Why TKC80 front K60 rear?

[Dieselpwr]

Considering something a bit more aggressive for some Pine Barren runs. I've noticed a lot of riders go with the K60 rear but not the front. What gives?

[BcDano]

In a word, "longevity". 80 up front gives ou better off road grip in the loose corners and k60 gives you plenty in the rear unless things get muddy with the bonus of lasting at least double the time a TKC 80 rear would. Not a good set up though for any amount of highway time.

[sorebutt]

The 80 up front gives good traction off road a pretty good life. The 80 on the back is only good for around 3-4000 miles. The K60 easily does twice that and isn't too bad for off road traction. It is better than a half worn out 80.

[Bayner]

Short answer - the front K60 sucks, TCK is the better choice.
If you really want loose surface grip try a Pirelli Scorpion Rally up front.

[Dadayama]

So i have had this set up... and people told me i couldn't do it... which is interesting because i did...

But it had something to do with two different types of tires, and i have read that you are not supposed to mix them, but have never heard why not.


on the tire combo... i had good luck with it, but last summer went on a epic trip and had repaired a flat on my rear K-60 after several thousand miles... so i replaced it with new TK-80 for the big trip,,,,, the TK-80 rear has more wear on then the front and less then half the miles... i will go back to the K-60 in back...

[toowheels]

Originally Posted by Bayner

Short answer - the front K60 sucks, TCK is the better choice.
If you really want loose surface grip try a Pirelli Scorpion Rally up front.

What he said. Even by looking at it I wasn't going to run it and the reports sealed it. There are two different treads now though. They've started to offer the old one again which has a slightly more aggressive (knobby) sides. The TKC has better grip pretty much everywhere and the wear is very good if you're not to hard on the front brake.

The theories in mixing brands is different profiles, casings and rubber compounds which could lead to an imbalanced feel. Saying not to mix protects the manufacturer too of course from liability. I never had any problems with the feel of the TKC/K60 combo. I did notice the different profile (rounder) of the Pirelli Scorpion Rally front right away though and it wasn't negative, just different.

I've moved on to the Mitas E07 now in the back though because I wasn't liking the centre strip on the newer K60s and the Mitas E10 up front for a stiffer casing slightly more open tire than the TKC. Don't go too low on the pressure with the TKC...they are soft! I think I have MTB tires that are stiffer!

By the way you're also not supposed to run the TKC backwards to even out the wear pattern . I have though (as have others on here) and I'm still alive, but I haven't seen some of the others on lately .

Dave

[Angryrican]

Originally Posted by Dieselpwr

Considering something a bit more aggressive for some Pine Barren runs. I've noticed a lot of riders go with the K60 rear but not the front. What gives?

Jorge, I got 4500 out of my rear TKC and just replaced it with the same, I should need to replace the front when my second rear wears out. I'd check out the upcoming Metzeler Karoo 3 which looks similar to the Sahara that was great in sand and should be good for the Pine Barrens.
One thing to note My experience has been good with the TKC'S in sugar sand so far keeping them around 20 PSI and they have been great on the highway at recommended 32/38 front/ rear pressure.

[eakins]

why? (the name of this combo is called a mullet.)

because the tkc is more aggressive up front (than the K60) in the dirt where tire wash out can happen when cornering and you go down. since it's the front, the wear is alot less than the rear and should last aprox the same as the k60 rear. the tkc also works great on the pavement.

on the rear the k60 lasts along time (upwards of 10k) yet still works well in the dirt. a rear tkc can be toast in as little as 2500mi, while the front has 3x that life left.

so you get great great mileage f & r that are matched to wear out at the same time and this combo works great in the dirt as well as the pavement. it's the holy grail of long-mileage & matched wear 50/50 tire combos.
that's why.

I use this technique on my 650 thumper as do most dual-sport and adv riders in the know. been doing it for years & have many others. those who are scared to try something outside the norm and experiment are missing out big time.

