What's up with tires?

[Big T]

It's mid June, my rear tire is looking worn down, so I'm looking for a replacement Avon AM 26.
Search stores far and wide, out of stock.
Check with Avon - arriving mid year.
It is mid year, you twits!
Who's terrible planning for their biggest market is this?

So, off to Pirelli Sport Demons
Same thing, out of stock everywhere.
Another nasty email sent

What is going on in the motircycle tire world?

Now, before you tell me how much you love your Shinkos, or whatever, I'm not interested.

I want the best tires I can get for my bike. Why can't I buy them?

 

[bwringer]

Avon went out of business a few years back, then came back under new ownership making tires outside of England (France, I think?). So supplies of Avons have been shaky for the last three or four years at least. The last year or so before the old factory in England was closed saw a lot of quality issues, but those are all out of the system by now. The Avon Roadrider MKII is the new version

Anyway, what's happening is that it's summer and people are wearing out the tires on their old bikes. This happens every year since "supply chain" became a household word.

That which you seek is the Bridgestone BT46, the update to the beloved BT45, which seems to have good stocks, and is an unquestionably premium tire for our ancient steeds.

Bridgestone Battlax BT46 100/90-19 57V Front Motorcycle (11637)

America's trusted online source to shop the best discounted Motorcycle, UTV, ATV, Side by Side, and 4 Wheeler aftermarket tires, gear, parts and accessories.

www.americanmototire.com

The Michelin Road Classic and the Continental Conti Classic Attack are also great tires that also give you that premium experience of paying through the nose. I haven't tried them personally, but from what I've seen they seem well-regarded.

The Dunlop 404 works pretty well when fresh; I've found them lacking in longevity and consistency as they wear, but then again my motorcycle tires lead exceptionally brutal, exciting, but very short lives.

American Moto Tire has excellent availability for oddball old sizes, so they're usually my first stop. However, you didn't specify which sizes you're looking for, so it's hard to be more specific.

If it's a 110/90-18 rear that's the sticking point, then the BT46 and Conti seem to be available:

Search Results+

www.americanmototire.com

 

[Big T]

I had sent an email to Avon and they replied that Roadriders won't be available until 2027.

Are they just trying to kill this model line?

 

[Steve]

You asked "What's up with tires?"

Sorry, but you have it wrong. Your tires should be DOWN.

.

 

[bwringer]

I had sent an email to Avon and they replied that Roadriders won't be available until 2027.

Are they just trying to kill this model line?

Avon is long dead and indecently buried. The owner, Goodyear (Cooper owned the Avon and Dunlop brands, then Goodyear bought Cooper, then sold Dunlop to Sumitomo), closed the English factory in December 2023.

Since then, they've made noises about reviving the corpse of the Avon brand in various forms, but very little has actually happened. Production of very mall quantities of a very limited range of motorcycle tyres seems to have resumed (some believe in a factory in Portugal, some say elsewhere, but no one seems to know for sure), but actual US stocks are slim to none.

Here's a 2025 article with a few more details:

Avon Tyres Return – British Motorcyclists Federation

www.britishmotorcyclists.co.uk

Note that this was only an announcement... actual rubber in hand has been scarce.

Overall, there's been a lot of corporate wank around Avon motorcycle tires, but little action. There's a sporadic dribble of production somewhere, and a few tires do pop up now and again and quickly go out of stock.

So to answer your question... yeah, honestly it does look like Goodyear probably would rather not bother with motorcycle tires. Tyres. Whatever. I would not hold my breath waiting on resurrected Roadriders to appear in 2027.

Back in the spring of 2024, I caught a really great clearance on Avon sport-touring tires and mounted a set on my Yamaha. I had no idea Avon had closed their factory. As I later found out, these came from the last month of production, and both turned out to be defective. I managed to get a refund for the front from the supplier, but no response from anyone when I discovered the defect in the rear. Reading between the lines here, it's clear those cheeky monkeys at the English tyre factory were paying more attention to their pints than quality control at that point, and I can't say as I blame them.

What really needs to happen is for an actual motorcycle tire company like Pirelli or Sumitomo or Michelin to buy the brand. Or, maybe Goodyear should have the decency to kill it off for good instead of making all these silly false promises.

Seriously, the corporate ownership story of motorcycle tire brands looks like a bowl of tangled spaghetti thrown on the floor, and is even messier.