ight from its introduction the Venom-R has been an Avon power cruiser and metric custom favorite. The tread patterns looked great, the tires worked great and the Venom-R was built around a carcass engineered to take on the heavy loads and high demands of power-cruising customs. The Venom-R was an ideal choice in a lot of applications and riders switching to the Venom-R found themselves on a bike suddenly feeling lots lighter and lots more nimble than ever.      That’s because of the Venom-R’s rounded profile and its overall construction. These tires were a win/win choice, good looks matched with great performance. Properly maintained those Venom-Rs could deliver some pretty impressive mileage numbers, too, lasting far longer than anyone would ever expect from a custom tire.
     All that has just gotten better. The Cobras are here and they’re the Venom-R’s replacements for 2008. This isn’t just a name change. The brand-new Cobra AV71/AV72 takes everything that riders have come to love and expect from the Venom-R and brings it to the next level. This is a real step forward after the Venom-R, and it’s a big one. First of all, there’s the new look. A “Snakeskin Sidewall” treatment is a tip-off that something new and special is going on here, and so is the distinctive Cobra logo molded right into the tire. Then there’s the new, aggressive tread patterns, a perfect fit for a big metric cruiser. These new Cobras look great, and they’re built to perform at a level to match those looks.
     Consider the features: The Cobra has Avon’s exclusive A-VBD (Advanced Variable Belt Density) construction. This is a manufacturing process that puts a densely wrapped belt in the center of the tread area for enhanced straight-up stability, greatly improved wear and extended life. In the shoulders, though, the belting is less dense so the Cobra gets a big, compliant contact patch during cornering. The best of both worlds. The Cobra also features Avon’s LPE (Lifetime Profile Engineering). The rounded profile of an Avon tire is what–to a large degree–makes a big metric cruiser or custom feel so light and nimble. The turn-in is quick and it’s effortless. With LPE the Cobra’s keep all that consistent handling and stability for the life of the tire. The Cobras also feature EAF (Enhanced Aqua Flow) and Avon’s ES System (Enhanced Stability System), two more high-end features making the Cobra a smart pick. EAF tread patterns disperse water out and away from the contact patch so the traction is sure-footed in all weather conditions and the ES System, another Avon exclusive, reduces localized tire flex to improve the grip and stability overall and let the tires run cool on the hottest days. The Cobra’s compounding is optimized for grip and mileage, too, and properly maintained–which means kept at the right and recommended inflation levels–an Avon Cobra will deliver great mileage.
     Put all of this together and the Cobra is destined to be just as popular a choice as the Venom-R, the tire it replaces. Cobras come in all the sizes you’ll need, too. There are 16-, 17-, 18-, 19, 21- and 23-inch fronts in a variety of widths and aspect ratios and there are 16-, 17-, 18- and 20-inch rears in widths ranging from those increasingly popular 180s and 200s right up to the big, 240s, 250s, 280s and 300s. Parts Unlimited has them all in stock.