Avon Roadrider cracking Again

[greg78gs750]

hang on here. you sent that tire back and they sent you an EVEN OLDER TIRE? um, i call bull**** on that.... i'm not saying that is necessarily the issue, but i would be hacked if i got a tire more than, say, a year old.

[Old Colt]

If those tires have been in a warehouse that long, I wonder if they are stored near the utility panel such as where the power comes in the building. Nice fresh ozone from electrical devices or electric motors will wreak havoc on a tire.

[Clone]

I think this needs a sticky as the Avon tires I have are also starting to crack, I will keep an eye on it, but I am shopping and not for Avon's.

I wonder if this is a more global issue with Avon?

[schlyme]

i got my avons from bikebandit and both where less than 1 year old. one was less than 6 months if they sent you anything then a 2 year old tire, they sent you crap stock i agree what was said earlier, write avon directly about what happened, i would be surprised if they didn't do anything about it. good luck.

[sachsaca]

They look dry as if it's been sitting warehoused for awhile??? have a tire sales place look at it if you know somebody.

[themess]

That defect is almost certainly not due to age, but to improper construction. Exactly like the tires you returned several weeks ago. In your place, I would spend the money to return the new ones to TU, and order a different tire as a replacement.

I would also wonder why they still have tires that are 3+ years old in their warehouse.

Contact Avon directly, as Brian suggested, and attach the photos. If you haven't notified DOT, do it now, again with the photos.

Someplace near the date code there is another code, which identifies the factory in which the tires were made

U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number
This begins with the letters "DOT" and indicates that the tire meets all federal standards. The next two numbers or letters are the plant code where it was manufactured, and the last four numbers represent the week and year the tire was built. For example, the numbers 3197 means the 31st week of 1997. The other numbers are marketing codes used at the manufacturer's discretion. This information is used to contact consumers if a tire defect requires a recall.

The following site links to the codes in current use:

http://www.harriger.com/tires.htm

I've got a new set on a Z1R and the front tire keeps going flat if parked for a week or so. No cracking on the sidewals but something is going on with the bead.

Yes, it is almost certainly a bead or valve problem. Fill the tire back up to recommended pressure Spray with with soapy water and look for the leak. If the leak is at the bead, the three likely causes are a kinked or damaged bead on the tire, a dirt rim where the bead seals, or a damaged rim.

Bead wire is very stiff. When it is bent, it doesn't easily return to its original shape. Dismounting a tire usually puts a slight kink in the bead, and the tire won't seal well after that.

The rubber that surrounds the bead also can be damaged easily. Small cuts or abrasions can keep it from sealing to the rim. This rubber is very hard, so small imperfections make a big difference.

Improper use of steel tire irons can damage the sealing surface of a rim. The sealing surface should be clean and completely smooth.

Some manufacturing defects in a tire result in air loss, but those defects are rare. The innerliner of a tire is the surface that holds the air in. If it is cut, air can bleed out in several days. It is only about 0.03" thick.

[posplayr]

Avon Roadrider

I just recently bought and installed some road riders on my 81 GS750E. I got them out of a place in Arizona (not sure who at the moment).

Sizes:
100/90-19 with date code 42/08
and
130/80-17 with date code 36/08

Tire look alright, but there is already the start of sidewall shine and small subsurface hairline cracking (front tire only and primarily on one side). It is not cracking at the surface, more like dried paint cracking on at least the front tire. The Avons have about 35 miles on them and I put them on 2 weeks ago. Date codes are saying these tires are about 6 months old.

This is unusually, as the using a flash light and looking real close I don't see the same thing on the Pirelli Sport Demons. I know the shine and slight cracking was there when I got the tires. I will be watching it.

Pos

[Bill C.]

Sidewall cracking

I just picked up two roadriders, a 100-90-19 with a date code of 42/08 and a 130-90-17 with a date code of 41/08. Sidewalls do not have any shine to them. I looked with a flashlight and did not see any cracks. I will be getting them mounted next week and let everyone know how they work out.

[bwringer]

I've never seen a problem with my RoadRiders either (130/90-17 rear and 100/90-19 front/rear mounted on the front). I've also dealt with other sizes on friends' bikes and never had a problem.

