| Author | Message | ||
     Gearheaderiko |
I can guarantee that you wont get more miles out of the MT75. 1000 miles? I'd love to see your route to work !!! Thats insanely low. Do you use your rear brake only? Even then...  | ||
| Zane |
I'm hoping it's not from a bad batch of tires. I have a set of VS's sitting in the garage that are going to go on the Blast this Saturday. I'll let everyone know how they wear. | ||
| Aaomy |
i dont really understand why the rear is wearing so fast.. i have a built up s2t xb heads, cams, race header, custom intake, braced swing arm.. she goes,, she get 2500-3500 out of a rear.. she is throwing more than double the power to the pavement.. i run low tire pressures for performance reasons on her. usually get two rears to a front.. i expect her to eat tires.. she is the one that gets ridden hard, not the blast.. the blast on the other hand????? dont know what to think???? yes my ride to work in a fun route.. beautiful twisty roads.. i use both front and rear brakes religiously... i will run her down past the wear bars and probably get another 500? miles but i will have to get a replacement tire on order and dont really know what to do.. what tire to try next.. the front is still almost new, and i prefer to run matching tires.. although now im not sure.. if it was a bad tire then,, i can accept that.. but i dont want to order another one and replace it in another 1000 miles.., ok had to look up some numbers 11/5/06 21,118 the previous owner installed avon 51 and 52 tires 5/24/08 24,400? miles i purchased the bike 7/12/08 26,462 miles i replace both front and rears with avon am63 tires.. the old front still had usable tread but i wanted matching new tires.. current 27,400? miles and just hitting the center where bars??????? i put 2000 more miles on a 3000 mile used tire,, and yes that was till center tread was gone... but that is 5000 miles a new tire down to wear bar in 1000??????? i just dont understand!! its late and i need sleep.. | ||
| Reuel |
The AM51/52 tires were my favorite for wear and traction. It's a shame they stopped making them. | ||
| Xgecko |
I hated waiting for the AM51/52's to warm up, after they were warm they were fine but many a morning I backed into the on ramp on my way to work | ||
| Reuel |
I was fine--it's a bit of a ride before I get to any fun curves here in Delaware. The 26 isn't doing quite as well in longevity. | ||
| Swampy |
Aaomy, You must have gotten a bad tire, all the AM63 in the larger size is wearing fine, 3000 plus miles. I don't know anything about the stock size though.... | ||
| Xgecko |
I've heard it said before that the stock sized AM63's don't wear well. Berkshire made a comment that has been bouncing around in my head...the 140/70 tires are bigger...that extra size does make the ride softer smoother and it does temper some of the torque laid down in first gear. That may also be why I can get 6-8K miles out of big AM63 rear | ||
| Zane |
Got the new tires on yesterday. Have only put about 25 miles on them so are but can already tell the difference. I did a quick run of about 5 miles at 70 mph to test the balance and it felt much more sure footed. Today after the heat of the day, I'm gonna head up to a little piece of road that has some good curves and give it a go. | ||
| Ezblast |
Your gonna love them. EZ | ||
| Evilbetty |
I'm confused... eyes red from reading about tires hehe. I have a stock 2000 P3. It has two worn Dunlops on it. I need to replace them with something that will give me a fair ride back and forth to work each day (25 miles each way) and wear the least. Would that be these tires in these sizes? AVON AM63 VIPER STRYKE 120/80-16 REAR AVON AM63 VIPER STRYKE 100/80-16 FRONT (Message edited by EvilBetty on August 12, 2008) | ||
| Zane |
On a stock Blast, the correct size Avon is: Front 100/80/16 Rear 120/80/16 You can get these, put them one and you’re off to the races without doing anything else. With a 2 minute modification you can use a wider Avon tire that makes a big difference in how the bike handles: 110/70/16 140/70/16 To use the bigger tire you need to take a small sledge to the shock tab. That is the mounting bracket for the shock absorber. Just tap it in so there is a bit more clearance between the shock mount and the tire. There is also a bolt that holds the brake line in place that needs to be shortened. I left in place and took the dremel tool to it, shortening it by maybe 3/8 an inch. Last weekend I put the wider tires on my Blast and love them. It feels just a touch taller to me and the handling is 100% better than it was with the stock Dunlaps. I only have about 100 miles on them thus far so I can’t speak to tire life. The word on this board is that Avon AM63 Viper Strykers are the most long lived of all the tires that fit the Blast. I’ll let you know in a couple of thousand miles. I drive pretty gently most of the time so I expect them to last pretty well. I got 3900 miles from my Dunlaps so should do at least that well with the Avons. If that doesn’t clear up your questions just ask away. We’ve got some very smart guys on this board. They’ve been great helping me figure all this out. | ||
