80
/ 100
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
79/100
8 owner reviews
Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.
Head-to-head
Updated May 2026
Avon Cobra Chrome vs Bridgestone Battlax BT 014 — Compared (May 2026)
Our Relative Score blends 60% objective test data with 40% owner-review signal — so any two tires can be compared even if they were never tested on the same day.
VS
71
/ 100
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
68/100
4 owner reviews
Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.
VerdictWinner: Avon Cobra Chrome — better comfort, treadwear and handling. It leads or ties in every category we score.
Read full
TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made via links on this page.
Category breakdown
5 categories, side by side
Each bar is the Relative Score for that category. Expand a tile to see the test results and owner ratings behind it.
Dry
Score (0–100)
Cobra Chrome leads by 4
Why this score
| Source | Cobra Chrome | Battlax BT 014 |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | 89 | 85 |
Wet
Score (0–100)
Cobra Chrome leads by 4
Why this score
| Source | Cobra Chrome | Battlax BT 014 |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | 84 | 80 |
Comfort
Score (0–100)
Cobra Chrome leads by 19
Why this score
| Source | Cobra Chrome | Battlax BT 014 |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | 89 | 70 |
Treadwear
Score (0–100)
Cobra Chrome leads by 12
Why this score
| Source | Cobra Chrome | Battlax BT 014 |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | 65 | 53 |
Handling
Score (0–100)
Cobra Chrome leads by 10
Why this score
| Source | Cobra Chrome | Battlax BT 014 |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | 83 | 73 |
| DriverReviews owners | 90 | – |
Scores at a glance
| Category | Avon Cobra Chrome | Bridgestone Battlax BT 014 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 80 | 71 |
| Dry | 89 | 85 |
| Wet | 84 | 80 |
| Comfort | 89 | 70 |
| Treadwear | 65 | 53 |
| Handling | 83 | 73 |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
Personalize
Weight the categories that matter to you
Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.
Neutral
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Neutral
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Neutral
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Recomputed
Headline score
80
/ 100
Tire A
71
/ 100
Tire B
From owners
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews across retailers and review sites — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
The Avon Cobra Chrome is widely regarded as a high-performance cruiser tire that excels in wet weather handling and cornering confidence. While many riders praise its stability and grip, the user experience is polarized by reports of inconsistent tread longevity and isolated, severe structural failures.
Pros
- Exceptional wet weather grip and handling confidence
- Improved cornering stability compared to OEM alternatives
- Effective at tracking over road imperfections like white lines and cat's eyes
- Strong performance on heavy touring motorcycles like the Honda Goldwing
Cons
- Inconsistent tread life, particularly in high-heat environments
- Reports of structural issues including tread separation and blistering
- Lack of a center wear indicator makes monitoring tread depth difficult
- Occasional reports of sudden loss of traction in damp conditions
Observations
- Goldwing owners report high satisfaction with wet-weather performance, though some experienced dangerous tread separation at highway speeds.
- Harley-Davidson riders report mixed results, with some noting premature wear and others experiencing traction loss on damp surfaces.
- Users in high-ambient-temperature climates (e.g., Australia) report significantly lower mileage than those in cooler regions.
The Bridgestone Battlax BT-014 receives a mixed reception, characterized by a divide between riders who appreciate its predictable handling and those critical of its longevity and performance limits. While some users find it a capable tire for daily commuting and spirited riding, others report significant concerns regarding rapid tread wear and a lack of confidence during aggressive or track-oriented use.
Pros
- Predictable and sure-footed handling characteristics
- Reliable dry grip for daily commuting
- Good performance value relative to older generation standards
Cons
- Alarmingly short tread life, particularly on high-torque motorcycles
- Vague front-end feedback
- Below-average wet weather performance
- Lack of confidence during track-day usage
Observations
- High-displacement, high-torque motorcycles like the ZZR 1400 experience extremely rapid rear tire depletion, with some users reporting as little as 1,500 to 1,600 miles.
- Riders on middleweight sportbikes, such as the Ninja 600, reported more favorable longevity, reaching up to 5,000 miles on a rear tire.
Specifications
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Avon Cobra Chrome | B · Bridgestone Battlax BT 014 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer Premium Touring tires | Summer High Performance tires |
| Vehicle type | Motorcycle | Motorcycle |
Final verdict
Which one should you actually buy?
80
/ 100
Avon
71
/ 100
Bridgestone
Winner: Avon Cobra Chrome — better comfort, treadwear and handling. It leads or ties in every category we score.
Pick tire A
You want the most comfortable ride
Avon Cobra Chrome scores 89 vs 70 on comfort.
Pick tire A
You want the longest tread life
Avon Cobra Chrome scores 65 vs 53 on treadwear.
Pick tire A
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Avon Cobra Chrome scores 83 vs 73 on handling.
Pick tire A
You want the most grip on dry roads
Avon Cobra Chrome scores 89 vs 85 on dry.
Tire A · Avon Cobra Chrome
Tire B · Bridgestone Battlax BT 014
More comparisons
Also compared with
Avon Cobra Chrome also compared with
Bridgestone Battlax BT 014 also compared with
How do we compare tires?
Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements) normalized against the best tire in each test and weighted toward recent tests. 40% comes from thousands of owner reviews collected from retailers and review sites. When a tire has only one of the two, we use what exists and say so.
Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.