Malcolm Leick
Registered user
I usually get around 6000 miles out of my rear Tkc so I would have thought you would be ok for the trip. That's on a 650. I guess it depends on how much muddy stuff you plan to do where you need deeper tread.
► Tyre choices and emergency repairs
- Thread starter stumpi
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PDiddy
Registered user
if in doubt change it before you leave, why ruin your trip with the worry and possible need to change it half way - 
They have 8-9mm from new. But don't use that as a gage.
TKC's ware quite quickly till they're bedded in. Then they flatten off in the middle, but the last 2-3mm can last as long as the first 6-7mm.
I would expect 2-3mm to last me at least 3000 miles plus. Even though you're getting lower mileage overall than I do, I would be surprised if you can't get another 1000 miles out of your rear, two up with luggage.
HTH Val.
TKC's ware quite quickly till they're bedded in. Then they flatten off in the middle, but the last 2-3mm can last as long as the first 6-7mm.
I would expect 2-3mm to last me at least 3000 miles plus. Even though you're getting lower mileage overall than I do, I would be surprised if you can't get another 1000 miles out of your rear, two up with luggage.
HTH Val.
Thanks - exactly what I needed!
Brilliant advice and info all round - many thanks.
Maxxx
Brilliant advice and info all round - many thanks.
Maxxx
Heidenau K60 Tyres
Awesome tyres for on and off road, highly recommend them. Weve only switched to TKCs as we have a part worn set and doing 3 days of off-road in the pyrenees next week. Well be switching back the K60s after that.
steve
Awesome tyres for on and off road, highly recommend them. Weve only switched to TKCs as we have a part worn set and doing 3 days of off-road in the pyrenees next week. Well be switching back the K60s after that.
steve
Shadwell
Registered user
tkc causing the wobbles
just a quick one, i fitted Conti TKC tyres to my 8 a few months ago, i am enjoying them but can someone tell me if there is meant to be an alarming wobble of the handlebars at 75/80 mph.
I have taken the bike back to the shop who say the tyre is not warped or deformed in any way. The tyre pressures are correct and the front wheel was balanced when the tyres were put on. Also all the bolts are torqued properly.
They just suggest this may be normal for semi knobblies on the road.
I can cope with the movement but it does feel like i am about to have a major slapper at any moment. Surely there is something wrong but ill be buggered if i can work out what.
So any suggestions?
just a quick one, i fitted Conti TKC tyres to my 8 a few months ago, i am enjoying them but can someone tell me if there is meant to be an alarming wobble of the handlebars at 75/80 mph.
I have taken the bike back to the shop who say the tyre is not warped or deformed in any way. The tyre pressures are correct and the front wheel was balanced when the tyres were put on. Also all the bolts are torqued properly.
They just suggest this may be normal for semi knobblies on the road.
I can cope with the movement but it does feel like i am about to have a major slapper at any moment. Surely there is something wrong but ill be buggered if i can work out what.
So any suggestions?
freeloader
Registered user
What screen are you using? Have you fitted winglets?
I had the same thing with a Metal Mule screen and winglets. Removed the winglets and it got better. Fitted a Calsci screen and it's better again.
Haven't tried TKCs with the standard (or any other) screen but I suspect it's to do with the "aerodynamics"
D) of the bike.
Oh and check your tyre pressures too, unless you've done that recently...
I had the same thing with a Metal Mule screen and winglets. Removed the winglets and it got better. Fitted a Calsci screen and it's better again.
Haven't tried TKCs with the standard (or any other) screen but I suspect it's to do with the "aerodynamics"
D) of the bike.Oh and check your tyre pressures too, unless you've done that recently...
Shadwell
Registered user
What screen are you using? Have you fitted winglets?
I had the same thing with a Metal Mule screen and winglets. Removed the winglets and it got better. Fitted a Calsci screen and it's better again.
