Fat Bob Avon 200 rear 150 front tires DIY FXDF
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Joined: Jul 2013
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From: Maryland
Great write up, very descriptive! I do wish you would have posted pics at various steps in your tire/bearing change.
Curious about not using Ride On tire sealant, have heard good reveiws on it and it elliminates the weights on the wheel.
Have to say that I am with Eric above though, I do all my work on my bike too but do not plan on doing tire changes. I will take the wheels off myself and take them in but I still love reading about the process.
Curious about not using Ride On tire sealant, have heard good reveiws on it and it elliminates the weights on the wheel.
Have to say that I am with Eric above though, I do all my work on my bike too but do not plan on doing tire changes. I will take the wheels off myself and take them in but I still love reading about the process.
As for the Ride On, it will only balance so much of a weight differential. I wanted to get the tires close so that the Ride On would be able to do it's job. Well the front wheel was very very close to not requiring any weight. The back wheel only took a little adjustment, less weight than the factory tire. When they were that easy to get that close I thought let me try it like it is. I can feel no vibration and the bike is steady as a rock at all speeds. There is a little effort to the Ride On, it is simple but you have to clock the air valve between 10 and 2, remove the valve, add the product, blow out the tube, add the valve and then ride. When I finished the install it was rainy and cold as we had several days of wet weather. Since you have to ride it for a specified amount of time right after adding it wasn't convenient. I ride in cold and rain but not cold rain. After I did ride on the new tires and found them as balanced as they were I got lazy and didn't use it. I may add it at some time but just don't feel the need so I wish I hadn't bought it at this point. I'm sure it works fine and will probably use it at some point since I have it.
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Joined: Jul 2013
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From: Maryland
More on the tires themselves. I have more miles on them now and am very pleased. New tires seem to come with a protective coating that wears off quickly. Once this was worn off the squirmy feeling of going over painted lines in crosswalks went away. The Avons are radials while the stock Dunlops were bias. I wasn't sure what the difference in ride would be. The Avons are so much smoother than the Dunlops and very stable. The old tires were getting a little hard. Avons are made in England where they have dampness on the roads practically everyday so it would make sense that they make a tire good in damp conditions. With the wider width I didn't expect much difference in handling and that does not appear to impact much. I do notice though that I can lean over farther in turns before my exhaust and pegs drag which is a welcome improvement. I put air shocks on the bike to lower it a little and smooth out the ride. This meant that the exhaust and pegs scraped more. With the wider tire it isn't as big an issue and with how much smoother these tires are than the originals I may just go to lowered coil suspension shocks. I like the air but there are more things to go wrong with the hoses and shocks that spring suspension will eliminate. I also have the Gabriel shocks that tend to have an issue with slow leaks which mine do. I have to add air every other week or so which is annoying. I was going to add a compressor but that is weight and complexity and being able to regularly adjust the ride height isn't something I want or need.
The more miles I get on the Avons the more I love them.
The more miles I get on the Avons the more I love them.
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