I got out onto some trails this morning. They were much wetter and muddier than expected. So I can now do a review of the tyres after 50 miles riding, mostly on cold damp tarmac, but also probably the worst off road conditions I would ride in.
The tyres are the standard version, not the Dakar with its harder compound. Fitting by hand was difficult - much more difficult than the TKC80s. However, they are keeping their pressure, whereas with the TKC80s I had to add air every week.
This is on an R100GSPD with Ohlins shock and Missano cartridges in the forks.
I've used TKC80 a lot in the past, and more recently had Metzeler Anakee Adventure tyres (road oriented, OK on dry trails). I use Bridgestone AX41 on my Africa Twin.
For the first 20 miles they were horrible. Cornering at all speeds was erratic, almost dangerous. I started with my usual pressures. 34psi front and 36psi back. At slow speeds it felt like they were under-inflated, so I increased the pressure. That made it worse. Then I read this review, which recommends going down to 30psi at the front. That made a huge difference, and the handling is now almost normal. As that review states, they do have a tendency to tip the bike to the side, due to the rounded profile. They also feel unsteady when running over tarmac with "tramlines" worn into it. We have a lot of worn out roads like that. The AX41s are just as bad on that kind of surface. The Trail XTs feel a bit smoother and less noisy than the AX41s.
On cold damp late winter days they have been very slow to warm up. Front and back are twitchy. Once warm they feel more planted and predictable. I did 40 miles today. After about 10 miles I started to enjoy them and got closer to "normal" riding. I've not had that slow warming up with other off road tyres I have used. Hopefully as the weather warms up in England they will be better. I don't think I will be able to corner fast with them, but that's the compromise.
Once off road they were excellent. The trail I did today has a tricky entrance, with a short bit of uneven rocks and concreate to get across before reaching the trail itself. No problem. The trail was much muddier than expected, with some deep and big pools of muddy water. The bike went straight through easily. Only in one bit I felt the back slide a little, but the front just kept straight and I didn't lose traction at all. One of the pools was very deep. I got water in my boots. But the bike just kept on through. Moving between ruts was easy as well. The mud and small stones didn't clog between the blocks, as it does on the TKC80 and AX41s.
On the way back I did a short stretch of motorway, up to 70mph, with no problems.
I'm very happy with these tyres.
A muddy GS:
The tyres are the standard version, not the Dakar with its harder compound. Fitting by hand was difficult - much more difficult than the TKC80s. However, they are keeping their pressure, whereas with the TKC80s I had to add air every week.
This is on an R100GSPD with Ohlins shock and Missano cartridges in the forks.
I've used TKC80 a lot in the past, and more recently had Metzeler Anakee Adventure tyres (road oriented, OK on dry trails). I use Bridgestone AX41 on my Africa Twin.
For the first 20 miles they were horrible. Cornering at all speeds was erratic, almost dangerous. I started with my usual pressures. 34psi front and 36psi back. At slow speeds it felt like they were under-inflated, so I increased the pressure. That made it worse. Then I read this review, which recommends going down to 30psi at the front. That made a huge difference, and the handling is now almost normal. As that review states, they do have a tendency to tip the bike to the side, due to the rounded profile. They also feel unsteady when running over tarmac with "tramlines" worn into it. We have a lot of worn out roads like that. The AX41s are just as bad on that kind of surface. The Trail XTs feel a bit smoother and less noisy than the AX41s.
On cold damp late winter days they have been very slow to warm up. Front and back are twitchy. Once warm they feel more planted and predictable. I did 40 miles today. After about 10 miles I started to enjoy them and got closer to "normal" riding. I've not had that slow warming up with other off road tyres I have used. Hopefully as the weather warms up in England they will be better. I don't think I will be able to corner fast with them, but that's the compromise.
Once off road they were excellent. The trail I did today has a tricky entrance, with a short bit of uneven rocks and concreate to get across before reaching the trail itself. No problem. The trail was much muddier than expected, with some deep and big pools of muddy water. The bike went straight through easily. Only in one bit I felt the back slide a little, but the front just kept straight and I didn't lose traction at all. One of the pools was very deep. I got water in my boots. But the bike just kept on through. Moving between ruts was easy as well. The mud and small stones didn't clog between the blocks, as it does on the TKC80 and AX41s.
On the way back I did a short stretch of motorway, up to 70mph, with no problems.
I'm very happy with these tyres.
A muddy GS:
