snuffcityrider
Active Member
Snake,
Is that a Porsche sitting to the left in your picture?
Is that a Porsche sitting to the left in your picture?
Karoo 3
- Thread starter Mzee
- Start date
Yes Snuff, a sweet 911 cabriolet.
Dirt dad, I promise that I am not in denial. My tire problem dates back to the 70's when I bragged how FEW miles I got out of a tire on my CB750.
I don't believe there is a cure.
And to tell ya the truth, I don't know how much benefit I get from running dirt tires, since my daily dose of dirt is very little. But holy cow, I would be heartbroken to have to give up my hooligan trip home from work everyday which consists of cutting across a couple of fields, then terrorizing 2 bunnies that live in a wooded lot I cut through, exiting onto my dead end road by coming through a big drainage ditch, then finally cutting back across that ditch, instead of turning onto my dirt drive, and finally BLASTING dirt-rock-mud down the centerline (so my wife doesn't complain of ruts) to my pond......where I slow to a crawl and drive up onto the back covered porch.
It's a ritual. Dogs barking and chasing me down the drive. The grandkid running out on the porch to get a shot at cranking the throttle before I hit the kill switch. And that awesome smell of fresh damp dirt and grass on hot exhaust.
Yep. I need the right tires for this. Lol
Oh, don't know about the Wilds either. Haven't seen much about them.
Dirt dad, I promise that I am not in denial. My tire problem dates back to the 70's when I bragged how FEW miles I got out of a tire on my CB750.
I don't believe there is a cure.
And to tell ya the truth, I don't know how much benefit I get from running dirt tires, since my daily dose of dirt is very little. But holy cow, I would be heartbroken to have to give up my hooligan trip home from work everyday which consists of cutting across a couple of fields, then terrorizing 2 bunnies that live in a wooded lot I cut through, exiting onto my dead end road by coming through a big drainage ditch, then finally cutting back across that ditch, instead of turning onto my dirt drive, and finally BLASTING dirt-rock-mud down the centerline (so my wife doesn't complain of ruts) to my pond......where I slow to a crawl and drive up onto the back covered porch.
It's a ritual. Dogs barking and chasing me down the drive. The grandkid running out on the porch to get a shot at cranking the throttle before I hit the kill switch. And that awesome smell of fresh damp dirt and grass on hot exhaust.
Yep. I need the right tires for this. Lol
Oh, don't know about the Wilds either. Haven't seen much about them.
Dirt_Dad
Well-Known Member
Founding Member
2011 Site Supporter
2013 Site Supporter
2014 Site Supporter
I would never, no not ever, suggest you give up such a wholesome activity as you described. Your description is why you are young at heart, and enjoy your bike the way you do. Never give that up. I won't either. As long as there is still a twitch in my right wrist, and dirt coursing though my veins, I will need a shot of that dirty, dusty, magical grit for a very long time. I'm just not convinced my tire choice is making that much improvement in that environment.snakebitten said:
I still have a little time left to figure out what I'm doing next. Been putting on the miles pretty slowly as of late, and may take me a month or two, or even three before I finish destroying the Karoo.
djm_ct
Member
I am really intrigued by that big block. I am finally ready to replace my OEM tires and that seems like just what the doctor ordered.
I'd love to hear a ride report on it.
Also Snakebitten. What are you matching it up with on the front?
I'd love to hear a ride report on it.
Also Snakebitten. What are you matching it up with on the front?
Djm_ct,
That's the matching Karoo3 to the rear I just took off. It's a "near knobby" tire. Thus, a bit loud and whiney. But none of the tires I like are smooth n quiet.
This is a return, for me, to a Kenda Big Block. Not sure why I like em so much. Might be just mental, but they match my riding vision. And I swear they stick as good as any dual purpose tire on the street! I like how the Big Girl feels with them. Predictable.
Cheap too! So less painful to melt them.
Throw a set on and tell us what you think!
That's the matching Karoo3 to the rear I just took off. It's a "near knobby" tire. Thus, a bit loud and whiney. But none of the tires I like are smooth n quiet.
This is a return, for me, to a Kenda Big Block. Not sure why I like em so much. Might be just mental, but they match my riding vision. And I swear they stick as good as any dual purpose tire on the street! I like how the Big Girl feels with them. Predictable.
