what tire to buy

[Tangsoodo2135]

I have a 2005 gl1800 without ABS. I am about to replace my front tire since my bridgestone G709 has lots of tread left but is flat in the middle. What is the difference between the G709 and the bridgestone excedra max? My riding is mostly on open windy country roads however I also do a fair bit of highway miles. Our roads are also riddled with pot holes and poor quality pavement. Thanks for your advice, so far everyone's advice on this forum has been absolutely correct in helping me solve the issues with my wing. This is my first wing and so far only have put on 1500 miles in the past 45 days aprox.
tangsoodo2135

[MikeB]

Neither. I prefer the AVON.

[Tangsoodo2135]

Thank you I will look at it. About how much mileage did you get on the front.

[MikeB]

I will normally change them at about 12,000 miles. At that point, there is usually 3/32 tread left.

[Tangsoodo2135]

Awesome thank you for your help

[keithg64]

Dunlop E4. I'm at 18k miles and will change them out in about a month. I use counteract beads and have tpms on my 07.

[bstig60]

I have about 12000 miles on my set of Avon's and you can hardly tell they are worn. I think the last front tire was changed with about 22K miles on it. Rears don't last as long. Think I changed the rear at about 16K. My rear got a nail in it and was patched, but I don't trust it on a long trip. So I just bought a Shinko SE890 Journey to put on my spare rim. I will install it before my trip this summer.

[Tangsoodo2135]

What model Avon tire do you have.

[Mountain rider]

The most common is the Avon Cobra.

[bstig60]

What model Avon tire do you have.

I have the Avon Cobra, have also used the Venom's over the years.

[Snowmoer]

Did Avon re design the Cobra yet? My rear blew out at 70 mph due to the tire separating. It only had about 7 K miles on it. Tire pressure was at 41 and the bike was not overloaded. The front was fine, but I get much better millage with a Bridgestone 709 then I did out of the Cobra front. Because of the blowout, I will never have a Avon on my bike again!

This happened a few years ago, so that is why I ask if they have redesigned it. There were quite a few rear separations at the time.

[bstig60]

Can’t say if Avon redesigned the tire or not but I have had three sets of them all with good mileage and no problems with separations.

[Tangsoodo2135]

Thanks for info. I can not think of anything much more scary than blowing a tire.

[bstig60]

Thanks for info. I can not think of anything much more scary than blowing a tire.

In my 50+ years of riding bikes of various sizes and models, I have never blown a tire yet. Having said that, there is probably not a tire manufacturer out there that has not had a defective tire at one time or another. I had a Dunlop E3 that separated on my last 1500, it never blew out, but when contacted,Dunlop would not stand behind it. Does that mean I will never buy another Dunlop? No! I currently have two new Dunlop Roadmasters on my ST1300. So don't let one persons bad experience scare you away from a particular brand of tire.

[Mountain rider]

I've run the Avon Cobra's on my 1200 and liked them a lot. On the 1800, I went with the Bridgestone 709 on the front and moved to the dark side on the rear. These are big heavy bikes and the thought of blowing out a rear is a great concern for me as well, as I almost always have a passenger in the rear seat. But that is another subject and this is about the front. For now, the 709 is my tire of choice. It lets the 1800 handle like a Sport bike, and 3000 miles into it, shows no sign of wear.

[Tangsoodo2135]

Little confused. Almost Nobody seems to like the bridgestone 709 and nobody had anything to say about the bridgestone excedra max. I may go with Metzler since I liked them on all my other bikes

[MikeB]

Little confused. Almost Nobody seems to like the bridgestone 709 and nobody had anything to say about the bridgestone excedra max. I may go with Metzler since I liked them on all my other bikes

Though there has been little input about the Bridgestone tires, no on has had any real negative input either. You only have two responses to your poll.
If I were you, I would read the info in this post about Metzler tires before deciding on them as your go to tire.

viewtopic.php?f=10&t=37981#p231135

Since you already have experience with the Bridgestone, why not just get another one to replace your front tire. The Bridgestone Exedra G709 I have on my GL1800 has 4/32 of tread left after 4,000 miles of use. I do not remember what it started with but I am sure it is good for another 6000 miles easily.
By the way, the only reason I have Bridgestone Exedra's on my bike is that I received the front tire as a gift. And since I like to have matching sets of tires on my bikes, I bought the Bridgestone Exedra G704 and installed them both. After 4000 miles, they are doing okay. When they are worn out, I'll be going back to Avon tires.

[Tangsoodo2135]

Thank you very much I will check it out. What model Avon are you going back to.

[MikeB]

I'm going back to Avon Cobra. I don't think the Venom is available any longer.

[Wingsconsin]

My experience indicates the following :

I am really consistent about checking tire pressures and run Centramatic balancers on every wheel -

I have run the 709/704 Bridgestone combo - 2 sets already - I average 9000 miles of use but they are really good - sticky, and quiet and did not cup - good in the rain and the twistys

Currently I have Avon Cobras on the bike - 16,000 miles - they are good int he rain and twistys also.
A little bit noisy especially at highway speeds - cupped at 11,000 miles approx.

My riding buddy had Excedra max tires and got the same results as the 709/704 tires (are they now the same?)

Currently my son is running E4s - he likes them but only has 5000 miles on them

I own 2 sets of wheels and tire changes are easy for me --
My next set is the 709/704 combo -- WHY ?
Because I average about 9000 miles per yer on the Wing (I own 2 motorcycles)
I run fresh rubber every year and the Bridgestone are the least expensive -
I just bought a pair for $299 and received a $60 rebate so under $250 per set

Your mileage may vary

[Tangsoodo2135]

Thanks so much. When a tire cups or gets a flat in the middle. Do you still think that tire is safe. I grew up riding sport touring and never had these issues. It is all new to me. I have been riding for the last 30 years or so. I also try to change 1 tire per season so the extra mileage is helpful. Usually I ride 6-8,000 miles per season.

[Wingsconsin]

Personally - my opinion - Once a tire is cupped it still is safe to ride -
However it is an uncomfortable feeling --
For ME - I can feel the scallops especially at low speed -
The effect of the cupping does not seem to cause poor traction that I have noticed
As of right now I have put on an extra approx 5000 miles since I first noticed the cupping on the Cobra tires.
I have not experienced this with a Bridgestone - but they don't last that long for me either .. ?
My suspension is good - my balance is right - and the pressures are carefully monitored -
I have had many motorcycle tires cup on my at higher mileage levels over the years so to ME -- no big deal

Other may have differing ideas ...

[Tangsoodo2135]

Thanks I am going to buy the Avon cobras. Everyone has been so helpful. I hope to be able to return the generosity.
Tang soo

[keithg64]

I have been using Dunlop E3 on the 1500 then E4 on the 1800 and just have loved them. However I just bought an Avon cobra chrome av91 and will be putting it on next. I got it from American moto tire in Arizona. They where the cheapest and with a $20 rebate.