2020 - T120 Bonnie Tyres (i Hate To Ask...)

Discussion in 'Tyres' started by Steve T., Feb 14, 2021.

  1. Steve T.

    Steve T. Active Member

    Dec 6, 2020
    203
    33
    Northern British Columbia
    #1 Steve T., Feb 14, 2021
    I know and I hate to ask...but...
    I've cleared out all my other bikes :( and only have my new T120 in the garage :).
    I mostly had Michelins (PR4's etc.) on my other bikes and found them excellent in wet & dry. The roads can be very wet and rough up here!

    Now I realize the T120 has an odd front wheel size and Michelin don't do the 100/90-18 in PR4 or PR5

    Looking at various posts it appears that Avon Spirit's or Conti Road Attack 3's could be a good option, but I didn't find anything specific for the T120
    I live at the lonely far end of the world, so need to mail order tyres etc.

    I hope some T120 owners can confirm that the Avon's or Conti's are a good match for the T120...
    Thanks
     
  2. beerkat

    beerkat First Class Member

    Aug 14, 2019
    944
    500
    Cheshire UK
    #2 beerkat, Feb 14, 2021
    After switching to the Conti RA 3's on my Street Twin and hearing my very favourable comments my brother did the same with his T120. He's fairly new to biking and thought the handling of his bike on the original tyres was 'how it was supposed to be'. He was amazed at the improvement the new tyres gave. We both rode from Lands End to John O'Groats (covering over 2000 miles) in the company of a friend on another T120 wearing the original tyres. When I rode behind the two 120's I could see the difference in handling, especially on wet roads. On at least two occasions I saw our friends bike skip sideways on wet bends, while my brothers bike didn't. On cattle grids (and we crossed quite a few) the Pirellis wriggled, the Contis didn't.
    As has been pointed out on here many times, the original Pirellis have a relatively shallow tread depth, they're negatively affected by every raised white line or piece of ironwork in the road and they don't grip well in the wet. I've owned 20+ bikes, over 40+ years, and these were the worse tyres I can remember (ok, my memory's getting fuzzy these days). But I wouldn't hesitate in fitting the Conti RA 3's again and my brother is very glad he did.
     
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  3. SPC1

    SPC1 Well-Known Member

    Mar 16, 2019
    40
    68
    UK
    #3 SPC1, Feb 14, 2021
    I've fitted Avon Spirits to my T120 and they're excellent, grip is very good and the turn in and stability feels great. A massive improvement over the Pirrelli's which were awful, felt wooden and were the worst tyres for white lining I have ever ridden on!
     
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  4. Steve T.

    Steve T. Active Member

    Dec 6, 2020
    203
    33
    Northern British Columbia
    #4 Steve T., Feb 14, 2021
    @beerkat @SPC1 Thanks for the feedback.
    • Any preferences between these two for wet slimy roads?
    • Does one type tend to square-off earlier than the other?
    • Any feelings which will give the better mileage - I ride about 12-15,000 kms per year? (i.e. hopefully one set of tyres per year)
    • On the T120, do front and rears wear about the same rate or is it one front to two rears? (I suspect the manufacturers now have this down to 1+1 for sales reasons)

    Also, just for added fun, we have many steel grated bridges and even wooden plank bridges (that get "oiled" every year :eek: )
    Back in the '80s, in the UK, I loved the Avon Road Runners (compared to Dunlop).
    I'm sure the Avons and Contis are both good - so availability could be the deciding factor (?)
    As for the OE Pirelli's, I only managed 3,500 kms before winter arrived and they were ok in the dry but, as noted, did tend to wander around in the wet especially on tar snakes and yellow lines;)
     
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  5. Steve T.

    Steve T. Active Member

    Dec 6, 2020
    203
    33
    Northern British Columbia
    #5 Steve T., Mar 7, 2021
    Last edited: Mar 13, 2021
    Just to close the thread, I've ordered the Avon Spirits. I don't need them mounted yet but tyre stocks seem to disappear over here when riding season finally arrives - which, for the very brave, could be in a week or two. Each day is a little warmer (i.e. less cold) ….Zoom, Zoom, Soon...

    Avon Spirit's Arrived - Even has a Union Jack on it to go with the Triumph!
    Avon 1.jpg Avon 2.jpg
     
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  6. Brixton Steve

    Brixton Steve Member

    Sep 21, 2019
    46
    18
    Devon
    #6 Brixton Steve, Mar 31, 2021
     
  7. Brixton Steve

    Brixton Steve Member

    Sep 21, 2019
    46
    18
    Devon
    #7 Brixton Steve, Mar 31, 2021
    Got the Avon Spirit Sts on my '19 T120. Rode through this winter with them on Devon roads and lanes both in the wet and dry. Got full confidence in them, only had back end twitch once but that was due to horse shit . Good tyres.
     
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