Tyre choice for mixed riding

Stevea63

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Morning all, if you've seen my other threads, it looks like the 1100 GS is a keeper. Having moved to mid Wales 6 months ago, the riding here is excellent, but I live 5k to decent tarmac and my drive is like a hill climb and challenging when the sheep have had their fill of grass... Currently running Tourances which have been good on long rides and tarmac but I could do with something to cope with rougher conditions round here. I dont want full on off road TKC 's but something that gets me comfortably to decent tarmac and is good for exploring rough lanes too. Id appreciate any input / experience both good and bad .

Thanks Steve
 
Stevea63 said:
Morning all, if you've seen my other threads, it looks like the 1100 GS is a keeper. Having moved to mid Wales 6 months ago, the riding here is excellent, but I live 5k to decent tarmac and my drive is like a hill climb and challenging when the sheep have had their fill of grass... Currently running Tourances which have been good on long rides and tarmac but I could do with something to cope with rougher conditions round here. I dont want full on off road TKC 's but something that gets me comfortably to decent tarmac and is good for exploring rough lanes too. Id appreciate any input / experience both good and bad .

Thanks Steve
Click to expand...
What about TKC70s ?
Great on road and good on dry tracks . No good in mud but then again nothing but a full off road tyre will be .
You can get the TKC70 rear in a Rocks version .
Had them on my Himmy 450 and was great in the Picos off-road but just fine riding back through France.

IMG_4940.webp
 
I'm having the same experience, needing better tire performance in the dirt .... I did fit the anakee wilds at the last service and they are a very good tires. But they don't wear very long. I had anakee adventures on the bike that came with it. They were good on smooth surfaces and packed dirt but terrible in mud and sand. But that isn't surprising, big bikes don't do well in the sand anyway, but some control would be nice.
The wilds are very good in the dirt and very good on the pavement as well. I was really surprised by that, you can really lean them over ... But they are very noisy and I'm not kidding, on pavement and on hard dirt. But they do quiet down after 70 mph for some reason. The anakee adventures were also noisey but quite a bit less than the wilds. The wilds also don't like grooves, and can get squirrely there if not carefull.
The wilds would be perfect, with earplugs, aside from the fact they have very poor life expectancy. That's my big hangup with them. So I'm looking for the holly grail in GS tires it seems and I will probably run the wilds unless I find something else to try. If I ride a lot it will be expensive ... The back tires go much faster and some have put a 90/10 on the back and left the wild on the front. like say a anakee adventure on the back and a anakee wild on the front. This seems a little iffi to me but it is the front that really makes the difference in sand and mud, for the most part ....
 
What are the Conti TKCs like noise wise, and grip on wet/dry roads? I have Michelin Anakee Adventures fitted, they grip fine on road wet or dry, and are fine for the gentle green laning I do on mainly gravel and hard packed dirt tracks; they are however rather noisey. I have contemplated Conti trail attak3, but feel they are maybe just a bit too road orientated.
 
I used Heidenau.. Heidendau... Heiden.. Scouts on a large trailie and found them quite a bit more aggressive than Tourances off road, whilst still being decent on-road and very long lasting.

I recommend getting them fitted, though, as they have a very tough sidewall. I did mine at home and it was a proper challenge.
 
Arsey said:
What about TKC70s ?
Great on road and good on dry tracks . No good in mud but then again nothing but a full off road tyre will be .
You can get the TKC70 rear in a Rocks version .
Had them on my Himmy 450 and was great in the Picos off-road but just fine riding back through France.

View attachment 463212
Click to expand...
Agree with Arsey.... I had these on a Super 10 and they are very good...about 80/20 on/off road I think
 
I binned the Dunlops that came with my new Suzuki 800 DE VStrom and fitted a set of TKC 70 ,s - - Scotland to the Nordkapp n back with 2000 miles left on them ( riding bud went with me on his ATS 1100 and his are about the same ) Delighted with them , a good stable predictable tyre is how I find them .The quality seems to have kept up and I have a new set sitting ready to fit when this one’s are fully finished .
I had used a set of 2 of these Conti 70,s on Sgt Bilco,s ( of this Parrish ) trips hauling California to Alaska etc .
IMHO a good stable compromise tyre as long as your not trying to hang onto sports bikes when the tyre is about finished ( i suppose that applies to most dual sport 70/30 tyres )
Buy with confidence !
 
If you go on anything more than fire roads I'd go for TKC80s. Especially if wet dirt.

Still good on tarmac but off road you want all the grip you can get without going full on knobblies.

Only downside with TKC80s is life but if you keep off motorways and mainly below 60mph they last longer.
 
FatAl said:
What are the Conti TKCs like noise wise, and grip on wet/dry roads?
Click to expand...

The standard TKC70 are mediumly noisy. Nothing terrible.
The Rocks (different rear tyre) is another story. Also, if you use the Rocks rear on asphalt, it will disintegrate quickly.

I've been using them on my GSA for a few years now as I do mixed terrains sometimes when traveling. To me they hit the sweet spot and are very good "do it all" tyres.
I used them a few times in mud, but it's not their best (and mine :D ) scenario. It gets slippery.

gs-salisbury.jpg


tkc70mud.png


I have a set of wheels with 80s for more complex terrains.

No issue gripping in the wet.
My only negatives are that the front seems to make the bike a bit too unstable at higher speeds and could be more communicative.
Couple of years ago I put a set of 100% road tyres instead of my usual 70s and it was fun to feel the difference :D

But, apart from that, never had issues with the 70ies on asphalt (dry/wet), traveling at decent pace.

They do last a decent amount too.
 
Last edited:
I would recommend MITAS E07+ for the job.

I’ve had two on the rear and never found wanting off road or hot tarmac.

 
You can still scrape footpegs in the dry with TKC80s, with 240kgs off road I prefer the extra grip myself
 
I use both. I wouldn't use TKC80s when mainly on the road, unless really needed (people traveling in between proper offroad bits).
The 80s behave as proper knobbly tyres as well, so cornering is differently and all that, especially new.

As above, the 70s are a very sweet "do it all" spot.
 
er-minio said:
I have both. I wouldn't use TKC80s when mainly on the road, unless really needed (people traveling in between proper offroad bits).
The 80s behave as proper knobbly tyres as well, so cornering is differently and all that, especially new.
Click to expand...
Never had a problem with them myself, done many euro tours with a mix from motorways to mountain twisties. First few hundred miles and you and the tyres settle in.

I think anything less in mud is asking for a scare.
 
Yep.
I've never found myself in a position of needing anything like the 80is when traveling in Europe. My scenario is generally fast-ish tarmac travel + a few medium or short-ish offroad bits where TKC70s are more than adequate. The vast majority is asphalt and knobbly tyres would be an overkill and an hindrance.

Even a few years ago, when we did a few days in Wales, I swapped wheels in Bristol (one of the guys came up with his bike in a van and brought some of our gear) before/after as I was traveling on my own from London :)

I used them extensively this last spring as the other set of wheels was being "refreshed". Got used to riding in them as a main tyre for a few months, it was fun.

Next year I'll probably do the first trip that will require traveling on stuff like 80s or Mitas (Trail XT or similar) all the way. Also no screen, etc.
But, as above, generally I do not see the need in most cases.
 
Heidenau Scout. All the tyre you need
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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