| Johnnymac |
Go with the Avon Viper Strykes like Zane said but don't go with the 120/80-16 rears. They wear insanely fast unlike the 140/70-16 rear which lasts several thousand miles. I have the 140/70 on mine (installed 2 weeks ago) and am thrilled with them! Handling and ride are much improved and after 500 miles I still have traces of the injection nubs (hairs) still on them so they are wearing very well.  | ||
| Aaomy |
i bought the stock sized viper strykes. 1000 miles latter the rear is to the wear bar and the front is like new... want to buy a front with only 1000 miles on it??????looks great!!!!!! i would sell it and order the stock mt-75s to try!! | ||
| Evilbetty |
Wow that's a load of good information. I know it's a minor modification tapping down the shock mount but I'd really like to keep this bike unmodified. With that in mind, are the Avon's still the way to go or should I be looking at something else? | ||
| Ezblast |
For long life and a really good tire - its always been Avon; for a great handling tire the Avon is good warmed up - a few miles only - and the Pirelli are a great tire from go, however, a shorter life span. EZ | ||
| Evilbetty |
Awesome, thanks Ez. I saw you over on the other forums, answering my questions and I appreciate it! | ||
| Johnnymac |
Betty, don't think of it as a modification. Think of it as an improvement or an upgrade if you will. Besides it's so minor a modification that only one of us would ever notice it. Even a Buell mechanic would likely overlook it as well. | ||
| Ezblast |
true | ||
| Swampy |
Just replaced the Big Kids Blast rear tire. It had the large Avon Vyper Stryke AM63 and we go t 3300 miles out of it. I would say that it could have got more if it was not ridden so hard. I rode it yesterday and must say I was faster in the corners on the Blast than the Big Kid on my Sportster. I hit a road snake and had the front tire chirp out on me in a real tight toe dragger of a corner. Guess what I replaced it with? Give up? Avon AM26 120/80/16 (I still have the larger AM63 in the front. But don't tell anybody till I see how it handles.) | ||
| Zane |
Betty, It really isn't a big deal. I let my 17 year old son do the honors and it was two taps with the 5 pound sledge. Don't forget to shorten the screw that holds the brake line on. With a hack saw it's about 2 minutes, with a dremel tool it took longer to put the wheel in the chuck. If I can do this, anyone can. The AM63 tires make a signification difference in handling. It really is worth doing. | ||
| Evilbetty |
Understood. I just really wanted my first impression of this bike to be on a stock bike. That way when I switch to the larger sizes in a year or two (plan on commuting 50 miles a day on it) I'll be able to appreciate the difference it makes on the larger tires. In retrospect though... If I had known the 100/80/16 would be back ordered till Halloween I would have heeded your advise. But now I have the rear already installed and 100 miles on it. | ||
| Evilbetty |
Ok... so I got my rear Avon mounted last month by Harley. I was still waiting on my front 100/60/16 to show up... but it was backordered till after Halloween... so I changed my order to the 110/70/16. I borrowed a jack and removed the wheel myself and took it to Harley to have it mounted. I was quite proud of myself. I brought it home and mounted it... took it for a short test drive then went home and polished it all up. I knew better. Historically every wreck, accident, or major rock chip on my cars has always occurred the day after polishing. So I rode it on the highway to work today. I was very pleased with the handling of these tires paired up. Came in very handy when I was nearly ran into a guard rail by a handicap tag toting blue hair who decided I wasn't there as she attempted to pass another car... I laid on the horn and she never even looked at me. Surviving the trip to work... I worked all day anxiously looking forward to the trip home. When I left I was nearly rear ended at a traffic light by some bozo in a large SUV. Once I got out of the inner city stop and go, I got the bike up to 55 for about 2 minutes before the back end of my bike literally exploded. I was damn near thrown from the bike. I pulled the clutch and tried to down shift but I could not switch gears. I looked right pulled to the side of the highway. After I dismounted I began to look at the bike. First thing I noticed was that the belt was around the axle. Then noticed why, the sprocket was all but gone... there is a third of it still there. Upon further inspection I realize that one of my turn signals is hanging... the other one, along with the tail light is completely gone save some wiring dangling. The entire underside plastic and my license plate are mutilated. And to top it all off my brand new Avon tire has a huge gash in it and is now flat. I look around and realize I am a 1/4 mile from the Harley Dealership. I try to put the bike in neutral, but soon remember I have