OK I have a 2012 Bonneville with its factory Metzeler's on and now wanting to change them. I'm not a great lover of Metzeler and also read Avon's are a decent upgrade however I don't like them either (from my sport bike days). So, I have a dilemma, what's next? I guess due to the Bonneville's tyre sizes it makes it awkward to chose from the more sporty tyre choices so I am in need of advice. Can I safely up the tyre size to enable me to have a bigger range of choice or can anyone give advice on a MICHELIN Pilot Road 3 and MICHELIN Anakee 3 combination? or any other for that matter? Totally lost so in need of help. (USE: I commute and fast road rider only). Thank you Andy
Hi Andy if you choose the Avon AM26's you can't go wrong. I had 2 sets on my T100 over 5 yrs and about 25,000 kms and loved them every second !!!!
thank you BigLad, been on this all day and keep coming back to these Avon’s, as said I’m used to having the bigger choices but looks like the Bonneville is limited on a tyre range, I had no idea it would be so hard to chose two tyres lol.
Not sure why anti-Avon. I've ran storms and Cobra's and loved them both. The storms were a revelation after OEM Dunlop on the SV650. The Cobra's transformed the America from wobbly 50p cornering HGV, into chuck-able peg grinding funster. Plus Avon give an extra 2 mm tread depth than most manufacturers!!!!
What do folks think about the Pirelli Phantoms fitted to the Bonnies now, they used to be ace last time I used them in the 90’s on Katana 650, Z650 etc. The shoulders would blue up lovely and allow lots of peg grinding action.
Tyres can be pretty subjective but Michelin Pilot Activs are excellent on the Bonnie. I particularly like the way they track over road imperfections and seams and turn in. The Avons are a slightly older design.....
Hi Mr Orange... The issue I have with Avons is that I tried them on my GSXR1000K1 and throwing the bike into bends in anger would cause the rear to give, it looked impressive from behind but me no likey . Of course I cannot compare with the two bikes but once bitten and all that. I loved the Michelin 2CT and the Pirelli Corsa's and can trust them implicitly but it looks like the two brands do not make tyres for Bonneville's sizes? I wondered if I could down the height of the tyre to 70 and widen it to 140, this opens a world of difference to tyre choice. Can anyone in the know confirm if this is doable?
Understandable. I tried pr3's on the sv and hated them. Refuse to try the new one's. Plus them sipes are fugly looking. Like race cars, if they look fast, they are. If tyres are ugly tread patterns, I ain't putting them on my beautiful bike
EDIT: Without going into the what's and the what's for of it all I have found my answer, changing the tyre sizes without studying the geometry and effects of wheel diameter changes would/may effect the bikes handling to something undesirable so I guess I best stick with the designed sizes... all I can say is bugger . So Metzeler or Avon
I learned something recently when trying to get a new rear tire on my T-Bird. When manufacturers come out with a new model tire, they introduce the most popular sizes first and then keep adding sizes. I found my size at one online site when other sites and the local dealers said it didn't exist. When they got the updated catalog it was there. You might try to contact the customer service group at the manufacturer you're interested in to see if they are adding sizes. With regard to the Pirelli Phantoms, I bought them for my 1980 Yamaha XJ650 the first year they came out. This was going from a bias ply (?) tire to a radial tire and the difference was unbelievable. I had complete confidence in every situation (cornering, excessive speed and stopping) while riding on the Phantoms. I don't know how they would work on a Bonnie, but nearly all of the tires today are far superior than the ones we had in the past. I can't imagine that there would be any significant flaw in the Phantoms.
Love Pirelli Angel GT's Hate Metz me880's Might be same manufacturer, but one is a wet weather god and the other is an waxed piece of mohogany painted black to look like a tyre.
One of the things that I’ve found out over the years is that if a certain tyre is good on bike ‘X’ it doesn’t transpire that it’ll be a suitable tyre for bike ‘Y’. Some tyres favour certain bikes whilst others don’t.
have to agree, for me though Metzeler or Avon never inspired confidence and I guess in short it’s all about trusting the gear underneath you and the two above never did. Like most, I commute and a weekend blast with Rudeboy, we are both fast road riders and love the twists and turns of the country roads, I’m just looking for something different from the choices above. I have just found a tyre that has sparked an interest so they will be on my bike on Saturday 30th. In the 17” Bonneville recommended sizes I went for PIRELLI Sport Demon’s, reviews look promising too so I will be happy to give my thoughts in a few weeks if anyone is interested?
The Michelin Pilot Activ are a good tyre, much better than the Metzelers, not tried the Pilot Road yet. I get 5000 + miles from a rear. Yes you can up the size of the tyre. I run 120-70-17 on the front which fills up the gap between tyre and mudguard a bit better. A 140-80-17 on the rear also looks much better (beefier) in my opinion. Also seem to handle better. One caveat, you will lose a little (10mm) clearance on the rear, which may or may not cause problems depending on what set-up you have there. I have 10mm longer Hagon Nitro shocks which work very well.
Avon roadriders for me, stock metzelers shot in a year on 4K. 3 years later now on 13.5k ( so 9.5k) and plenty tread left.
Avon Roadriders (AM26) suit the Bonneville. I used them for over 50,000 miles on a Bonneville T100 and never had cause for concern, either wet or dry. They have much more tread than original equipment Metzelers, so last much longer, up to 10,000 miles or more (depending on how you ride it). I went down one tyre size for the rear tyre from 130/80-17 to 120/90-17, which improved the handling, both in a straight line and when laying the bike over for a bend. They will start to white-line when the rear tyre is more than half-worn, but not when new.
Phantoms came with the new Street Twin. What can I say, fine in the dry and I have not been frightened of them in the rain. I may even get another set when these wear out...
Well new tyres tomorrow thankfully as I had a nice puncture last night on my way home, the tyre chose to dump all its air in one go whilst in mid bend at around 50mph, to say it scared me was an understatement but thankfully me and the bike came out of the bend safe and sound so a high five for years of experience and an ounce or two of pure luck and a well timed appointment at ProTyre Bristol for my replacements
