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Avon Venoms versus Pilot GT's

S

slybonesjesse

Sport Tourer
This is a Wing Size tire comparison question. From people running the wing size tires and that loved the Pilot GT's, which are not available any more. Who has switched from the GT's to the Venom's and how to they compare in terms if steering input, traction, and holding a line in a curve.

To frame that somewhat. I have tried ME880's and  Pilot GT's. Also rode several Connie's with Dunlop Elite 3's.  Now have been using D205's and BT45's.

IMO the Pilot GT's were a nice balance of mileage and handling. They steered much better than the ME880 and Elite 3 tires. And still gave decent mileage. Much smoother than either of those as well. -- The Pilot GTs were not as smooth as the BT45s nor steer as quick, but they also don't wear out so fast. Its a nice balance for the people who don't have to drag pegs. 

The question is are Venoms more like the Pilot GT's or are they more like the ME880's and Elite 3's? Not expecting to find anyone that has tried all 3. But at least someone who loved Pilot GT's and now has the Venoms. How to they measure up to what has been the bar in the Wing Size tires.
 
I was disappointed when they canceled the GT, but an using it as an opportunity to try the BT45's. My GT has about 1k left on the rear. I'm very curious to see how my Concours handles with the stock tire sizes on.
 
I am using the BT45's now. I like them a lot. You can read about it in the other tire thread running right now.  The rear is starting to get down here. The front is fine.

My quest is to decide on sticking with BT45's and going with 2 rears to 1 front and seeing how long they last. Versus going back to the wing sizes.

The other tire thread and all the cost / prices discussions has me realizing that the price is similar between 3 BT45's versus 2 Wing Size. Now the question is how good are the Venoms. If they are more like the ME880's then I will for sure stick with the BT45's. If they are more like the Pilot GT's then I am still undecided. I do like the better handling and steering of the BT45's.  But I ride like a grandpa so its not all bad switching back to Wings for the mileage, assuming they measure up.

I think in many ways I like the stock size for the accurate speedo, and the slight gearing reduction with the 7th gear unit. For most the speedo's are fast and wing size tends to make them accurate. For me, I am one of the minority that has an accurate speedo with stock tires and wings sizes made them slow. After 40K of wing tires I am liking the accurate speedo again.

In any case, the decision making process is trying to factor in costs, mileage, steering/handling, and these little "other" things.  The purpose for this thread is to determine the steering/handling of the wing size Venoms compared to the current wing size benchmark, Pilot GT's.
 
I can't speak to the other brands but I'm on my 3rd set of Venom-bias in the GW sizes. Compared to the old 205's or 491's, the turn-in is very good due to the front tread design. Darn good in the wet and dry too.  No issues with pavement grooves, bridge gratings, etc.  Mileage with my 170ish lbs. in the mid 20Ks.
 
Back to the top.

There are quite a few more Venom users it would seem. Still looking for someone who has a Pilot GT user to now runs Venoms as the replacement, and can give a direct comparison between the Pilot GT and the Avon Venoms.

I understand people seem to be liking the Venoms. Not questioning that. I still consider the now obsolete Pilot GT the benchmark in the Wing Size Tires. The question is now does the Venoms measure up to the benchmark? From those who have direct first hand experience.
 
I've got an '88 with almost new GT's and an '01 with some Avons I forget which, they were on the bike when I got it. The GT's get great traction in any weather, are stable over thing like uneven pavement, but are a little heavier in steering. The '01 feels much lighter.
 
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