Avon Tyres

[Nortoniggy]

Just seen this post on Facebook from Cambrian Tyres. Good news hopefully.

What's going on with Avon Tyres in the motorcycle market?
There appears to be some confusion about the future of Avon since the closure of their plant at Melksham, WIltshire in late 2023.
Yes the range has been slimmed down a little with the loss of the Viper Stryke, Streetrunner, Sidecar Triple Duty and Trailrider, but all of their other core products remain.
The bulk of these are now produced in France at Dunlop's existing, ultra-modern facility in Montlucon, but this initial transition has not been as smooth as expected, and has caused some issues with availability in 2024.
However, we know Avon remains the go-to aftermarket tyre in several markets, so don't forget that you can backorder any stock you may require with our team in order to be the first to know when key sizes land back into our warehouse!

 

[marshg246]

Just seen this post on Facebook from Cambrian Tyres. Good news hopefully.

What's going on with Avon Tyres in the motorcycle market?
There appears to be some confusion about the future of Avon since the closure of their plant at Melksham, WIltshire in late 2023.
Yes the range has been slimmed down a little with the loss of the Viper Stryke, Streetrunner, Sidecar Triple Duty and Trailrider, but all of their other core products remain.
The bulk of these are now produced in France at Dunlop's existing, ultra-modern facility in Montlucon, but this initial transition has not been as smooth as expected, and has caused some issues with availability in 2024.
However, we know Avon remains the go-to aftermarket tyre in several markets, so don't forget that you can backorder any stock you may require with our team in order to be the first to know when key sizes land back into our warehouse!

So confusing! BesI can tell: Cooper owns Avon. Goodyear owns Cooper. Sumitomo and Goodyear owned Dunlop but now only Sumitomo owns Dunlop. How are Avon tires made in a Dunlop factory?

Also, there are a few "Dunlop" companies that sell only in certain countries. And, motorcycle tires seem to be mostly separate from car tires in the ownerships.

 

[Fast Eddie]

So confusing! BesI can tell: Cooper owns Avon. Goodyear owns Cooper. Sumitomo and Goodyear owned Dunlop but now only Sumitomo owns Dunlop. How are Avon tires made in a Dunlop factory?

Also, there are a few "Dunlop" companies that sell only in certain countries. And, motorcycle tires seem to be mostly separate from car tires in the ownerships.

Dunlop, Goodyear, Avon, etc are just brand names now.

Whoever owns them can / will make them wherever they want, they just changeover the moulds at the end of the process !

It’s refreshing to read what Nortoniggy posted, but questions still remain over the availability of the sizes us classic riders need. And it’s taking them a ridiculously long time to sort this out.

And then there’s the compound question… are the compounds of these tyres going to change? If they’re making multiple brands in one factory I would suggest this is a distinct possibility.

 

[kommando]

Seen this before, a low volume producer is taken over, the facility shut and the tooling sent to a high volume site, the product then becomes unavailable.

Well who do you think gets priority on the production machines when they are tasked with volume production and monitored on the number of widgets they make in a week.

 

[marshg246]

Dunlop, Goodyear, Avon, etc are just brand names now.

Whoever owns them can / will make them wherever they want, they just changeover the moulds at the end of the process !

It’s refreshing to read what Nortoniggy posted, but questions still remain over the availability of the sizes us classic riders need. And it’s taking them a ridiculously long time to sort this out.

And then there’s the compound question… are the compounds of these tyres going to change? If they’re making multiple brands in one factory I would suggest this is a distinct possibility.

Agreed, but wrote to Avon anyway. Here's the response from the: "Manager Motorcycle Sales & Marketing North America, Avon Tyres" who has a Goodyear.com email address.

"We stopped producing vintage race tires, but still make the street RoadRider MKII Universal 100/90-19* 57V (Part number 638319). One of our distributors, Turn 14, has these in stock. Please find a local dealer who can purchase from them."

He sent the 2024 Product Guide but it is too big to upload here. You can view it here: https://www.gregmarsh.com/MC/ViewPDF.aspx?key=AVON24

 

[Fast Eddie]

Awesome!

Thanks Greg.

I SO hope this is true, and that they don’t f*ck with the compounds, and that they pull their fingers out.

I have ONE bike that isn’t on Avons… yet…!

 

[marshg246]

Awesome!

Thanks Greg.

I SO hope this is true, and that they don’t f*ck with the compounds, and that they pull their fingers out.

I have ONE bike that isn’t on Avons… yet…!

Doesn't really help you but DennisKirk has two in stock and J&P Cycles let me add 8 to my cart (trying to figure out how many they have.). Also, AN shows them in stock for less than any of the US sellers, but I the shipping makes them more expensive for US buyers.

 

[SteveBorland]

Agreed, but wrote to Avon anyway. Here's the response from the: "Manager Motorcycle Sales & Marketing North America, Avon Tyres" who has a Goodyear.com email address.

"We stopped producing vintage race tires, but still make the street RoadRider MKII Universal 100/90-19* 57V (Part number 638319). One of our distributors, Turn 14, has these in stock. Please find a local dealer who can purchase from them."

