What have you done to your GS or GS Adventure today?

That is not good. How long do they last, comparred to your other tires?

Jim

Looking to get 12K+ depending on how hard you ride. So longer break in period but also a longer life tire.

First of all, if you ride a GS or a GS/A with sport bike tires, it will handle like a sport bike (kinda, anyway...). But if you use any other kind of tire (read: dual sport tire), it will not handle like a sport bike.

Having said that, the Heidenau K-60 tires are the longest lasting tires I've ever used. This is my first set on my GS/A but I am on my second set on my G650X Challenge. The first set I changed after I bought it with 7700ish miles on them and the second set I have over 9k on them and still going...

As for the tires, I rode from Hayward, CA to San Clemente, CA after having them installed (429 miles). I encountered 5 or 6 rain events with no drama, a couple of them were heavy squalls. The only issue I had the whole way home was the parts of the freeway that had the rain grooves carved in them. The front end tends to track in the grooves when the bike is fully loaded. I can say I did not feel the bike squirm around at all in the rain (except in the rain grooves). I felt the bike was planted all the way to 100 mph, even in the corners. I can say I was not riding the bike like a sport bike at that speed... :eek1

I'll post more as the tires wear. I'm also heading to Alaska in June and am going to use these tires the whole time. I've read other inmate's accounts of how well the tires perform and how long they last, so, along with the success I've had on my other bike, I'm very confident with my tire choice...

Hey Jim, I too have recently fitted them to my GS as I wanted a tire that would give me better mileage and less front end vibration than the TKC-80. So far I like them but I have found that you need to run less air in them than the max it states on the sidewall and I totally agree with the "rain grooves" tracking comments made here and on other threads. The first day they were downright scary but have settled some now that I have a few miles on them. They were also easy to fit here at home, I put mine on in just a few minutes using nothing but 3 small tire spoons and some WD-40 to lubricate the beads.

Daz.

I can attest to how hard these are to mount... I mounted the set on my G650X Challenge and the rear tire was the toughest sidewall tire I've ever encountered. This set I put on the GS/A, I had them mounted...

I got a brand new K60 installed 2 weeks ago and literally 188 miles later riding down I-78 it was flat with this tear in it.

Not sure what caused it, there was no nail or any signs. Thankfully a mushroom plug held and got me home.

I had planned to use the tire on my trip to Canada. I guess I'm going to have to get another one and just use this one around town.

The worst part is I already have a plugged K60 in the garage that I was going to burn up around town...

I replaced the 55w 6000k HID bulbs in my aux lights with 55w 3000k bulbs. One of the white ones were burnt one, and I wanted yellow. They are so bright they actually caused my photo sensor to overload into static.

Started machining foot for my side stand.

When I was on my Desert Southwest trip, I stopped at a dealership to get new front brake pads (ran out of time before I left). A mechanic was looking over my bike and told me they had just received a service bulletin advising not to run K60's over 35psi as the knobs could start tearing. I already run mine at 35 so I was good to go.

The More You Know.

The first time I took my K60's offroad, I saw they had tons of tears all over the knobs. Chunks were taken off. I've never seen that before on my TKC's, but doing a search on this site, those types of tears seemed to be normal.

Hmmn. This is my third or fourth rear (I use a TKC in the front) over 3 bikes and have never had any tears, rips or anything other than complete satisfaction. I wonder what pressures those guys were running.

Checked the valve clearances, swapped the worn front tire for new, and fixed the valve cover seal leaks, new spark plugs.
A little light cleaning on the front wheel.
I'll know tomorrow if it is ready to ride back to Phoenix for two more weeks of work.


Maybe ride back to Phoenix for the last two weeks of my assignment.

not actually bike, but washed my 10year old Savannah 2 Jacket (not for the first time) and so now its brilliant blue and silver grey again and my 13year old savanah 2 pants are yellow and silver again.

Hay Ewe

Got home yesterday from a week-long, 2,319 mile trip. First leg was a SaddleSore1000. Coming back to the bike after a pit stop on that first leg, I felt a twinge of affection while looking at the bike.

Not too much, just put some stickers:

Sold a bunch of stuff that came with my 09, including highway pegs, a set of orange plastics, and a low seat. This funded my first farkle purchases since I got the bike last year.

First, I got some Rox Risers, since I wasn't comfortable long distances, especially with the adventure seat that came on this bike. It was pretty easy, though I felt cheap not having e-torx sockets. Dropping the left side tube to route the clutch etc. behind the "forks" was easy, as was clipping the hidden tie wraps. It looks a little ugly, so I will try and pretty it up a bit. No problems on the right side. So far, feels a lot better, though I will probably adjust it a little more.

Second, I got a Booster Plug. I routed the temp probe under the tank and tie wrapped it to the left side frame. Wow, this has made a huge difference. The motor is really smooth now, and all of the bogging and jerkiness is gone. I commute a lot, so I can see this helping a lot in the traffic. It now feels like I always imagined the R1200GS would feel like.

This was my first time doing anything on this bike, but I have worked on my DRZ and my QA-50. This is a dream to work on. Everything is clean, obvious, and fits well. It reminds me of my friends Porsche 911, which is super easy to work on. Yay German Engineering!

Next: she needs a bath.

Dan Kyle to the rescue!

Why is it that crap wears out when: a) you least expect it, and b) when you just got some money stashed away for other projects?

The scene a couple of days ago.





Oh and I should also add why is it that the smallest parts are so well buried?
I was in town (LA) a few days ago and at an intersection I stalled the bike on take off. "WTF"? I was thinking. It was then that I started to notice that I was only getting clutch engagement at the very last part of the lever being released. When I got back home (interesting journey with imminent clutch issues), I tried bleeding it out but was getting nowhere so I ordered a new slave cylinder. "What do you mean it's $160 for something so small it could fit in your top shirt pocket"? Bring My Wallet indeed!
So anyway, that's now taken care of and one less thing to worry about for a few more years. While I had the tank off I also replaced the fuel filter and did the siphon mod to extend my travel range. The bike has gotten so good I just wish I had some extra $$$ so I could take off for a couple of weeks worth of ADV riding.

I'm sorry, but I just gotta say that I don't think I'd ever mount these tires on my GSA. I can understand people looking for better mileage out of a tire, I would too, but at the expense of traction and safety??? For everything I have read about experiences with these tires, from scary feelings to actual crashes, frankly it's just not worth it. Stick to your TKC80's or Anakee 2 or 3's or Metzelers or whatever but please be careful with these Heidenau K-60's. they just don't seem worth the extra mileage you may get. YMMV. Just my opinion...

Marc in Manzanillo

If you have no direct experience with the tires, then how do you know if they are safe or not? As I said in my lengthy post above, I suspect others have been riding a bit too fast for the conditions and getting a wake up call from the tires.

I've also heard that riding a motorcycle is the most dangerous thing I can ever do and I should avoid it at all costs, lest I shall die... That comment came from someone who had never ridden a motorcycle in their life...

Comments are like assholes, everyone has them and sometimes they stink...

YMMV