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NedSVS
18-05-09, 07:48 PM
Fitted a new pair of Avon Viper Sports at the weekend (I've been fitting my own tyres for about three years now). I know the Avon Storms are highly rated but I thought I'd give the Vipers a try. I've gone for a 170 rear as this will fit comfotably on the CBR600F3 wheels I've been running on my 2001 SV650S for about 2 years now. The tyre actually measures about 176mm on the 5" rim. The vipers are replacing some Continental Road Attacks which weren't bad tyres at all, but I was surprised that the worn out Conti 160 rear actually felt heavier than the new Viper 170 I was fitting:confused: Can't say how much heavier as I have no suitable scales, but It just goes to show how you could spend silly amounts of money on lighter wheels and the throw it away by fitting the wrong tyres! I had a short spin on Sunday and the tyres felt very good, but the rain set in before I could get them fully scrubbed in. I hate scrubbing in new tyres and tend to progress quite slowly with the leaning further and further. Is anyone else running Viper Sports? If so, are you sticking with the recomended 33psi front and 36psi rear, or have you found anything else works better?

fatneck
18-05-09, 08:30 PM
I had BT-014s on my Ninja, and I hated them. I swapped to Avon Viper Sports, and it transformed the bike - so much more confidence in the corners. Slightly less grip in the wet, but as a fair weather rider I wasnt arsed about that.

If I had to change tyres on the Suzuki tomorrow I'd go for Viper Sports again - thought they were brilliant.

NedSVS
18-05-09, 10:06 PM
If I had to change tyres on the Suzuki tomorrow I'd go for Viper Sports again - thought they were brilliant.

Thats reassuring. Incidentally, I used to be a Bridgestone fan until I tried the BT014's. Rediculously poor mileage for only slightly better than average grip.

fatneck
18-05-09, 11:15 PM
My GSXR has 014s on - I wasn't thrilled when I bought it but they are not as bad as they were on the Ninja. I'm just confident that changing to something else would be a lot better, and the Avons are definitely top of the list at the moment. Hopefully someone else will come along with some more info.

Jamiebridges123
18-05-09, 11:19 PM
There's such a strong sense of BT014 hatred.

*joins in*

I had BT014s on my Z750 and they were terrible and I hated them more than tea with mouldy milk poured in it.

Group hug.

jambo
18-05-09, 11:19 PM
Please consider using the tyre section for these discussions:
http://forums.sv650.org/forumdisplay.php?f=138

Berlin started a thread on the Avon Viper Sports not long ago there.
http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?t=126949

HTH

Jambo

NedSVS
19-05-09, 07:11 AM
Thanks for the link to the tyre section Jambo. Some good information there, but the section is less prominent than "Talk & Issues" and threads could get overlooked. I've been using the forum for about seven years now and thats the first time I've been to the tyre section!