He sent the 2024 Product Guide but it is too big to upload here. You can view it here: https://www.gregmarsh.com/MC/ViewPDF.aspx?key=AVON24

Thanks Greg, interesting reading there.
The only RoadRider in 19" is the 90/90 - no rears at all.
in 18", there is the 4.00, then the next size is 130/70, everything else is rather too wide for a Norton.

Then there's the Cobra Chrome (horrible name for a tyre, what in hells name has chrome got to do with tyres????)
The smallest in 18" is 130/70, but they do have 100/90, 110/90 and 120/70, but I've no idea how they are to ride on.

I really like RoadRiders since I find then very stable even during track days, but it looks as if Im going to have to change to another make of tyre at some point, since I would really prefer not to change 3 bikes to 18" rears.

Hmm.

 

[Fast Eddie]

Thanks Greg, interesting reading there.
The only RoadRider in 19" is the 90/90 - no rears at all.
in 18", there is the 4.00, then the next size is 130/70, everything else is rather too wide for a Norton.

Then there's the Cobra Chrome (horrible name for a tyre, what in hells name has chrome got to do with tyres????)
The smallest in 18" is 130/70, but they do have 100/90, 110/90 and 120/70, but I've no idea how they are to ride on.

I really like RoadRiders since I find then very stable even during track days, but it looks as if Im going to have to change to another make of tyre at some point, since I would really prefer not to change 3 bikes to 18" rears.

Hmm.

The 4.00 /18 is correct for 18” rears in Nortons, Triumphs, etc. so no issues with that.

Regarding the 19” options, they never did a rear 19” RR.

I think you’ve missed the Universal's section, there is a 3.25 and a 100/90 universal in 19”. Plus there are other 18” Universal options.

Those who run 19” front and rear might also want to check out the 4.10 / 19 AM19.

So, basically, ‘all’ of our options are safe I think.

The only unknowns I can think of are:

1. How good will they be at ensuring they’re readily available?
and
2. Will they screw up the compound ??

 

[SteveBorland]

The 4.00 /18 is correct for 18” rears in Nortons, Triumphs, etc. so no issues with that.

Regarding the 19” options, they never did a rear 19” RR.

I think you’ve missed the Universal's section, there is a 3.25 and a 100/90 universal in 19”. Plus there are other 18” Universal options.

Those who run 19” front and rear might also want to check out the 4.10 / 19 AM19.

So, basically, ‘all’ of our options are safe I think.

The only unknowns I can think of are:

1. How good will they be at ensuring they’re readily available?
and
2. Will they screw up the compound ??

Ah! Thanks for the correction, I didn't see the whole pdf, only the LH side. <Heaves a great sigh of relief!!!>

I tend not to use the 4.10 size on the front, it feels too heavy, but does work on the rear. Currently though, the Norton has a100/90 19" rear and a 90/90 19 front, so it _looks_ as if Im ok for another few years.

Had a look at the Conti series, and there's slim pickings there as well, for those of us on 19".

 

[Fast Eddie]

Ah! Thanks for the correction, I didn't see the whole pdf, only the LH side. <Heaves a great sigh of relief!!!>

I tend not to use the 4.10 size on the front, it feels too heavy, but does work on the rear. Currently though, the Norton has a100/90 19" rear and a 90/90 19 front, so it _looks_ as if Im ok for another few years.

Had a look at the Conti series, and there's slim pickings there as well, for those of us on 19".

Ever tried Dunlop TT100s ?

 

[SteveBorland]

Yonks ago, had them on a Honda 550 and the 69 Trident. I remember them as ok, but the Avons were much better.
Mind you, if the new owners do manage to mess things up, that could be an alternative. Thanks for the reminder.

 

[acotrel]

About tyre compounds. I can never understand how guys can go out onto a race track and immediately chuck a bike down the road due to cold tyres. I know many people find it very difficult to ride in the rain. I suggest the steering geometry of some motorcycles creates too much lean and puts more emphasis on tyre quality. In the 1960s there was a dramatic change in lean angles when Japanese two-strokes replaced Manx Nortons. That was when 19 inch wheels were replaced by 18 inch. However the power characteristics were very different. I suggest a Commando is more like a Manx Norton than a Japanese two-stroke. A mistake I made with my Triton, was looking at the two-strokes and believing that was the way forward. I fitted18 inch wheels and stuffed the handling.
My Seeley has 18inch wheels and handles very well, but the geometry is very different. My Suzuki T250 handled well but it had more suspension travel, which changes the self-steering effect, under acceleration and braking.
If I get into a corner too hot, I do not use more lean to recover. I keep the bike more vertical and trail brake to lose speed, and then accelerate and use the self-steering effect to stop running further wide.

 

[marshg246]

Right now, MotoSport (https://www.motosport.com/avon-tire-roadrider-mkii-tire-combo) has a good deal on a pair. They are out of 90/90-19 but have 100/90-19. A pair is $312 delivered. Not the best price I've ever seen but the lowest I can find right now where they actually have stock.

 

[jan nelder]

whereas I need a skinny 16 inch front tyre for the feet forward Norton: Avon do a big scooter tyre , which I hope will go with traditional 18 inch RR rear.