Avon Storm Rear and Z6 Front?

ReSTored

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I've got a set of Z6's on the way so I'm good for now, but finding a 160/70 rear in stock has been a problem in the past.

The Storms are good tires, but the front causes a wobble at certain speeds on the 1100. Not a huge issue, but I'd prefer to do without it. Also, the 160/70 rear is not the same tire as the 170/60 that has failed on the 1300. The 160/70 is reinforced for the BMW LT and has a much higher load rating and no failures I'm aware of.

Has anyone ever run a 160/70 Storm rear and a Z6 or other radial up front and how did these "mismatched" tires perform?
 

Ron

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My wobble problems went away when I put taper roller bearings in the headstock. I got the bearings from CBR Bearings (1-800-769-5388). They know the ST. They have a kit that includes the bearing and seals for a price better than Honda. Also wheel bearing kits. Not sure how living in Toronto works out for shipping prices.

The Avon Storm 2 Ultra Sport rear tire comes in 160/70R17, but I guess you were talking about the Z6?
 
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I went the other way and put Michelin Road 3 180/55 ZR 17 on my stock rear wheel. It fits and the stock wheel size is within the recommended range. The Avon Storm 2 is not recommended for the ST1300. I like them a lot and use them on other bikes, but I think the weight of the ST1300 causes the sidewalls to flex at certain (high) speeds when they are heavily loaded for 2-up touring. I had the steel belts on the tire fail catastrophically that left a half dollar size hole in the tire. My wife and I were stranded a little over 100 miles from the house at 7:30 PM with no chance of getting it fixed till the next day. We called the cavalry to rescue us and NO, I did not go down, but I didn't mess around about getting it to the shoulder either.
I'm seriously considering widening my rear wheel to 6.00 inches (Kosman Specialties can do this) and running a 190/55 ZR 17 to give me a wider tire that is a lot more common than the 170/60 that comes stock. It will slow the turn in a bit, but still be pretty close to stock. Why Honda hasn't updated their wheel/tire combo at some point in the last 10 years baffles me.
 

Uncle Phil

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I've run all sorts of combos, though not that one specifically. Don't tell the bike and she will never know the difference! ;-) Seriously, unless you are pushing the traction envelope out to the very edge, you will be fine. I have run Avon rear and Z6 front more than once, just not the 160 rear. But I have run a 160 rear before. Since I have my own tire changer, I'll throw on what I've got for local riding to wear out what's on there so I have new tires on both ends for a trip.
 
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My post could have been a bit clearer........... I'm running the Avon Storm 160/17 rear and 110/80 front now. The front Storm has a well reported wobble issue I'm experiencing (and yes, new tapered head bearings are said to fix that). In the future if I can't get a set of Z6 front and back I'll try the rear Storm and front Z6. I prefer to keep the standard sizes.
 

Rossi

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I was recently thinking of something similar, as I've had the wobble issue with the front Avon Storm Ultra II.

Except I was thinking of the Michelin PR2 or PR3 for the front. They don't make a 160/70-17 size for the rear in either the PR2 or PR3.

And you're right about the 160/17-17 being reinforced. I'm wondering why the ST1300 riders don't try the 160 rear instead of the 170?
 
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I've run Avon rear and PR3 front and I'd highly recommend the combination. No more wobble, incredible front grip. The profiles seem well matched. I had to put a BT021 on the rear when I needed a tyre quickly, not a good combination at all, the Bridgestone is too pointy to match the PR3. If you have ABS then you need to keep to the correct tyre sizes.
 
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