Just want to give everyone a heads up that is running a 120/70/21 Avon front tire on a FLH. If you have a problem with the tire, they will not stand behind it. I know that this tire is not meant for my application, but there are alot of FLHs with this setup. My bike recently would not pass inspection due to dry rot in the tread grooves, so I bought some metzler tires as I was not happy with the Avon tread life anyways. I figured I'd send the tire back to avon to see what they'd say, as the tire had plenty of tread life left and was only a year old. Well after a month of looking at the tire, they said that they are stress cracks from overheating the tire. They will not offer any sort of warranty whatsoever. So far, so good on the metzelers.

 

Thanks for bringing that to our attention. I guess that's something we're going to have to keep in mind before purchasing the big front tire.

 

What inspection were you trying to pass?

 

https://www.hdforums.com/forum/softail-models/286493-avon-or-metzeler.html

 

OUCH!! Sounds like Avon is a good tire to pass on.

 

About a month ago my Indy dealer showed me a letter from Metzler that pretty much said if you put a 21" tire on the front of a H-D Touring bike, you're on your own.

 

Well guys, you've just upset Arlen Ness and his Avon girls

 

Good to know about Avon. I have had quite a few tires from them though (ok, well 2 front, 4 rear!), and never had any problems with premature wear and tear, or short lifespan. I have about 5000 miles on my Avon's currently (just bought them last year when I upgraded to the 18" wheels), and they almost look brand new on the tread even.

Neckball mentioned that Metz says the same thing though, so it might not matter too much which brand you go with. For 18" I think they are the only real options still too, aren't they?

 

It was NYS safety inspection.