Here we go. Best tires

[engineerk9]

Meaty tire. Any feedback as to wearability?

Not as yet, it's very new to the market, although their Trials & Enduro tyres are well respected here
At AU$139 it's a great price for a top quality front
I am impressed with the E-10, better manners etc than the Karoo3, but lesser milage - the original Metzler Safari were yeuk

 

[Kenneth Webb]

Those Motoz Adventure tires look really good and I wonder if they are available here in the States yet. Have to look. One of the problems I've had with the Heidi K60 is the inability for the rear tire to hook up when side walling out of a deep rut or running on steep slopes. The rear end just wants to slide down to the bottom. It isn't much of a problem with the Dunlop 908RR as it grips pretty well. The Terra is heavy which doesn't help a lot. What pressure do you actually run? 33psi is high and is going to give a punishing ride over washboard gravel roads. I am getting the Terra ready for another run of the Western TAT and will have 3400 miles of trail and another 1500 of pavement to get back to my rig. These tires might do the entire trip. I was also thinking of the Tractionator Desert HT as an alternative to my 908 rear. At the front, I really prefer a wide profile tire and run the Golden Tyre now, but I know it won't make 5000 miles. The Tractionator Desert is wide, but the Adventure is not. So many choices.......

 

[drzcharlie]

@ Engineer,

Tubeless? Are you using the Nuetech system?

 

[engineerk9]

Those Motoz Adventure tires look really good and I wonder if they are available here in the States yet. Have to look. One of the problems I've had with the Heidi K60 is the inability for the rear tire to hook up when side walling out of a deep rut or running on steep slopes. The rear end just wants to slide down to the bottom. It isn't much of a problem with the Dunlop 908RR as it grips pretty well. The Terra is heavy which doesn't help a lot. What pressure do you actually run? 33psi is high and is going to give a punishing ride over washboard gravel roads. I am getting the Terra ready for another run of the Western TAT and will have 3400 miles of trail and another 1500 of pavement to get back to my rig. These tires might do the entire trip. I was also thinking of the Tractionator Desert HT as an alternative to my 908 rear. At the front, I really prefer a wide profile tire and run the Golden Tyre now, but I know it won't make 5000 miles. The Tractionator Desert is wide, but the Adventure is not. So many choices.......

My K-60 rear I ran 35-40psi road & 30psi desert - the Shock Tech rear shock coped well with the corrugations
I have Mefo 99 on rear now run 36psi the Mitas E-10 on the front 25psi (any lower & it gets too hot on the road)
The Motoz recommend 33psi for most uses - I might drop to 25 for deep sand
Everything is a compromise with tyres - as I undertake long distance solo desert rides with big road miles I treat my tyres with respect

 

[engineerk9]

@ Engineer,

Tubeless? Are you using the Nuetech system?

Still considering them, they don't recommend for road use

 

[drzcharlie]

Yeah, I remain unsold to. ArkWhizzy here in Fayetteville, Arkansas tried to do the spoke nipple seal and it didn't work out for him, he had air leaks and gave up. I find that rear tires are likely the toughest I have ever tried to spoon on a wheel in the 52 years I have been riding. I find myself dreading a flat every time I ride gravel.

 

[engineerk9]

Yeah, I remain unsold to. ArkWhizzy here in Fayetteville, Arkansas tried to do the spoke nipple seal and it didn't work out for him, he had air leaks and gave up. I find that rear tires are likely the toughest I have ever tried to spoon on a wheel in the 52 years I have been riding. I find myself dreading a flat every time I ride gravel.

I've always used "Self-amalgamating" tape inside the rim, 4-5 turns, rather than rim tapes

 

[johnsweet]

I see the new Michelin dual sport tires, anyone using these? http://motorcycle.michelinman.com/tires/michelin-anakee-wild, It will be a while before I wear out my Mitas E07s. Expecting them to go for 8000 miles. Is this realistic? I had a pinch flat with the OEM Metzler Saharas. I used them for 7000 miles

 

[LED]

...It will be a while before I wear out my Mitas E07s. Expecting them to go for 8000 miles. Is this realistic?

I think so, I've got 10,000 km on mine and there is still good amount of rubber left. Maybe another 3000 km.

 

[drzcharlie]

The Anakee Wild really caught my attention too. However the sizes they offer won't fit the Terra. So far I have seen conversations that these tires are lasting into the 3K miles range.