Cheap too! So less painful to melt them.
Throw a set on and tell us what you think!
djm_ct
Member
Thanks Snake,
I don't mind a little tire noise. It goes with the territory with a more dirt worthy tire. I just wondered if you were changing them as a set (front and rear) or if you were mixing and matching.
In my case I will be replacing them as a set so no worries about overpowering the front with the rear.
My question was really two part.
1> Road report. Obviously they will excel in the dirt but are you giving up too much on the street? I want a good balance since, despite how I fantasize riding, in reality I will be 80 to 90 percent street.
2> Matching set. More a matter of curiosity, I was wondering what you were running on the front to match your Big Block on the rear.
I don't mind a little tire noise. It goes with the territory with a more dirt worthy tire. I just wondered if you were changing them as a set (front and rear) or if you were mixing and matching.
In my case I will be replacing them as a set so no worries about overpowering the front with the rear.
My question was really two part.
1> Road report. Obviously they will excel in the dirt but are you giving up too much on the street? I want a good balance since, despite how I fantasize riding, in reality I will be 80 to 90 percent street.
2> Matching set. More a matter of curiosity, I was wondering what you were running on the front to match your Big Block on the rear.
I have only had "matching tires" about ½ the time.
Obviously when the bike was new.
Switched to K60's as soon as I could justify it. So that second set was a match. But after I wore the first K60 rear out, I started playing with different rears. All dirt biased. And until I decided to mount a "set" of Karoo3's, I never had another matching set on the bike.
Basically, I've put about 25,000 miles of the 33,000 using K60 fronts. Hard to kill those dang things.
I also have a couple of K60 rears and 1 front sittin in the barn. All this tire swapping has me taking K60's off that aren't really dead.
As far what I'm giving up on the tarmac by running dirt tires........
I suppose I'm compromising some amount of outright traction. Just makes logical sense. But I don't actually experience it. Probably a combination of todays amazing compounds, traction control, and my lack of road racing prowess.
I think I ride like a criminal at times. But the bike never seems to be struggling with it. Maybe I'm a weenie. Lol
I do know this........ On a bike, I don't sweat tire choices like I do on my cars/truck. On my truck it's a $1200 proposition. And I gotta live with it for YEARS. (80,000 miles?) But on a bike, it's a few months. Sometimes weeks.
I'm not marrying them. My oil lasts longer sometimes.
Obviously when the bike was new.
Switched to K60's as soon as I could justify it. So that second set was a match. But after I wore the first K60 rear out, I started playing with different rears. All dirt biased. And until I decided to mount a "set" of Karoo3's, I never had another matching set on the bike.
Basically, I've put about 25,000 miles of the 33,000 using K60 fronts. Hard to kill those dang things.
I also have a couple of K60 rears and 1 front sittin in the barn. All this tire swapping has me taking K60's off that aren't really dead.
As far what I'm giving up on the tarmac by running dirt tires........
I suppose I'm compromising some amount of outright traction. Just makes logical sense. But I don't actually experience it. Probably a combination of todays amazing compounds, traction control, and my lack of road racing prowess.
I think I ride like a criminal at times. But the bike never seems to be struggling with it. Maybe I'm a weenie. Lol
I do know this........ On a bike, I don't sweat tire choices like I do on my cars/truck. On my truck it's a $1200 proposition. And I gotta live with it for YEARS. (80,000 miles?) But on a bike, it's a few months. Sometimes weeks.
I'm not marrying them. My oil lasts longer sometimes.
Dirt_Dad
Well-Known Member
Founding Member
2011 Site Supporter
2013 Site Supporter
2014 Site Supporter
For whatever reason I have not been able to ride much since the October. The K3s tires are only at 1,600 miles now. Thanks to a freakishly warm winter day today I was able to get out an feed them a little mud for the first time. Not anything crazy, just a muddy dirt road.
Front tire is holding up very well. It should far outlast the the rear tire. The thing does howl like crazy above 70 mph.
There's a number of reasons why I suspect this will be my one and only set of Karoo 3 tires, but I do have to give them credit where credit is due. They were excellent in the conditions today. No, they didn't handle the ice very well, but I don't believe anything short of spikes would have done any better. But they did grip the mud and were very solid in the conditions today. I have only good things to say about their handling in mud. It wasn't some hardcore mud-bog, but it is the type of mud I'm most likely to encounter with the Tenere.
