretty consistent (Dunlops, Continentls, Metzlers, etc. etc.)
Rear - 6,000 miles
Front - 9,000 miles
If i remember correctly I think that ratio of 2/3rds lifespan applied to my Commando as well, which I put about 28,000 miles on. Don't remember the rear vs front longevity on my various other ikes, but I suspect the ratio was similar.

Pah!

That sir, is impossible.

It is well known that Harley Davidson’s are simply too unreliable to do that kind of mileage. Just ask anyone who has NEVER owned one !!

(I have a 2016 110” Fatboy S, but don’t tell the Norton Boyz

)

ozcruiser · May 17, 2024

Mart UK said:
Not all bikes. The front on my BMW GS wears slightly quicker than the rear. I think it's because it's such a heavy bike, goes like smelly stuff off a shovel, has powerful brakes and the front telelever suspension barely compresses on braking, pushing the front more (an odd feeling until you get used to it).

This is most inconvenient. Always 2 tyres, instead of one.

That’s weird my 1200gs uses two rear to one front tyre. That’s with knobby off road type. My mate had the 1150 gs sold bike because it used to scrub front tyres to quick but he commuted on a mountain range and I put down to his riding style.

ilikevelos · May 17, 2024

I have been using Bt45 and Bt46s for many years, mostly on medium size japanese bikes. They are the business for bikes like the Honda CB-1. I like the RRs better for grip and cannot use the BT-46s on the commando anyway since I prefer the 19in rear rim as I think it helps the bike to turn in. On this subject I have used both the 90/90 and 100/90 on the front and like the 90/90 better because the Commando steers lighter and more precisely in my opinion. I agree that the avons seem to have more grip at least in the dry. They are expensive now in the us though.

I use engine braking so much on the commando that I get more than two x on a front compared to the rear but usually just dump the front at the same time as the second rear.

I need to buy more tires soon and will be sticking with the rrs for the commando. I am inclined to use them on the rapide I am building as well. Another tire I highly recommend is the continental classic attack radials. They do not really come in sizes for commando but they simply transformed my z1 in a way that made guys that critisize the big UJM reconsider their opinion. Tires are very subjective though.

Best to all.

Tires again, and again...

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