Twelve months ago, Avon invited two readers of RiDE magazine to join them on a journey – as they worked on a replacement for the 16 year old Distanzia, in an attempt to capture a bigger piece of the growing adventure motorcycle market.
For Duncan Glennie and Dan Williams, that meant ditching their usual rubber on their respective Triumph Tiger 800 and BMW R1200GSA bikes, and replacing them with a pair of Avon Distanzia – and since then, between them they covered almost 15,000 miles. Dan, after wearing out one pair of Distanzia in 5,000 miles, then switched to the 3D X-M sport touring tyres, also from Avon.
In the October 2015 edition of RiDE, Duncan and Dan were invited back to RAF Bruntingthorpe to try out the new Avon TrailRider for the very first time. Each rider was given as many laps of the proving ground as they felt necessary, in order to get used to the new rubber, and compare it with the old Distanzia. Both agreed that the new tyre was a big improvement, with much greater levels of feedback and a stiffer carcass.
However, to get more than just a first impression, RiDE spoke with both men after they’d covered an initial 1,000 miles to see what they had to say.
BMW rider Dan commented:
“After riding in the dry at Bruntingthorpe I met torrential rain on my ride home. The TrailRiders still felt good – I had no anxiety at all. I’ve ridden 1300 miles on them so far, including a trip to Scotland that was like an Atlantic storm in places. I’ve had no problems with grip on any road. I feel very confident on them, and I’ve lost my initial suspicion that the blocker tread pattern would offer any less grip than the 3D X-M sports-touring tyres I had tested.
These are definitely a step forward from the Distanzias. Whether it’s the carcass or the rubber, something feels stiffer and more solid about the TrailRider; the Distanzias felt squishy. I’ve not had a quibble from these tyres – they’re totally surefooted. They’re even not bad across muddy, lumpy and gravelly campsites, with fully loaded panniers and camping kit.
The TrailRiders have definitely flattened off a bit, and I’d be surprised if I see 6000 miles from the rear. But to ride on they’ve been faultless.”
Many Avon TrailRider sizes are now available in the UK – and as the UK’s largest trade-only motorcycle tyre wholesaler, Cambrian Tyres have them on the shelf!
