recommended street tires?

[mrpete64]

I just got back from my New York to California trip, and back, and put 7,310 miles on my '14 Tenere. Had a "great" ride...no problems...and just enjoyed it...all but rain the last 300 miles from Buffalo to Duanesburg, NY. I now need tires. The front ones are very cupped and the rear is...almost shot! Since I do not go "off roading" at my age I am looking for a pair of long lasting street tires. I am up for any suggestions.
Also, why did the front tire cup so badly? I had 11,000+ on the original tire and not a single problem. I constantly check tire pressures and did not hit anything that I remember!

Thanks for your "insights" regarding this issue.

p.s. The bike performed wonderfully! Nice to be able to change the suspension riding around the mountain of California/Colorado...heated grips were great....and the cruise worked perfectly. The bike now has 20,000+ miles and I am "very" satisfied with it.

 

[motodoc42]

I'm on my 2nd set of Metzeler Tourance NEXT. I'm very pleased.
Motodoc42

 

[Velvet]

What tires are on the bike now?

 

[SilverBullet]

Even if you don't off road you'll get the longest life out of 50/50 tires. Either Heidenau K60 Scout or Mitas E-07 Dakar (preferred), properly inflated and easy touring on pavement only you'll get around 15,000 miles.

_

 

[WJBertrand]

My favorite street-only tires are the Michelin PR4s. Michelin makes the PR4 trail version in sizes to fit the Super - T and other adventure bikes. Surprised to hear that 50/50 tire give better tread life than pure road tires.

 

[AdvToorer]

Recently ran Pirelli Scorpion Trail 2 for a spirited (street) ride in California and they are a great tire. Only about 3k miles so can't speak to longevity but traction is my primary concern, they are rated 90/10 street/dirt. I've now gone back to Mitas Dakar as I will be going offroad.
If I never went off road, I would stick with the Pirelli or other street oriented tire as the knobbies on the Mitas suck on pavement. Those things have a mind of their own on grooved roads and talk about noise.

 

[cliffo]

Metzeler Tourance NEXT tires so far are the best ones I have used on the bike. Very good tire and very sure footed on the road!

 

[barkingllizard]

for a pure street tire on always sunny dry days, I don't know,
for mostly street, from sunny and dry to wet and snow,
I like the Avon TrailRider right now, very well mannered.....

 

[RonH]

Even though I seldom if ever go off road, I like the Mitas E-07 tires. I'm glad we get them in the USA. I like the fact it's made in Czech, people in that part of the world build things that work, and work well in my opinion. The Michelin Anakee 3 was made in Thailand, new Metzler Tourance made in China, some other tires like Shinko made in Korea I believe. Heidenau, Continental, made in Germany. Nothing wrong with Germany either. I'm staying with the Czech rubber for now.

 

[Davesax36]

Bridgestone A40. 12000 hard road miles with probably 20 miles of dirty gravel.

 

[jimmy z]

+1 on the pr4s for street only.Did some easy fire lanes with them also.Excellent street manners.Great in rain.I get 6k on rear 10k on front

 

[stomp347]

+1 on the pr4s for street only.Did some easy fire lanes with them also.Excellent street manners.Great in rain.I get 6k on rear 10k on front

Same here. Great on the street, still able to blast down gravel roads!!

 

[Scouse]

I'm finding my Avon Trailriders work very well in the wet and dry. Big plus for me is that they're home grown made in England.

 

[billyp]

I,ve got Mitas e07 with 6000 on them.Should get another 6000 out of them and think they do very well on the street.Just got back from a trip Skyline dr. blue ridge parkway ,even tail of the dragon and never thought twice about grip in the corners. Would buy them again.

 

[Buelligan]

I currently have PR4 trails on my Tenere, they stick so VERY good to the pavement, wet or dry. they are great tires if you ride hard.
For distance, I've put michelin commander 2's and have gotten very good mileage from them on multiple cross country trips.

 

[Andylaser]

Tourance next for me too. Excellent in the wet and will handle a modicum of gravel when required.

 

[frez]

I change tyres frequently as I do around 25k miles a year and only ever use street tyres as that's the only place my bike goes.

I've currently got Dunlop Roadsmart 3s on the bike. They are every bit as good as the PR4s I've had on previously and would recommend either of those for street only riding. The new Metzeler Roadtec 01 tyres get rave reviews but I've not tried them myself, they will be going on at my next change.

 

[stomp347]

I change tyres frequently as I do around 25k miles a year and only ever use street tyres as that's the only place my bike goes.

I've currently got Dunlop Roadsmart 3s on the bike. They are every bit as good as the PR4s I've had on previously and would recommend either of those for street only riding. The new Metzeler Roadtec 01 tyres get rave reviews but I've not tried them myself, they will be going on at my next change.

Good to hear about the Dunlop's. I would love to hear your review when you try the 01's. People on the FZ forum love them and I would be interested how they work on the 10.

Cheers

 

[ace50]

Got 8K from rear, 12K from the front on the stock Battle Wings. I've had no issues with them.

 

[EricV]

Surprised to hear that 50/50 tire give better tread life than pure road tires.

Few radial moto tires can do more than 10k for the rear tire on our bikes, (most get much less, around 6k is typical). Most 50/50 tires, and certainly the Heidenau K60 and Mitas E07 are bias ply, and last consistently longer, even when used only on the street.

Tires are a very personal topic. A lot depends on your needs and how you like to ride. Avon TrailRiders are an excellent wet tire, as are Michelin PR4s, but longevity isn't a strong point for either, especially in high heat and coarse pavement conditions. Which explains partly why these are favored by many UK riders, who rarely ride extended periods in 100F plus temps.

It's not that the manufacturers can't make tires that handle well and last longer, it's just that so many people keep buying ones that don't, so why would they bother when profit is in selling you tires more often, not less often.

For radial street tires, I have gotten excellent life and handling from the rear Anakee 3. 14k+ miles. However, the front Anakee 3 wear in a horrible tri-band pattern and is sadly awful. I would consider running another rear, (I've run two so far), but not fronts and would probably try a ContiTrail front which has worn better on my other bikes while still getting 10k or better from the rears. An Anakee 3 rear/ContiTrail front should do well, but I've not tried it yet.

What kind of mileage are Tourance Next riders getting? It looks like a good street tire, but I don't recall how many miles they tend to average.