Tourance Next - Good or Bad

[David Lee]

My 1200GS came with Tourance EXP tyres from new and I got 6800miles out of them until with a trip to Belgium coming up I decided to go for the Tourance NEXT tyres to replace them.

All seemed well to start with but my normal commute includes a stretch of the M3 which is often congested, so its filtering between lanes 2 and 3 sometimes for a few miles at a time.

The NEXTs feel really unstable and unpredictable when going over the white lines or hitting the tar seams, small potholes or rough patched bits between the lanes. So much so that I checked my bolts to make sure that the rear wheel was on properly... Also checked for play in the final drive etc but its a solid as a rock. Only done 8000miles since new.

Originally I had tyre pressures set for 2 up, which I have ridden on for the past 6years, so I set them exactly at 2.2 & 2.5 bar as per the handbook. But the handling is still shit when filtering. Really unstable.

Anyone got any advice on what I could do. I have had Original Tourance tyres, EXP's, Dunlop 91's and Conti trail attacks over the years but never had such bad handling as these Next's. On smooth surfaces they seem fine, but I have lost confidence with the filtering problem.

Only brought them as I thought they would be better than EXP's and as they are standard fitting on the new WC but they are looking like an expensive mistake as the moment.

 

[stevemersey]

Just done 2000 miles on my Next. Look as if I will get more miles out of them then EXP as there is lots of tread depth. I find the handling has been excellent, surefooted wet and dry. I have been riding a few miles at weekends on unsurfaced roads, and gravel and find them adequate as long as it is not wet and muddy. Can't say I have noticed any tendency to be upset by lines. Less influenced than my Tiger 1050 on PR3's. My only complaint is that the rear is squaring very quickly though I can't say I can tell in the handling. But I am a new owner of the GS, so not sure what the benchmark is. But very happy so far on feel and handling wet and dry.

I am on 2.2 2.4 bar, simply because that was the way they were fitted and I liked it.

 

[Deleted account 190920001]

Don't go by the manual for pressures go by whatever the manufacturer states. I don't know about the tourances next but the older tourance should be 3 bar rear according to Metzeler. Any less than that I find my bike gets a bit squishy and tracks badly on white lines and over banding.
I have read quite a few bad comments on the next tyres mind you, problems like your having. Could be because because they are set a bit soft though. You have nothing to loose putting more air in so you might as well set them to what Metzeler state and not BMW.

 

[Nutty]

Don't go by the manual for pressures go by whatever the manufacturer states. I don't know about the tourances next but the older tourance should be 3 bar rear according to Metzeler. Any less than that I find my bike gets a bit squishy and tracks badly on white lines and over banding.
I have read quite a few bad comments on the next tyres mind you, problems like your having. Could be because because they are set a bit soft though. You have nothing to loose putting more air in so you might as well set them to what Metzeler state and not BMW.

I may try that, as my NEXT are squared off, and near the wear bars after 4000 miles.

 

[Wapping]

On my assorted Wanders and on jaunts away with chums, I have noticed that their bikes very often have assorted makes and models of tyres, probably at various states of wear and most definitely at various levels of pressure.... They all seem to do OK, which leads me to think that most of it is in the mind of the riders and, of course, in the bank accounts of the tyre manufacturers.

That being said, tyres are without a doubt, light years ahead of those we endured 30 or 40 years ago. What the next 30 will bring I can only wonder at.

One clue may lie in the world of endurance car racing, where some makes of 'intermediate' or semi-wet tyres no longer have grooves to displace the water. They are as bald as pure slicks, the tyres' compound and design being sufficient to cut through the surface water at very high speeds. Just imagine, a bald road legal tyre.... We may just see one in our lifetimes.

 

[Engineer]

Tourance Next are excellent on the the LC, lovely feel to them, never a concern in the wet either, not as hard as the old Tourance so don't expect a huge life from them, mine are a bit squared after 4,500 miles of mainly commuting and just starting to get that 'squared off' feeling, but loads of tread left, should be good for another 2,000 miles before they are totally shagged.

 

[Deleted account 190920001]

There is no doubt that tyres, setup and choice/brand are one of the most emotional elements of a bike. Just look at the recommend me a tyre threads, they can't all be rubbish and fantastic at the same time. How many people do you know who wants to see a tyre before they buy it? Like you can tell anything from just looking! Same with setup so it's well worth messing with tyre pressures and seeing what your happy with.

Wapping, your right who knows what the future will bring. Slick tyres even if they are really good in the rain would take a leap of faith though. No doubt bods would think they are absolutely amazing in the dry but be terrified of them in the wet. A racer can get over that I guess, they go more on what the know and feel rather than emotions.

