Chinese Tourance

[I of the Strom]

In the meantime I had fitted a pair of Scorpion Trail's. Even worse. At 5,000 miles the front tyre had 13 deep splits and one or both of the tyres generated horrible vibrations through the bike.

I had similar with Scorpions on off roads bikes. Had three pair split up badly in the closed season when they were just sitting on the racks in the garage, when I spoke to the dealer was told could be a consequence of them sitting unused !!! Pirelli didn't want to know as they had been used in competitions. So well done you.

In the future perhaps you could share your experiences with the Chinese Tourances as you pregress with them.

 

[Skid06]

As you sweep gently into a roundabout at really sensible speeds, it initially feels like you are going to drop the bike, it falls into the bend, like when sliding on ice


mine are exactly the same, makes you feel your goin to lose the bike on roundabouts..i thought it was me they lack the feel of the old tourance's, after using them on all my gs's over the last 7 years this is the last set ill buy, Michelin rp4's for me

 

[I of the Strom]

I'm sorry to hear of everyones bad experiences but glad to know I wasn't kidding myself, being paranoid, doubting the tyres just because they were fitted aboard etc etc. Also, I now know that I do know what I'm talking about when it comes to riding MY BIKE and in general, maybe even more than those who make snide and smart..sed comments in reply when serious questions are being asked !

 

[Grim Rider]

I had a new Tourance Next fitted to the front (inflated to 2.3bar) yesterday to match a new rear (2.6 bar) fitted a couple of months ago. I have only ridden about 20 miles home on it but it feels weird. I appreciate about scrubbing in new tyres etc, but in 40 years of riding never experienced anything like this.

As you sweep gently into a roundabout at really sensible speeds, it initially feels like you are going to drop the bike, it falls into the bend, like when sliding on ice, then, when trying to correct this by pulling the inside bar gently, the steering feels heavier, like you have a friction damper on the thing!

One of the things that made me choose a GS was how confidence inspiring the handling was, now I feel really unsafe in anything other than a straight line. I will give it a couple of hundred miles to see if it improves ....

Anybody else had anything like this?

I fitted a Next to the rear wheel of my 1150GS while I still had an original Tourance on the front, and the bike was transformed into handling feeling awful - if I hadn't just changed a tyre would have thought rear suspension was leaking. Nearly took rear tyre off and put Tourance back on but decided after speaking to my tyre guy instead to replace front with a Next. Transformed again, but this time for the good - have used Tourances for last 80k but the Next is if anything better on the road. Rear has now done 8k and perhaps has another 2k in it.

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

These Chinky made Tourances seem to 'tramline' a bit

 

[ZZedd66]

New Chinese set just put on my 1100

So far they seem fine, smooth in and out of the sharp corners. But the old set (German Tourance) was well worn, especially the front, so the new ones were bound to feel better than those. I've not scrubbed them in fully yet, and am more aware of my angles after reading this thread, but yesterday I went for it on a couple of big roundabouts and got that smile back on my face when you're toe is just off the pavement! I haven't tried them in the wet but I'm looking at the sky right now and predict wet roads in a wee while, so I'll report back here after a run out. I've only had Tourances on my 1100 so far, but am going to try a set of PR4's next time, I hear only good things about those.

 

[biker/trucker]

im glad im not the only one with issues with the Chinese tourances, got a set 3 weeks ago ive 1500miles on them, have absolutely no confidence in them, front in particular wanders a lot, ive put the pressures up and down cant get the bike to handle proparly, this is my fifth set of tourances on the 1100gs, anakees next time im thinking

 

[XBX]

I had a new Tourance Next fitted to the front (inflated to 2.3bar) yesterday to match a new rear (2.6 bar) fitted a couple of months ago. I have only ridden about 20 miles home on it but it feels weird. I appreciate about scrubbing in new tyres etc, but in 40 years of riding never experienced anything like this.

As you sweep gently into a roundabout at really sensible speeds, it initially feels like you are going to drop the bike, it falls into the bend, like when sliding on ice, then, when trying to correct this by pulling the inside bar gently, the steering feels heavier, like you have a friction damper on the thing!

One of the things that made me choose a GS was how confidence inspiring the handling was, now I feel really unsafe in anything other than a straight line. I will give it a couple of hundred miles to see if it improves ....

Anybody else had anything like this?

A quick update .....

After about 400 miles the front is scrubbed in nicely. It is now handling neutrally, with good grip, and is far more tolerant of changes in the road surface, with less "white lining" than the previous Tourance.

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

im glad im not the only one with issues with the Chinese tourances, got a set 3 weeks ago ive 1500miles on them, have absolutely no confidence in them, front in particular wanders a lot, ive put the pressures up and down cant get the bike to handle proparly, this is my fifth set of tourances on the 1100gs, anakees next time im thinking

A quick update .....After about 400 miles the front is scrubbed in nicely. It is now handling neutrally, with good grip, and is far more tolerant of changes in the road surface, with less "white lining" than the previous Tourance.

