Tyre info please, facts not fiction if poss

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Richie B

Richie B

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I am currently using Bridgestone battle wings on my 1200 , which I am really happy with, I am riding down to Spain in Sept and plan on doing some off road riding so thinking of trying a different tyre. So has anyone have experience of a more off road bias tyre? I am prepared to change brands if needed. So my question is how much road performance do you loose with a trail Wing ? or if I went down the Dunlop TrailMax road what road / off road performance be like ??
Or the Michelin Sirac performance ?? or the Conti Escape ??
I dont really wont to go full on off road as I am riding down to spain from Roscoff and I dont wont to change tyres while away.
So any experience you chaps have would be great , thanks Rich
 
Heidenau were fitted when I bought my 2008 ADV (used). Very satisfied with these on and off road, last up to 10.000km's at the rear, a bit longer at the front. Other tires used on same bike are Metzeler Tourance EXP. In comparison these last even longer, but are by far less competitive off road (sand, mud, and gravel).
 
For Spain the "offroad" is likely to be dry and rocky, so knobblies probably not required.

:beerjug:
 
My 1100 came with Michelin Anakee 2's fitted, and up to now they seem pretty stable on the tarmac even with relatively high speed cornering two up with luggage, and I have only had a couple of small forays "off road" on a couple of dirt tracks and gravel roads and the tyres coped fine, as did the bike in general, felt stable with little slippage or wandering.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?new...lin.co.uk%2Ftyres%2Fmichelin-anakee-2;370;370
 
I put Heidenau K60's on mine for a long trip to Maroc via Spain, and they coped with everything (tarmac, mud, fire tracks, sand, un finished roads). I was impressed with the overall performance and wear rate...:D
 
I would have said to fit road biassed tyres for such a long tour as they last longer, but seeing what @Keith says the K60s may be the best option - you won't know what you'll find on the way..
 
Down the years I have tried many types of tyre. Some on advice some because they came on the bike and lastly I am swayed on price. You say that happy with your tyres that you are using. That is a happy place to be. I would just go and get the best value you can on them and fit new ones. JJH.
 
If you consider changing to Metzeler tyres might be worth looking at the Tourance (not EXP tho'). They have a good big block tread and more than capable on the road. I use them on my 1200 GSA....
 
I have used Metzler Karoos, TKC80,s and Mitas (not sure of the model Mitas) for long road trips with off road parts. All of the tires performed well off road and on road, if the Tarmac was wet then ride slower all trips were more than 4000 miles and plenty of tire left. Tourances are a bit tricky if the ground is loose and rocky, you feel like you are on marbles. What I will say is you may only need the heavier tred for a couple of sections of a track but you will be glad you have them for that bit.
 
The Shinko 705 Radial are great on the gravel and hold the road well. No issues at all. Great milage from the front, back gets about 8000km. Half the price of other tyres!!!
 
You will have no problem with the Heidenau K60's and they will give good grip on the road and will give you confidence on the rough stuff and much better than Battlewings, Tourances etc for a mixture of surfaces. We use them on my Alaska trips and they cope with everything from 40 degree heat on perfect tarmac to the hell that can be the Dalton Highway i.e mud, deep gravel, hard packed dirt etc etc. We would normally get around 10,000 miles before they are goosed.

They will square off fairly quickly but don't worry as they will last and last. They can be a bit noisier than normal tyres and my tip with them is run them at 33psi front and 36psi rear which seems to be the correct pressure for tyre on all surfaces.

They are a bit of a compromise and aren't as good as road tyres on tarmac and not quite as good as TKC's on dirt where the front is a little vague until you get used to the fact that it will grip.

I've seen Shinko tyres in the states and people seem to like them so that's an option along with Mitas E07 which do the same job. You'll also have no problem with Oponeo and they will deliver within 3 days.
 

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pojoel said:
What do we think about the Dunlop TR91:s then?
Click to expand...
On my 1200 they are brilliant as a road tyre in both the wet and dry BUT they are soft and wear quite quickly, rear is down to 2.5 mm after 45000 miles and the front is on its way out.

The rear was fine up until 500 miles ago then just seem to square off very quickly and the wear rate accelerated.
 
Neil W said:
On my 1200 they are brilliant as a road tyre in both the wet and dry BUT they are soft and wear quite quickly, rear is down to 2.5 mm after 45000 miles and the front is on its way out.

The rear was fine up until 500 miles ago then just seem to square off very quickly and the wear rate accelerated.
Click to expand...

45k - Amazing wear rate, well done!
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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