| Author | Message | ||
     Light_keeper |
Ok I went with the Avons. much better wear than the dunlaps.  | ||
| Jackbequick |
We got Dave's front wheel off for the tire change with the rebar through the axle, two jackstands, and floor jack under the muffler trick. That worked good with two sets of hands available for steadying when needed. We just did the front tire yesterday. We were looking at the back and trying to figure out how you guys pick the back of the Blasts for wheel changes without having a centerstand intended for the Blast. I have an engine hoist and was sort of considering picking the back end up off the floor by using a strap around the steel tube part of the frame under the seat. Anyone ever try something like that? We had not found that online service manual mentioned in the Blast KV before we did the front tire. I borrowed some torque values from my M2 manual and that worked for us. I was sort of confused looking at that rear axle with no belt adjustment on it. I looked at that online manual see that there is no adjustment. I took Dave's Blast for a short ride, its very different than my M2 but certainly enjoyable. I'm 6 feet with 32" inch inseams and there was plenty of room. I felt like I was sitting lower and farther back over the wheel, sort of like that chopper thing where the bike feels longer and higher in front of you. We'll get his back tire on next time he has time. Today was the absolutely best riding day so far this year. I got in a 90 minute or so ride up the coast on U.S. 1 and back, it was lovely. Getting a lot of jealous looks from the folks that were working/haven't gotten their bikes out yet. This is one of the best times to ride in up here, the black flies and tourists are not here yet! Jack | ||
| Jprovo |
Jack, They certainly are fun, glad that you got to ride one. To get the rear wheel off without a rear stand, kust put a jack under the right hand peg support, and let the bike tripod on the front wheel, the kickstand, and the footpeg. I'va also seen juys use two jack stands on the passenger peg mounts. Your method will work too, as long as you keep the bike from tipping. I'd probably run two straps from the passenger footpeg brackets to the hoist, one on each side. James | ||
| Jprovo |
AVON makes a new tire that will fit the Blast rear, along with the AM52, the now have a universal fit 120/80-16 Roadrider tire. http://www.avonmotorcycle.com/us/en/Product.asp?ProdType=TouringXply | ||
| Ezblast |
Nice find james - that could easily match up to their 100/90-16 to have a complete V set! GT - JBOTDS! EZ  | ||
| Jugallo94 |
For my rear I used to jackstands at the swingarm. Front tire on the ground and the rear end supported by the stands worked out pretty good. | ||
| Swampy |
I use two jack stands, one under each foot peg bracked between the front and rear foot peg. | ||
| Naustin |
Well, My rear Avon is really looking bald. I did some brain-exercises, and now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure I dumped the stock dunlop at around 3,000 miles. That means I have more like 3,500 on the Avon now. It still has some life in it, but I can't really tell if its going to live another 800 miles, or start showing treads tomorrow. Does anyone have a picture of a totally worn-out Avon for comparison? AMT has both the front and rear for 110.00, plus $16 for shipping. That seems like a fair shake... Anybody seen them cheaper elsewhere? There is only the Harley dealer and a Kawi shop in my area. So, I pretty much HAVE to take it to the Harley dealer to have the tires mounted and balanced. Nick | ||
| Jprovo |
Bummer that you don't have an independent dirt bike shop. They usually mount tires cheap. AMT seems to have the best deal on tires over the internet. I can get you a picture of what I consider a worn out Avon, but basically I ride on it until the I can't see the wear indicators anymore. | ||
| Naustin |
Where are the wear indicators?? I don't think I can see them...  I just got an email back from Avon. They say the new "roadrider" tire will be available in the US this fall and should be good for 7,000-10,000 in the blast application! Dear Sir, Regarding your quest for higher mileage on your Buell Blast. The best way to achieve higher mileage is through higher air pressure. For example running 20% under pressure can decrease mileage by 20%. For your bike, running solo and your weight I would normally suggest psi of 34 front and 36 rear. However if you want higher mileage then run it a few pounds more. If the bike can handle running 38/40 without the ride getting too harsh you can even go to that pressure, just don't exceed 42 psi. The other area is the higher the speed the more the mileage is reduced. So even running at 60 mph can cause wear to decrease by 35%. Just like gas mileage - the faster you drive, the faster you burn fuel. We do have a new tire range coming on the market this fall called Roadrider. Mileage estimates should be in the 7-10,000 range. We will know better as soon as the tires arrive. Since the AM51/52 was mainly designed for the European market their preference is for grip over mileage so that may be why you are not seeing as high a mileage as you would like compared to other bikes. Most sport bikes average 3-5K, sport touring 5-7K (deeper tread depth), cruisers 7-12K, touring 12-20K. Hope this assists with your choices. Thank you for writing to Avon. Sincerely, Sukoshi Fahey (Ms.) Sales Manager, North America 6911 216 St. SW Lynnwood, WA 98036 USA 800 624-7470 toll free 425-771-2115 phone 425-771-4246 fax www.avonmotorcycle.com | ||
