Tire choice

[engineerk9]

http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/kenda-k784f-big-block-front-tires

Due to export restrictions, we are unable to ship the following products to Australia:

• Kenda K784F Big Block Front Tires (Tire Size: 90/90-21 54Q)

Please remove these items from your shopping cart to proceed.

 

[glitch_oz]

Due to export restrictions, we are unable to ship the following products to Australia:

• Kenda K784F Big Block Front Tires (Tire Size: 90/90-21 54Q)

Please remove these items from your shopping cart to proceed.

Try rockymountainatv

But Kenda does "do" that size.

 

[engineerk9]

Try rockymountainatv

But Kenda does "do" that size.

I'll try & get them from the Guy at Freeman's Reach (Richmond NSW) he's an advocate, I'm very pro-Aussie where possible

 

[vodka]

Hi , Engineerk9, wondering do you run rimlocks for ur upcoming desert trek?
Also did you have a chance to try any tyre choice out in sandy stuff?

 

[Jon Knutson]

They

Due to export restrictions, we are unable to ship the following products to Australia:

• Kenda K784F Big Block Front Tires (Tire Size: 90/90-21 54Q)

Please remove these items from your shopping cart to proceed.

won't ship tires to the UK either.

 

[engineerk9]

Hi , Engineerk9, wondering do you run rimlocks for ur upcoming desert trek?
Also did you have a chance to try any tyre choice out in sandy stuff?

No rim locks, the Karoo 3 seemed good enough at 22-25 psi in the desert (l didn't attempt Big Red) with 27-30 on the road, apparently both front & rear rims are too wide for locks (the rear at least) l ran a K60 rear 30psi dirt, 36psi road

 

[engineerk9]

Hi , Engineerk9, wondering do you run rimlocks for ur upcoming desert trek?
Als
o did you have a chance to try any tyre choice out in sandy stuff?

I can't say that my dirt riding skill would notice much difference, l was always concerned with tube "nips" or rolling off the rim

The Karoo3 was better at 25psi on gravel than 30psi, but got very hot on the road at 25psi

 

[engineerk9]

Heidenau K60, 140 width, is the "old", original tread pattern of the first series K60's. Tube type only.
Great stuff, very heavy, pretty good grip in the loose stuff right up to the end of wear, noisy + lumpy, hard rubber, lasts well but has a reputation for being treacherous on wet asphalt.

Heidenau K60, 150 width, is the new "Scout" with the center rib, tubeless
Great stuff, very heavy, getting pretty skittish from about 60%wear, noisy but not as lumpy as the original pattern, hard rubber, lasts well but has a reputation for being treacherous on wet asphalt.
Prime choice for 2-up gravel work and for long-life rough stuff, keeps punctures to a minimum. Hit ther deck twice with ~30-40% worn examples on the V-Stroms (wet gravel-clay mix and wet asphalt)

Mitas 07, tube + tubeless, LOVE the fronts, expensive for what they are, softer rubber mix than the Heidenau's, fairly quiet...but still noticeable, my preferred hoop for the mainly dry, loose stuff we see in AUS. Rears wearing out too quickly, also seen a couple of rears with deep cracks in the carcass lately, both swapped under "warranty" without fuss by the importer.
Good grip all-round for a tyre of its kind. My choice for when the going-gets-rougher.

TKC80...tube + tubeless, never felt confident to chuck the bike around on asphalt with those, but many like them on the bigger bikes. Coarse, noisy, rears wear quickly on paved roads.

Kenda 784 Big Block...tubeless,very similar to the TKC's in all aspects, but amazing grip on asphalt for that kind of hoop, also come from Taiwan (at least the Aussie stock), softer rubber mix than the TKC, wore out front within 5000km, rears by 3000km,....cheap to buy, expensive in the long run.

Certainly love the Shinko 705 rears for a quiet, well gripping, everyday general purpose tyre with some decent grip on hardpack and the usual surface gravel off the pavement, tubeless.
Last well enough (very similar to other "road-pattern" tyres like Tourances/Anakees/TKC70 and the like) but slightly better on the loose stuff.
For what they are and the price bracket they're in, they're damn hard to beat.

Mefo 99 rear & E-07 front, a good combination you think ?


I only wish I could lay my hands on the Fullbore rears, which are a copy of a Shinko 705 (made by Shinko/ Yokohama) in a slightly harder compound and slightly wider block-spacing.
Had them twice on some Yammie XT660R hire-bikes in New Zealand for a couple of weeks each and they proved just the exact right mix of grip and smooth running in just about anything thrown at them. Wear seemed to be on a par with other, similar products.
http://www.fullboretires.com/adventuretouring.html

Mefo Explorer 99 (tube/tubeless/reverse for rear tyre) ....with a pattern similar to the original (NOT the Scout) K60 front, but a somewhat softer rubber mix and without the weight of the Heidenau, many in the D/S community are raving about this tyre.
Scored one for the front of the Strada and the first 500km were pretty damn impressive.
Quiet, stable and immediately "comfortable" after the first 20km scrub-in, nice grip on wet pavement , quite amazing in the dry... good and stable on dry dirt+gravel.
Haven't encountered wet dirt yet. (hey, it's summer over here!).

Which makes for my currently preferred combo of a Mitas 07 front and a Shinko 705 rear for both the TR and the Strom, with the FullBore rears and the Mefo fronts being serious contenders.

Then again...tyres are like deodorants....everyone likes something different. :-)
I don't mind hanging the back out, but I'm scared witless of the front going AWOL.