Haven't tried TKCs with the standard (or any other) screen but I suspect it's to do with the "aerodynamics"
Oh and check your tyre pressures too, unless you've done that recently...
tyre pressures are corrct (unless the pressures are different for TKC than they are for battlewings) i have a metal mule screen on but i was doing 120 mph with the MM and the battlewings with no probs.
I dont think it is the aerodynamics but i might refit the standard screen just to make sure.
freeloader
Registered user
Pressures (I think) should be the same, but don't expect TKCs to do the same job as Battlewings - you won't get long life out of TKCs if you're on tarmac most of the time - well I don't, anyway. I just live with the wobbles I still have - but then, I don't feel the urge to go much over 80mph on mine.
Just noticed you said this in your first post:
I'd tend to agree with that, from my limited experience.
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Just to let you know you are not alone !!!
http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2408535#post2408535
http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2408535#post2408535
IIRC on the 650 singles there was a few accidents for persons with TKC's on motorways, and the thought was that it reduced the stability of the bike and all it needed was some outside influence, like a gust of wind, for it all to go pear shaped 
I'd guess the amount, and type of rubber you have contacting the road makes a massive difference to the stability, as there's only a small contact patch at best.
I'd guess the amount, and type of rubber you have contacting the road makes a massive difference to the stability, as there's only a small contact patch at best.smaytum
Registered user
Try this... Let go of your left handle bar ever so slightly and the wobble will stop! I'm serious. This is because (I think) the cause is bad airflow across the front end. Now adjust the angle of your handguards so they are more in line with each other.
santrix
Registered user
every bike ive had with tkcs wobbles at those speeds...
Horse1200
Registered user
You refer to TKC`s as semi knobblies, really they are a 90% offroad and 10% on road. Check your suspension settings, i ride tkc`s all year and they are more than happy at speeds over 80mph..
if your pressures are right and your suspension settings are correct for your weight and weight you are carrying.
If you offroad alot then again you need to alter suspension and pressures, this is the down side of running what is a really good tyre. Hope this helps.
if your pressures are right and your suspension settings are correct for your weight and weight you are carrying.If you offroad alot then again you need to alter suspension and pressures, this is the down side of running what is a really good tyre. Hope this helps.
barneydinosaur
Registered user
I, too, get a wobble but I definitely have an out of true front tyre. Spinning the wheel on the balancer gave a noticable movement in the outer rim of the tyre.
Firstly the following is: IMHO based on 45000+ miles on TKC80's over the last four years, fitted to an R1200GS, F650gs Dakar, two F650gs's '01 & 04' and an R100GS Paralever. I personally get very good mileage from these tyres, with as much as 14000 from a front and 11000 from a rear, fitted to my 1200GS. This mileage is based on approximately 98% road 2% gentle off road.
If you have read any of the promotion material for TKC80's you'll know that along with the Metzler Karoo, they are very highly rated in the overland world as a first rate all rounder. Unfortunately it's never made quite clear that the TKC80 is not a road specific tyre and shouldn't be associated with being so.
This 'I think' is why the 'new to the off road tyre' users can become disillusioned or confused with the handling characteristics of this type of tyre. After all it ain't no road tyre.
TKC80's are designed for prolonged use on a large capacity, fully loaded (often with passenger) heavy motorcycle, primarily on the un-made roads of Eastern Europe, South America and Africa, whilst maintaining acceptable handling characteristics when used on metaled road surfaces.
As with any off road tyre, the pressures recommended are considerably lower than those of conventional road tyres. I run all our bikes with 27psi in the front and 32psi in the back. When touring with luggage or carrying a passenger I up both ends by 5psi. Higher pressures will give the tyre a much less confident feel and because they are a bias-belted (one step up from a cross-ply) tyre rather than a radial they are more likely to react to impurities in the road surface, like grooves and bumps etc. (I noticed when riding on cobbled passes in the Alps, they gave the impression of being flat). There is a plus side to the bias-belted tyres in that you can feel them starting to 'walk' before they completely lose grip. This is especially noticeable with the big knobbles on the TKC80's and of course it's very handy to know when you've reached the limit.
