The Great DualSport Tire Shootout!

There are only so many tires out there and I've listed about every one available for the BMW r100GS and the r80G/S. If you see one that's not on here lemme know.


There are already a lot of opinions on other threads:

• TIRES!...Who's Running What & WHY?
• R80ST, Dual Purpose Tyre Options?

Sizes On the r80G/S and r100GS Airheads:

• 90/90-21 front on both, 2.75/3.00", rim size - 1.85x21
• 120/80-18 rear for G/S, 4.50/4.75", rim size - 2.15x18
• 130/80-17 rear for GS, 5.00/5.10", rim size - 2.5x17

Tubes

• rear: 4.25-5.10/# (rear rim size)
• front: 3.00/21

TIRES
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Road Biased
​

<table style="width: 575px; height: 378px;" border="1"><tbody><tr><td><center>Tire
</center></td><td align="center">Available for:
</td><td><center>Street/Dirt Ratio
</center></td><td><center>Tubeless(TL)
Tube Type(TT)
</center> </td></tr><tr align="center"><td style="vertical-align: top;">Avon Distanzia $</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">G/S, GS
</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">90/10
</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">TL
</td></tr><tr align="center"><td style="vertical-align: top;">Avon Gripster</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">GS
</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">80/20
</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">TL
</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="top">BridgestoneTW21/22
</td><td align="center" valign="top">GS
</td><td align="center" valign="top">80/20
</td><td align="center" valign="top">TT
</td></tr><tr align="center"><td style="vertical-align: top;">Continental Escape $ </td><td style="vertical-align: top;">GS
</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">70/30
</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">TT, TL
</td></tr><tr align="center"><td style="vertical-align: top;">Dunlop D607
</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">GS
</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">
</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">
</td></tr><tr align="center"><td style="vertical-align: top;">IRC GP-110 $
</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">G/S, GS
</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">90/10
</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">TT
</td></tr><tr align="center"><td style="vertical-align: top;">IRC GP-1 $</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">G/S, GS
</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">80/20
</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">TT</td></tr><tr align="center"><td style="vertical-align: top;">Kenda K761$</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">G/S, GS
</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">80/20
</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">TT
</td></tr><tr align="center"><td style="vertical-align: top;">Metzeler Karoo (T) $ </td><td style="vertical-align: top;">GS
</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">80/20
</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">TL
</td></tr><tr align="center"><td style="vertical-align: top;">Metzeler Tourance$ </td><td style="vertical-align: top;">GS
</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">90/10
</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">TL
</td></tr><tr align="center"><td style="vertical-align: top;">Michelin Anakee $
</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">GS
</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">
</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">TL
</td></tr><tr align="center"><td style="vertical-align: top;">Pirelli MT90 Scorpion A/T
</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">G/S, GS
</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">70/30
</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">
</td></tr><tr align="center"><td style="vertical-align: top;">Pirelli MT90 Scorpion S/T
</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">G/S, GS
</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">95/5
</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">
</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="top">Shinko 705
</td><td align="center" valign="top">G/S, GS</td><td valign="top">

75/25​

</td><td align="center" valign="top">TT, TL</td></tr> </tbody></table>

Gelände/Strasse​

<table style="width: 573px; height: 292px;" border="1"><tbody><tr><td><center>Tire
</center></td><td align="center">Available for: </td><td><center>Street/Dirt Ratio
</center></td><td><center>Tubeless(TL)
Tube Type(TT)
</center> </td></tr> <tr><td align="center" valign="top">BridgestoneTW301/302
</td><td align="center" valign="top">G/S
</td><td valign="top">
</td><td align="center" valign="top">TT
</td></tr><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left">

