Avon Roadrider cracking Again

[salty_monk]

You ever been to the UK... pretty cold there too (though not 5f cold for sure...)

[bonanzadave]

Mr.IGS, Welcome to the GSRs ! You can just add info / comments to this thread. Its kind of the unofficial "hows your Road Rider" log. Dont need to start a new thread. If you have your reciept for the bad tire (tyre) I would pursue a refund. Hey, its a 100bucks.

I'm sure you'll watch your new tire like a hawk

Put the Bike to bed for the winter. Inspected the new Tire which I probably got 1500 miles on. Saw no signs of cracking. This is where I was a year ago and when spring came around it was cracked. Ill give it a look-see in a month or so and report. BTW....its 5f here. Still wondering if its a cold temp related issue .

Hi Guys & Gals,

I am new to the forum and found your excellent site while searching for information on Avon Roadrider tyres and the issue of cracking sidewalls.

I thought you might all be interested to know that this problem still seems to be an issue with recently manufactured Avon Roadrider tyres here in the UK.

In early summer I fitted a brand new Roadrider to my other bike, a K******I 750 (My other rides are a GS850GN and FJ1200). The tyre was fitted with a proper tyre soap that I have been using for many years and have used on many tyres. The tyre did not come into contact with any contaminants.

After about 3 to 4 months I noticed the sidewall was cracking, and not just a little bit. The cracks were definitely not there when the tyre was mounted on the rim as I always inspect any new tyres fastidiously before fitting. The manufacture date on the tyre was June 2010.

As soon as I noticed the cracking and became aware of it being a well documented problem I replaced the tyre with another brand with no further issues.

Unfortunately the supplier I purchased the tyre from had their premises burnt down at the time. Due to this and a busy problematic family life at the time I decided I could not be doing with the hassle of chasing it up and so chalked it up to experience.

Anyway, I hope this is of interest to some as it seems Avon may still have not addressed this issue fully, certainly here in the UK.

Cheers,

IGS

[themess]

[B]Chapter 3.....Our warranty department has found the tire to be defective. We have refunded your Visa in the amount of $107.93 on 06/23/2011.

Excellent.

[bonanzadave]

Chapter 3.....

Dave,

Our warranty department has found the tire to be defective. We have refunded your Visa in the amount of $107.93 on 06/23/2011.

Thank you and have a great day!
Amy
Customer Service
Dennis Kirk, Inc.
955 S Field Ave.
Rush City, MN 55069
((800) 328-9280 ext. 2208
www.denniskirk.com

[themess]

http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/problems/equipment/tires/

Has links to consumer reports on their personal experiences with tires, and to reporting problems to the government.

[pete]

Ha... trend setter? Well... ha

Man January is looking so shaky for me... haven't even started on leave pass discussions... wife's about to start a new job and the bike's still at Tranzac... not boding well...

[simon kuether]

Put some roadies and go for the "retro / super motard" look .
You could be a trend setter .
Just get it sorted before January (I've got leave , so it's on) .

Cheers , Simon .

[pete]

I've got Battlaxe BT45's on the 'S .
Not as good as the Spitfire II's (can't get them anymore). When you're getting down near the wear bars on the BT45's , they're gone .
But better than the Avon's .

Pete , I get my tyres from a "car" tyre place .
It takes a week or so (because they don't keep a big range) to get the ones I want but they beat the bike shops by about $40 a tyre , fitted .
Worth a look .

Cheers , Simon .

Cheers Simon, I was gonna check Tyres for Bikes at Albion but haven't started thinking seriously yet... gotta wait for budget. Haven't even gotten the bike back from Tranzac so haven't even paid for the exhaust yet... man I hate waiting!

I initially thought these Avons, then the bad news about them, then thought dual sports would be good for the scrambler, but the only ones in my size are too dirt biased by the looks, so then I thought maybe Dunlop TT100GP's as they seem to have "the look" and apparently some performance, but I don't know anyone who's tried them...

[simon kuether]

I've got Battlaxe BT45's on the 'S .
Not as good as the Spitfire II's (can't get them anymore). When you're getting down near the wear bars on the BT45's , they're gone .
But better than the Avon's .

Pete , I get my tyres from a "car" tyre place .
It takes a week or so (because they don't keep a big range) to get the ones I want but they beat the bike shops by about $40 a tyre , fitted .
Worth a look .

Cheers , Simon .

[pete]

I got no idea what to go for yet... need to buy a set of something in the next few months though...

I am going with Dunlop GT 501's, not taking any chances

[pete]

Going by their perceived lack of care factor when these problems are reported (just take it back to the dealer for a swap etc.), that would lead me to believe that the last statement about QC problems would probably be the most accurate.

By that, I mean they expect to get these cracking issues, and therefore it's no skin off their nose when someone reports it because they have a process to just send you back to the dealer...

On the one hand, I don't think they'd do that unless they were confident there's no structural concerns that make it dangerous (that would be gross negligence if there was a risk there), on the other hand it would be good if they could own up to the issues, recall the affected tyres, and fix it for future batches...

I have been looking at these as well and did some research. This is a common problem with there tires apparently.

Comments from someone who purchased at Motorcycle Superstore.

Great Tire but Sidewall Cracking Made it Unsafe

I had Avons on my bike when I got it - really impressed with the handling and feel so I went with a new back tire. At 4K I pulled the tire due to severe cracking on the sidewall. The tires were manufactured just a few months before I purchased them but after six months they looked like they had be stored in a barn for ten years. I would say the tread was about half used up, plenty of life left in them. Pressing on the sidewall from inside the tire, the wall felt very thin, almost like you could push your finger through at the cracks. I spoke highly of the tires when I bought them but now I can’t recommend the brand.

another....

They develop sidewall cracks

Sidewall cracked near the rim on one side all the way around in under 1000 miles in less than three months. Avon has QC problems

[simon kuether]

Finally got my act together .

Mine "cracked" like this ................................







Scary stuff .

Cheers , Simon .