Tires (not the normal questions)

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jaguar

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Well kinda.
But not really.

I was just about to order a set of Avons from motorcycle superstore and saw that they no longer have the 4.10x19 size listed.
Am I just looking for the wrong size or did Avon cut it?

So now what are my options?
 
I was looking at the AM26s

Didn't want to have to go to 100/90-19 if I didn't have to.
 
Needless to say the whole tires issue is confusing and full of misleading information. My dunlop K81's have lasted "too long" as far as I am concerned. They have plenty of tread left, but have aged poorly so the sidewalls have dried out and are cracking, which tells me it's time to buy tires again. For the amount I ride, I would rather have the best handling, best gripping tire because I think the rubber will oxidize before I wear the tread out anyway.

When I look at the website information of the different tires that people here are reccomending, many of them say, "front tire", which to me means the manufacturer doesn't reccomend them for use as a rear tire.. Then I go into the reviews of those tires and half the people who are using these tires as front tires, are also using them as a back tire too.

I really want to try something different than the dunlops this time. The K81's are horrifying on grooved pavement, and I live in the seattle area where there's a lot of gooved pavement.

What say you?..
 
I think that tire manufacturers in most countries have stopped marking their tires in inches, although the numbers quoted in this thread suggest that wheel diameters are still in inches with the cross-section in milimeters. 100mm is just under 4.0 inches.

Can someone in the tire business confirm?
 
It does appear that Avon have discontinued the 4.10x19 size designation. It wasn't in their listings the last time I bought tires either. They still use the inch designations for other AM26 sizes, e.g. 3.25x19 and 4.00x18, but I expect we'll eventually see those disappear too.

FWIW I've been using a pair of AM26 100/90x19 tires on my MK3 for a while now, and I'm very happy with them. It is listed as 4.3" wide, but that's on a 2.50" rim. On a Commando WM-2 rim it is actually only 4.0" wide, so a reasonable replacement for the 4.10. They stick very well in corners, and don't seem twitchy on grooved pavement. The only issue I can see is that the rear seems to wear fairly fast, so you might want to use something designed for long wear if it's for a high mileage commuter bike. I haven't used them in the rain either, so can't comment on that. That size is listed as a "universal" tire, suitable for front and rear use.

Ken
 
The 4.10 was a metric tyre described using imperial measurements very early when less than 100% aspect tyres were introduced.

3.25x19 front and 4.00x18 rear are known as '100% aspect ratio' tyres, because the nominal section height is the same as the nominal section width (3.25 and 4.00).

4.10x19 front and 4.10x18 rear are known as '90% aspect ratio' tyres, because the nominal section height is 90% of the the nominal section width (4.10) (their metric designation would be '100/90x19' (or '18'), the figure after the '/' indicating the percentage ratio).

So the 4.10 is not on the tyre anymore but the 100/90 19 is virtually the same tyre (roadrunner to roadrider changes to nominal sizes excepted)
 
Avon does not recommend using a 100/90-19 AM26 on a WM2 rim and if you mount one the profile will visibly be wrong due to the tire being pinched by a too narrow rim...that being said many people do run them and live to tell the tale. The Avon AM9 is still available in 4.10-19 and is OK on a WM2 per Avon.

Tires (not the normal questions)
 
bluto said:
Avon does not recommend using a 100/90-19 AM26 on a WM2 rim and if you mount one the profile will visibly be wrong due to the tire being pinched by a too narrow rim...that being said many people do run them and live to tell the tale. The Avon AM9 is still available in 4.10-19 and is OK on a WM2 per Avon.

Tires (not the normal questions)
Click to expand...

True, it might be even better on the wider rims Avon recommends, but it still works really well on a Commando with WM2 rims.

Ken
 
Avon still offers the original vintage Roadrunner in 4.10-19 size as does Dunlop for the K81. Modern tire designs are offered in equivalent modern sizes.
 
Do tyres lose their grip with age ? I use Battleaxe tyres that are ten years old, yet after a few laps of a race circuit they still seem to be OK. I was brought up racing on Dunlop T1 compound triangulars, so I never push modern tyres to their limit - no sense, no feeling ? I notice that racing in the rain really puts the young guys off.
I think a lot has to do with how the bike steers. If it tightens it's line in corners, the bike tends to stay more upright, whether by rider intent or by the effect of steering geometry. When you have got the bike cranked right over trying to stop from running wide and trying to get the power on, that is when you need wide tyres and maximum grip. One defeats the other - wide tyres stop the handling from being nimble. Narrow tyres on a very powerful bike which tends to run wide can be very dangerous - that's how you get the hi-side.
One thing I'm careful of with my bike, is to make it pull very smoothly and strongly from lower down in the rev range - no sudden bursts of power. Just wind it on firmly and smoothly from way back in the corners.
 
I wanted to run the Avons as they were V rated.
Now thinking about the K81s because the size is correct, but they are only H rated.
 
jaguar said:
I wanted to run the Avons as they were V rated.
Now thinking about the K81s because the size is correct, but they are only H rated.
Click to expand...

So, are you planning to run much above 130 mph with your Commando? :shock:

Ken
 
lcrken said:
jaguar said:
I wanted to run the Avons as they were V rated.
Now thinking about the K81s because the size is correct, but they are only H rated.
Click to expand...

So, are you planning to run much above 130 mph with your Commando? :shock:

Ken
Click to expand...

Like. :D
 
I did have delusions of making a pass at the Ohio Mile on the bike this summer.
Class would dictate V rated tires, even if I was never going to need them.
 
lcrken said:
jaguar said:
I wanted to run the Avons as they were V rated.
Now thinking about the K81s because the size is correct, but they are only H rated.
Click to expand...

So, are you planning to run much above 130 mph with your Commando? :shock:

Ken
Click to expand...

PFFFFFFFFFt, I know a guy who does 130 on gravel roads on his commando.... (show yourself you buggar!)
 
jaguar said:
I did have delusions of making a pass at the Ohio Mile on the bike this summer.
Class would dictate V rated tires, even if I was never going to need them.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a plan. I admit to putting Z rated tires on my Norton for Bonneville, because the class records required it, even though I didn't get anywhere near them.

Ken
 
When you ride at Bonneville, do you start over-geared and work down or do you go in the opposite direction - low geared to high ?
 
I've figured out where I am going with my tire choice after doing a lot of reading and researching. I am going to switch from my present dunlops k81's (tt100's) to avon AV26's 100/90-19 both front and rear. As much as the dunlops worked fine for me inflated to 38 lbs almost everywhere I rode, they were horrible on grooved pavement and I want to try a different tread pattern because I think the continuous groove down the center of the tire on the dunlop is the reason the bike does the "cha cha" on grooved pavement.... so I'm going to give the avon's a try this time.... Also I'm willing to trade a faster wear rate on the avons, for their better grip.
 
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