 

[engineerk9]

I see the new Michelin dual sport tires, anyone using these? http://motorcycle.michelinman.com/tires/michelin-anakee-wild, It will be a while before I wear out my Mitas E07s. Expecting them to go for 8000 miles. Is this realistic? I had a pinch flat with the OEM Metzler Saharas. I used them for 7000 miles

I suffered a number for front pinch flats on the OEM Saharas - exercised my sphincter frequently - None with Karoo 3 or E-10 (to date)
I wanted something a little more aggressive than the E-7 on the front

 

[NLfireblade]

I had to order the 17 tooth sprocket from ebay UK. None available at dealers or online elsewhere. It's on the way. I decided to start with the rear Shinko and see how the wobble issue goes. I'd rather have the directional control in the dirt that the knobs provide on the TKC front. The 170 rear fit no problem and is very close to same width as the 150 TKC....









I used calipers and, at the widest point, the Shinko was .5cm closer to the chain than the TKC. So, overall only 1cm wider.

 

[engineerk9]

I had to order the 17 tooth sprocket from ebay UK. None available at dealers or online elsewhere. It's on the way. I decided to start with the rear Shinko and see how the wobble issue goes. I'd rather have the directional control in the dirt that the knobs provide on the TKC front. The 170 rear fit no problem and is very close to same width as the 150 TKC....









I used calipers and, at the widest point, the Shinko was .5cm closer to the chain than the TKC. So, overall only 1cm wider.

Lot's of rubber on the road

 

[kiwiape]

Thats Shinko looks serious, but I would imagine in lose gravel and or dirt it will disappoint you.

The TKC 80 are rubbish for the following reasons, (and all I ever heard was they are great, obviously people have not tried anything else);
1.They are by far the most expensive tyre I have purchased
2. It just melted away in less than 4000km
3. It had the least amount of grip both on-road and off road
4. It has the least amount of tread depth

A Dunlop D606 cost far less, will out perform it for mileage and grip both on-road & definitely off-road /gravel.

 

[Cpan]

Kiwiape, Have just got back from 1600km trip on my Shinko 705s and can report they were great.
Sure, didn't experience much/any mud but as far as gravel , aka Haka pass, danseys pass , Thompson gorge , all loose gravel, they performed well at 25 psi
Also the many km on tarmac , lindas pass , Milford sound , Queenstown ,tekapo, great tyre. Ran into some rain at one stage , sticks like Poo.
Got up to 138kph and they were solid.
Agree with You re rear tkc80 tho.

 

[drzcharlie]

TKC 80 is the absolute worse tire you could put on a TR. From day one the tire was squirmy and never got better. I got less than 1000 miles out of it before I lost confidence. I am now running the Kenda Big Blocks. 2000 miles on them so far and I will probably get another 1000 out of them but they are cheap. Great legs in gravel, dirt, tarmac and sand but in the mud they suck.

 

[Kenneth Webb]

I just ordered a pair of Motoz Desert HT for my other bikes, and boy do they look grippy. Supposed to last well too as they are pure rubber. I decided to run my existing Goldentyre fat tire up front on the Terra for the Western TAT, and the existing Dunlop 908 on the rear, until they are gone, then switch to the Motoz Desert HT along the way. I'm taking the small bikes with the Desert HT to Death Valley in a few weeks and will get a good idea of how they work on various surfaces like rock and sand, and pavement. Maybe some mud on Hunter Mountain too. Or snow......

 

[kiwiape]

Kiwiape, Have just got back from 1600km trip on my Shinko 705s and can report they were great.
Sure, didn't experience much/any mud but as far as gravel , aka Haka pass, danseys pass , Thompson gorge , all loose gravel, they performed well at 25 psi
Also the many km on tarmac , lindas pass , Milford sound , Queenstown ,tekapo, great tyre. Ran into some rain at one stage , sticks like Poo.
Got up to 138kph and they were solid.
Agree with You re rear tkc80 tho.

Hi Cpan

We're on the same page....for the money the Shinko is good and I like the oblique grip it offers as opposed to many which are weight to fore /aft bite only. However I can get the most lean angle grip by far grip on gravel with D606......and when you look at the pattern, it just screams this and even when its worn on the top it still has big knobs on the side that will work in gravel and mud.

 

[danketchpel]

I don't think Shinko make an 18inch

Yes they do.

I'm running Shinko 700s 18/21 on my Terra. I love these tires.



They are cheap, work very well in a wide range of conditions outside of deep mud and deep sand, and last as well or better than many at 2x the price. They don't last as long as a K60 but they cost 1/3 as much. You can do the F&R for less than the price of one K60 rear.

I'm getting between 4-5k miles from a rear and more than double that from the front. They also wear evenly with almost no scalloping etc.

 

[BLZ2DWL]

Just installed Pilot Road 4s (trail in front), and they are the bees knees.