Front tire is holding up very well. It should far outlast the the rear tire. The thing does howl like crazy above 70 mph.
There's a number of reasons why I suspect this will be my one and only set of Karoo 3 tires, but I do have to give them credit where credit is due. They were excellent in the conditions today. No, they didn't handle the ice very well, but I don't believe anything short of spikes would have done any better. But they did grip the mud and were very solid in the conditions today. I have only good things to say about their handling in mud. It wasn't some hardcore mud-bog, but it is the type of mud I'm most likely to encounter with the Tenere.
firedad415
Member
SO... After reading the largest percentage of this thread, and perusing multiple other threads on the subject, I think I am sold on the K60s !
Here is the type of riding I do;
Mostly I do 200-300 miles of slab to get where I like to ride. When I get there, its usually about 60/40, paved twisties to fire roads. In saying that, its because I have no confidence in the "Battlecraps" that I have shod as OEM. I believe, and it is my desire, I would rack up many more off road miles and may even tackle a few single tracks on this beast if levered with the proper "footwear". My only off road experience has been my DR650 which I had for a couple years and enjoyed it immensely. I stuck to mostly single track and some hare scramble environments during off road riding. But, again, mostly road it 200-300 miles to get where I wanted to go ride. Loved the DR, but not the ideal bike for thousand mile weekends and Iron Butt rides. Saying all this, my off road experience is limited. And, the Bridgestones I have do NOT inspire any confidence, especially now that I am at 9500 miles on the odo.
I know very well I will not likely see 9000 miles from a rear K60, and that it will never grip like a Pilot on the blacktop, however, my rate of corner carve has slowed quite a bit since dismounting my CBR1100xx. I am just not wanting to get a set of tires that chant like Tibetan Monks while I head to Newfoundland and Nova Scotia in late May, yet grant me inspiring passage on both the Trans Lab Hwy and all the Tarmac in between, while still being a good tire to hit the local mountains around Charlottesville VA and many of the roads in between here and there....wherever "there" may take me, paved or not!
Thanks to many of the guys like Dirt_Dad and Snakebitten for spending extensive time, both riding and writing about the tires in question. Your shared advice and experience is greatly appreciated.
Although, I hope to not get back into the "set-per-oil-change" category again. Pilot Powers and a Blackbird ridden (occasionally) like a maniac cured me of that mindset!
Here is the type of riding I do;
Mostly I do 200-300 miles of slab to get where I like to ride. When I get there, its usually about 60/40, paved twisties to fire roads. In saying that, its because I have no confidence in the "Battlecraps" that I have shod as OEM. I believe, and it is my desire, I would rack up many more off road miles and may even tackle a few single tracks on this beast if levered with the proper "footwear". My only off road experience has been my DR650 which I had for a couple years and enjoyed it immensely. I stuck to mostly single track and some hare scramble environments during off road riding. But, again, mostly road it 200-300 miles to get where I wanted to go ride. Loved the DR, but not the ideal bike for thousand mile weekends and Iron Butt rides. Saying all this, my off road experience is limited. And, the Bridgestones I have do NOT inspire any confidence, especially now that I am at 9500 miles on the odo.
I know very well I will not likely see 9000 miles from a rear K60, and that it will never grip like a Pilot on the blacktop, however, my rate of corner carve has slowed quite a bit since dismounting my CBR1100xx. I am just not wanting to get a set of tires that chant like Tibetan Monks while I head to Newfoundland and Nova Scotia in late May, yet grant me inspiring passage on both the Trans Lab Hwy and all the Tarmac in between, while still being a good tire to hit the local mountains around Charlottesville VA and many of the roads in between here and there....wherever "there" may take me, paved or not!
Thanks to many of the guys like Dirt_Dad and Snakebitten for spending extensive time, both riding and writing about the tires in question. Your shared advice and experience is greatly appreciated.
Although, I hope to not get back into the "set-per-oil-change" category again. Pilot Powers and a Blackbird ridden (occasionally) like a maniac cured me of that mindset!
K60's are the GoTo ready-for-anything tire. I totally get it. A true RTW tire for a true RTW motorcycle.
