Tyres

Mickthevin

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Non-VOC Member
Morning All
I Am Just About To Start Rebuilding My Black Shadow And I Was Wondering If Anybody Had Any Experience/advice About Tyre Choice.
I Was Hoping To Put On Some Modern Tyres As I Have Never Felt That Confident About Avon "skidmasters".
The Bike Will Be More Or Less Standard

Thanks

Mick
 

Tom Gaynor

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VOC Member
On the Vin I have the Skidmaster 3" x 20" front, and while it is OK, it would feel a lot more secure if it had a bigger footprint. I have a Roadrunner rear, what used to be 4.10 x 19, now 110/90 x 19" and it is a good match. The cheaper, squarer rear (Safety Mileage?) is OK in the dry but lean it in the wet and it climbs up on to the corner and feels decidedly iffy. Note that Avon names have changed several times in the last few years, so one guy's Roadrunner is another guy's Roadrider or Trackmaster. I bought Roadrunners because I knew they'd be new. Modern tyres go off faster than the old Bakelite ones.
(My race tyres are AM20 90/90 front, AM22 110/90 rear on 18" x WM3 (2.15) rims, and these are virtually universal on classic 500's, albeit in softer compounds than the road tyres. If they were available in 19" I'd be very tempted to screw originality.....)
 

Rapide998

Active Forum User
Non-VOC Member
Got standard sized wheels and Avons fitted, although many have inform me in the past the compound is different from the early years, I can almost get my knee down on the Rapide. never had an issue wet or dry ok a bit twichy but that's the fun of it, If I was to change my wheel sizes I'd fit Avon Venoms. :) Roll the weekend.
 
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Flatout

Guest
Got standard sized wheels and Avons fitted, although many have inform me in the past the compound is different from the early years, I can almost get my knee down on the Rapide. never had an issue wet or dry ok a bit twichy but that's the fun of it, If I was to change my wheel sizes I'd fit Avon Venoms. :) Roll the weekend.

I've just ordered a sh*tmaster for the front and a Dunlop TT for the rear.
I don't think I would lean it over to far especially when you compare them to the tyres on the blade.
 

Mickthevin

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Non-VOC Member
Tyre Choice

Just To Let Everybody Know I Spoke To The Tech. Officer At Avon Tyres And He Advised
Front (no Choice) 300x20 Speedmaster
Rear 100x90x19 Roadrider (very Latest Technology)
£126 Inc. Tubes And Tapes - 18 Hrs. Delivery Time From Cwc

Mick
 

BlackLightning998

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Hi Mick - love to hear how you get on

Hi Mick,

That's very modern rubber for the Vincent - usually only those who've moved to Borani rims get stuff like that.

I've looked it up on the Avon site and it looks like a replacement for the Roadrunner that I have known and loved so long on first my Honda Superdream, then Kawasaki GPz55o H1 and finally CBR1000 FL. It looks very modern, very curvy and very unVincent. I found the Roadrunner was never the most high-tech rubber but it did everything I ever asked of it, got very decent mileage out of it and as I was then riding in all weather conditons (including deep snow drifts in Scotland when I was too young to know better) it never once let me down.

For my Vincent I bought the Safety Mileage Rear with the Speedmaster but have never fitted the SM, I left the Dunlop K70 on the bike which had been newly fitted when the bke was re-built in Australia in 2006. That has been the package I have seen on many Vincents I have looked at.

I very much look forward to hearing how you get on with the new Avon rear, and maybe a photo or two of your Shadow when it is up and running with the tyre on? I'd be interested to see how it looks on the bike.

I'm not that enthusiastic a rider (I think) but I've managed to ground the footrest rubbers on the Rapide using the tyre choice I have on - she feels as surefooted as can be and I never cease to be amazed at how well she handles in back to back comparison to my modern bikes - just doesn't stop like it.

Having said that I did find one thing the other evening when I went for a run in the dark - I don't do a lot of miles on the Vincent after dark but my goodness the headlight beam bounced up and down in good fashion when running along the 'A' roads round here!

You'll notice a difference on the Shadow after the Comet I bet.

Cheers, keep us posted.

Stuart
 

Tom Gaynor

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VOC Member
In the 1960's, Mike Hailwood was leaning the Honda six 60 degrees from vertical on tyres almost identical in profile to the Dunlop TT100. This may have been because what tyres the rider was using was less important than what rider was using the tyres. How true this is, even today.
FWIW, I have 300x20 front, Roadrunner rear, and they are both modern soft compounds, well matched, and OK in dry or wet. The front would be more secure with a bigger contact patch but this would mean changing to 19" rims.
 

PaulCraven

Forum User
VOC Member
Avon Tyres

When I re-built my Prince in 2001, for the sake of originality I fitted the usual Speedmaster/SM combination. Not having ridden a Vincent for nearly 50yrs I accepted the handling as it was:mad:. It didn't like going round corners. I rode it like this for about 3500 miles always looking at what other Vincents were wearing and then fitted a pair of Roadrunners The difference was REMARKABLE. It now loves corners or more truthfully I do.:)

Paul
 

overthehill

Active Forum User
Non-VOC Member
I have 300x20 front, Roadrunner rear, and they are both modern soft compounds, well matched, and OK in dry or wet. The front would be more secure with a bigger contact patch but this would mean changing to 19" rims.

sorry to drag up old threads but i am looking at treating my rapide to new rubber this year. There is no choice with the 20" front but i understand that the current speedmasters are made out of modern rubber which should help. The question is do I get a 'classic' tyre (they still make 410-19 roadrunners and TT100's) or do I go for a modern tread 110/90 (eg. roadrider) - has anyone any experience.

In response to Toms comment above - there is a way of increasing the contact patch with a 20" front and that is to fit a WM2 rim - as against the vincent fitted WM1 - interestingly Avon recommend a WM2 for their 300-20 speedmaster. with this in mind I got my front wheel rebuilt a few years ago with a WM2 and it handles very well (for a Vincent) especially considering the speedmaster is about 20 years old !
 
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