Bridgestone TW41/42
​

</td><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="center">GS
</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">
</td><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="center">TT </td></tr><tr align="center"> <td><center>Cheng Shin C858$
</center> </td><td>G/S
</td><td><center>
</center> </td><td><center>TT
</center> </td></tr><tr align="center"> <td><center>Continental TKC-80 </center> </td><td><center>G/S, GS
</center></td><td><center>40/60
</center> </td><td><center>TT, TL
</center> </td></tr><tr align="center"> <td><center>Duro HF903/904$</center> </td><td>G/S*, GS
</td><td><center>60/40
</center> </td><td><center>TT
</center> </td></tr><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="center">Heidenau K60 </td><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="center">G/S, GS
</td><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="center">
</td><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="center">TT, TL
</td></tr><tr align="center"> <td><center>Kenda K270$
</center> </td><td><center>G/S, GS
</center></td><td><center>50/50
</center> </td><td><center>TT
</center> </td></tr><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="center">Mefo Explorer $
</td><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="center">GS
</td><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="center">
</td><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="center">
</td></tr><tr align="center"><td style="vertical-align: top;">Metzeler Sahara 3 $ </td><td style="vertical-align: top;">G/S, GS
</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">50/50
</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">TT, TL
</td></tr><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="center">Michelin T63 $ </td><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="center">G/S, GS
</td><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="center">
</td><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="center">
</td></tr><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="center">Pirelli MT60 RS Corsa $
</td><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="center">G/S, GS
</td><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="center">60/40
</td><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="center">TT, TL
</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="top">Shinko 244 $</td><td align="center" valign="top">G/S, GS</td><td align="center" valign="top">
</td><td align="center" valign="top">TT
</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="top">Shinko 700 $</td><td align="center" valign="top">G/S, GS</td><td align="center" valign="top">
</td><td align="center" valign="top">TT, TL</td></tr></tbody></table>

Knobby
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<table style="width: 574px; height: 152px;" border="1"><tbody><tr><td><center>Tire
</center></td><td align="center">Available for: </td><td><center>Street/Dirt Ratio
</center></td><td><center>Tubeless(TL)
Tube Type(TT)
</center> </td></tr> <tr> <td align="center"><center>Dunlop D606
</center> </td><td align="center">G/S, GS
</td><td align="center"><center>
</center> </td><td align="center"><center>TT
</center> </td></tr><tr> <td align="center"><center>Maxxis C6006$ </center> </td><td align="center"><center>G/S, GS
</center></td><td align="center"><center>30/70
</center> </td><td align="center"><center>TT
</center> </td></tr><tr> <td align="center"><center>IRC TR-8
</center> </td><td align="center">G/S
</td><td align="center"><center>
</center> </td><td align="center"><center>TT
</center> </td></tr><tr> <td align="center"><center>Pirelli MT-21</center> </td><td align="center"><center>G/S, GS
</center></td><td align="center"><center>10/90
</center> </td><td align="center"><center>TT
</center> </td></tr></tbody></table>
$ means cheap! ~ $125/set or less
$ means expensive! ~ $200/set or more

All these tires have 90/90-21 fronts available and are DOT legal

The street/dirt ratios are all from the manufacturer's website or the supplier and may well be lies. If nothing was listed I put it in the category that it looked like it should go in. I didn't try to guess at the numbers myself.

*The Duro is a VERY wide tire and the rear won't fit a G/S with an Ohlin's shock, may not even fit with a stock shock

Manufacturers:

​

Avon
Bridgestone
​

Continental
Dunlop
Duro
Heidenau
IRC
Kenda
Maxxis
Mefo
Metzeler
Michelin
Pirelli
Shinko

Suppliers:[/SIZE]

​

American Moto Tire
​

Shipping starts at about $15 per tire but drops down quickly if you buy multiples. On my last order I got 5 tires and paid $35 s&h. I've used them for a coupla years and haven't had any complaints. Tires are cheaper than SW across the board, but SW has free s&h. Their only real advantage over SW is that they carry IRC & Duro tires whereas SW doesn't.

Southwest Moto Tire ​

Free shipping. Their website was down for a little while but it's back up and redesigned.

Motorcycle Super Store

KhaoSanMan called them and says that MSS does offer free shipping on tires but that it's not 3-day shipping--it'll come via normal ground shipping. Their prices are a little inflated due to the free shipping. Like Southwest, it'll likely be a toss-up between AM or MSS as to who's cheaper after you take shipping into account. The only way to know is to fill out an order for the tires you want on each website then compare.

