► Tyre choices and emergency repairs

[colint]

Enjoy your trip to Maroc Billy ......

A kinda related question ..... if I may.

Only had my 800GS a few weeks now ... and had little inclination or time to put many miles on it yet. I've 'down-sized' (if you can use such a word in respect of bikes) from an 1150GS after 5 happy years! Overall I'm delighted with the bike's agility, power, gearbox and styling. The 1150GS with Tourances felt really solidly planted on tarmac. The 800 feels a wee bit skitish up front (unnervingly so today!) by comparision.... particularly on tightish bends. Is this just me adjusting to a new bike .... with a 21 inch front rim? or is is the stock Battlewings? Would handling improve with TKC80's on?

Any thoughts much appreciated.

Having traded form an 1150GSA to a 1200GSA and now to an 800GS I agree that the boxers are really planted on tourance especially the 1150.
I don't think it's the tyres with the 800GS, its getting used to the lack of telelever front end, IMHO telever takes away a lot of feedback from the road.
The 800GS is lighter and does feel every matchstick in the road I personally think the Battlewings are OK I have heard from others that they have the T/L Tourance on with the extra thick innertube and this is approved.
Maybe I will try them when the Battlewings wear out but I ride mainly on the road but in all weathers, and as yet with no really scary moments, due to the tyres rather than my riding!

 

[santrix]

Yeh its normal in my experience, wait till you hit over 80 with luggage? Then the fun really starts, also some european countries take great delight is 'scouring' the tops of the road surfaces inside tunnels, which makes it even more interesting as the bike likes to follow the ridges.

 

[everywherevirtually]

Yeh its normal in my experience, wait till you hit over 80 with luggage? Then the fun really starts, also some european countries take great delight is 'scouring' the tops of the road surfaces inside tunnels, which makes it even more interesting as the bike likes to follow the ridges.

Yeah the tunnels around lake como are bad for that.

 

[Michaelbrown]

GOOD TYRE FOR ON AND OFF-ROAD USE

New thread here. When my tyres wear out eventually on my bike i'm looking at putting some tyres on that i can use for off roading but the majority of my riding is on-road. Any body with good tyre write ups for this type of use. Tyres have done 2000 miles since i brought the bike new 2 months ago, anyone know how long they last for roughly. Any comments would be appreciated.

Many thanks.

 

[John Armstrong]

What sort of tyres have you got fitted now?

What sort of off-roading? Gravel, sand, mud, grass in the main

 

[Michaelbrown]

Sorry for being a bit vague john, no sand here in the middle of the uk well very little, mainly mud, dirt, grass, forest track type runs. Tyres on the bike at the mo are bridgestone battlewings, which i think is what comes on most uk sold 800's unless you specify otherwise.

 

[Tim Cullis]

I've ridden the last 100,000+ miles on TKC80s knobblies on 1200GS, 1200GSA and 650GS.

Tyre mileage depends on riding style/speeds. My best mileage on TKC80s was when I did 9000 miles to Senegal and back on the 1200GSA. My last TKC80s on the 650GS had done about 6200 miles when I replaced them just before a long trip.

 

[Ed@Ford]

I've ridden the last 100,000+ miles on TKC80s knobblies on 1200GS, 1200GSA and 650GS. Tyre mileage depends on riding style/speeds. My best mileage on TKC80s was when I did 9000 miles to Senegal and back on the 1200GSA. My last TKC80s on the 650GS had done about 6200 miles when I replaced them just before a long trip.

Tim: In past experience on a KLR650, when adding a TKC80, I had to go down 1 tooth on the countershaft sprocket to compensate for the larger OD of the TKC80....have you done such a thing on your F650GS? Ed King

 

[ace supreme]

After reading all the opinions I've decided to go for the TKC 80's but have no idea about all those numbers and letters! Can someone tell me exactly what i need to order for a standard F800GS, please!!

 

[sijohnston]

After reading all the opinions I've decided to go for the TKC 80's but have no idea about all those numbers and letters! Can someone tell me exactly what i need to order for a standard F800GS, please!!

Conti TKC 80 Tyre: front 90/90 - 21 inch
Conti TKC 80 Tyre: rear 150/70 - 17 69V

 

[ace supreme]

Conti TKC 80 Tyre: front 90/90 - 21 inch
Conti TKC 80 Tyre: rear 150/70 - 17 69V

Thanks mate!

 

[ace supreme]

Conti TKC 80 Tyre: front 90/90 - 21 inch
Conti TKC 80 Tyre: rear 150/70 - 17 69V

Do these tyres come in tube and tubeless varieties? I just checked out the rear tyre on a suppliers site and it stated it was a tubeless tyre. I think the V means 'very fast' but what does the 69 stand for?

 

[BM_donator]

Do these tyres come in tube and tubeless varieties? I just checked out the rear tyre on a suppliers site and it stated it was a tubeless tyre. I think the V means 'very fast' but what does the 69 stand for?