Mount em and head out.
Mount em and head out.
Dirt_Dad
Well-Known Member
Founding Member
2011 Site Supporter
2013 Site Supporter
2014 Site Supporter
I can personally endorse a K60 for riding from VA to Nova Scotia, to Newfoundland. That's what I used on my ride up there (as well as the mountains of VA and WV). Perfectly good tire for the trip. My longest lasting K60 was the one I took to Newfoundland. I needed to ride a LOT of slab on that trip, and the K60 did great. I did not do the Trans Lab, but the K60 will handle that just fine.firedad415 said:
Oh, by the way... you're going to love Newfoundland. It's spectacular. Enjoy your ride. I'm officially jealous.
Yea, it's a Karoo 3 thread, and I DO have one on the front.......and besides, it's the most recent tire thread to post to.
Anyways, just an update on the newer Big Block compound......
Got 2500 miles on it now. The old BB wouldn't have made it past 1500 on this beast. And as shabby as it looks, it still is as good a street tire, at this point, than it ever was. And off-road, she still has lots of side load (chicken strip) life left. Almost like new. But this is about where it starts to loose its advantage straight up in the soft dirt or mud. So if I was fixing to go for a war run in the woods or over some mountain, it'd be time.
But, I'm in commute mode. 95%+ tarmac. I can squeeze a few more outta it. Can't make it to my service interval though. Sucks. Lol
I need a tire machine.
Anyways, just an update on the newer Big Block compound......
Got 2500 miles on it now. The old BB wouldn't have made it past 1500 on this beast. And as shabby as it looks, it still is as good a street tire, at this point, than it ever was. And off-road, she still has lots of side load (chicken strip) life left. Almost like new. But this is about where it starts to loose its advantage straight up in the soft dirt or mud. So if I was fixing to go for a war run in the woods or over some mountain, it'd be time.
But, I'm in commute mode. 95%+ tarmac. I can squeeze a few more outta it. Can't make it to my service interval though. Sucks. Lol
I need a tire machine.
Dirt_Dad
Well-Known Member
Founding Member
2011 Site Supporter
2013 Site Supporter
2014 Site Supporter
Snake, that's a good looking tire. Unfortunately the 2,500 mile life makes it off limits for me. I'm embarrassed to say a 2,500 mile tire would last me about 6 months at my most recent burn rate, but thing will return to normal soon and it's more like a 5 or 6 week tire at best. I'm just not going to see enough benefit for my riding to justify changing so frequently. Still not sure what I'm trying next
All true. But envision this: The barn. Over in a corner a stack of these. You could get a stack of about 6 rears and 3 fronts for $1000
Next to that stack is one of those really cool tire changing machines. Not the expensive ones with air or hydraulics. But a robust manual one. Bolted down.
Then next to that a nice pegboard with all your OFTEN used Tenere wheel removal tools.
So swapping shoes gets to be a quick Saturday morning exercise. Barely requiring a struggle.
Something about having an inventory makes it seem like less of a big deal when you declare one dead. Lol
(By the way, I have no idea which tire machine fits my vision. Is there a good one for about the price of that stack of 10 BigBlocks?
Next to that stack is one of those really cool tire changing machines. Not the expensive ones with air or hydraulics. But a robust manual one. Bolted down.
Then next to that a nice pegboard with all your OFTEN used Tenere wheel removal tools.
So swapping shoes gets to be a quick Saturday morning exercise. Barely requiring a struggle.
Something about having an inventory makes it seem like less of a big deal when you declare one dead. Lol
(By the way, I have no idea which tire machine fits my vision. Is there a good one for about the price of that stack of 10 BigBlocks?
Dirt_Dad
Well-Known Member
Founding Member
2011 Site Supporter
2013 Site Supporter
2014 Site Supporter
I've got all that except the peg board. Alright, maybe my stack of tires are all spent and waiting for me to give them a ride to the dump, but it's still a stack of tires.
Here's the truth I think I'm coming to realize. For someone who rides a Tenere like me (pavement 74% and SUV survivable dirt roads 25.324%) the tire selection is mostly an academic exercise. I repeatedly experienced my wife's Anakee II equipped S10 out performing my K60 equipped S10 in all my normal off pavement environments. After installing the Karoo 3 I noticed how the K60 really out performed on power slides.
So yes, I can honestly say I can tell a difference when testing tires back to back to back. But I can also honestly say it doesn't really matter to me. The Anakee hooked up better so I was happy going faster with more responsiveness. The K60 spun and didn't hookup, so I stayed on the throttle, allowed the bike's rear end to fishtail all over the place. I had a big stupid grin my face and I was happy. The Karoo 3 really starts to get away from you if you try to power slide it like a K60, so I added more finesse to my technique, became a little more skilled, have slightly better control of a power slide and I'm happy. I have to face facts, it doesn't matter what tire I'm using, I figure out how to have fun with it, and I'm just happy riding my Tenere.
There is only one possible tire improvement I think could change my outlook. If a tire could somehow give me enough traction in my hard packed dirt and gravel environment to allow me to lift the front end of my heavy Tenere with just a flick of the wrist, I'd have a hard time saying no to it. In about 40K miles of Tenere riding I've never found a tire that would do anything but spin instead of raising the bike. Some do better than others when there is a bump to assist, or I compress the forks enough before my attempt, but none I've experienced can dig in strong enough on their own for the task. I'll never give up trying, but I also don't expect miracles.
I do love the looks of a knobby. They just look great on the Tenere. I'll probably try a Mitas next.
Here's the truth I think I'm coming to realize. For someone who rides a Tenere like me (pavement 74% and SUV survivable dirt roads 25.324%) the tire selection is mostly an academic exercise. I repeatedly experienced my wife's Anakee II equipped S10 out performing my K60 equipped S10 in all my normal off pavement environments. After installing the Karoo 3 I noticed how the K60 really out performed on power slides.
So yes, I can honestly say I can tell a difference when testing tires back to back to back. But I can also honestly say it doesn't really matter to me. The Anakee hooked up better so I was happy going faster with more responsiveness. The K60 spun and didn't hookup, so I stayed on the throttle, allowed the bike's rear end to fishtail all over the place. I had a big stupid grin my face and I was happy. The Karoo 3 really starts to get away from you if you try to power slide it like a K60, so I added more finesse to my technique, became a little more skilled, have slightly better control of a power slide and I'm happy. I have to face facts, it doesn't matter what tire I'm using, I figure out how to have fun with it, and I'm just happy riding my Tenere.
There is only one possible tire improvement I think could change my outlook. If a tire could somehow give me enough traction in my hard packed dirt and gravel environment to allow me to lift the front end of my heavy Tenere with just a flick of the wrist, I'd have a hard time saying no to it. In about 40K miles of Tenere riding I've never found a tire that would do anything but spin instead of raising the bike. Some do better than others when there is a bump to assist, or I compress the forks enough before my attempt, but none I've experienced can dig in strong enough on their own for the task. I'll never give up trying, but I also don't expect miracles.
I do love the looks of a knobby. They just look great on the Tenere. I'll probably try a Mitas next.
Madhatter
Well-Known Member
is it just me or does the black tenere have one of the tires mounted backwards... side view seems to show the tread pattern going in opposite directions... the subject is interesting, i'll be purchasing my first set of replacement tires soon, though I'm still undecided as to how dirty I want the tires to be.....
Dirt_Dad
Well-Known Member
Founding Member
2011 Site Supporter
2013 Site Supporter
2014 Site Supporter
I can appreciate your confusion, I thought the same thing when mounting them. Even though the little arrows were going the correct direction, it still seemed odd. Ultimately I checked the photo's of Snake's bike to make sure I wasn't crazy. Either we were both wrong at the same time, or that's the way the manufacturer wants them mounted.Madhatter said:
escapefjrtist
Searching for Dry Roads
A little off topic, but the question's been asked...snakebitten said:
If you're looking for a budget solution seriously consider a HF changer, Mojo lever/accessories and Marc Parnes balancer. I can change and balance front & rear (off the bike) in less than 45 minutes as long as the beer and B.S. isn't flowing too freely. Next step up would be a manual changer by NoMar for 2X to 3X the price depending on which machine you choose.
Investing in a tire changer is probably the best *farkle* I've ever purchased.
Have fun!
--G
Madhatter
Well-Known Member
thanks dirt dad, always learn something here... it just looked odd.