Avon AM20/22 race tyres

LaverdaIan

LaverdaIan

Hero member
Heya guys.. anyone know much about these tyres. I have been told that were designed for use without tyre-warmers, due to you lads 'up north' aren't permitted them for Classic racing.. is this true, and what's the difference.. rapid heat up, better wear etc..?
Only ask because Qld Raceway ride days pits have no power available.. :o, so a bit of what I'm dealing with would be good.
Thanks
Ian
 
I use these on my SF racebike. To Norway they only import the softest compound, there are at least 2 different comps available. They are the tyre of choice here among all the fastest riders in virtually every class. Brilliant in the wet and dry. We don't have 35deg temps here but it still can prettywell cook in summer. I used Dunlop classic race tyres for years before they stopped importing, and the Avons are definitely better. they wear much more evenly and are still really good (in the dry at least) the third season for cheapos like me who don't replace each year. They warm up really quickly on the track so you can go mental from the startline after one hard warmup lap. I saw that Mal Campbells RG500 had them when he set the Phillip Is lap record a couple of years ago when he raced Gardner.
 
Ian, I've not heard of AM20s, only AM 22 and 23s.They are excellent tyres for a 500,  I've been using them for 5 seasons. My bike currently has a 130 rear and a 110 front- I've also used narrower section ones to good effect.  They are quite sensitive to tyre pressures and can overheat quite rapidly if the pressure is a couple of psi too low. If they get too hot they can become quite slimy so bear that in mind for racing in Oz.
To fit a 130 on the rear of a standard 500 wheel you need to specify a cantilever fitment for a narrower rim 130/650VB18
They work really well in the wet.
Make sure you check the manufactured date, they can age harden if stored incorrectly. I always make sure I buy stock less than 12 months old.
With the correct suspension settings your 500 should be quite gentle on tyres and you should get a two or three meetings out of a set.
On a 500 a pair will easily last a four hour endurance race.
I've attached the info from Avon.
 

Attachments

Bob, what pressures do you run, or is it a secret  ;)
I run psi 26F and 28R and get excellent grip and wear in all these conditions here (on my overweight, gutless 750 ha!).
Ian, I'm at sea so couldn't check, but Bobs 22 and 23 are probably those I use. I've seen a different front used on some smaller bikes up to 500cc.
 
Hi Tippie,
Following the advice of my good chum Doctor Tom I am now running 30psi front and rear which seems to work very well on my 500. Tom noticed my front was a few degrees hotter than the rear when we raced at Magione and suggested increasing the pressure a couple of psi from 28 to 30 to bring the temp down. It worked a treat.
We're talking about Italy here of course, Magione is only a couple of hundred clicks North of Rome. If I was running the bike at a UK event I'd lower them a bit to get some heat in.
 
Yea, we were on a sunny winters day here (@19deg) and found 30R and 26F was good. Arrival showed we'd gone about 7deg hotter during the session. But I think every day will bring slight variances due to temp, track etc..
8)
 
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