The TKC80 has an aggressive knobbly tread pattern. This equates to a road/tyre contact point of roughly one third of a normal road based tyre. Therefore trying to run the same pressure of said road tyre, is going to give the impression of riding on marbles. Which I'm sure you'll agree in some what unnerving. For instance; The R1200GS has very light steering with a new road based tyre like a Tourence or Anakee. This is quite normal and a trait of this specific bike. It's also one of the common reasons why hardened 11** riders don't tend to like the 1200 much. With a new set of TKC80's fitted it can beccome quite scary, especialy for the first time user.
Because of this difference in road contact, the steering can be as much as 50% lighter than it was with your last tyre set-up. This is not a particularly nice feeling, especially with a new TKC80 up front. Also the new to TKC80 rider will very likely find that they no longer trust the front end of what was previously a great bike.
So bearing in mind that these are not road tyres, it stands to reason that they shouldn't be treated as such when riding. They will be a bit skittish, certainly when new, and do need bedding in before they 'and you' settle down to the different way they respond to rider input.
A wise man once said to me: You have to let yourself trust them.
He was right. You do need to allow yourself time to become accustomed to TKC80's it's very important that you give your bike it's head. A bit like riding a horse fast. If you hold on too tight the horse will be come confused and you'll both end up getting hurt. Give it it's head 'a light hold on the bars' and it will do what it needs to with out drama.
As for the issue of speed; The TKC80 is rated to 99mph. I have personally taken the 1200 to over 120mph with little more than a light feeling to the bars (on a straight road mind), I have had the 650 gs's and the Dakar 'with it's 21" wheel' up to their limits including casing down much more powerful bikes through the twisties. The older 100GS Paralever is not the best handling bike around and needs to be treated with more respect than any modern bike. However I have not noticed anything odd when changing from conventional tyres to TKC80's. All this is with no more than a light feeling up front.
However if you hold the bars too tight you will experience much more of the weave so commonly associated with these tyres. Having said that. TKC80's are an off road based tyre with a limitation on speed. very short bursts of speed don't do any harm. But prolonged high speeds over the recommended limit is not a good idea, for obvious reasons.
With a bit of relaxed confidence and a bit of time to get used to them, you'll find that your still able to do pretty much the same things as you could on you road tyres. I still touch my boots down on tight bends and roundabouts, I still ride the same in the rain as I did before. Other than the obvious respect needed I don't find TKC80's (with the exception of the top speed rating) to be any different to road tyres.
Ride safe and have fun.
Val.
If you have read any of the promotion material for TKC80's you'll know that along with the Metzler Karoo, they are very highly rated in the overland world as a first rate all rounder. Unfortunately it's never made quite clear that the TKC80 is not a road specific tyre and shouldn't be associated with being so.
This 'I think' is why the 'new to the off road tyre' users can become disillusioned or confused with the handling characteristics of this type of tyre. After all it ain't no road tyre.
TKC80's are designed for prolonged use on a large capacity, fully loaded (often with passenger) heavy motorcycle, primarily on the un-made roads of Eastern Europe, South America and Africa, whilst maintaining acceptable handling characteristics when used on metaled road surfaces.
As with any off road tyre, the pressures recommended are considerably lower than those of conventional road tyres. I run all our bikes with 27psi in the front and 32psi in the back. When touring with luggage or carrying a passenger I up both ends by 5psi. Higher pressures will give the tyre a much less confident feel and because they are a bias-belted (one step up from a cross-ply) tyre rather than a radial they are more likely to react to impurities in the road surface, like grooves and bumps etc. (I noticed when riding on cobbled passes in the Alps, they gave the impression of being flat). There is a plus side to the bias-belted tyres in that you can feel them starting to 'walk' before they completely lose grip. This is especially noticeable with the big knobbles on the TKC80's and of course it's very handy to know when you've reached the limit.
