[Phlakaton]

I think since I got over 15k miles on my Avon MKIIs - I'll just get another set.  Anyone think they can pass those kind of miles with a different brand?  The Dunlop Ks look cool but I hear they dont last.

[barenekd]

I'd rather have a short tread life than a skint bum from those Skidmasters.
Bare

[High On Octane]

+1

[Spitting Bull]

Sorry, I disagree. I think the Avon Speedmaster (front) and Safety Mileage (rear) are excellent tyres. I've done 24,000 miles on Avons now (not the same tyres for all 24,000 obviously) and I have every confidence in them.

Tom

[Arizoni]

I replaced the original AVON Speedmaster Mk II front tire that came on my G5 at 7100 miles.  It still had about 1/16 inch of the grooves but I figured any rain at all would cause a problem so I replaced it with a Dunlop K70.

The new K70 now has a little over 3000 miles on it and is showing almost no wear at all.

As for the grooved AVON Speedmaster Mk II, I see nothing wrong with it but I don't "push" my bike hard.  In fact I seldom "push" it at all preferring to keep my bike and my skin in unscratched condition.  

The peg draggers and canyon carvers that hate the Speedmaster's and wear out K70's in 3000 miles probably have good reason for their dislike.
Speedmaster Mk II's are old style vintage tires that are made for motoring along the pike at restrained speeds just like most riders did back in 1955.  They aren't designed for charging thru the twisties and drifting thru tarmac corners.

[cochi]

Phalakton, Bare is right on the money about the skittishness of the Avons. That being said over the years I've used a bunch of different brands and always found that the Speedmasters had the longest lives. I've also come to dislike the ribbed front Skidmaster. They don't like to be pushed at all. The rear Mark II isn't too bad for a square profiled tire, but it's not a canyon carver. I know that at least one of the folks in this forum has combined the Mark II on the rear and a K70 on the front. He felt that the combo worked well. I am thinking of doing the same thing since I don't do much canyon carving anymore. cochi                                

[Ice]

I like both the S.M. rear/Sm MkII front and the K70's.

 I got to seriously wondering why the K70's don't last as long as they used to in times past.
  Two cups of coffee later I think I may have had "the Duh moment".
 
(a)It looks like Dunlop only makes front tires in 19" size.
(b) Those among us using the K70's are using a front ( steer ) tire in the role of a driving tire. 
(c) Out of necessity front tires are always stickier and therefore softer than their matching rear half of the pair and drive tires are subjected to heavier frictional loads.
 
 I suspect this to be the reason for the shorter service life than we would like to see.

 Dunlop does make an 18" rear K70 and I intend to test it with a 19" front and test their service life. To that end I have obtained a 18" rim and the spokes to lace it up with.

 Unfortunately this will have to wait until the  S.M. rear/Sm MkII front  currently in service on my bike wear out or until some one else takes the plunge ahead of me.

 Addendum.

 I wonder what the S.M. rear would handle like if its squarish tread were rounded off at the shoulders.

[Spitting Bull]

Ice - I have just bought a new Speedmaster rear tyre and it has a definitely more rounded profile than any previous ones I've seen.  I don't know whether they have changed the design or whether mine is a faulty one (gulp).

Tom

[Phlakaton]

Thanks for all the responses     I use my bike for a daily commuter to work and rarely take her out on any serious curves.  I think I'll stick with the Avons since they've never given me any real problems - and damn - 15k+ miles is boss.

[Guaire]

"Wear like iron, ride like iron."
70% of how a bike feels are the tires. My ES has the original Avons. After I replace them with K70s. I'll give you my impressions.

[barenekd]

Those of you who live in the flatlands might be able to stomach the Skidmasters. We, who are surrounded by mountains, definitely have different tire requirements.
Skidmasters are only on the list of those NOT to use.
Bare

[Blltrdr]

I got to seriously wondering why the K70's don't last as long as they used to in times past.
  Two cups of coffee later I think I may have had "the Duh moment".
 
(a)It looks like Dunlop only makes front tires in 19" size.
(b) Those among us using the K70's are using a front ( steer ) tire in the role of a driving tire. 
(c) Out of necessity front tires are always stickier and therefore softer than their matching rear half of the pair and drive tires are subjected to heavier frictional loads.
 
 I suspect this to be the reason for the shorter service life than we would like to see.

 Dunlop does make an 18" rear K70 and I intend to test it with a 19" front and test their service life. To that end I have obtained a 18" rim and the spokes to lace it up with.

 Unfortunately this will have to wait until the  S.M. rear/Sm MkII front  currently in service on my bike wear out or until some one else takes the plunge ahead of me.

 Addendum.

 I wonder what the S.M. rear would handle like if its squarish tread were rounded off at the shoulders.

The Dunlop K70 3.50-19 is a F/R tire. Even the 3.25-19 is listed as a front but has no directional arrows and has an identical tread pattern as the 3.50-19.

Avon does make a rounded SM in a 4.00-19 and some Bullet owners say they are using without interference but I find it hard to believe as it has a width of 4.33 and requires a wider rim. Avon also makes the AM9 (Roadrunner) Universal 4.10-19 that is very similar to the Dunlop K81. This tire would pair well with Speedmaster and should fit (barely) with a 4 inch width. The AM9 does fit a WM2 rim and is very close in diameter to the stock SM.

[barenekd]

4.00 Avons and 4.10 (K81) Dunlops will fit the rear of an Enfield and work reasonably well even though they are theoretically too wide for the rim. The Dunlop at least is and improvement over the Skidmaster. No experience with the Avon.
Bare

[Phlakaton]

Those of you who live in the flatlands might be able to stomach the Skidmasters. We, who are surrounded by mountains, definitely have different tire requirements.
Skidmasters are only on the list of those NOT to use.
Bare

Probably why I'm not too picky about it - Austin has some curving back roads in the hill country but I rarely if ever get out there.  I have pretty flat runnin' to and from work.  Barely any rain either.

[REpozer]

Decided to keep my Speedmasters for now.
I can't get any K70s shipped to my house for free.
But "where there is a will( enough money) there is a way"

[Blltrdr]

Decided to keep my Speedmasters for now.
I can't get any K70s shipped to my house for free.
But "where there is a will( enough money) there is a way"

Check out Rocky Mountain ATV/MC. They have free shipping on orders over $99.

[D the D]

Check out Rocky Mountain ATV/MC. They have free shipping on orders over $99.

So does Bike Bandit, although I believe Rocky Mountain is $2 or $3 cheaper per tire right now.

[REpozer]

Those stores only ship large items(like tires) to the lower 48.
I will stick with the Avon $peedmastesrs and $ave for now.

Thanks for the ideals.

[D the D]

Those stores only ship large items(like tires) to the lower 48.

I can never remember who is where.  Maybe our IDs should say "Posts 232, Karma 0, Loc Bolivia".  Not that I think you're in Bolivia.  That's where I always have to park at the mall.

[c1skout]

 My original speedmaster front was past the wear bars in less than 3000 miles so I installed a set of K70's in 3.25 and 3.50-19. My K70 drive tire lasted about 3500 miles so I put the original Avon SM back on the drive and put another 8000 or so miles on it. It STILL has a good bit of tread left but I replaced it this spring with a Dunlop TT100 in 4.10-19. This tire seems to feel a bit "off" with the K70 front due to the different profiles, so I think I'm going to change out the front to something that will better match the TT100's design. I live in the hills of western PA and commute on both wet and dry roads. I drag my peg and brake pedal with some regularity and have only had that rear avon slip 2 times while stopping in the rain. The factory speedmaster front never felt good to me and I was happy to replace it.