Tyre damage - cause?

[Grant66]

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b298/Gajjii/Bike/DSC_0051_zps7dcdf38e.jpg

What could have caused this? Is it use damage or a fault in the tyre? Is it dangerous?

[DJ123]

looks like something has caught the sidewall and taken a chunk of rubber out

[stuR]

Total guess, possibly wouldnt affect a motorbike tyre but maybe a big pothole and the side wall has been pinched by the rim? no idea tho, just a punt

[NTECUK]

I wouldn't feel confident using it.

[Dicky Ticker]

Yes, and not repairable, needs replacing-----a front wheel blow out is not a nice occurrence.
As you have managed to take a chunk out of the tyre and split the carcase there is most likely damage to the inner tyre wall structure.
MOT failure and a nick for a defective tyre if stopped.
Down to you if you continue to use it or not.

[Sid Squid]

Can't imagine what caused that - but that's damage, not a fault.

[NTECUK]

Pot holes or kerb bumping.

[wideguy]

There doesn't appear to be any damage to the wheel, which I would expect from a curb/pothole encounter that would strip off a chunk of rubber. This chunk appears to have been ripped off from the wheel side out.
But, there's a lot of pitted and eroded looking areas nearby that are not normal and certainly not the result of abrasion or impact.
I suspect a manufacturing defect, some contaminant in the rubber before they laid it up.

[SvNewbie]

Pure speculation on my part, but could it be that the impact site was at the deep looking cut on the right hand side and the damage to the carcass caused the larger area of damage? Don't think there would be any way to tell without taking off the tyre.

[Grant66]

My thoughts were that it didn't look like something caused by a pot hole (no rim damage at all) going to get it changed and have them send it back to Avon for assessment. The mark next to the missing rubber is about 0.5 mm deep and could be the caused by a pot hole