Tyres

I know what you mean Fanum, and you may well be right. But for the price of a rear tyre I may as well experiment and see how it goes :)

It's cheaper than a new bike anyway! :D
 
Performance of any trail bike tyre on a GS is going to be limited in deep mud. This is mostly due to the weight of the bike and the resulting reluctance of the rider to approach at full tilt. It is a lot easier to 'commit' on a light bike.

Choice of tyre (rear) comes down to cost and wear. Deserts are expensive but do give good mileage.
 
Knobblies.

Mouse, not to cast doubts on your riding skills. But no tyres are gonna make you into a GS off-road riding God! The closest i've come to making my Fat Bike dirt-rideable is with a moto cross knobbly on the front. You do have to run a tube (carry a spare) and it rides like a dog on the road. The only draw back is i'm still searching for an E-marked 19 inch tyre. I run a Karoo on the rear. It is far more superior to the Tkc which doesnt seem to have the side-wall traction. Mind you nothings gonna hold 90 BHP in the mud! Do what i do. Get yourself another front wheel. When you ride dirt just change it over. It takes me about 3 mins. Thats with air tools! Good luck. M.C.
 
Well I've fitted a Karoo on the rear, and have still got the half worn TKC80 on the front. I do have two sets of wheels, that's why I'm not too bothered about the road handling of the tyres :)

I'm not expecting instant off road godhood :D Just to give myself a chance really :D

Went out for a little tarmac ride last night, just to check out the new tyre, it's quite twitchy! But happy enough with quite big lean angles (at slow speed!).
 
A full knobbly on the front is a good idea but road legal (Michelin comp3/4) tyres are probably not available in the right size. I would be interested to know how the Karoo works in mud - does it clog? The other problem with using road carcass tyres off road is the business of running at reduced pressures especially when back on tarmac. The reduced pressure means that the carcass gets overheated and starts to fall apart. Also, of course, the tyre sidewall isn't as flexible and can be quite dangerous on tarmac if the pressure isn't within a limited window.
 
I usually run relatively high pressures anyway (25psi in TKCs) because I'd rather bounce around a bit than dent a rim :) And with tubeless tyres you don't want to be going too low anyway.

I'm hoping the Karoo will clog with mud less than the TKC - it has more "gap" and less "knobble" if you see what I mean so I'm hopeful. The TKCs did clog quite badly I found.

Will report back after the weekend :)
 
I ran 'trials' tyres on one of my G/Ss. Fine when a chair was bolted on but lethal solo.
I think off road tyres just aren't designed to be used with such heavy bikes.

Don't think you're going to find better than the TKC 80 really (tyre and bike equally compromised!)

Looking forward to you riding past me next time I'm stuck in the mud :D
 
Well, I went out for a quick blast after work. Down to the local mud pit where the kids play on proper off roaders at the weekend :D

Initial impressions are good ... of course I can't do a direct comparison with the TKCs, but the Karoos certainly seemed to clog less. Found myself in a couple of surprisingly deep puddles (cylinder sort of depth) and could just power out of them without the bike slewing sideways.

The real test will be the TRF run on Sunday! If I survive without embarassing myself totally I'll be happy :D

The downside is that the Karoos are way twitchier than TKCs on the tarmac.
 
I've just ordered the Heidenau K60 x3 set. I noticed they are bringing out a new model with looks like it'll cream the TKC80's. Using the website mentioned search for the back tyre or front (I can't remember which) and it'll come up. Don't select box 3.
 
snoopy which tyre do you mean (the new one you were on about)? the k69? which is a NHS one which i presume means not for highway service :rolleyes:
or am i barking up the wrong tree ?

cheers mike
 
Sorry didn't see that.

Wasn't much hope for given the tread pattern! I believe its just a front that's available at the moment. Cheap as chips though.
 
Oh ....you want an off orad only tyre do you ? How anout this ? Great in sand apparently :D
 

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I've just fitted TKC's to my 1200, but not given them a mudbath yet.
Has anybody had trouble getting their insurance companies approval as they are only Q rated (99mph). I'm up for renewal and am not getting good responses being honest. Any help appreciated, except lie!
 
pearcy said:
I've just fitted TKC's to my 1200, but not given them a mudbath yet.
Has anybody had trouble getting their insurance companies approval as they are only Q rated (99mph). I'm up for renewal and am not getting good responses being honest. Any help appreciated, except lie!
Click to expand...

Why should this be an issue for your insurance company ?
As far as they are concerned you will not be exceeding 70 MPH in the UK :D
or have you asked for the cover to extend to the continent ?

Piggers
 
pearcy said:
I've just fitted TKC's to my 1200, but not given them a mudbath yet.
Has anybody had trouble getting their insurance companies approval as they are only Q rated (99mph). I'm up for renewal and am not getting good responses being honest. Any help appreciated, except lie!
Click to expand...
The TKC80 is a recommended tyre fitment in the bike manual. Nuff said....
 
Supply Conti TCK80s £134.43 inc vat

Hi everyone. We can supply Conti TCK80s for R850 GS / R1100 GS / R1150 GS & Adventure for £134.43 a pair plus £7.99 postage by courier (to most UK postcodes). Collection welcome & we also offer a full fitting service. Anyone interested?
To order call 0116 222 9565 (9-6 Mon-Fri, 9-5 Sat). Abbey Motorcycles Ltd, 10-12 Glenbarr Ave, Leicester, LE4 0AE. Cheers.
 
abbeymotorcycles said:
Hi everyone. We can supply Conti TCK80s for R850 GS / R1100 GS / R1150 GS & Adventure for £134.43 a pair plus £7.99 postage by courier (to most UK postcodes). Collection welcome & we also offer a full fitting service. Anyone interested?
To order call 0116 222 9565 (9-6 Mon-Fri, 9-5 Sat). Abbey Motorcycles Ltd, 10-12 Glenbarr Ave, Leicester, LE4 0AE. Cheers.
Click to expand...


Do you do a ride in ride out service ?
If so how much to fit a pair to my GS1200 ?

Cheers, Piggers
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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