no drive belt anyway. I start pushing the bike to the dealership before I realize a) I am on the side of the highway and have two busy intersections to push through, and b) Harley would come get me with a phone call. While waiting on them to show up, I remember that there was a recall for this exact failure. I never worried about it though because the previous owner had given me a receipt for a repair last year in which she had to replace the rear wheel and sprocket assembly due to worn wheel bearings. After I get to the dealership I get the "wow sucks to be you attitude". After bringing up the recall and raising a little attitude myself. They agreed to replace the wheel and sprocket but told me I would likely be on my own for the rest of the repairs. Have you guys EVER heard of something like this happening? In my opinion this is a catastrophic failure of an OEM part with a design flaw of some kind. One documented in their own recall. And since I have had all work done at HD and just recently had it safety inspected and got a health check from them... this is on them to repair. Am I wrong? Overall  Tail Light, Blinkers, License Plate, Sprocket  Fender / Belt Cover  Sprocket  | ||
| Ezblast |
They sell you the bike like that - a dealership did not run a 2000 bike through to check that the rear sprocket recall was done - a dealer - gross negligence - contact a lawyer and sue the shit out of them - negligent homicide attempt - that recall was for a fatal error - good job keeping that mess under control to get to the side of the road - a dealer sold you that bike - right? EZ | ||
| Ezblast |
So who did the sprocket/wheel change - which dealer? Thats just wild that that sprocket got to you after all these years and publicity of the recall - each time it went through a dealers hands and was not checked showed negligence, especially since all it took was lifting the seat off and looking in - sigh - EZ | ||
| Evilbetty |
No I bought the bike from an individual in Mexico, MO this July, whom shared with me the service history and receipts from wheel sprocket change. She was at least the 2nd owner of this bike. Mid America Harley-Davidson in Columbia, MO did the sprocket change last year because of bad rear bearings. I called them tonight and gave them the VIN number and confirmed it. They are going to fax over the service history in the morning. That they had charged her to change these parts and didn't know the recall service had not been performed shocked me enough. My dealership here in KC charged me $65 to check over the bike then charged me another $250 to change a rocker box gasket and mount the rear tire. I would think they would have caught that it had a bad pulley then. | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
Unbelievable! I wouldnt pay for anything. Call Buell customer service. And definitely consider a lawyer (though whats broken isnt expensive or hard to fix). I still cant believe that after 8 years and you even took it to the dealer, that the pulley recall wasnt done. I'm not even sure where or how the last owner got that pulley replaced. Pull up the part old # and it says recall and they probably had to pay for what should have been for FREE! 2 dealers and they didnt check??? (I can tell by looking that its the old pulley). As Murphy's law would have it, you're probably the only person we havent asked if the pulley recall was done. I still cannot believe 2 dealers had the rear wheel off, even replaced the pulley, and didnt check the recall.  I have recalled pulley parts. They are not easy to get! PS Glad you're okay. | ||
| Ronbob43 |
Yes-call BCS. I am dealing with them now on my wife's '09 Blast. You may have to hold for 15-20 minutes, but you will get a claim # and the person working with you will be the one who deals with you all the way through. I'm thinking they want the dealers to do the right thing for the owner. | ||
| Evilbetty |
I called and like you said I had a claim number within about 15 minutes. They instructed me to call the dealer back and give them the claim number. The dealer would then need to call a service manager at BCS and give them an run down of the parts involved. Gail's HD called me before I could do that telling me they had already replaced the wheel and sprocket but was getting ready to put a Pereli on the rear... um... no. So it looks like the biggest hold up will be them finding the right tire. They still seem convinced I would have to pay for not only the tire, but all the plastics / signals involved, but also the labor involved in fulfilling the recall... I gave them the claim number and asked them to get back with me after they had talked to BCS. I just got done dealing with Progressive getting my truck put back together. It took a month to get it back fixed correctly after I got rear ended. And on top of that I'm going through a nasty custody battle with my ex... this bike thing is just icing on the cake  | ||
| Evilbetty |
If anyone knows the parts numbers, the new wheel assymbly that was used in March to fix the wheel bearing issue was G1309.TWAX |
