Heidenau tire problems?

[eemsreno]

Greg
I like the looks of the Mitas but I'm not to sure if I can live with 8,000 mile tires.
14,000 miles on rear K60s and 20 plus on fronts will be hard to get over.

 

[sportsguy]

Greg
I like the looks of the Mitas but I'm not to sure if I can live with 8,000 mile tires.
14,000 miles on rear K60s and 20 plus on fronts will be hard to get over.

That's 8,000 kms (as in kilometers), so just shy of 5,000 miles...

 

[clint64]

Replaced my OEM Bridgestones at 5k miles with the K60s. They were completely toasted. Never really cared for them. Had the K60s for 5k miles now and they are wearing like iron. In truth for my riding they have been almost as good that the battle wings on road. I had to have the rear Penske serviced and with the stock rear shock the K60s handled much worse. That was the perfect illustration to me of how important a properly set up suspension is to all aspects of riding. While not perfect I am sold on the K60s as a great all around tire for my riding style.

 

[greg the pole]

That's 8,000 kms (as in kilometers), so just shy of 5,000 miles...

Use the tire on gravel often, add that to a frequently spinning tire, your tire life will be low.
I think that I could get more miles out of it with the proper tire pressure..

 

[Red dust]

Got the rear K60 a few weeks ago and really like it but still got stock at front which I want to change to a Heidenau as well, might not be the absolute best street tire but like many others I did not buy this bike to ride 100% on bitumen. They are expensive here down under but if they last a long time it is money well spend. Either way I think replacing the front (which almost look like a street tyre, Tourance.) will be an improvement in the dirt

 

[burnoil]

My front K60 leaks a bit over a 3-4 week period. Just air up and go. My rear is taking a beating and looks like it isn't going to go the distance as others have had, BUT...I do ride in the desert and find myself in the rocks so that is most likely the contributing factor. Tell my throttle hand to cool it...nah.

 

[Old Git Ray]

Tabasco sent me a set in Aspen Colorado. I still have them on and am now back in England. 17k miles later. They need changing though !!

I did have the slow (very slow) front leak though. I ran them at 36F 45R with a load of over 300kg (660 lb).

I do not really like them per se, they are crap in the wet, but they have (IMHO) a role to play for ADV riding and they serve that purpose very well. The Tourances that were on it when I bought it 4 years ago are going back on (they are still new).

 

[avc8130]

Replaced my OEM Bridgestones at 5k miles with the K60s. They were completely toasted. Never really cared for them. Had the K60s for 5k miles now and they are wearing like iron. In truth for my riding they have been almost as good that the battle wings on road. I had to have the rear Penske serviced and with the stock rear shock the K60s handled much worse. That was the perfect illustration to me of how important a properly set up suspension is to all aspects of riding. While not perfect I am sold on the K60s as a great all around tire for my riding style.

Bit of a different review than you gave me over the phone...LOL

ac

 

[sportsguy]

Use the tire on gravel often, add that to a frequently spinning tire, your tire life will be low.
I think that I could get more miles out of it with the proper tire pressure..

Not my numbers...quoted form someone else who looked to mistake kms for miles, thus the conversion.

I have no horse in this race. I see tires as tools with finite lifespans. Yes, they cost money, but its a wear item. The perfect tire does not exist, so I skip looking and tailor my choice of tool for MY jobs (as do we all).

 

[greg the pole]

Not my numbers...quoted form someone else who looked to mistake kms for miles, thus the conversion.

I have no horse in this race. I see tires as tools with finite lifespans. Yes, they cost money, but its a wear item. The perfect tire does not exist, so I skip looking and tailor my choice of tool for MY jobs (as do we all).

Totally agree. more importantly tire wear will vary from rider to rider, no questions.

 

[Ramseybella]

I have the older model need to get the new one from Tabasco 140/80-18 You have them?

 

[clint64]

Bit of a different review than you gave me over the phone...LOL

ac

Oh no, not saying they are great tires by any means. Biggest positive is how long they last. I was surprised at how different the tires reacted with stock vs upgraded suspension. Not sure I would like the tire at all with a stock set up.

 

[avc8130]

Oh no, not saying they are great tires by any means. Biggest positive is how long they last. I was surprised at how different the tires reacted with stock vs upgraded suspension. Not sure I would like the tire at all with a stock set up.

So you do still feel it is "plastic".

Everyone probably thinks that I have a hatred and a mission against the K60. That's not the case. If I was going on an adventure and had no clue what I was going to come across, but knew I was going to do 6k+ miles, I'd slip on K60s and attack.

The "issue" I have with the K60 is just how much it is idolized here. To a newbie, if they read threads they might think it is some awesome tire with NO negatives.

I've spoken to more than a few people on the phone who have had them. Most say it is downright dangerous in the rain. Yeah, you can "take it easy", but the way the tire reacts with that solid strip in the middle is really going to be quite different than a tire "good" in the rain when the fit hits the shan and you need to panic brake/maneuver. At least 1/2-dozen have said the tire is poor in dry pavement. Yeah, some guys claim to rock through the dragon. Others have told me it feels like riding on plastic.

When I had the stock Battlewings clapped out at 4800 miles I was looking at all of those K60 threads back in June 2012. Back then it was tough to find ANY negatives. All I had to do was to switch from reading HERE and use Google and the negative reviews started pouring in.

I guess if you need a 10k miles tire, the K60s MIGHT be "ok" (some report MUCH less, some report MUCH more). Of course a car tire might be "ok" also...

Either way, I'm just hoping we get enough information on the board in public threads so guys can make an educated decision knowing ALL of the compromises with the tires.

ac

 

[clint64]

Oh yes when you first get the new tires they feel like hard plastic to the hand. Nothing like any other tires I have had. I am taking a long trip later this year and wanted to try the tires out locally. I need something that will last for a 17 day trip out west without having to worry about the tires wearing out and still allow me to explore off road if the urge strikes.

Back to the OP's question. I've had no problems with the tire holding air. Maybe a lb or two in the course of a week. About like every other tire I have owned.

 

[EricV]

The "issue" I have with the K60 is just how much it is idolized here. To a newbie, if they read threads they might think it is some awesome tire with NO negatives.

I've spoken to more than a few people on the phone who have had them. Most say it is downright dangerous in the rain. Yeah, you can "take it easy", but the way the tire reacts with that solid strip in the middle is really going to be quite different than a tire "good" in the rain when the fit hits the shan and you need to panic brake/maneuver. At least 1/2-dozen have said the tire is poor in dry pavement. Yeah, some guys claim to rock through the dragon. Others have told me it feels like riding on plastic.

I guess if you need a 10k miles tire, the K60s MIGHT be "ok" (some report MUCH less, some report MUCH more). Of course a car tire might be "ok" also...

Either way, I'm just hoping we get enough information on the board in public threads so guys can make an educated decision knowing ALL of the compromises with the tires.

ac

Hmm, hoping to educate folks? With your awesome experience of one set of tires? :

I've run 4 sets, mostly road use. 3 of the four fronts leaked air slowly. (Sorry Jaxon, but it's not a mounting error, some simply do leak slowly. Hopefully that's been addressed by Heidenau, as the current front does not leak).

Some of our happy campfire crowd here are fine with tires that last 4k. I expect a rear tire to last at least 10k. We have different viewpoints. And obviously, different riding styles and expectations. I've consistently gotten 12k from the rears and can get 20k+ from the fronts if I'm willing to wear them all the way down. A new set, w/o scrub in, in the rain will keep you on your toes and make you pucker crossing wet paint lines, but that goes away after the first ride. It's still no PR3, wet traction wise, but it only takes a tiny amount of throttle control, (or ride like a normal person, not a big whack and go hoon), and the traction control is never lighting up.

Not to put a negative spin on the riders, but if you're riding for 'fun', rather than riding to travel, you're going to wear out tires faster. Few tires will do as well off pavement, that still hold up well to on pavement riding. If you regularly hit the throttle stop, stick with something else.

 

[avc8130]

Like I said...just wanted to point it isn't all roses.

ac

 

[~TABASCO~]

EricV,

In your experience is it a few pounds over a month or a loss of a few pounds per day ? Lets talk on the phone about that soon...

K60's are a great 50/50 tire for the folks that are looking for a 50/50 tire... I've personally noticed that when I change to a new set the old tires worked much better. I have now learned that the first 500-1000 miles kinda suck. Especially if riding hard or in the rain. If someone were coming off a 'road' tire and installed a set of K60's for the first time, the tires are obviously not the same. But the K60 gets much better with a few thousand miles on them. Point being, on a new set I would not consider dragging my pegs, on a good 'worn in' set I could drag my pegs several times a day with no issue. I've also dragged pegs in the rain on concert.. I wouldn't do it on asphalt that far over. It also always makes me crack up that people want a tire that can do everything. For this application of bike this is a very good 'do most anything' well tire.. Is this the best tire on the planet, NO....... And neither is any other tire on the planet. It depends on what you want out of any tire and ride and use it as it was designed.
People that are expecting to ride there bike exactly the same with a dual sport tire on there bike as they did with a street tire and then bitch because its not the same and the dual sport tires suck.. not the same application, don't expect the same results... It goes the exact same for full on dirt tires like a Karoo 2 and full street tires. To me its as nutty as saying, I have a set of Road Pilots on my Tenere, and when I tried to cross Africa these tires just suck ass..... no traction, dangerous, who would ever buy these ? Duuuuu McFly ?
Like any product in the world, you cant make everyone happy. For the half a dozen people that didn't like the tires as AC has pointed out there are about 50,000 ++ that do... Once the K60's are broken in I really like the tires. It allows me to ride the bike long distance on road across the country and then ride all day off road. And I can ride 6-12 months on one set. I would love to see TKC - Karoo 2 - Big Block - Etc go for that type of distance as the K60 but they wont. That doesn't make them bad tires, its just that's what they are designed to do. If I choose to try a set of those they have there own characteristics...
Im going to try a different brand very soon and give more feed back. Should be good times. After they are smoked, im going to reinstall my K60's that already have about 8-9K on them....


Wow, I really got off track... ok stepping down from the soap box to let the next start flaming.....

 

[EricV]

My fronts have leaked maybe 1 psi a day. I always check the pressure in both tires before heading out for a ride anyway, so not a big deal for me. On the road, I probably make sure to double check the pressures every few days and air up if necessary. Current tire is not a leaker. I've had other tires do this, but not on the S10. I have not bothered to dunk the wheel and see if I can tell where the leak is because it's always been so slow.

I do agree with you that K60s are better on pavement when worn. I have flogged the daylights out of a nearly done K60, doing my best Pluric/Dirt Dad impressions, TCS flashing like a 70's disco party and had no problems. I've also had wheel spin crossing the wet paint lines on a new K60 with 5 miles on it. The TCS controls it quickly, but it does wake you up. A few thousand miles and three days later, I was riding thru torrential downpour at 70 mph, at night, with high winds and a solid line of semis in the right lane throwing spray as I crossed thru IN, OH and into PA and WV and didn't have a single pucker moment.

I generally run K60s because they are the swiss army knife of tires, and the S10 can make use of them well. I like the confidence on gravel with them over a 80/20 tire. On asphalt roads with a lot of surface tar, the K60s are far, far better than the Tourance EXPs were. I hated those EXPs.

At the moment I have a K60 on the front and a Kenda Big Block (old style) on the rear. Boy does that BB sing, but it also digs off pavement like no body's business. It was cheap enough that I'm ok with what ever miles I get from it. Parking lot speeds are KaThumka, KaThunka bouncy though.

 

[greg the pole]

Like I said...just wanted to point it isn't all roses.

ac

But it isn't all roses.
All tires will have their compormise.

Just to add to Eric's post... I ride for fun, not mileage ::26::

 

[EricV]

Like I said...just wanted to point it isn't all roses.

ac

And that's all fair and good AC. The issue I have with your post, (#32), is that it contains no personal, first hand experience from you. You're repeating other's words that you've spoken with, not just telling us how you felt about your personal experience with the tires. That's not helpful to someone looking for info and actual experience with the tires, good or bad impressions, etc.

Have you actually tried K60s yourself? I don't see a reference in this thread to you commenting about your experience with them.

I've seen this behavior before, on other topics, by a variety of people, and it's just not helpful. What you think is one thing, but it's trumped by actual experience, related directly by the person that has it.