Avon

arley riders making the switch to Avon Venoms won’t believe the difference. All of a sudden their bikes will handle easier, turn into corners better and do it with less effort. Magically, the bike will become an all-around more pleasant motorcycle to ride, and this is something that can be felt on all Harleys—especially on the bigger bikes, machines like Road Kings and Ultra Classics. Avon Venoms seem to remove a couple hundred pounds’ weight from the motorcycle they’re fit to, making the bike handle more nimbly, especially in urban traffic.
     The primary reason for all this is the profile of those AM41 and AM42 Venoms. These Avons offer a much more rounded profile then the OE Harley-Davidson tires, and the difference that makes is immediately felt. That’s just the beginning of the Avon advantage, too. Venoms are great in the wet, they’re cool running, they’re manufactured with a softer compound for better grip, and on top of all that they last longer. Properly maintained—with the pressure religiously checked—Venoms can deliver up to twice the mileage of OE rubber, and all of that is due to the Venom’s profile and tread pattern.
     Ultra efficient in many aspects, the Venom tread pattern is about more than just traction. That simple-appearing tread pattern efficiently evacuates any water underneath it, even though at first glance that might not seem possible. Look at the tread pattern on a Venom. There are no interconnecting grooves to trap water. There’s a clear, unblocked channel for water to flow out and away from the contact patch. That efficient tread pattern allows for cool running and a softer compound, too. Other designs, tires using a series of inter-connected blocks in their tread, tend to “squirm around” during use, which creates heat. To get any mileage life at all from tires like that the compound must be harder than it otherwise need be. All that’s a non-issue with a Venom. The Venom tread doesn’t “squirm,” it doesn’t heat up, and because of that the compound can be optimized to do what it should—grip—without sacrificing mileage and, in fact, enhancing it.
     Avon Venoms are available in all sizes Harley riders need, including sizes for the V-Rod. And while Venoms are indeed Avon’s premium tires, that premium doesn't necessarily come with a premium price. Venoms are comparably priced with the market, at most maybe $10 or $15 more than some other choice. With all the benefits—easy handling, great mileage, wet-weather performance, cool running—that’s money well spent. It’s all in the FatBook.