Tyre Speed Rating Question - S or H?

[Duracell]

I am about ready for a new pair of Tourances for my F650GS Dakar. It currently has H rated tyres on it (good for up to 130MPH) which have lasted about 14,000 miles. The S rated Tourances (good for up to 112MPH) look like an option saving about £30 for the pair.

Interested to know what other 650 Tourance users have fitted and if anyone has tried S and H rated and noticed any difference (tyre life, handling)?

Oh, and hello everyone, I am new (but have spent the last hour searching previous threads for info on this first).

 

[glencoeman]

A word of warning.
About twenty years ago,someone was refused a claim by their insurance company because they had fitted a different speed rated tyre to their bike than what was recommended by the bike manufacturer , even though it was still within the max speed of the bike.

 

[Duracell]

Thanks glencoeman. I have checked the BMW manual but there is no speed rating listed - only recomended tyre sizes. One of the tyre web sites you can select your bike and get the tyre options - and the majority are S rated with some R's as well. So I don't know if S is the norm and R is an upgrade, or R is the norm and S is as you suggest - at owners risk.

 

[ahebron]

The thing that confuses me is that this implies the insurance company wants you to fit a tyre that is rated to a speed faster than the national speed limit of most countries. Therefore faster than you can legally ride the bike but will they cover you if you crash the bike travelling at these speeds?
OE tyres on my R1150gs are TKC 80s and these are not rated to the top speed of the bike but are what the manufacturer specifies