80/10 tire choice or 85/15 maybe

[Wistrick]

The stock tires are almost done at least the rear...My plan was to install Pilot Road III's... But last year a friend took me on a trip that included some packed gravel service roads and it was kinda fun...So now I am thinking that maybe a pure street tire is not the best choice for me. Maybe the Tourance next or the Anakee III fit the bill....or maybe the Connie Trail Attacks..One area that I really don't wanna lose the performance of the PRIII's is in the wet...So ides people???

thanks

Dan

 

[macca]

My guess is you're going to struggle to get wet road grip of a PR3 from anything except the PR3 (or 4) so if that's a given I'd say Anakee 3 as an 80/20 tyre, my experience of mine is they don't feel quite as grippy on tar as the Tourance EXPs (a very grippy tyre) but have better wet mud grip , which I found my oem exps would struggle in .

 

[Wistrick]

My guess is you're going to struggle to get wet road grip of a PR3 from anything except the PR3 (or 4) so if that's a given I'd say Anakee 3 as an 80/10 tyre, my experience of mine is they don't feel quite as grippy on tar as the Tourance EXPs (a very grippy tyre) but have better wet mud grip , which I found my oem exps would struggle in .

Wet mud?? probably nothing more than pack dirt or gravel...

 

[macca]

Wet mud?? probably nothing more than pack dirt or gravel...

My ride into the garage is up a slope made up of mud grass the odd rock shale etc and the crown can get a bit claggy , the oem tourance exp rear would light up the TC when it was bad and slew sideways which made getting the bike into the parking slot in the garage a mite tricky. I "solved" tourance rear grip with a bit of tread extending (with a tyre tread cutter) , K60s handled it fine and the Anakee 3s are coping fine too.
True longer patches of mud are just going to clog it (and any other similarly biased tyre)

 

[echo_four_romeo]

Well I am planning on a trip out with some Tourance NEXTs tomorrow...should be on some hard packed dirt farm roads. If nothing else comes up I'll report back how I feel they handle it. As far as street performance I would say they are as good or better then the stock EXPs.

 

[Firefight911]

I have had very good luck with Conti Trail Attacks for the experience you describe.
I have been a staunch Anakee fan for years but I'm not liking the new IIIs at all. Just not a confidence inspiring front tire, IMO.
I am going to spoon on a set if Conti TAs after my Death Valley full knobbies required trip next month.

Sent from my Windows phone. Spelling errors free of charge.

 

[Wistrick]

Well I am planning on a trip out with some Tourance NEXTs tomorrow...should be on some hard packed dirt farm roads. If nothing else comes up I'll report back how I feel they handle it. As far as street performance I would say they are as good or better then the stock EXPs.

thinking of mating up a Tourance Next rear with the stock exp front, still has some mileage in it...

 

[Rasher]

The Mrs V-Strom has the standard Tourances on it and they are far more blocky than the Exp''s I had, which IMO probably are not noticeably better than pure road rubber, I have Roadsmart 2's at the moment and think they will work as well on hard packed dry mud / gravel as the Exp's.

I too like the odd gravel / dirt track (although they are very rare where I live) and could probably give up a shade of the tarmac performance the Roadsmarts give as they are way beyond my capabilities, tempted by Tourance Next - but fear they are now really a road tyre through and through.

Something half way between the true off-road capable K60 and the fake off-road tyres like the Tourance would suit me - just nobody seems to make one!

 

[EricV]

You're comment about not wanting to lose the performance of the PR-3 in the wet sort of throws out the rest of your desires. A pure street tire is going to usually be better in the wet than an 80/20 tire. I hated the EXPs in the wet, especially where there was a lot of tar in the roads. K60s are more consistent for me than the EXPs and last twice as long.

But, back to your needs. ;D The Conti TAs are quite good in the wet. They hold up well and are ok in gravel, but not as confidence inspiring as knobbier tires are. I love the cornering dig of the K60s and you're just not going to get that from non-knobbie tires.

You're probably looking at Anakee IIs if you can find them, Tourance (originals, not EXP), the Conti TA and stepping down in gravel performance the Anakee 3s and PR 4 Trails (which are really just street tires in our sizes).

 

[Firefight911]

I think Eric has summed it all up pretty well. I'm no longer a fan of the K60 since the redesign. The Karoo 3 would be a good alternative to this though the mileage won't be as good as the K60.

Sent from my Windows phone. Spelling errors free of charge.

 

[tomatocity]

Like Wistrick, I am looking for one set of tires to do everything but I will settle for two different sets to cover road conditions.

The Tenere arrived with BattleWings and I liked them very much. Tire mileage is very good and they handled well. Have worn out two sets and have a set in the garage.

Have a half worn set of K60's in the garage. They are very good on dirt/gravel. Stable enough to one hand it through sweeping turns at 60 mph on Soda Lake Road http://goo.gl/maps/WqZK5 . I have ridden three different sets of tires on this road and the K60's are superior on the 30ish miles of graded dirt/gravel wet or dry. I removed them to get rid of the road buzz.

Currently on Anakee 3's and have a similar opinion as Phil. The front tire is round on the road, constantly hunts (33 psi) in dirt/gravel, and sinks in sand. 4th of July we found a stretch of mud covered dirt/gravel. My front tire (25 psi) packed mud in the front fender, stop rotating, and I low sided. Five KLR's (high fender) with various front tires and pressures scooted through with no problems. We were all loaded for camping. No I will not be buying Anakee 3's again.

Have enjoyed Continental Trail Attack's for years. The roundest tire I have ever ridden (KLR). Great on the road and in the rain and what you would expect of a 80/20 tire.

Who is riding Mitas 07 tires? A GS rider friend has a set but he did not like the front tire.

I am interested in the Metzler Karoo 3. What is the road buzz like? How well do they handle in rain/wet conditions?

 

[snakebitten]

I ran a set of Karoo 3's
Still have the front mounted. (With a Big Block on the back)

I am more demanding of dirt performance. More willing to give up street prowess. I felt they were very good on tarmac for a dirt tire. Stickier than the K60's.

And I loved them off road. Better than anything short of a knobby. However, at about 50% of it's lifespan, it has lost a substantial amount of dirt bite, while not really losing it's tarmac abilities. Due to its tread pattern, this continues as it wears. Eventually becoming an 80/20 tire.

Rear lasted 4000 miles. More than I was expecting. The front has tons of tread still at 6000. But its severely cupped and sings like a bird.

Doesn't bother me much. I can't expect smooth or quiet from the tires I like. So I don't. No different than if I had an F150 Raptor and shod it with real off road tires. I'd live with the on-road penalties for the leap in performance off road.

In summary, of all the real off-road biased tires I've mounted on the Tenere, the Karoo3's were the best on tarmac. But don't confuse them with a good 80/20 or 90/10 tire. Much closer to a 50/50.

 

[kenbike]

I have Ankee 3 on with 6000 miles and the front is wearing as fast as the rear. Good street tire and fire roads ok. Had Conti Trail Attacks on my KTM 990 sold two years ago and think they will be my next set on the Tenere.