See attached, acknowledgements to Twisticles and many others further up the thread - and also a Kwaka website I nicked the other info from.....

 

[ace supreme]

See attached, acknowledgements to Twisticles and many others further up the thread - and also a Kwaka website I nicked the other info from.....

Yeah thanks for that. That explains it all. And I see now that you can use the tubeless tyres as long as you use a tube in it.

 

[Ed@Ford]

Yeah thanks for that. That explains it all. And I see now that you can use the tubeless tyres as long as you use a tube in it.

Correct, however, a tubless tire with a tube in it will run a bit warmer than with no tube, just because all the flexing of the tire and tube makes more heat that the tire carcass is designed to get rid of. Probably nothing to worry about unless you're running at the top speed rating for 24 hrs at a time..which is the upper limit it is designed to survive at.

Now that we know what TKC-80 tires are needed for the F800, what combo (19/17) is being used on the F650GS? I've heard 130 AND 140 both being suggested for the rear of the 650.

 

[adv_gs800]

New Tyres TKC80

Hi

I just thought I would post on my recent tyre changes! I know there is a lot of debate on this, so thought I would add my experience!

I have a F800GS, and put around 3000 miles on it. I have been running the Michelin Anakee tyres. Main riding being commuting round London and long motorway journeys. Any weather: rain, snow, dry etc.. I do quite a bit on the white lines, when filtering in or out of london between the traffic. I have also spend a few weekends doing greenlaning out in Salisbury and really enjoyed it. The Anakees were fine, tread running down but long lasting- seemed ok on road, not so sure footed on the white lines and terrible off road- as highlighted by my friend I was riding with who had TKCs (KTM 640).

Anyways- on one of my recent commutes down the M4 back into London, the bike felt strange, wouldn't seem to lean over and when I came on to Chiswick roundabout, the back end felt like it was sliding sideways. I kept going and eventually pulled up in Chelsea and realised my rear was flat... Once the bike was in BMW Battersea (Brilliant, friendly service there- definate recommendation!) I decided on changing the tyres for TKC80s. Certainly when summer comes I want to be doing off road.

So I got the tyres fitted and my first ride, was out of London towards Swindon in zero degrees freezing fog (joy!). I took it easy and the tyres sort of made the bike seem slower and like it was clomping along!! You can definately feel the blocks on the tyres, and when leaning, its almost like theer are specific lean angles, that you fall into, as opposed to a gradual lean like with a 'normal' tyre. I could hit nomral motorway speeds without any problem and in similar comfort to the anakee.

When coming home, later in the day- back in London, I started to realise just how much more tarmac grip the tyres have! Compared to the anakee tyres, the grip is massive, it genuinely feels like its glued to the road and that the bike is somehow heavier. I feel a lot more confident taking corners and heaving the bike over. So grip wise both wet and dry- miles better than the Anakee.

The following day, lots of white line riding. MASSIVE improvement. With the anakees, you can definately feel the squigle as you go over the line, and feeling the tyre slide around- with the TKC, the feel is gone- but the bike feels much more sure footed- again, inspiring confidence...

So, so far- in terms of performance on road- massive improvement. I have yet to take it off road- but will soon and update.

Negatives, I think will be wear- I have put a few hundred miles on them, and I can see wear on the tyre. This certainly seems that long motorway runs, get them heated up and wear them down. However, I don't mind this, as I would rather pay a bit more and get better grip for their duration. Another negative is the clompy ride- this may ease off as the tyre wears. The steering also feels a little tighter and harder to pull over- but nothing that really bothers me.

So, in essence the TKC was a really positive choice, and am really happy I got them on the bike. A massive improvement over the Anakee. To the extent, that I would advise anyone with them to change them immediately.

Thanks

Ian

 

['Nuffsaid]

You forgot to mention that they make the GS look really good, they do look like they were designed with the bike in mind.

Be prepared for a healthy tyre budget ..... I get 4.5 K out of the rear and 6k from the front (Admittedly on the 12GSA ) but they still are at the shorter end of life expectancy - a small price to pay given the soft compound.

 

[adv_gs800]

They seem to be flattening off- how does this effect the cornering??

 

[mystic]

A few weeks back,like you, I opted to switch to Conti TKC80's (previously on Battlewings). My previous bike was a 1150GS on Tourances and it felt so much mre sure-footed than this one on the stock tyres!

Only done a couple of hundred miles on the TKC's so far,but the bike feels so much more sure-footed. The downside is perhaps the relative wear rate .... but on balance it's the riding characteristics that to me are more important.

And as 'Nuffsaid says .... the bike plainly looks so more purposeful on TKC's .

 

[rin_sun]

Tyres for 800GS 17" suggestions please

Hi guys
I need new tyres and I'd like something a bit chunkier than the road tyres it came with. I'd really like some Scorpion MT90s but they don't do 150/70 in 17". Anyone know anything similar that would work for huge amounts of road riding I also do. (TKC 80 too macho for road use)
I need 21 for the front too of course, so they need to come in that size too.
Thanks.
Catherine.