► Tyre choices and emergency repairs

[TheJoker]

Knobblies - what's the soup de jour?

Guys,

I think I (we) need some knobblies on our F800GS.... and I know the dangers about starting a tyre thread, but I thought I'd go for it anyway.

So, what's the low-down? Just go for TKC80s or is there some new flavour in town that's better?
Would be nice if the knobblies would be decent on-road as well as off-road too. Oh, and cheap, naturally.

What sort of mileage are you getting from your knobblies?

Thanks!

 

[Womble]

Karroo 2s are worth considering (they seem to better than the original Karroos) - I've got a set on my 1150 at the moment and they seem fine for a knobbly, but this is the first time I've fitted knobblies to the GS, so I can't give you a comparison. They're about half the price of TKCs, so you're quids-in if they do any more than half the mileage.

Also, once you have worn them out, you'll have a better idea about what you want from your next tyres.

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

Pirelli MT21's are better....................They do a 130/90x17

http://www.dirtbikebitz.com/motocro...-rallycross-17r-13090-enduro-tyre-p-4155.html

So much better than a TKC or Karoo

Proper knobblies..............not pretend ones

 

[TheJoker]

Interesting thanks!!

Do I get knobblies the same size as the Scorpions fitted at the moment or do I need some different sizes? It's got 90/90 - 21" front and 150/70 - 17" rear.

 

[alphadog]

Guys,




Would be nice if the knobblies would be decent on-road as well as off-road too. Oh, and cheap, naturally.


It would be nice if they were decent on road as well, but sadly knobblies are designed to dig into and get traction from soft soil,everywhere else they are just as you would imagine. you can use them around town but you arent going to be doing any adventurous riding.

nothing like a front wheel fitted with a knobbly on wet tar to keep you on your toes !

 

[Womble]

Pirelli MT21's are better....................They do a 130/90x17

http://www.dirtbikebitz.com/motocro...-rallycross-17r-13090-enduro-tyre-p-4155.html

So much better than a TKC or Karoo

Proper knobblies..............not pretend ones

He's only starting out and any knobbly will be good for the trails. The MT21s are good if you're spending a similar amount of time on the trails as on the tarmac, but for a novice the TKCs and Karoos whould be fine and shouldn't affect the road handling too badly. The bikes at the BMW offroad course are fitted with TKCs, so they should be just about right for the OP.

 

[Shadwell]

i just think the TKC Looks awesome on the bike.

And i got about 5000 miles from my last back tyre. and a lot of the miles were done on hot tarmac so not to bad.

 

[Phluppe]

Heidenau K60

Andres

Completely agree, have them fitted now (Snow in the front, Scout in the rear) and it works great. More grip on asfalt than a TKC, much more grip off-road than any normal all-road (B'wing, Tourance etc.)
I really like them and would not hesitate to leave on holliday with these tyres, something I wouldn't wanna do on a TKC.

Grtz, Philip!

 

[argee]

Mitas E-09 rear, TKC front.

 

[TheJoker]

Wow! Thanks! I now have tons to go with. No clear winner I see - apart from the TKC80s which seems to be "the default". Those Heidenaus look quite interesting too. Must have a deeper look into them and the rest mentioned. But now I need to go cook some dinner.

Thanks again! Keep the opinions coming.

 

[Dave Ett]

Heidenau K60. Far nicer on road than the TKC, great for dirt tracks and good for about 8000 miles. Can't comment on their mud capbilities...

And cheaper than TKC's too.

 

[Greggers]

+1 for the Heidis if you're doing a bit of both ...

 

[TheJoker]

Heidenau is climbing to the top of the popularity poll. Thanks!

This is what stopped us last weekend.

Road biased tyres just didn't give any grip, they were just surfing around on the surface.
My guts say Karoo or TCK80 for this, what does the Heidenau voters reckon?

(That's my fresh tyre track there, and then we turned around!)

 

[Deleted account 211025001]

Joker, run a search on Heidi's, there's loads of info on them here

They would be fine in that sort of going (well, as fine as any tyre can control 1/4 tonne of motorcycle on slime ).

The advantage of them over TKC's IMHO is that they behave much better on road, nearly as well off, are cheaper and last longer - availability can be a problem though.

Andres

 

[Phluppe]

Looking at the pic, I reckon you shouldn't have any problem passing this section with the Heidenaus. Did some similar things this w-end, and allthough you have to stay alert, the 800 got through every section of dirt, without any problem.

Grtz, Philip!

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

Heidenau is climbing to the top of the popularity poll. Thanks!

(That's my fresh tyre track there, and then we turned around!)

A 90/90-21 and 130/90 -17 set of MT21's would have sorted that, with your weight over the back wheel, 3rd gear and about 4000rpm......................you would have had a get roosting opportunity

(A tip though.....................if you stuck to the grass on the right hand side, it would have offered more grip, combined with a lightish throttle and you may well have got through)

 

[Packer]

Another vote for the Heidis. From last Easter......

I managed 8,000 miles, the back was f f f f finished but the front was still good for a couple of thousand miles.

The only criticism of the Heidi's is that for high speed cornering on coarse tar & chipped surfaces they get a bit lively, moving around a lot at high lean angles. It was when I was making very good progress. Well, as good as you ever can on a 1150GS.

 

[TheJoker]

A 90/90-21 and 130/90 -17 set of MT21's would have sorted that, with your weight over the back wheel, 3rd gear and about 4000rpm......................you would have had a get roosting opportunity

(A tip though.....................if you stuck to the grass on the right hand side, it would have offered more grip, combined with a lightish throttle and you may well have got through)

How are the MT21s on tarmac? I need to have fairly good tarmac ability too.

And even if I would have made it through that, my total-newbie-girlfriend would have fallen off like a bowling pin. Luckily I manage to tell her to stop before I realised where I was. (Scala Rider Teamset rocks! )

 

[TheJoker]

Another vote for the Heidis. From last Easter......

.....

I managed 8,000 miles, the back was f f f f finished but the front was still good for a couple of thousand miles.

The only criticism of the Heidi's is that for high speed cornering on coarse tar & chipped surfaces they get a bit lively, moving around a lot at high lean angles. It was when I was making very good progress. Well, as good as you ever can on a 1150GS.

That's very impressive, Packer! Brings back memories from my childhood. Similar situation, but 1100cc or 1025cc less.

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

How are the MT21s on tarmac? I need to have fairly good tarmac ability too.

And even if I would have made it through that, my total-newbie-girlfriend would have fallen off like a bowling pin. Luckily I manage to tell her to stop before I realised where I was. (Scala Rider Teamset rocks! )

MT21's are ok on my XChallenge (but 30 less hp)

Wet or dry...............they're ok - even when Trippy fell off behind me on TKC's, I never had a twitch

Handle 90-100mph on the road, but all 21" wheels get a bit flighty at those speeds