Chaparral Racing

good prices, not a great selection, not sure on shipping charges.

Mitas

The only place to buy the Mitas tires right now. Straight from the manufacturer, free ground shipping. The website doesn't seem to work right now but it's new so hopefully it'll get fixed soon. Thanks to JamesOn2Wheels

Useful links to general tire info:

• http://www.webbikeworld.com/Motorcyc.../tire-data.htm
• http://totalmotorcycle.com/photos/ti...e-TyreTech.htm
• Tire Size Calculator
• Good thread on changing tube tires by hand

some hearsay on natural rubber vs. butyl rubber tubes:
natural is more porous and requires more frequent topping off. The advantage is that it is less likely to pop like a balloon during a puncture.

some hearsay on ultra heavy duty tubes vs. normal:
uhd tubes are less likely to pop like a balloon during puncture but don't make a big difference in preventing the actual puncture. They do seem to resist pinch flats more. On tarmac they can heat up more than a light tube causing the rubber to deteriorate. kinda like riding a tire beyond it's speed rating--the rubber heats up faster than it can dissipate it. some people recommend against using uhd in dualsport bikes--some have put tens of thousands of highway miles on them with no problems.

some hearsay on front tire direction of rotation:
The apex of some tires point forward and some point backwards if mounted according to the manufacturer's arrow on the side of the tire. Some people say the difference is intended use. Having the arrow pointed forward may dispel water better, backward may help off-road traction and reduce cupping. Mounting a tire in a way not prescribed by the manufacturer could cause legal problems in the case of an accident. It also may cause you to fail vehicle inspections.

tags: r80gs r100gspd r80g/spd tire tyre tyres dualsport dual sport shootout review monolever paralever

No Tourances or Gripsters ? Me, I'm partial to Gripsters. More than enough grip for me on all surfaces for the type of riding I do,( call me a weenie ) and the mileage is great. Just had my dealer give me a brand spankin' new rear today when I stopped in.

my 2 cents:

I like cheap tires. They may not last as long as the Distanzias but they're better offroad and the money works out about the same. It means an extra tire change but that's not problem on tube tires. I don't ride aggressively on the road so road performance isn't a big deal to me. A cheap tire near the 50/50 range is what I run around town.

Avon Distanzias are hard to beat for adv touring. They last 10-12k and hook up okay for the dirt roads I've run in to. They're not fun in mud but it's a fair trade-off for the mostly highway/dirt road riding I do. On most trips it will mean you don't have to ride around with a spare tire strapped to the back of your bike. If I'm leaving the country this is what I wear.

I've heard great things about the TKC80s but I can't see spending $100+ on a rear tire that'll last me less than 3 months.

tubes versus tubeless
I had a tube blow on a dirtbike one time. I wiped out almost immediately and ended up in the hospital. When tubeless tires get a puncture they leak and give you time to get to the side of the road. When tubes get punctured it's usually like shoving a needle in a balloon-they pop. I now run ultra Heavy Duty natural rubber tubes. These suckers look like you could leave the tires off and ride on 'em. I'm sure my rotating mass is almost twice what a tubeless bike has but I don't want to spend the money to convert to tubeless and I like being able to buy cheaper tires and change them myself.

I'm running a 4/4.25-18 ultra heavy duty natural rubber motocross tube in the rear of my G/S. Technically it's too small but the guy at the KTM shop said he runs it in all the 120s they get in with no problems. I just put one of these in mine since my other tube came with the bike and could have been 25 years old for all I know. I'll tell you if it explodes or anything.

*edit: 20,000+ miles and nothing's exploded.

some of the 90/10s might border on the 'look-a-like' category. Like Ford Explorers--they look like they could leave the pavement....but they won't make it back

what about these?

Continental Trail Attack



would you ride YOUR bike offroad with these?

another,

Michelin Anakees



from their website:
"FIRST TIRE TO COMBINE RUGGED OFF-ROAD STYLING WITH SERIOUS ALL SEASON ROAD PERFORMANCE"

hey, they said it, not me.

