on has been in the motorcycle-tire business since 191 I, producing tires in the
same Melksham plant in Great Britain
ever since. There was a time when Avon
ominated motorcycle road racing at the
international level in much the same way that Michelin
does in MotoGP today. According to Avon, between
1958 and 1963 every solo motorcycle World Champion used Avon tires - including John Surtees, Carlo
Ubbiali, Tom Phillis, Mike Hailwood, Gary Hocking
and Jim Redman, in addition to others.
Sure, 1963 was a long time ago, but Avon has been
making excellent motorcycle tires all along, despite
limited involvement in motorcycle racing, especially
here in the United States. But if you're talking to peo-
A
40 OCTOBER 26, 2005 • CYCLE NEWS
pie in custom cruiser and chopper circles,
Avon is a household name. After all, Avon
was the company that created the monstersized wide rear tires that are so popular
these days. Builders such as Arlen Ness have
been fitting tires such as Avon's giant
HOmm Venom Custom to their creations
for years, and the motorcycle side of the
business has grown by leaps and bounds since
Cooper Tire acquired Avon in 1997.
However, with their recent involvement in
Supermoto racing and with this new line of Viper
radials, Avon hopes to expand its U.S. market
share in the sportbike segment - much like it's
already done in the cruiser segment.
The Viper
Sport and
Supersport
share the same
tread pottem.