Seems a real mixed bag of opinions

After 1000 miles on a rear chinese Tourance, I'm gonna put a new Tourance EXP (made in Germany) on the front, so at least I can get a decent front for grip and leave the rear to do its thing

Might order in another F&R EXP too, to put 'in stock'...............so to speak

Don't fancy a Tourance Next...................they look a bit girly for a 1150 GSA

 

[Norfolk Tiger]

After a 1000 miles on a pair of Chinese tourances I have to say I'm not impressed The previous 2 sets of tourances have been absolutely fine and I wasn't aware that production had been moved so I went for the same as I had been used to. The pair I have on now seem far noisier and don't inspire the same level of confidence,they also seem to tramline far worse than previous one s have. The guy who fitted them also complained that they were far worse to fit than what he had been used to.
For now I'm going to fiddle with the pressures to see if that helps but I think a change may be coming soon

 

[jeremyj]

Have Tourance front and back front was getting near limit so fitted new couple of weeks ago before trip down in France took a couple hundred miles to scrub and feel confident, can report both good in wet and feel sure footed probably got 5000 out of tyre and are Chinese made.

 

[Norfolk Tiger]

There seems to be a far greater variation in people's experience with these tyres than there was previously. To start with I thought it was in my mind after reading about the issues after I got them I wouldn't say with how I ride I notice a difference in a ok tyre and a great tyre but I can certainly tell a bad tyre

 

[Blackal]

The Chinky ones are feckin' dangerous! I will never fit them again!


(I'm fcukin' with ya - there is no discernable difference)

I think half the time - people like to say they can tell the difference - to get cred. Usually they have problems "dialling in neutral handling" or some other pish.

Al

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

Just goosed the rear Chinky one in less than 4500 miles tops
Now torn & punctured this afternoon - managed to get a plug & rat tail to limp along

 

[Norfolk Tiger]

Just goosed the rear Chinky one in less than 4500 miles tops
Now torn & punctured this afternoon - managed to get a plug & rat tail to limp along

How do you rate the handling of the tyres?

 

[Flipfly]

Mines fine, and the ones before it

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

How do you rate the handling of the tyres?

Fine, wet or dry - just as the Germanic ones before

Main problem for me is poor wear, rear - 4500 miles & it's on the skids literally

Used to get 6000 at least from the German ones previously

Conti TA2 - here I come

 

[King Rat]

Interesting read - I am going to go and check where my Tourances were made now - I had a "moment" in the spring that really shook me up. On a road I ride regularly, only 5 miles from home, an uphill left hander on a 1:8 hill, not a sharp corner, 3rd gear and slight acceleration, maybe half lean....the whole bike just went sideways across the road and the front tucked. I was riding the corner exactly the same as I have taken it for the last 20 years. Good surface, dry road, no loose grit, no oil/diesel, I parked up and walked back to check what had caused it - the tyres just let go and it wasn't too much power. My riding style is to try and get as many miles out of a tank of fuel, set of brakes and tyre life as I can. I generally get about 13,000 out of a set of Tourances and change them as a pair every time, with some life left in the front at change, maybe another 1mm left.

The result of this 'moment' has made me ride very cautiously since, but I have had another couple 'moments' on other roads since too. I shall see them out, but I have a friend who uses Heidenaus, which are a good chunky tyre - he is a bike magazine editor, one of the bike magazines I work for, I just do photographs, so don't think I know anything about bikes, I have just been riding them for 45 years! I don't profess to know about handling or suspension set ups or any of that guff - I put air in the bottom, fuel in the top, oil in the middle and get on and ride it - then fit my riding around how the bike feels, whatever bike it happens to be.

I am now going to go and talk to our contact at Pirelli in Burton and see what he says about supply of Tourances - I am not going to fit them if they are Chinese made. I need new tyres for the August trip to The Faroes, so will use Tourances if they are German - but I think heidenaus might be my next choice having had to work really hard to keep up with Nik on the Future Bike wearing them, and the same on The Changling. Those tyres allow him to ride perfectly well.

Just a thought. Heidenaus are also a German tyre and Nik, like me, rides right through the winter - he doesn't have a driving license, so has to ride the bike. The H's are fine in the winter on snow and ice as well as wet roads, so I they sound a decent tyre.

 

[DutchBryn]

"I think we are going to see a clear power shift over the years. Ultimately, the Chinese will be in charge."

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/23/us-pirelli-m-a-china-shopping-idUSKBN0MJ20Z20150323

 

[greenlaningxt]

Chinese ones don't last as long and the front that I just changed went out of shape really quickly.

Tyre supplier did not even know they were now Chinese.

Not had any handling problems, front one makes more noise, back seem ok.

You would hope they would be cheaper now they are Chinese, but not.

Will try something else next time as like them to last longer.

Any suggestions, will probably need another set after summer trips