Pirelli MT90 S/T:

95% ON - 5% OFF
ENDURO STYLE DESIGNED PRIMARILY FOR ROAD USE

5%? really?


​

I'm about done with the Maxxis C6006 I've got on my rear. I'm about to put a front and rear on for the TAT. This rear is bald at 3500 miles. It's scarey on the road. The rear wheel swings back and forth when I push on the bars. Leaning into corners I can feel the rear wheel walking away from me. I think somebody bribed the DOT to get this one street legal.

It's like a dirtbike tire in the mud. With my panniers weighting the rear end, the tire dug in like it had shovels strapped to it. Going through a rocky hill climb I had zero slippage--one of those knobs grabs something and pulls me right along.

I've gone through 3 sets of tourances and I can say they're great on the road, especially in the wet. I've felt confident turning on 40-50mph roads in standing water when SUV's are pulled over to the side because it's raining so hard. They last a LOOONG time, but the last 2 front tires have had a slight hop to them which is very frustrating.

I'm interested in the TKC-80's, but honestly, I do almost zero offroad, so unless they're as good as the tourances in the wet, I have no reason to go to them, despite that I think they look real nice.

*edit* After reading up on everything, my next set will either be scorpion AT's, TKC's or enduro 3 saharas. Price will most likely be the decision maker.

I've got the original fitment Enduro 1 and 2 on my Mono. These tyres were designed for the bike so work really well on road and reasonable off road as long as it's not muddy. At very high speed (100MPH ish) they feel twitchy. Added benefit of being very cheap - £100 a pair ($140)

Enduro 3 Saharas fitted to my 100PD. Some vibes on the road but rock solid at high speeds. Ok(ISH) off road as long as no heavy mud.

I've tried TKC80's in the past but cannot get on with them on road. They look great but vibe like crazy and wear at an alarming rate.

Edit - Just looking at the US Metzler site. It looks like you guys don't get the Metzler Enduro 1 & 2 Tyres.

BG, when are you planning on doing the TAT,I've been thinking about doing it sometime this year, when it gets warmer. Starting in TN, but not doing the whole thing, don't have that much time.

My thoughts about TKCs on my '94 R100GS: The benefit is the huge increase in secure feel on gravel or dirt. For me, it's the difference between being in control and not. They work surprisingly well on dry pavement, better than they have a right to. I've had them scare the bejeebies out of me on wet pavement though, slipping suddenly and dramatically. They're noisy, especially when worn which doesn't take long. They suit my particular needs but if I was commuting I definitely would not use them.

I'd say that I don't care about tire life as spending $250 a year on tires that do everything very well but wear fast is no issue to me...

That being, said I rode Gripsters for a few years, they wore like iron, did well on the road and fine in rain and seemed to be pretty good off-road.... once I tried TKC's I realized how much easier it is to ride gravel and loose dirt with knobbies... and in my opinion the TKC's give up nothing to the gripsters on the road and on wet pavement... and no, there aren't any chickens trips left on my TKC's....

just added the Shinkos. I've never heard of them and the big name suppliers don't carry them. Availability is a little spotty. Some places might have the fronts and not the rears, or rears and no fronts.

The Mefos are the same way. The only supplier I've seen is on a KLR website. I may take hard to find tires like these and put them on a separate list. Most people shopping for tires aren't going to get these and I think it makes deciding look more complicated.

Hey bgoodsoil,

Thanks for putting that together, that is very good info. I bookmarked it for my next tire purchase!

no problemo. btw, nobody's congratulated me yet on using every single gun-toting smiley in my 'shootout' thread!

you'll never live up to Booj's record.




Ever.

I'd take that challenge but then I'd have to make all my posts look like a mob of Shriners riding their scooters through Woodstock.

Booj keeps the title!

I'm planning a return trip to Alaska in June on my PD and will take a set of TKCs along to change over for a ride up to Inuvuk which is 500 miles of gravel. What tire presures do you run on gravel? Thanks

I am a little curious by this thread, do some of your bikes have 17" rear wheels? as some of the tyres (tires) listed don't come in 18", well over here at least. Also some of the tyres (tires) as listed in my thread (the ST one) have already been superceeded and are no longer available.

