Avon Motorcycle Tyres Celebrates 100 Years

Motorcycle Tires

Avon Tyres will be celebrating throughout 2011, a year which marks its Centenary of producing motorcycle tires.
 Currently, Avon Tyres is the only UK-based manufacturer of road-going motorcycle tires.


The actual history of Avon Tyres goes back to 1885, when a former cloth mill in Melksham, Wiltshire, was turned into a rubber goods factory. By the turn of the century the company was looking at diversifying into other rubber products and by 1911 Avon produced their first motorcycle tire.


Over the last century, famous motorcycling names such as Geoff Duke, John Surtees, Mike Hailwood and Barry Sheene have raced and won on Avon Tyres.

The firm has won 13 Supersport and four Production class championships on two wheels as well as Isle of Man TT victories on both three and two wheels. In recent years Avon Tyres have become the choice in classic motorcycle racing, with riders such as 1987 500cc GP champion Wayne Gardner winning events on Avon rubber.


Avon’s latest range of road tires covers every category of motorcycles from adventure sport to power cruisers. Their acclaimed VP2 range comes in three variants – Sport, Supersport and Xtreme for track-day users – and comes in a wide variety of fitments.

Avon Tyres’ Storm 2 Ultra range was launched in 2010 and has become a very popular choice in the sports-touring market, where riders are looking for grip in all weather as well as excellent longevity.

Meanwhile in the custom-build world of motorcycling, tires are often featured on award-winning bikes to enhance both the performance and the looks of a machine.


Even after 100 years of success, innovation is still at the heart of what the company does. They were the first UK tire maker to be awarded BS5750 (now ISO 9001) certification and with our European Technical Centre recently opened, the innovation is set to carry on into the future.


With 2011 marking our 100 years of involvement in all things two-wheeled, Avon Tyres has a wide-ranging series of events coming up to celebrate this remarkable centenary.


Graham Matcham (Avon’s Global Motorcycle Sales Manager) says: "It’s remarkable to think that Avon Tyres has been producing award-winning products for a century. We have a rich heritage in both road and race tyres and our current award-winning range encompasses every class of motorcycle and scooter. Throughout our 100 years in the industry we’ve pushed the boundaries of tyre design, with some of our ideas being used by the industry as a whole. Our focus remains on our customers, whether they are the end-user or a dealer. We continue to produce quality products which represent great value for the money."


Avon Tyres is a Cooper Tire & Rubber Company brand.

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