 ow is the perfect time to take a good, long look at tires. The riding season is about to hit full stride and those two contact patches are a rider’s only connection with the road. It better be a good one. You’ll be doing your customers a huge favor here. You already have the bikes in for service so make a comprehensive tire-check part of the deal. And look for everything. Here’s what Avon recommends:
Start by washing those tires down. Use just soap and water, too. No chemical cleaners. Ever. Incidentally, Avon also strongly discourages the use of liquid balancers and sealers. Neither do anything good for a tire. Avoid the use of those spray dressings, too. They might make a tire looked nice and shiny but if you read the small print on that spray bottle it will say not to use on motorcycle tires. There’s a reason: A slippery tire is exactly what you don’t want out on the street. Soap and water only, and then air those tires up to the recommended pressures. Here are the PSI numbers Avon says work best:
Venom Tires with Reinforced Construction
Solo Two-Up / Light Two-Up / Loaded
Front 38-40 40-41 42-43
Rear 44 46 48-50
General Sizes /Pressures
Front Solo Two-Up / Light Two-Up / Loaded
80/90-3.25 32-34 32-34 34-36
100/80-3.50 32-34 34-35 35-36
110/70-120/90 34-36 36-38 36-38
130/60-150/80 34-36 36-38 38-40
Rear Solo Two-Up / Light Two-Up / Loaded
4.00-100/90 34-36 36-38 38-40
4.25-110/90 34-36 36-38 38-40
120/80-130/90 36-38 38-40 40-42
140/70-190/50 36-38 38-40 40-42
140/90-200/50 38-40 40-42 40-42
With the tires spiffy clean and properly inflated you can check the tread depth, and on an Avon tire that’s easy. Tread Wear Indicators (TWIs) are built right into the tire and all Avon tires have a wear bar. You’ll find it by looking for either the Cobra Head logo or those initials “TWI” on the sidewall. Those tread wear indicators are all over the tire, too, so check them all. If the tread is worn down to the indicator it’s time to replace the tire.
Assuming tread wear passes muster look for hazing and cracking of the sidewalls. Also check for cracking inside the tread; most people don’t. Hazing and cracking of the sidewalls is an indication of dry rot, and cracking inside the tread area, called “groove cracking,” is most often caused by external forces. It’s usually the result of improper storage and drastic temperature changes, most often the result of a motorcycle stored over the winter with its tires in direct contact with a cold, concrete floor. Which brings up a nice point. The best way to store a bike for extended periods, the guys at Avon say, is to lift that bike up so its weight is off the tires and the tires are off the ground. Second-best is to cut out an appropriately sized piece of plywood and roll the bike on top of it. You don’t want those tires sitting on a cold floor. As for that sidewall hazing and cracking, Avon’s rule of thumb here is that if you can drag your fingernails across the sidewall and the cracking is so slight your fingernails don’t get caught in the cracks that tire is probably fine to run. If the cracking is severe enough to catch your fingernails, however, it’s replacement time.
Take the time and make the effort to really examine both tires carefully, front and rear, and right now is that time. If any–or all–of these checks fail it’s time for a new tire, and of course there are plenty of Avons waiting. Including that whole Venom line and the brand new Cobras, two tires that are perennial favorites on Harleys. There are sizes and applications for all the Harley-Davidson models and Drag Specialties has them. 
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