TKC 80's - Illegal combination

[Silver Rat]

Gents,

I am looking for advice. We have two F650GS's which we have been using off road. One bike is fitted with Metzeler Tourance and the other with Continental Escapes.

Both on and off the road, they are similar however we want something with a bit more bite for off road. On grass and soft mud, the tread in the above tryes just fill up and it is like riding on slicks. We would like a tyre with good shoulders [if that is the right description, which will throw the mud off]

We want to try TKC 80's but the problem is that if you buy them for the F650 standard size, the combination is illegal!!!

The rear is a cross ply and the front is Bias belted!!

Not much of a problem and I am sure that the combination works very well, but...we need to keep within the law.

Can you suggest a very good off road tyre combination, which will be legal and can be used on road?

 

[Timolgra]

Try Bridgestone Grittys.

 

[Micky]

We were supplied by Continental, via Wunderlich, with a set of their 'Escapes' and a set of TKC 80's for Sue's 650GS and my 650GS Dakar for our 'Long Way Home' .... no probs!



www.adventure.gs

 

[Fanum]

Being a dodgy reprobate, I'd go with the TKC's........

I doubt anyone has ever been stopped and had their tyres checked unless they're really taking the piddle......so if you run a small plate, loud 'zorst and ride like a hooligan, don't do it, but otherwise???

How many dibble in the street would even know about it???

If it goes wrong, blame Vern

 

[Micky]

Being a dodgy reprobate, I'd go with the TKC's........

I doubt anyone has ever been stopped and had their tyres checked unless they're really taking the piddle......so if you run a small plate, loud 'zorst and ride like a hooligan, don't do it, but otherwise???

How many dibble in the street would even know about it???

If it goes wrong, blame Vern

"so if you run a small plate, loud 'zorst and ride like a hooligan"

You bin following me Bill? Guilty of all three and still aint bin stopped...

For what you want Silver Rat... go for the TKC's

 

[Fanum]

"so if you run a small plate, loud 'zorst and ride like a hooligan"

You bin following me Bill? Guilty of all three and still aint bin stopped...

But having a justified one of these on the back of the bike counters at least two of the above

 

[MikeP]

I'm not sure that the Con & Use Regs make a distinction between cross ply and bias belted (cross ply and radial, yes).

Bias belted were and are the first step towards radial construction but they are not radial.

Crossply tyres

On today's market the crossply tyre is the "classic" design. Its advantages are its straightforward structure and its sturdy sidewalls, which particularly in off-road use offer many benefits (impact protection). Crossply tyres have a maximum design speed of 240 km/h (150 mph).

Bias belted tyres

The bias belted tyre is the precursor of the radial tyre. Whilst the casing is still crossply in design, the tyre features a belt, usually made from Kevlar. Suitable for speeds up to 250 km/h (156 mph).

Tyre Mixing

Must NOT have radial tyres on the front wheels and cross ply tyres on the rear wheels, it is also illegal to have a cross ply tyre on one side with a radial on the other.

 

[talltony]

Found this in the MOT tester's manual:
Unsuitable tyres:
e. a bias belted tyre fitted to the front with a cross-ply tyre fitted to the rear wheel
f. a radial tyre fitted to the front and a cross ply or bias belted tyre fitted to the rear wheel

Full page here:http://www.motuk.co.uk/mcmanual_410.htm

Tony

 

[MikeP]

Found this in the MOT tester's manual:
Unsuitable tyres:
e. a bias belted tyre fitted to the front with a cross-ply tyre fitted to the rear wheel
f. a radial tyre fitted to the front and a cross ply or bias belted tyre fitted to the rear wheel

Full page here:http://www.motuk.co.uk/mcmanual_410.htm

Tony

Seems pretty unequivocal.

 

[Silver Rat]

Thanks for your replies guys, I agree that the TKC's would fit the bill [no pun intended], however the Transport Manager is a stickler for the law and he does not want any claims made against him if someone is injured even although the combination would probably have nowt to do with it!!

Maybe I should have mentioned earlier, the bikes belong to the Old Bill!!

Conti have been promising us similar tyres to the TKC's for about 6 months now, but they are not in production yet!

 

[Fanum]

Michelin S12 soft cross would be ideal and they do a 100/90 19 f and 130/80 17 r, but their site doesn't say whether they are road legal or not

 

[AndyT]

........
Maybe I should have mentioned earlier, the bikes belong to the Old Bill!!

.....QUOTE]

I was wondering where you had been going off road unless you had the owners permission. Have you been chasing retrobates from Northfield and Mastricht!!!!! I was amble along to Dennis Itvines shop near Cove (The KTM Dealer) as he does alot of Enduro racing and will know which is the best "legal Tyre"...

AndyT of Banchoryshire

 

[Silver Rat]

AndyT

Gosh no, we would not chase the little darlings!! They might fall off and hurt themselves, then we would be in the poop cos they were not wearing full face hoodies!!

ta for the info Fanum, I will try and find out if they are OK for the road, they look a tad knobbly though!!

 

[birdseye]

Back in the old days when radials first came along, the reason for not mixing them was a marked difference in the level of grip. So you could find the vehicle wildly oversteering or understeering rather than keeping both ends in balance.

This is probably the best reason for not mixing them - after all the law doesnt apply to coppers in practise, does it?