 

[Wrinkly]

I'm warming to the next.

I find on good road surfaces they are very very good. On good road surfaces in the wet they are bloody excellent.

However,in my experience they don't like any breakup in the road surface and can react very quickly and quite ferociously at times to any imperfection or foreign body on the road surface,having said that now I'm used to the way they react it's not a problem and they never feel unnerving.

Strange though because I initially felt they would be rubbish on the little back gnarly roads where I love to ride but surprisingly they feel OK.

I would love to try a pair of original Tourances but I don't think there are any plans to to make them for the WC.

I hated the EXP with avengance,although that may have come from me having a very early pair but even the later one's didn't impress.

When my nexts are due for replacement I'll try something else but would have no qualms about going back to the next.

Steve

 

[David Lee]

Update ......

Marki - Your advice was spot on. I checked the Metzeler website and the recommended pressures for both front & rear NEXT show as 2.9 Bar.

Set both to this first thing this morning and on the first corner felt the improvement. Handling is much improved and I believe that it was the increase in the front tyre pressure that made the transformation. Had a good commute in to the office (30miles) and bike felt like it was on the old EXP's.

Looks like I may be keeping these after all

 

[Cooky]

Update ......

Marki - Your advice was spot on. I checked the Metzeler website and the recommended pressures for both front & rear NEXT show as 2.9 Bar.

Set both to this first thing this morning and on the first corner felt the improvement. Handling is much improved and I believe that it was the increase in the front tyre pressure that made the transformation. Had a good commute in to the office (30miles) and bike felt like it was on the old EXP's.

Looks like I may be keeping these after all

Are you 2 up or solo?

 

[David Lee]

Solo,

Felt like riding on mud at 2.2 bar in the front and 2.5 in the rear on bad surfaces. Fine on perfect stuff but not too much of that around my way.

 

[Packer]

Solo,

But he's 6' 14" tall and weighs 32 stone.

 

[David Lee]

Ha !

I've lost weight since we last met

Only 6ft and 16stone now

 

[Deleted account 190920001]

Update ......

Marki - Your advice was spot on. I checked the Metzeler website and the recommended pressures for both front & rear NEXT show as 2.9 Bar.

Set both to this first thing this morning and on the first corner felt the improvement. Handling is much improved and I believe that it was the increase in the front tyre pressure that made the transformation. Had a good commute in to the office (30miles) and bike felt like it was on the old EXP's.

Looks like I may be keeping these after all

Glad that helped you out. I know on mine even solo it makes a big difference. No idea why BMW quotes such low pressures but I would rather go with what the tyre manufacturer states.

 

[Cooky]

David - are you able to post the link to the Metzeler page that recommends 2.9 bar front and rear for solo riding on the Next?

 

[RobertG]

I have about 5,000 miles on the NEXT.
The dealer set them at 2.7 and 3.0

The first long day on them and they were absolutely terrible. Twitchy as hell, felt like sports tyres (not a good thing fully loaded on a GS). They turned in remarkably quickly - too quickly for my liking. When leaning on a long bend they "responded" to the slightest weight change. They also had an odd characteristic in that they turned in and then tightened through the turn. To hold the line I ended up using the throttle to push the front out. At those pressures they reacted horribly to road anomalies

After a day or two I reduced the pressure to 2.3 and 2.5. Transformed the feel. Still twitchy on anomalies, but this is just down to a very hard sidewall compared to the EXPs.


They are astonishingly good in the wet.

Overall a really good tyre, but I will be trying something else next. I think I still prefer the EXP but the mileage is awful. The NEXTs will get you about 20% extra. Still not marvelous.

 

[David Lee]

David - are you able to post the link to the Metzeler page that recommends 2.9 bar front and rear for solo riding on the Next?

http://www.metzeler.com/site/uk/products/technical-databook.html

This is the link - download the PDF and it gives the info..its quite a big document though

 

[David Lee]

I have done about 120miles since increasing the pressures and its an improvement but still not great.

Got 6800 miles out of my old EXP's, so not unhappy there. Front still had life in it too.

Overall I would go back to the EXP's tomorrow, NEXT's are not doing it for me.

 

[Nutty]

Just checked that link, and BMW has put the correct pressures in the manual for the LC. Looks like its Anakee 3's for me very soon.

 

[Deleted account 190920001]

There is a thread over on Adventure with a letter from Metzeler stating the pressures should be 38-42 front and 40-42 rear. The interesting comment was that running less than 40 front or rear would adversely affect wear. It also states that OEM Next tyres have 1mm less tread than the standard aftermarket Next