That's the experience I had yesterday riding from DePere back home to Adams after my 24000 mile service on the Beemer and having a fresh new set of Avon Storm ST's.
The OEM tires I got on my Boxer were Dunlops and while they handled great the rear only lasted about 3000 miles.
Then I followed the BMW elitists and using the Metzler Z-6 Roadtec. I've never really been happy with the Metzlers. The front Roadtec has a pointy profile which gives you good initial turn-in for cornering but the countersteering wasn't linear and as the rear started to wear it took more effort to maintain a line.
The other criticism of the Z-6's is the rear has no center tread. The outer treads can be relatively deep and the center solid strip can be worn down to the cords with no warning.
I had a very positive experience with the Avon Azaros that I used on my F650. I never had any issues with wet traction and they handled great. The only criticism I had was the front Azaro had a wandering crease in the center that made the tire feel funny at low speeds.
Before I left the dealer I made sure the tire pressures were at the same pressure as the old buns.
It didn't take any more than turning out of the lot of Nick's to realize that that something was different.
The first real hard corner I took was an exit cloverleaf from HWY 41 to 441. Wary of how new tires can sometimes be a little slick I took it a little easy while leaned over. While I was able to feel the creases, tar snakes, and cracks there wasn't any of the skipping or bump-steer I had before. It's hard to explain but the bike just felt more "planted." According to Avon the Storm "Incorporates the very latest bike tyre technology 'Reactive Footprint'. The tyres contact patch changes size and shape depending on lean angle - for the life of the tyre."
The real test came on the winding back roads of Winnebago, Waushara, and Marquette counties. I made a point of taking non-numbered roads all the way back from Eureka to Adams through little bergs like Neshkoro, Dakota, Budsin, and Westfield. Many of these roads have sharper left-right tight transitions.
I can tell that while Avons don't initially change direction as quickly as the Metz tires, once leaned over they require absolutely no countersteering effort to maintain a line. These are the most neutral tires I've never had on a motorcycle....ever.
I'll check back in a few months and let you guys know how they're wearing. I usually get about 6000 miles out of a rear tire and I have no reason te believe that I'll get any more...or less out of these.
