loingrader

hey randy, long time no talk. i was in such a hurry to get new tires put on that i didn't mess with the warranty issue. i did let avon know about the problem, just so they would be informed. the day i discovered the faulty tire, it was replaced. it had 8000 miles on it so i wasn't going to mess with the warrany, but i believe they would have taken care of me if i had pursued it. as far as mileage, i think they will be on par with the azaros, at least with my riding style. later. -bret

Finally..... I noticed this at the SW Moto Tire website. "Avon StormAV55 120/70R-17 not recommended by swmototires" Anyone know why not reccommended? I noticed that too! i used 5 sets of avon azaro's on my fjr and xx, and am on my second pair of storms on my xx. got about 8000 miles out of the first pair of storms, but the front tire was in bad shape. i check my tires pretty close (closer now) and within about 200 miles the front tire went from being fine (not down to the wear bars yet) to having the tread separate from the tire carcas. it was bubbling up in several places. i had the tire changed out immediately and the tech that changed it said that after seeing that tire he couldn't believe i was putting another storm on. it freaked him out. i have had good luck with them, and 1 tire going bad at 8000 miles is not enought to convince me to change yet. it is hard to capture what was wrong, in a picture, but here's my best shot. also note that these tires are always run at 42psi. and that may look like cupping to some, but i asssure you it is not. i know what cupping looks like. the bubbles, if you pressed on them, felt as if the rubber was less than 1/8 inch thick. also, 1/3 of the tire was worn completely normal, and another thing is that the bubbling was more pronounced on 1 side of the tread than the other. you can see in the 1 picture how the rubber is cracking as the tread is separating. pretty weird. -bret

i've ran thru 3 sets of azaros and have the storms on my xx now. only about 1000 miles so far (not much traction on the ice) but they seem to be working great. got mine from sw too. -bret

i don't use the controller. just the on/off switch. if it's cold enough to have them on, i want them on. if i would get hot (hasn't happened yet) i can shut them off. i have my plug in located just under the right front section of my seat. right between the frame and the bottom of the seat. works great. -b

if you mean 2 bros cans and corbin beetle bags then yea, they fit fine. -b

i have a craftsman brake bleeder kit, but i only use lever pressure and crack the bleed valve, on the bird. the bleeders won't pull enough fluid past the valve to get good pressure. for me anyway, it was simple. pump the hand brake/clutch/foot brake a few times then hold it down, then crack the bleeder screw (with a clear tube attached going into a jar or something) till the pedal stops moving. re-tighten the screw and release the pressure on the pedal. do it till all the dirty fluid is out, and all the air bubbles are out being careful not to let the fluid get low enough in the resivoir to suck air. then you must start all over. follow the order of bleeding valves in the fsm. easy, and makes a big difference even on fluid that is only a year or 2 old. -bret

to their defense, any tire can lose traction. the avon's do it in a controllable manner. this keeps a tense situation (i don't often push my bike that hard) from getting out of control. the avons (as do pretty much any road tire made in the last 5 years) can be pushed farther than i can push them. i wouldn't take them to the track, but for sport touring, i love em. -b

once again (see other tire thread), avons rule. in the wet, in the dry, they work great, wear evenly, and last a long time. i (like dale) have had them on my xx and my fjr, and i will not go back to any other tire. zero complaints. -b

avon's rule. 11000+ miles out of the rear and more out of the front. i may go weeks before seeing a turn, but my riding is all 85+ mph commutes, and i don't waste any time getting up to speed either. ran metzlers on my fjr (cause it came with them) and i didn't like them. wore poorly, and it was like 100 miles between having wear left, to being on the wear bars to showing cords. scary. the avons wear much longer, but i've never had any issues with losing traction and they are awesome in the rain. bridgestone front (as well as metzlers) wear down like a triangle on the front tire because the sides are softer than the center of the tread. makes for weird turn characteristics. avons always wear evenly on the front tire. just my $0.02 -bret

i've got a full d&d and love it. only loudly obnoxious when you want it to be. -b

Never Dull wadding polish. comes in a tin can. it works awesome on everything from dirty pipes to rusty pipes to pipes with boot rubber melted on. works great and doesn't scratch the metal like steel wool can. -b

my kickstand was hitting the peg (so i did the bolt/jbweld thing) and the tab was hitting my big foot, so i cut it off. works great now. -b

just go to your closest hardware store and get some cement for abs plastic. it comes in a metal can with a dabber inside attached to the lid. scrape up the attachment points and clamp them together while the glue is drying. let it sit overnight and you're done. easy as pie. -b (enjoying your new bird?)

just put them on and ride. obviously a heavier barend is going to prevent more vibration than a lighter one, but you're riding a blackbird. it may be a noticable difference, but i'm sure it isn't going to bother you any. let us know how they turn out. -b

nice pipes. good sound. like an old musclecar when at idle. not too loud. much lighter than stock. one of mine likes to rotate just a little as well. wouldn't pay the $900 that my carbon fiber ones would have cost, (previous owner put them on) but i sure do like them on my bike. -b

i've got to say it probably needs a little work and is not normal. yea, it pulls less at 4k than at 6k, but it also pulls harder at 4k than most bikes do at 9k. this thing would only feel sluggish and underpowered (at any rpm over 2k) if you're used to riding a missile. imo -b

widder gloves and first gear kilimanjaro jacket and pants with under armor shirt and tights and i'm good to 0 degrees. also have a turtle thing around my neck and into my helmet. i would be more concerned about outfitting you than your bike. check out newenough.com for good prices on gear. i ride year round up here in south dakota, and it gets a little chilly sometimes. the kili stuff is also waterproof which makes it nice during those wonderful 35 degree 4 hour thunderstorms. riding in severe temperatures on a bike is more your state of mind than anything else. imo. -b

zg st screen has much better wind protection than the givi st screen. i'm 6'2" and the givi doesn't protect me near as much as i like from the wind (although it looks much better and seems to be a much higher quality screen than the zg). -b

yes. a little, but not enough to matter. search function is your friend! by the way i just put lsl frame sliders on my bird, and i'm a big fan of them. http://www.kneedraggers.com/details/LSL_Cr...-59-LSL-16.html

600 miles on saturday, with a 30 mph tailwind, 100 degrees, and 90 mph, i was running up to 210 for miles at a time. once i turned, and got more wind flowing (i.e. no tailwind) she dropped down to 190. in full leathers it was a damn hot day! -b

i've stretched chains on bikes with a lot less horsepower than my trusty xx. do the stretch very often on the bird? also, dale, and anyone else with an auto-oiler. do you ever suffer from any loss of traction when in a steep turn that hits the very edge of your rear tire when it is covered with chain lube, and not worn off like the parts of the tire in more common contact with the road? with all that lube running down the wheel and tire sidewall, (like in dale's pic) there has bound to be some on the tread surface. just wondering. -b

works for me too. helibars and canyon dancer. hauled her 500 miles (only cause the rear tire was shot upon purchasing the xx). no problems. -b

now this is super high tech. got my bike last saturday, changed my tires friday. hung an anvil on the rear of the bike and then used a strap on the rear attached to the floor to lift the front tire. after getting the wheel off i put the forks on jack stands and removed the anvil. had the tires back on 4 hours later. -b