It would also be nice to know the sizes people are actualy using on their G/S's, GS's, and ST's, as I am unsure of width clearence problems with some of the rear tyres (tires)

the GSes have 17" rear wheels. on the tire list, if it says G/S then there are 120/80-18s available. if it says GS there are 130/80-17s available.

I may have made it a little US-biased so far. The Mitas for example--I put them as hard to find tires but they seem to be pretty common in Europe and Australia.

+1 on that. There are a lot of 140 tires that I haven't listed because I don't know if they'll fit. The clearance problems may not be as simple as width. I can fit 120/80 knobbies on the rear with no problems but 120/80 Distanzias rub my shock. I can still ride with them, but it has different clearances despite the same listed size.

I got an e-mail from another ADVer, drzgal, yesterday that said the Michelin AC10s, 80/100-21 front, will fit a 90/90 so I'm going to put them on the list.

thanks for the (translations)

Fitment is a whole different issue. I have started a thread a long time ago with actual measure values vs rim data:

<table border="1"><tbody><tr><td><center>Tire size</center></td><td><center>Make/Model</center></td><td><center>Tire Width [mm]</center></td><td><center>Rim size</center> </td></tr> <tr> <td><center>140/80-17</center></td><td><center>Bridgestone BT45</center></td><td><center>140.00</center></td><td><center>2.50x17 (R100R)</center> </td></tr><tr> <td><center>140/80-18</center></td><td><center>Metzeler Enduro Sahara 3</center></td><td><center>140.00</center></td><td><center>KTM (?)</center> </td></tr><tr> <td><center>140/90-18</center></td><td><center>Mitas E 08</center></td><td><center>136.00</center></td><td><center>KTM (?)</center> </td></tr><tr> <td><center>130/80-17</center></td><td><center>Avon Gripster am24</center></td><td><center>143.00</center></td><td><center>2.50x17 (R100GS)</center> </td></tr><tr> <td><center>130/80-17</center></td><td><center>Metzeler Enduro Sahara 3</center></td><td><center>125.00</center></td><td><center>2.50x17 (R100GS)</center> </td></tr><tr> <td><center>130/80-17</center></td><td><center>Metzeler Tourance</center></td><td><center>130.00</center></td><td><center>2.50x17 (R100GS)</center> </td></tr><tr> <td><center>130/80-17</center></td><td><center>Michelin Anakee</center></td><td><center>130.00</center></td><td><center>2.50x17 (R100GS)</center> </td></tr><tr> <td><center>130/80-17</center></td><td><center>Metzeler Karoo 2</center></td><td><center>130.00</center></td><td><center>2.50x17 (R100GS)</center> </td></tr><tr> <td><center>4.00-18</center></td><td><center>Metzeler Enduro Sahara 3</center></td><td><center>113.00</center></td><td><center>2.15x18 (R80G/S)</center> </td></tr><tr> <td><center>4.50-18</center></td><td><center>KENDA 270</center></td><td><center>120.00</center></td><td><center>2.50x18 (R100GS custom)</center> </td></tr><tr> <td><center>120/100-18</center></td><td><center>Avon Gripster am24</center></td><td><center>125.00</center></td><td><center>2.15x18 (R80G/S)</center></td></tr></tbody></table>
The ones on this list obviously all fit without issues. Which isn't a guarantee for everybody else but a good indication. Whenever custom is mentioned it is safer to assume it won't fit to a stock bike.

I also found this website: U.S And Metric Tire Size Information Calculator

This is a start and could be extended if bgoodsoil would add it to the front page ...

I have:
R80G/S with Ohlins on rear.
Metric size Enduro Sahara 3's.

They do well-enough in almost everything (except deep mud perhaps) and are a good compromise. They wear fairly quickly and are noisy. The front howls.

The metric size rear easily clears Ohlins spring. As shown in chart it's quite narrow. In fact it makes the bike look like a 250cc from the rear