New Tires...what do you think of these?

[jaredc28]

It is time to replace the tires on my 93 xr650l (at least the back). I have had it about 8 months now and the tires on it are more for off road than on.

I am looking to replace them with more of an 80/20 tire. Has anyone every used these tires, if so how did you like them, is this a good price, etc...? Here is the link:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Michelin-Sirac-Honda-XR650L-XR-650-Motorcycle-Tires_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ35601QQihZ001QQitemZ110124429765QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

thnx

[Motosprtman]

check out www.tiresunlimited.com

better prices and stock too - even carries the OEM BRIDGESTONES.

[brightman]

pirelli mt90at they are fantastic on road behavior.i got em on my 650l and love them

[needsprayer]

I'm running AVON Gripsters. They are an 80/20 tire by design. I've had them on dirt and asphalt roads. Very impressed after break-in.

Manufacturer

http://www.avon-tyres.co.uk/motorcyc...showtyre&id=22

Opinions

http://www.dualsportbc.com/forums/forum25/122.html

Possible source

http://www.bikebandit.com/product/3312

Front 90/90 21" $96.12

Rear 120/80 18" $93.22

You can probably find them cheaper with a little searching.

[Bibleman]

It says the Gripsters are tubeless - how could they work on our spoked wheels?

[MartinDKtm]

Just put a tube in it.....

[Bibleman]

Ha! Didn't know you could do that:thumbsup:

[goblin127]

Last time I knew we were told not too,but I've done it and it seemed ok.

[Guest]

I heard that Avon is not going to making Gripsters anymore anyone else heard this?

[needsprayer]

I heard that Avon is not going to making Gripsters anymore anyone else heard this?

Redlines,

The Gripster was discontinued once and then reintroduced. I don't know if there is a chance of this happening again so I sent Avon an e-mail and asked. I'll provide their response when I receive it.

[needsprayer]

To: kost@avonmotorcycleusa.com

Subject: Avon Gripsters

Keith,

I recently purchased a set of Avon Gripsters for my XR650R (dual sported).

I have two questions.

1) Does Avon intend to discontinue this tire in the near future? I know it was discontinued once and there is a rumor of it happening again. In fact, the tire store that shipped my set said they no longer restock the Gripsters.

2) The directional arrow on the front and rear are opposite regarding presentation of the tread pattern. Shouldn't the forward tread pattern be consistent with the rear tire such that they both push water away from the centerline. Do you know why the directional arrows are different?

Thanks

----------------------

Keith Ost

Avon North America Representative replied:

(1) At present the 90/90-21 54T and 130/80-17 65T AM24 Gripster’s are in current production. Avon Tyres in the UK makes market choices. This office is informed of Avon Tyres marketing choices, so we here do not know if and when these tires maybe discontinued again. Sorry not the answer you where looking for. For a better reply to this question sent this question to UK directly for Avon Tyres reply to this subject matter.

(2) The recommended front tire directional rotation is important for very important reasons.

This is a quote for Peter McNally in the UK (Avon Tyres Motorcycle Technical Product Manager) for this subject matter.

“Our front tyre patterns tend to point backwards because this hugely reduces stepped or irregular wear (cupping) in the dry. This then means that the tyre is always putting down the correct footprint. This helps grip in the wet. The foothill is so small on a front tyre that you don’t need grooves pointing the other way (which people think is better for clearing water) as water just gets fired out of the contact parch sideways.”

End quote.

If you reverse the front tire, then the tread splice of the tire is facing in the wrong direction. This means the tire could come apart at the splice (from braking - see article below).

Please feel free to contact me if you do not understand this safely/liability issues. 1-800-624-7470, Mon. thru Fri., 800 to 1700 hours PDT.

Regards, Keith

Avon Motorcycle Customer Service

c/o Hoppe & Associates, Inc.

PO Box 5112

Lynnwood, WA 98036 USA

1-800-624-7470

-------Tire Tread Article Excerpts-------

Since the tread slab is essentially a homogeneous blend of extruded rubber, its most vulnerable area is where the two ends are joined together. In order to precisely assemble tires with a more durable bond than simply butting the tread slab ends together at 90-degree angles, the tread slab ends are cut on an angle to provide a beveled junction where they are joined.

In order to minimize the risk of tread splices becoming visible, specific mounting instructions are used for many racing tires so the direction a tire rotates neutralizes the forces on the tread splice rather than aggravates them. The objective is to assure that the tire rolls across its tread splice when exposed to its most critical challenges. Since the tearing forces on a spinning tire are the opposite of a skidding one, the tires on a non-driven axle are mounted to reduce the possibility of tearing the splices if the brakes lock up and tires slide.

[roadcam]

nice hijacking job ... isn't ANYBODY gonna answer the guy's original question ???