Avon Viper Sports

Well, they had their first good test today. With the 100 mile scrubbing in finished I set off to try and get them to misbehave.

... I couldn't!

The ride was a little surreal. A couple of miles of dry clean roads then a blizzard, then a couple of miles of wet road then back to dry. Then repeat!

Despite air temperatures being about 4 degrees I managed stupid angles of lean on them. They actually feel very similar to the Supercorsa pro which Avon admit was more than some inspiration when designing them. But with a difference. They don't protest when cold and actually grip in the wet! Really well too! If the Stoms are better than this in the wet they must be bloody awsome!

So for 125 miles I tried cocking up the breaking, trail braking really late into corners, being harsh with the throttle at full lean and aiming for the bumps in the corner instead of the smooth bits.

... and in 125 miles of very "spirited" riding they didn't flinch once! Incredible. not one slide, wobble or skip.

I *really* like the front! You can break very deep into the corner and its quite wierd. The further over you lean the more then feel like they're "squishing" into the road. You can feel Avon's claim that the footprint gets bigger if that makes sense?

Leant over, even at silly lean they are ridiculously stable. Whop the throttle open and they are still ridiculously stable. Not a squirm, not a wobble, not a flinch. And this is at 4 degrees C!

With the rear there was nothing but endless grip even with the hornet on full tap. Corners and lean angles that would have had the Micheling Pilot Sport rear sliding out of the corner (three days ago, in warmer conditions) the vipers just stuck. Even playing silly buggers, nothing.

Now, chicken strips.

I managed to get the rear down to the snakes head meaning about a centimeter to go on the rear and with this profile that's SC pro summer territory! I really don't know how I'm going to get them any less untill the road is 35 degrees or I'm on a track day. One cm left at silly lean angles means I doubt I'm ever going to get anywhere near the edge. If I ever see anyone with smaller ones they'll get mucho respect!

The front still has well over an inch left so heaps in reserve for track days.

So, with 225 miles on them, the second hundred pushing them as far as I could, I'm more than impressed! I'm astounded.

The only variable that would stop be buying them again would be wear. Lets see how they go!

So far 10/10

Cheers,
Carl

[Luckypants]

Originally Posted by Berlin

If the Stoms are better than this in the wet they must be bloody awsome!

Dunno, but they are awesome in the wet.

[Nobbylad]

Originally Posted by Luckypants

Dunno, but they are awesome in the wet.

Which? The Storms or the Sports?

I'm looking at new tyres soon and it was a choice between Pilot Roads or Avon Storms or the new Dunlops, but the Dunlops are more expensive.

[Luckypants]

Well from the quoted section in my reply I thought it was obvious I meant the Storms. Apologies for not being clearer.

Interesting to see what mileage they get. As for spirited riding, can't ever imagine you doing that Carl

Had an hour hour out tonight just before dark and it was getting chilly.

I tried (and failed) to find the limits again.

Now usually its just a case of pushing until the rear starts to let you know its not happy. This has been the case for the the last sets of tyres I've used (ME4's, Conti attacks, Supercorsa pros, Michelin Pilot Sports and Hi Sports) Push until the rear (or front) starts to go.

But the Vipers haven't so far. Now this may be a good or bad thing. Maybe the Vipers aren't going to give the same kind of feedback before they let go. Maybe they'll just let go

More testing this weekend.

C

[Luckypants]

Originally Posted by Berlin

Maybe the Vipers aren't going to give the same kind of feedback before they let go. Maybe they'll just let go

More testing this weekend.

C

I have always found Avons to slide progressively and hook back up smoothly, but have no experience with the Vipers (or any of their sports tyres) only the Azarro, Azarro II and Storms. I also do not slide the tyres very often and usually parp my pants when they do!

Have a great weekend!

Sheesh! That's a bloody relief!

I *finally* found the limits! But only after putting a lot more body arbour on first! I even bough an extra set of balls on Ebay to do it

I've now done 500 miles on them. 100 running in and 400 ragging the buggerance out of them and here's the wear...





Or in other words Negligible! The Pilot Sports were just about done at 150 miles more than this!

Conditions today were dry with freshly salted roads and a bit of drizzle now and again. There are 5 local corners where I'm comfortable sliding the rear. So off we set to give it the beans. And Heinz were present in panfulls!

I finally got the back to start breaking away but it took serious amounts of commitment and way, way more than I'd usually use on salt roads. No leaning off and full throttle stuff.

I also got them to let go on one damp patch under the trees and they both gave lots of warning and went together... but travelling 30mph faster than I would have been ordinarily.

The drizzle increased so that there was rain on me visor and it didn't matter. These babies just kept gripping. To give you some idea how hard I was going, I hit reserve on the hornet after 72 miles today. Usually riding hard takes over 100 to reserve.

So the definitive answer to how these tyres perform? Would Knee down in Feburary on salty roads with rain on my visor do you?

Flippin awsome tyres! Can't wait to try them in the summer!

Doesn't look like wear will be too much of an issue either.

I can't belive these were only £130!

This is "Extra balls" Berlin, reporting for the BBC, somewhere in Yorkshire...



C

Time to celebrate then with a sheep, I mean a pint of Black Sheep.

[chris8886]

Originally Posted by Berlin

I doubt I'm ever going to get anywhere near the edge. If I ever see anyone with smaller ones they'll get mucho respect!

how's this for you?





i'm no god when it comes to riding, but it's very possible to get to the edges of these tyres, they really are good. this wear is from a track day though, i don't go for it so much on the road.