What's the perfect off-road tire for GS?

[Haroon]

Originally Posted by AnuragAshok

Hi Haroon, long time since we hooked up!
I am yet to get this protection and I am figuring out which one to get. It certainly will be there in the next 10 days so that the bike is protected.
The Oil (Power1) and a long list of stuff is being addressed too. We will be 4 guys on GS and Oldfox is also going with us!!

Wow. Nice to know Oldfox is also onboard this time......Hats off to him for earlier taking the Bandit there. Eager to see his opinions on the GS...Wish you all a wonderful ride.

For the crash guard, I went with the most popular choice here on advrider - Hepco & Becker. They sell the upper(tank) & lower guards(engine) separately. Excellent stuff, but to read the manual you may need to visit Max Muller Bhavan And sure the guards are cheaper than BMW ones. I buy most of my stuff from bobsbmw including aftermarket. Very good service. You can ask for Mattigen.

[heetseeker]

I've got over 40,000 miles on my GS with a good deal of that off the paved roads. I have tried nearly every off road worthy tire for the bike and have finally just settled on the TKC's. The Midas are more aggressive but dissolved under paved conditions and didn't seem as stable as the TKC's. I tend to wear my rubber to the very end so all of the tires see on and off paved roads. Just finished a 310 mile spirited road ride over the Sierra Nevadas yesterday on the TKC's I installed in Dawson last month for the ride back to the Sacramento area. Top of the world hwy, the Cassiar, Telegraph Creek, Cranberry Junction adding up to about 3k miles. Still plenty of tread on the front, rear is 1/2 worn... good for another 1-2k miles if unloaded and day riding. Fully loaded for touring really speeds up the wear on any brand i've found. Now if I could just decide on a better gps... my garmin zumo 550 has been rebuilt 3 times and i'm running out of patience with it.

[folmonty]

Originally Posted by BISHOP

+1

+1 and when you do ride tarmac they work pretty darn well there also. Surprisingly

[Tonopah]

I have been running TKC-80's on my '09 R12GS and (except for the first 100-200 miles on new ones) have been amazed at how well, and predictable, they are on dry pavement. Scraped the side of my boot in a turn with my R12GS pretty much fully loaded on a trip recently. Bike was stable throughout. No problem.

As may be true of many of us, my off pavement has -- in reality -- been a lot less than I had expected, and I am thinking about a Heidenau K60 for the rear to replace my TKC-80 as that one is near done. It seems pretty clear that the K60 will provide many more miles on the rear than the TKC-80 but I suspect that even on dry pavement the K60 will not match the TKC-80 in easy, predictable, handling. So I am not yet decided as to whether to try out the K60...

[wcisse]

I'd like to try the Mitas E09 Dakar. Where are you guys able to order them from? Anywhere in the states?

Thanks!

Wayne

Originally Posted by 99p38a

+1 tried and true in the Michigan Sand and Mud. I love my rides on my Mitas. LOUD doesn't even begin to describe them on the pavement tho.... I run Mitas E09 Dakar on front and back and the front wears out quick but i found them super cheap on closeout. I want to try the rear MX tire up front like the one Battle Bike pics you see around on the forums some times. Looks like it will float me thru what I ride real nice..

If you haven't tried Mitas, give them a chance... We know the life of a knobbie isn't great so it's not going to hurt to try them for 1 change. -no affiliation with them or any tire shops. just happy with my tire. plus it's fun to explain why you have a big yellow stripe on the tire.

[MizzouRider]

Originally Posted by bloochdog

I find the TKC to be a a well balanced tire.. The on road is quite predictable.. All the riders running K60s bitch about bad handling in the wet on and off road.

Bad info here. Read the k60 thread. I'd say it's about 75% in favor of the K60 and 3 or 4 guys posting and reposting how they don't like them. I've been very pleased with mine. On road, off, and they are going to outlast every other tire I've ever run.


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[pavement pounder]

Originally Posted by bloochdog

I find the TKC to be a a well balanced tire.. The on road is quite predictable.. All the riders running K60s bitch about bad handling in the wet on and off road.

it's funny how opinions vary, I find quite the opposite. TKC have poor manners in the rain, terrible if colder than 12oC. They wear out very fast, in fact, nearly worn out by the end of my trip for that last set I had.

K60 handle much better cold, wet, dry or hot than the tkc. In my recent comparison, K60 to TKC, I found the K to be equally as secure feeling on gravel as the TKC without the noise or vibration on pavement. Plus, I currently have more mileage on a set of K60 without noticeable wear than the mileage I had on my TKCs when I needed to take them off.

If you're running hard "dirt" roads with little sand or loose gravel, many tires will work fine. But if you're considering a real off-road, dirt-road, gravel-road adventure, get something designed for off road or mostly off road (like tkc and K60 plus a few others mentioned earlier by others)

If you're riding only off road, a Kenda K270 is awesome in loose gravel and sand compared to the other choices, but is dangerously unstable on pavement. I took one off early because of the unpredictable (or more like, predictably unsafe) handling on pavement. However I had nothing be praise for it on the loose gravel of James Bay North Road and Trans taiga. (same geology as Labrador) I rode Labrador with TKCs. the K270 is garbage ON-road with these heavy, powerful bikes.

Like choices in wine, women, politics and motor oil, no 2 people will ever have the same opinion on tires either!

$0.02

Oh, and to answer your question directly, There is no perfect tire, only compromises amongst your needs.

c

[slowoldguy]

Originally Posted by MizzouRider

Bad info here. Read the k60 thread. I'd say it's about 75% in favor of the K60 and 3 or 4 guys posting and reposting how they don't like them. I've been very pleased with mine. On road, off, and they are going to outlast every other tire I've ever run.


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Deleted. Reason: I was being a know-it-all asshat who can't read good.

[MizzouRider]

Originally Posted by slowoldguy

IMO, this post ain't at all helpful. I may well be one of the re-posters mentioned. Check my posts over there. I never denigrated anybody else's experience with any tire. Always made it clear it was my opinion based on my experience. At least, I think I did.

It's just info. Not bad info, not good info. Just info. And BTW, I didn't post that I didn't like them. I posted that I fuckin' hated them on twisty pavement but liked them on gravel. And longevity is not the only criteria for me on a motorcycle tire. It is one. It has to grip on all the roads I ride, at the lean angles I use, and the way I ride. The K60 rear simply doesn't get it done for me and apparently some others. If it does for you , great. Post that experience. But don't call bull-shit on my experience (or someone else's honest experience). That's just being a know-it-all ass-hat. ;)

Please check my post again. I was not indicating that anyone was unfairly judging the tire. My point was the "claim" that "everyone" was having trouble on curves and wet roads. My point was/is that the "everyone" aspect was inaccurate. I suggested a look at the thread and see that there were riders that were not having trouble on curves and wet roads.
I did not intend to indicate your information was bad, but that there were other opinions.
Jeff

Guess I may have caught you in a bad mood this morning huh?


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[slowoldguy]

Yup. Should have caught that the poster you were referring to was making a generalized claim. Mea culpa. Read too fast.

[slowoldguy]

You should like my modified post. ;)

[MizzouRider]

Thanks. I could have worded my original post a bit more clearly.


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