The TKC80 has an aggressive knobbly tread pattern. This equates to a road/tyre contact point of roughly one third of a normal road based tyre. Therefore trying to run the same pressure of said road tyre, is going to give the impression of riding on marbles. Which I'm sure you'll agree in some what unnerving. For instance; The R1200GS has very light steering with a new road based tyre like a Tourence or Anakee. This is quite normal and a trait of this specific bike. It's also one of the common reasons why hardened 11** riders don't tend to like the 1200 much. With a new set of TKC80's fitted it can beccome quite scary, especialy for the first time user.
Because of this difference in road contact, the steering can be as much as 50% lighter than it was with your last tyre set-up. This is not a particularly nice feeling, especially with a new TKC80 up front. Also the new to TKC80 rider will very likely find that they no longer trust the front end of what was previously a great bike.
So bearing in mind that these are not road tyres, it stands to reason that they shouldn't be treated as such when riding. They will be a bit skittish, certainly when new, and do need bedding in before they 'and you' settle down to the different way they respond to rider input.
A wise man once said to me: You have to let yourself trust them.
He was right. You do need to allow yourself time to become accustomed to TKC80's it's very important that you give your bike it's head. A bit like riding a horse fast. If you hold on too tight the horse will be come confused and you'll both end up getting hurt. Give it it's head 'a light hold on the bars' and it will do what it needs to with out drama.
As for the issue of speed; The TKC80 is rated to 99mph. I have personally taken the 1200 to over 120mph with little more than a light feeling to the bars (on a straight road mind), I have had the 650 gs's and the Dakar 'with it's 21" wheel' up to their limits including casing down much more powerful bikes through the twisties. The older 100GS Paralever is not the best handling bike around and needs to be treated with more respect than any modern bike. However I have not noticed anything odd when changing from conventional tyres to TKC80's. All this is with no more than a light feeling up front.
However if you hold the bars too tight you will experience much more of the weave so commonly associated with these tyres. Having said that. TKC80's are an off road based tyre with a limitation on speed. very short bursts of speed don't do any harm. But prolonged high speeds over the recommended limit is not a good idea, for obvious reasons.
With a bit of relaxed confidence and a bit of time to get used to them, you'll find that your still able to do pretty much the same things as you could on you road tyres. I still touch my boots down on tight bends and roundabouts, I still ride the same in the rain as I did before. Other than the obvious respect needed I don't find TKC80's (with the exception of the top speed rating) to be any different to road tyres.
Ride safe and have fun.
Val.
Shadwell
Registered user
Thanks for the replies guys.
I have now changed the screen back to original, adjusted the handguards and checked tyre pressures again.
None of it worked!
So looks like im going to have to get used to it
Chad
I have now changed the screen back to original, adjusted the handguards and checked tyre pressures again.
None of it worked!
So looks like im going to have to get used to it
Chad
smaytum
Registered user
So i was wrong re the handguards. I have an F800GS with TKC80 and i have had exactly the same wobble. It forces you to slow down because it can get quite scary. But now, I don't get the wobble. Gone through two set of tyres etc and still the bike it rock solid all the way to 100mph.
I have no idea how i fixed this, but i really don't think it's the tyres (or soley the tyres). And, i'm serious about taking a hand off the bars. It does stop the wobble.
I have no idea how i fixed this, but i really don't think it's the tyres (or soley the tyres). And, i'm serious about taking a hand off the bars. It does stop the wobble.
skywalker
Guest
Bmw will only recommend a max speed of 100km or 60mph with these tyres fitted.Thats what the funny little sticker is on the handlebars on some R1200 adventures if they've been ordered with these tyres,so the same rule will apply here
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You shouldn't be having a problem with wobbles at such low speed.
I've riden well over 150,000 miles on TKC80s with 22,000 of those being on my previous F650GS twin. I had a wobble at around 90mph but increased the tyre pressure and it went away.
I've riden well over 150,000 miles on TKC80s with 22,000 of those being on my previous F650GS twin. I had a wobble at around 90mph but increased the tyre pressure and it went away.
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