It looks like we may be putting the Norton back on track to run V3 and V4 and I have a couple of tire questions. Are Avons available? I would need 18", probably 120 rear and maybe 100 or 110 front I know Contis are available in the size I need but I never raced the bike on radials. Is there a big difference between bias ply and radials? Who is the ContinentaI tire guy? We ran Metzlers last time we raced the bike so it's been a minute.
The problem is the 120 rear size. Both Metz and Stones have some really good radials but they require wider rims, etc.
We are running a stock swingarm and will be racing in AHRMA Sprortsman too so we are as wide as we can go. I only saw 17" Stones, do they make 18" in race/street compound?
I see 18s on the Stickboy site: https://stickboyracing.com/product-category/bridgestone/vintage-tires/
Yeah, that looks like the way we will go. I've been helping a friend who's racing a CB 350 and he's running Attack 3s and they seem to be good. I was just wondering if there was anything else out there
I wonder what Stan Keyes is running....????....I want to say Avons, but not sure. Yea, those CR3's are pretty good on the CB350.....the CR2's werent bad before that. I wish there were still Dunlops.
What size rear are you running Charlie? Those CR3s look good. I was trying to figure out if we had options but unless we can get a 130 in there it doesn't look like there are many. I don't remember our rim width but we could run up to a WM 4 in Sportsman 750. The Norton swingarm was designed to take a 4.10x19" so that's our limiting issue. That and I don't want to run any more tire than I absolutely need, and we ran pretty well with the 120 ME 99 on the rear in the past.
Avon had the Super Venom race tires but it's been a while since I bought them. Great tires on my RD and RZ.
Avon lists the AM22 front and AM23 rear, but I don't know who the supplier is. I ran them on my CB350 because the 130/650 - 18 rear is designed to fit a narrower rim. I ran the 110 -18 front on a 2.15 rim and the 130/650 rear also on a 2.15 rim. They were a little oversized and made the steering pretty heavy, but I liked that. Others may not.
I spoke with Stan Keyes and he also runs 120 rears, Avon when he can find them. The 130 rear just won't clear the swing arm and makes the bike turn in slower, not something I like. With the smaller tire the bike felt light and quick which suited my riding style He said Tucker Rocky is an Avon distributor but I think I am going with the Contis because they seem to be easier to get my hands on.
Tucker and Parts Unlimited both sell Avon but as we all know getting containers unloaded to stock the suppliers is tough these days
avon am22 are available for rear in a 110 race compound, great tire, I used it both front and rear on my old guzzi until I went to 17inch, the am22 is appreciably lighter than the 23