Tyres advice

J

Jon davies

Member
Now then chaps,
I am wondering if anyone has any top tips for big bike tyres for my vstrom 650.
I am currently on anakee wilds which I love but having got shy of 3000 miles off the rear I am wondering about my options.
The front is OK, so I am wondering about pairing something with it that may last a bit longer but without making the back end slap about like a freshly caught salmon every time I leave the tarmac.

I am doing a trip to Spain/Portugal this summer and will be doing a decent bit of laning there so the anakee wilds would be great but they may not make the trip and I aren't for changing a tyre out there.
Any tips great appreciated.
 
austin

austin

Well-Known Member
Heidenau K60's and TKC80s are my only experience of "off road" tyres (everything else has been Tourance and the like - and loving the Avon Trailriders I currently have fitted).

TKC80 - great grip on tarmac, rear wears at about 2x the rate of a front, so about 3-4,000 from each rear on my XT660R. For what I did in the dirt - forestry tracks etc they were fine. Also OK when worn.

K60s - Last for ages and I mean ages. On my GSA i got 12,000+ miles on a rear and nearly double that out of a front. Grip and handling in fine when new but handling goes off quite quickly and you end up with a tyre that never seems to going to wear out while your bike feels horrible, you get the excitement of the odd little slip on greasy roads, and your confidence starts to go until I couldn't wait to get rid. Again OK on gravel tracks and very light mud - like a wet dirt road. Buy these for longevity rather than grip, although many many others rave about them. Possibly a good choice for Spain - try a PM to "the Spanish Rider" and see what he thinks.

A common combo is a TKC800 front and a K60 rear. I have never tried it but I do know others that have, including a couple who post on here. @Stubbsie. @Paul-S's opinion is nuts and likes tyres with no grip so ignore what he says.:D;)
 
Zimtim

Zimtim

Member
Mitas EO7
have a look at them decent enough for some laning and should be good enough on the road have them on my KTM950 at moment grip well enough even in this weather we have at the moment. I think I should get 5-6000 from the rear and maybe a bit more from front.
 
Lord Vader

Lord Vader

Well-Known Member
Make a list of all the tyres you like the look of and which fit your bike.
Try one after the other
Tick them off one by one
Everyone likes different things and rides different.
I for some unknown reason get more miles out of any of my tyres than anyone else. Dont know why as i dont think i ride too slow :cool2:
Funny i didnt get on with the Mitas at all.
So go and try till you find one which suits you:ride::ride::ride:
 
Zimtim

Zimtim

Member
Should be ok a mate will run the EO7 rear with MT21 front
Normally in the summer I run a MT21 front and Mitas eo9 rear, this is mainly for dry roads and the lanes.
This is also a popular combo with a lot of the KTM riders.
 
J

Jon davies

Member
Lord McVader said:
Make a list of all the tyres you like the look of and which fit your bike.
Try one after the other
Tick them off one by one
Everyone likes different things and rides different.
I for some unknown reason get more miles out of any of my tyres than anyone else. Dont know why as i dont think i ride too slow :cool2:
Funny i didnt get on with the Mitas at all.
So go and try till you find one which suits you:ride::ride::ride:
Click to expand...

Ha yeah that's what I was trying to avoid! Don't want want to spend 100 quid on a piece of crap I want to bin after a few miles....
Used a Tenere with E07 for a weekend and it worked.
 
Steve T

Steve T

Well-Known Member
I've run a TKC80 front (19")and a Mitas E09 Dakar rear (17") on a F650GS Twin and currently on my F800GS (21" front, 17" rear).

Great combination of mud plugging ability and longevity (for a full on knobbly). Tried a E09 Dakar front on the F650GS Twin and it wore down way too quickly when covering road miles on the way too / from dirt rides.

Just my tuppence

Steve T

:cool:
 
J

Jon davies

Member
All credit to Michelin, they have given me a replacement rear for the worn out one on warranty.
Well Happy with that, recommended slightly higher pressures to improve the mileage.
We will see but excellent customer care either way.
 
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