[eakins]

yes the hard to find (need to buy from Canada still at this point http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=706242 )
Mitas E07 and TKC will been an even better true 50/50 choice.
http://advrider.com/forums/showpost....&postcount=933 - fast picture here

You you said, the E07 does not have that center bar like the revised K60 does (in 150-17" size) and the Australians (where the E07 is easy to find) say the rear mileage is also a 10K tire. The E07 design is like the Mefo Explorer (not available in 150-17" for some reason ). For 650 thumpers a TKC front & Mefo Explorer mullet is the bomb.

Another option is to cut your K60 center so it looks like and works like the original version (prior to the rubber redo to get rid of BPAs but also killed durability & longevity, thus Heidenau added the center rubber bar). http://www.advrider.com/forums/showt...568324&page=96

Originally Posted by toowheels

What he said. Even by looking at it I wasn't going to run it and the reports sealed it. There are two different treads now though. They've started to offer the old one again which has a slightly more aggressive (knobby) sides. The TKC has better grip pretty much everywhere and the wear is very good if you're not to hard on the front brake.

The theories in mixing brands is different profiles, casings and rubber compounds which could lead to an imbalanced feel. Saying not to mix protects the manufacturer too of course from liability. I never had any problems with the feel of the TKC/K60 combo. I did notice the different profile (rounder) of the Pirelli Scorpion Rally front right away though and it wasn't negative, just different.

I've moved on to the Mitas E07 now in the back though because I wasn't liking the centre strip on the newer K60s and the Mitas E10 up front for a stiffer casing slightly more open tire than the TKC. Don't go too low on the pressure with the TKC...they are soft! I think I have MTB tires that are stiffer!

By the way you're also not supposed to run the TKC backwards to even out the wear pattern . I have though (as have others on here) and I'm still alive, but I haven't seen some of the others on lately .

Dave

[moe.ron]

Isn't the tread pattern on the K60 different between a 650 and 800? I know the tire for the 1200 is, at least in the rear.

[eakins]

Originally Posted by moe.ron

Isn't the tread pattern on the K60 different between a 650 and 800? I know the tire for the 1200 is, at least in the rear.

150 has center bar right from the start
140 has the center bar down a few mm but the 150 & 140 look the same when they are worn
130 has no center bar like the original design

many 650 dual-sport us a 130-17" rear, some a 140.
the 800gs and 1200gs both use a 150-17" rear.

[toowheels]

Originally Posted by eakins

yes the hard to find (need to buy from Canada still at this point http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=706242 )
Mitas E07 and TKC will been an even better true 50/50 choice.
http://advrider.com/forums/showpost....&postcount=933 - fast picture here

You you said, the E07 does not have that center bar like the revised K60 does (in 150-17" size) and the Australians (where the E07 is easy to find) say the rear mileage is also a 10K tire. The E07 design is like the Mefo Explorer (not available in 150-17" for some reason ). For 650 thumpers a TKC front & Mefo Explorer mullet is the bomb.

Another option is to cut your K60 center so it looks like and works like the original version (prior to the rubber redo to get rid of BPAs but also killed durability & longevity, thus Heidenau added the center rubber bar). http://www.advrider.com/forums/showt...568324&page=96

The other thing is the K60 140 and 150 have a slightly different side knob configuration. The 150 doesn't have cuts (gaps) where the 140 does on the side knobs. For that reason I would only run the 140 and yes I did cut out the centre band on that too.
It helped a bit but for me the E07 looks like a better bet. No cutting and what may even be a better tire. It also appears from what I've seen that they wear more evenly too and by that I mean they don't square up as much. Jury is out on that still though I'm only going by pics I've seen and my E09. My E07 only has about 1000km so far.

Dave

[markymcd]

E-09 Dakar front and back all the way baby! Nice strong tire and shitloads of off road traction.

The rear lasts a hell of a long time compared to the TKC and for us folks with the 19" front, the E-09 comes in a 100 width which is a massive difference over the standard 110 which is pretty much every other tire.

Very strong sidewalls too so they work great with lower pressures. And I have no clue why people put a 150 on the back. I used to and there's no way I will anymore. Especially if you are going to be doing any off pavement riding.

I used to ride the K60 when they first came into the country. Great tire but they blew it with their newer versions.

All this being said I still haven't tried the Dunlops

Mark