| Jprovo |
If I remember corectly, there is a little arrow (could be the letters TWI) on the sidewall about every 45 to 60 degrees. In that area, there is a section of the tread near the center that has a bump in the valley of the tread. When the tire wears to the point that the tire hits this bump, I usually order a new tire. If I'm not explaining myself clearly, go look at your front tire, it will have the same thing. The TWI or Arrows are real tiny and either right near the tread blocks or on the tread blocks. I always thought that it was a matter of tire pressure to get better tire milage. When I got really high milage out of the Avons, I ran them at 35 psi. If I ever run another Avon I'll have to run it at 36-37 and give it a shot. What tire pressure were you running? BTW, the only reason that I'm not running Avons right now is that I have a good supply of Pirelli take-offs off the racebike to run. James | ||
| Naustin |
I was only running 33-34 psi. And, I was running 50% of the miles at 65-75 mph. I'm sure I can get a lot more out of the next Avon, but I'd really like to get my hands on one of those roadriders NOW...  | ||
| Naustin |
I can get the NEW Roadrider from the same UK store where I got my bars for $92.54 (shipped), plus an AM51 from AMT for $63.32 (shipped). So the total for both would be $155.00. That's only about $30 more than a set of the AM51/52's.... Either way, I still have to pay to have them mounted and balanced... What do you think? | ||
| Berkshire |
(tire prices, and a question of balance) I noticed that the middle tread grooves had disappeared completely from my stock rear tire at just a little before 5000 miles, and then it picked up a nail a few days and a couple hundred miles after that. "Cycle Gear" seems to have the best deal locally, $68 (w/ half paid before they'll order it) and $15 to mount & balance it (bring them the wheel). They charge $30 to mount & balance tires bought elsewhere. I thought I'd found the cheapest internet source for the Pirelli MT75's - $52 for the rear and $44 for the front, with free shipping for orders over $100. My front tire still has decent tread and even wear all around, and a front+rear set wouldn't quite qualify for free shipping, so I ordered two rear tires for $104... ...or at least I THOUGHT I was ordering two rear tires for $104 - it turns out that motorcycle-superstore.com added a $10 handling fee, which I didn't notice until just AFTER I'd clicked the "GO" button (doh!), so the tires actually ended up costing $57 each. With local sales tax vs. the additional charge for mounting a customer-supplied tire, the total cost to get the tire mounted & balanced would end up being about the same as if I'd bought the tire at cycle gear, so I guess I'm not totally screwed. Also, I'll have the NEXT tire on hand, in case I run over something else and need one suddenly. I'm thinking about mounting the tire myself, since I'm currently un/under employed, and hey - 30 bucks is 30 bucks! I'll see how tough it is to get the old one off, and if it's not too much trouble then I'll mount the Pirelli myself. ...then there is the question of balance. I've read some comments here about the Avons not being too well balanced, but I haven't noticed anything about the Pirelli's. How likely is it that they won't need balancing if I just line up the mark with the valvestem? | ||
| Berkshire |
Are you guys using a 1-3/16" socket on the rear axle nut? 1-1/8" is too small, but 1-3/16" feels a little sloppy... I hate slop! 30mm seems to fit a little better. just wondering. | ||
| Jprovo |
30mm Socket on the rear axle. Good luck on the tire changes, they are not fun... If I remember correctly, the mark on the Pirelli's is on the inside of the tire. James | ||
| Jmynes |
Is there a mark on Avons? I'm guessing it indicates the "heavy" side of the tire, which would be mounted opposite the valve stem? (Message edited by jmynes on April 28, 2006) | ||
| Jprovo |
I can't remember if there is a mark or not. If there is one, align it with the valve stem. | ||
| Mabueller |
Which tires are considered the "stickyist"? | ||
| Ezblast |
Pirrelli! | ||
| Berkshire |
