DamMechanic
Active Member
Thanks holligl! After my ride this upcoming weekend I’ll have 11k miles on them and the rear will done for wet riding.
The theory is the front clears the water before the rear gets there. Or at least that’s what Metzeler said of their Z6 road tyre when they first produced it, but they did say you had to havethe matching front as it was designed specifically to clear the water. (Sure i can smell bs)….That picture of the Mitas E07 Dakar makes me leery about riding on wet pavement. It looks like that solid center would quickly hydroplane.
The Z6 was the second worse tyre I’ve ever had on my two STs. I fitted a new rear for a scottish tour, starting with a long weekend with a group. Did about 800mile over 3 days. Few weeks later I was back with the wife for a two week holiday, which included doing the north coast 500 loop. By the time we we’re making our way back to our friends B+B that was our base, the Z6 was so worn on the flanks It was getting very scary, especially in the scottish sunshine(rain). 2700miles was all it did.Now that you mention it, we ran the Z6 for quite awhile on the RT. Great traction, and wear. Never had any issues in the rain. I never paid attention to the back tire . We tried getting them for the Honda ST, but they weren't offered in the right size(s).
I've seen that kind of destruction on almost every brand of tire and the number one reason was because the tire was ran low on air for too long. Same thing happens a lot to four wheeler and SxS tires because their side walls are so stiff the tire will be low on air and you can't tell by looking.Two more reasons why I don't do Avons anymore.
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Also depends how old the tires were when you bought them. If they were already 3-4 years old, then you put another 4-5 years on them, parked outside for long periods of time, every rubber at some point will dry up depending on how they are stored. I've had many sets of Avons and have nothing but positive things to say about them. With that said, I've never had a tire last me 4-5 years.Two more reasons why I don't do Avons anymore.
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Distanzia was on my old R850GS, my mate had been borrowing it while I fixed his vfr's charging system. He rang one day and said he thought I should see what was happening to the front tyre. It was about 5-6 years old at this point. Just removed a 10year old Conti from this bike and it was only just starting to perish.
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This was a free XM3D, part of a pair supplied to appease all the problems I'd had with a pair of Storms that just didn't grip in the wet. I'd replaced the front storm with an OldStock Azzaro that was then fine. Avon sent these XM's to a local fitter, he tried fitting the rear in 3 different positions, but it still needed all this lead to balance it up. You can't see the extra half a strip that's also behind the spoke.
This was followed with another pair of XM's on my Pan. The first front was oval, same fitter couldn't believe how far out of round it was. And the rear caused massive instability which disapeared after it was replaced with a Pirelli.
Great tyres made badly........
I've been quite impressed with the 705. Also love the 805. Those bashing Shinkos usually have never tried them or dealers aren't distributors for the brand. I've gone through probably 10 sets of 804/805s on my Africa Twin and they are amazing and they are so cheap to replace...Alan,
I looked at the 705's, and every dealer here I spoke with tried to scare me not to buy them. I think I will be buying the Metzler Tourance tires which seem to have positive reviews and a re a 85/15 tire.
Thanks for your response.
I tried 804/805's last summer for a Black Hills trip. Maybe it was the heat, but the rear ended up with significant cracks. Not an air pressure issue as I have TPMS and they were well inflated. The 804 front was the noisiest tire I've ridden, even wearing earplugs. They rode great, but more than one rider with them had punctures. Returned mine after the trip.Also love the 805. Those bashing Shinkos usually have never tried them or dealers aren't distributors for the brand.
I've had one puncture in all the of the sets I've gone through, about the same rate of puncture as other tires. My friend also uses mostly Shinko 804/805 and never had an issue. Maybe it's cause we wear them before they dry out? I can go through 4-5 tires at the rear every year. For the noisy front, I usually have an aftermarket exhaust, so tire noise is never a problemI tried 804/805's last summer for a Black Hills trip. Maybe it was the heat, but the rear ended up with significant cracks. Not an air pressure issue as I have TPMS and they were well inflated. The 804 front was the noisiest tire I've ridden, even wearing earplugs. They rode great, but more than one rider with them had punctures. Returned mine after the trip.
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