Best Tyres

[r1100gser]

Hi, can anyone advise me on some good wear on/off road tyres? im thinking of some Michelin T66's, are there any others of a similar price but could be better? Any advice would be great!

 

[Mzokk]

http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32096

Try this link.

 

[r1100gser]

Cheers

Thanks alot great help! Tourance it is then

 

[newman7096]

Road Pilots?

Is there any further info on the new Michelin Pilot Roads?

The comparison chart recommends them however there are no reviews from GS'ers.

What they like then?

 

[Tsiklonaut]

Forget the Tourance, they are 95/5 tire on/off road. Don't even metion being them in the mud - absolutely zero traction and for a reason - do you see any stuff defined as "knobs" on them? Me fallen off the bike dozens of times using Enduro 4 or Tourance. All of them so called "dual" tires (Enduro 4, Tourance, etc) are complete crap offroad imho. They don't deserve the name "dual sport" tire. They are a regular tarmac or street tire, nothing more.

Those few that deserve that name, are:

Heidenau K60 if you want 50/50 on/off. Unbeatable price/qualty stuff. They do 20Kkm front, c.a. 18Kkm rear - two up full of luggage, more if soloing, thus top stuff for long distance adventure travelling. Excellent gravel road tire.

Conti TKC80 if you got more money to spend. 50/50-40/60 stuff as well.

Mez Karoos for serious offroad and mud games. 30/70 i'd put them.

 

[xbootie]

Mine had trailwing on it when i bought it - ditched those for some michelin Anakees, stuck those in the garage and had some TKC 80's fitted last week, off road on the Quantocks on friday with Trippy - much better - might take a little getting used to on the road

 

[Fanum]

Forget the Tourance, they are 95/5 tire on/off road. Don't even metion being them in the mud - absolutely zero traction and for a reason - do you see any stuff defined as "knobs" on them? Me fallen off the bike dozens of times using Enduro 4 or Tourance. All of them so called "dual" tires (Enduro 4, Tourance, etc) are complete crap offroad imho. They don't deserve the name "dual sport" tire. They are a regular tarmac or street tire, nothing more.
.

I disagree.

Sure, the TKC's etc are way better, particularly in wetter off road stuff (but not in sticky mud/clay...they just turn into big hoops of slick mud but that's another story) but Tourances are a lot better than how Margus describes them.....on dryish tracks, rock, average green lanes etc, they're perfectly adequate and a very good compromise for doing long distances on road with some moderate off road capability.

HAve a look at the pics from the variopus rides on Salisbury plain...lots of guys did fine on Tourences, and I happily take people with Tourences on fords rides where we go offroad and through deep water over rocks.

It depends on whatyou're intending to do on them.

I'm off to Morocco very soon, and I'm seriously thinking of taking my beloved TKC's off because I know they'll wear rigt out on the trip across Europe and back, whereas Tourences will be fine for thousands of miles afterwards and still give me moderate performance on the roads I'll be doing there.

 

[Tsiklonaut]

Point made Fanum.

Of course you can put racing track tires on as well, it'll make very little difference compared with Tourance etc so called "dual sports" tires, if playing slow speed "dry" offroad games on sunday.

But if you're doing it every day...

I drive here around 30-50% gravel from my mileage, and i ride fast on gravel. There is day-and-night difference between tracion between "DS" tire and knobby tire, wether it's acceleration or braking or taking fast curve on loose gravel.

I do agree that if you have long way to go to some point (in your case Maroc) where's some few spots of gravel there's no need for knobbies - you just drive slower and more cautios there.

Again, my dirt-phile statments are based in conditions if you regulary do dirt and gravel like me. For "sunday's dirt games", there's no point wasting additional money for knobbies, if you do dominant most miles on smooth tarmac anyway where those "knobless DS" tires are better choice than knobbies obviously.

So it's pretty individual, depending what you really need from the tire to do.

I need the best on both worlds, and it must be the knobs for me as i'm doing almost 50/50 dirt/tar. (Which doesn't mean you have to do one the same way)

Hope this makes sense.

Cheers, Margus

I disagree.

Sure, the TKC's etc are way better, particularly in wetter off road stuff (but not in sticky mud/clay...they just turn into big hoops of slick mud but that's another story) but Tourances are a lot better than how Margus describes them.....on dryish tracks, rock, average green lanes etc, they're perfectly adequate and a very good compromise for doing long distances on road with some moderate off road capability.

HAve a look at the pics from the variopus rides on Salisbury plain...lots of guys did fine on Tourences, and I happily take people with Tourences on fords rides where we go offroad and through deep water over rocks.

It depends on whatyou're intending to do on them.

I'm off to Morocco very soon, and I'm seriously thinking of taking my beloved TKC's off because I know they'll wear rigt out on the trip across Europe and back, whereas Tourences will be fine for thousands of miles afterwards and still give me moderate performance on the roads I'll be doing there.

 

[Gecko]

Margus
Which size heidenau's are you using. I serached for them a while back but couldn't find a compatible size that was the same as my TKC's and if I am right they are tubed not tubeless - is that right ?

 

[Tsiklonaut]

BM specifies +/-1 tire width variation possibility. Heidenaus are r/f 140/100, the height stays the same as stock. The small width differene doesn't affect manuverability, except be careful on "footpegs down" tarmac curves as with any knobby tire - i've tested their limits, fallen and i summarize no knobby tire shines in knee-dragging action, get the BT020 for road racing . Heidenau K60s - they are tubless and capable of amazing mileage - after riding 3K home they took me to Iran and back (well almost...), but there's still thread left after riding 20,000km front, so it does more. Rear i estimated capable around 18K. Both numbers based two up full of luggage on maximum permitted weight. When doing solo with less weight they last more for sure.

Me just took off good condition Tourances and put the K60 on for the season - we have a shiite road conditions in the spring, even the tar has some gravel left by winter on it

I'm using 2.5 ATM for front 2.9 ATM for rear if two up. 2.3 and 2.5 for soloing accordingly.

Margus

Margus
Which size heidenau's are you using. I serached for them a while back but couldn't find a compatible size that was the same as my TKC's and if I am right they are tubed not tubeless - is that right ?

 

[Gecko]

Cheers for that - TKC's will need replacing before too long so I might give them a try. A mate of mine in Germany swears by them too and he recently did a tour through your part of the world, Russia and Poland on them . He rates them like you do - as being ace boots for the GS.

Which ones do you use ?

Rear:
11140034 120/90-17 68T
11140037 130/80-17 69T
11140038 130/80-17 65T TL
11140039 130/80-17 65H TL
11140035 140/80-17 69H TL
11140028 4.60-17 68T TT/Rf.
11140050 110/80-18 58S
11140052 120/80-18 62T
11140059 140/80-18 70H
11140054 140/80-18 70R
11140048 4.00-18 64S
11140049 4.10-18 60S


Front:
11140055 90/90-18 51S
11140062 100/90-19 57H TL
11140070 2.50-21 48P Rf.
11140071 2.75-21 45P
11140076 3.00-21 51T TL
11140075 3.00-21 51T
11140078 80/100-21 51S
11140072 80/90-21 48P
11140084 90/90-21 54H TL
11140081 90/90-21 54T
11140082 90/90-21 54T TL

 

[Fanum]

I've ridden behind MMM on his Heidenau's and can confirm that it doesn't alter his two position throttle control style one little bit

(That's fully open or fully closed if you haven't ridden with him )

 

[Tsiklonaut]

Which ones do you use ?

These boys:

Rear:
11140035 140/80-17 69H TL

Front:
11140062 100/90-19 57H TL