A problem confined to a certain size or sizes certainly points to a manufacturing defect.

[supergrafx]

This is bad news. My roadriders (rear) were on backorder from motorcycle superstore and should be here today or tomorrow. I will keep a close look at their wear as well once they are mounted.

[lilbilly]

This is bad news. My roadriders (rear) were on backorder from motorcycle superstore and should be here today or tomorrow. I will keep a close look at their wear as well once they are mounted.

Ditto, I have a set due here tomorrow from Dennis Kirk. Will look closely at them for shine and hairline cracks, and will also check the date.

[Clone]

This is the response I just got from Avon USA,

Thank you for contacting Avon Tyres. This time of year we see allot of cracking due to dry rot and although we are seeing some additional issues with circumferential rubber cracking, many of the reported cases are spring time dry rot. Forums can be very misleading. We have not had any tires fail due to these cracks and we are replacing them just like any other manufacturers warranty. We are looking for a trend in manufacturer date and at this time do not have a particular date range of defective tires. Each warranty done helps us to get a better understanding of the issue. For all of the Venom & Roadrider sizes there are less than one half of one percent warranted for all issues, and that is not a very big number. If you are experiencing an issue with your tire, please proceed to any dealer that will work with you to have the tire inspected. In Canada you should try to work with the dealer that sold the tire to you and they will have to contact Parts Canada as they are our only Canadian distributor and handle all warranties in Canada. Have the dealer call Parts Canada with their findings and please try to have your tire present at the time of the call so that they can get some info from it. If the dealer feels that the tire is unsafe to ride on, Parts Canada should replace it.

Thank you for supporting Avon Tyres and ride safely.


I guess if you bury your corporate head in the sand deep enough any problem will go away.

[lilbilly]

This is the response I just got from Avon USA,

Thank you for contacting Avon Tyres. This time of year we see allot of cracking due to dry rot and although we are seeing some additional issues with circumferential rubber cracking, many of the reported cases are spring time dry rot. Forums can be very misleading. We have not had any tires fail due to these cracks and we are replacing them just like any other manufacturers warranty. We are looking for a trend in manufacturer date and at this time do not have a particular date range of defective tires. Each warranty done helps us to get a better understanding of the issue. For all of the Venom & Roadrider sizes there are less than one half of one percent warranted for all issues, and that is not a very big number. If you are experiencing an issue with your tire, please proceed to any dealer that will work with you to have the tire inspected. In Canada you should try to work with the dealer that sold the tire to you and they will have to contact Parts Canada as they are our only Canadian distributor and handle all warranties in Canada. Have the dealer call Parts Canada with their findings and please try to have your tire present at the time of the call so that they can get some info from it. If the dealer feels that the tire is unsafe to ride on, Parts Canada should replace it.

Thank you for supporting Avon Tyres and ride safely.


I guess if you bury your corporate head in the sand deep enough any problem will go away.

What a crock.

Let me translate what they said:

"You are a blip on our radar and we aren't too concerned with your findings."

[supergrafx]

Ok, got my roadriders in. I'm at work and they will probably be put on in the coming weeks after I get my dyna s to function properly. For the record my tire birthdays are the 43 week of 08 for my front which is 100/90-19 and the 41 week of 08 for my rear: 120/90-18. Look forward to Avon's great customer support (not). So basically, avon's response sounds like they intend to either cover up the issues or not look for issues concerning quality control and let this type of crap go on. And by stating, "go to a dealer," is like telling me that after I have been sold something that is defective, to get the defective unit analyzed by some schmuck that will charge me labor to get the crap off my bike so I can put some other replacement tires on for another nominal fee. My Avons are not even on the bike yet but I hate to put them on knowing that they may fuel further frustration. But I respect those who recommended them to me and will just have to cross my fingers and believe in magic and pete the magic dragon I suppose with Avon's loving set of corporate values profiled in their response to this ordeal....

[jwit6]

There is another thread on the forum that also deals with Avon Road Roder sidewall cracking.

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?p=975536#post975536

I installed a set last fall on my 850. Already showing signs of cracking. Date is 2008 production.