Options on a new GSA

[Geoff Crowther]

Hi all
Off to Rainbow (Rotherham) tomorrow for a test ride on a GSA. I've had my 1200GS for 18 months months, but recently have had an incurable urge to buy an Adventure.
Tried one for size for the first time on Tuesday and found it not as high as I thought. Need a test ride but, in my head, the decision's probably already made.
The plan is to have all the options (as I did with my present bike). I'm convinced that the low 1st gear is worth having, since, at some point, it's inevitable I'll get off road.
The question I seek opinion on is whether to specify off road tyres. My present bike has Anakees which I'm happy with, but I've done very little off road stuff on it. I did the basic off road course on a 1200GS a few weeks ago which thoroughly convinced me of the ability of the bike off road but, as many of you will know, the school bike was running on something like TKC 80s (think I got that name right). When I asked about performance on, what I call, dual purpose tyres eg Anakees, I was told that, "...they're road tyres, these (The TKC 80s) are dual purpose and they're fine on the road".
So, the floor's yours folks. What do you lot reckon the tyre choice should be for a guy who rides mostly on roads, but has aspirations to play about on tracks and would like to broaden my travel to take in some tracks in Europe, Morrocco, possibly the US?
I appreciate it's not a life threatening decsion since I cover about 12000 miles a year so I'll get to change tryes pretty quickly anyway.
I'm a brisk rather than fast rider. I like to "make good progress", not scratch the pegs.
Any other thoughts on options would be appreciated too. Feel free.
Of course, it has to be matt magnesium ............ or red.
Cheers
Geoff

 

[Magwych]

The TKC80 is a surprisingly god tyre on the road IMHO. Radial road tyres are miles better, after riding on a TKC 80 you can really feel the extra grip a modern radial road tyre such as the Anakee provides. If you can recall riding bikes before radial tyres, that is what the TKC80 is like - possibly no surprise seeing as it is a cross-ply construction.

If you are considering going for the Enduro pack, I would advise going just for the Enduro gearbox, without the tyres. They are ( or at least were, earlier this year) being fitted with the Metzeler Karoo - I took the full Enduro Pack option and that is what I got.

The Karoo did not feel as good as a TKC on the road, riding in the wet was most unpleasant. Several times the ASC would kick on the way to work as the back wheel spun up on shiny overbanding on the motorway in the rain...

With hindsight, I would have had the OE road tyres, then changed them immediately myself for TKC 80s; selling off the brand new road tyres to recover the meagre cost of the Continentals.

Like you I am not a peg scraper, rapid progress rather than a balls out thrash being my norm nowadays. My current rear TKC has lasted for 6,500 miles or so. It will get changed before we go off to Spain; that will be long before it has worn down to the TWIs .

 

[Geoff Crowther]

Thanks for that interesting and useful reply Citibum. As I read it, your riding all the time on TKC80s then? And you find them acceptable for road use?
Geoff

 

[finn]

tyres

bike (i think) did a report on 1200gs tyres last month worth a read

 

[Magwych]

Thanks for that interesting and useful reply Citibum. As I read it, your riding all the time on TKC80s then? And you find them acceptable for road use?
Geoff

100% of the time on TKC80s, and I am happy with them bith on and off road. I use the bike for a 110 mile round-trip daily commute, all year.