The Dunlop came off without too much drama, and after a LOT of scrubbing, the wheel looks 100% better! ...so now I'm thinking about paint.  any tips? paint first, or mount the Pirelli first? what are my chances of not needing to get it balanced? Swampy - thanks a million for posting that C-clamp pic! (Message edited by berkshire on April 29, 2006) | ||
| Swampy |
The spot is aligned with the valve stem. The spot marks the lightest side of the tire. There may be a mark on on the inside of the tire. Which ever one wears out the fastest is the stickiest...LOL Chances are you should check the balance on them. I have used the axle from the bike and supported each end with jack stands to balance the tire before putting it on the bike. The resistance in the bearings will be something you just have to deal with untill you find or make a balancer yourself! It has worked for me with the Avons. The back wheel was actually hopping off the road at highway speeds! | ||
| Berkshire |
I don't know why, but the heavyest point on my rear wheel is ACROSS from the valve stem! I hung some twine over a tree branch and tied loops in the ends to hold both ends of the axle. Bearing friction was a problem at first, but I found that I could keep static friction from setting in by "chattering" the axle - very rapid micro-twists back & forth (stuck a drill bit thru the holes on the big end of the axle and jiggled it back & forth. stabilized the axle with two fingers at the other end) I checked it MANY times, turned the axle to various orientations, etc., to make sure it wasn't random probability, bearing "flat spots" or some flaw in my technique, but the results were always the same. The point on the wheel that kept ending up on top was about 30 degrees anti-spinward of the valve (plus or minus an inch or so). There had been a 1/4 oz weight on the wheel at about that location, but I took it off when I took off the old tire. I didn't try to find out how much weight it took to balance the wheel by itself (before mounting the tire), but I'll do that next time - it would have been good info to have later on... I couldn't find much of a mark on the Pirellis. One of them had a "32" on the inside, and the other one had an "18". I figured that was the mark for either the heavy or light spot, and that maybe the number was how many grams off-balance the tire was. But when I mounted the tire and checked the balance, the "32" settled straight over to the side. After a lot of experimentation, I think I finally got the heavy side of the tire more or less lined up with the light side of the wheel (maybe 2" one way or the other?) - but it looks like it needs about 1.25 oz to balance the assembly. Considering that the wheel itself is likely to be kicking in another 1/4 oz or more, that seems like a lot of weight! Since I don't have any stick-on weights, and my shade tree balancing techniques aren't exactly up to NASA standards, I'm going to take the wheel in to get it balanced correctly - but I'd feel a lot better about it if I knew the meaning (or lack thereof) of the "32"... | ||
| Jmynes |
The brown truck guy gave me my Avon yesterday. I don't see a mark on it to indicate the light side. Perhaps I got one that is in perfect harmony with the universe? | ||
| Naustin |
The Harley shop used 4 stick on weights to balance my front Avon... That seemed like a lot to me... I suspect they didn't bother to look for a mark and position it opposite the valve stem. The back didn't take any weights apparently, I didn't see any anyway in my quick glance. But they reused the pulley bolts...  | ||
| Jmynes |
Four long weights? That's what, about a pound of lead??!! Somethin' just don't seem right. | ||
| Naustin |
No, four of the little stick on squares. I think they are like 1/8oz each or something like that... (Message edited by naustin on May 11, 2006) | ||
| Jprovo |
I think that the max recommended for tire balance is like 2.5oz, it's listed in the service manual, but I can't remember the exact weight. I think the numbers on the Pirelli is a QA inspector number. | ||
| Berkshire |
I think the numbers on the Pirelli is a QA inspector number. Yep, the number inside the tire is the QA inspector number - I called 1-800-747-3554 and got it straight from Pirelli customer service. The balance marks are on the "DOT side" (has DOT letters & serial no.), on the sidewall. The balance marks themselves are either red or yellow, depending on when the tire was made. They're about the size of a pencil eraser, and there will either be one or two marks - or none, if the tire is pretty close to being perfectly balanced. My tires have no marks, so supposably they're pretty close to being perfectly balanced... so I'm wondering why a spot that was NOT aligned with the heavy side of the rim had a tendency to rotate to the bottom, and why it takes 5/4 oz to make it seem "neutral".  | ||
| Ezblast |
stem? |
