Sorry, 80/20 tire suggestions wanted

[Scott Williams]

Probably been covered, but up-to-date info. is best. 2014 S10 here. Ready to buy in three months. I do mostly 2-up riding- usually at 60 mph, but once a day to 85-90 on straight concrete for a minute or two. Am no longer a hot-dogger. The original Battle wings are now over 60% worn and no real complaints, but wish they had a bit more bite in gravel, loose dirt and smooth stones. Roads here in Honduras vary quite a bit, but my riding is surely 80-90% pavement.....being careful to avoid the common pothole. It's the 10-15% dirt/gravel where I am concerned and want more control. Do not want knobbies, dirt tires or 60/40's. No need. At 73 I don't want to hit the ground again if I can help it. My last fall was 15 bones on another bike. A bit of studying last night led me to Dunlop's TR91 tire,with a solid rating. Has anyone used this tire on their S10 who might want to share some feedback? How about other 80/20 or 90/10 tires that may be even better? Wet grip is also important. There is sometimes loose sand, loose gravel or loose dirt on the paved surface. Have to always be cautious....especially twisties in the mountain regions. These oaved roads here are NOT as clean as US roads. Okay for cars, but a bit more tire bite would surely make me feel more secure. Looking to you smarter adventure/tourer types for help. This is my first Tenere and love it. Thanks a bunch.

 

[Fltrooper]

Have you considered the Shinko 705's? Bang for Buck, I don't think they can be beat !

And thats neat your in Honduras, I have only been to Copan but It was a great trip! My Wife is from Guatemala City and were doing everything we can to move to Guatemala or Central America.

::003::

 

[Scott Williams]

Hey Fitrooper,
C'mon down. Gcity is terrific. Just rode there this spring and took a side trip to Antigua. Beautiful riding country. Went with some Harley buds. And thanks for the tip. Riding to Copan Ruins in a month. Nice place!
A
Just so nobody wastes their time helping me, I just decided tonight to go with Dunlop's new Trail Smart tire, which replaces the proven and popular TR91. See some videos on You Tube and google even more information. Tires are quite subjective, I realize, but the video showed a GS1200 with them going over some of the same off-road terrain that I encounter....with loose stone. With the same bite of the TR91's and 14% more longevity expected, it was an EZ choice.

Cheers,
Scott

 

[squarebore]

Continental TKC70 may be what you are after. Similar to the Shinko 705. The Shinko is cheaper and may be lesser quality. Both are great on road but the conti has better wet road grip.

 

[Rasher]

Continental TKC70 may be what you are after. Similar to the Shinko 705. The Shinko is cheaper and may be lesser quality. Both are great on road but the conti has better wet road grip.

Continental are now making great tyres and in the same sort of league as Bridgestone, Dunlop, Metzeler, Michelin.

The TKC70's I think are based on the Road Attack technology with a more off-road biased tread pattern, I would imagine they will grip a lot better than the ancient Bridgestones Yamaha saw fit to put on some new bikes (mine came with almost as ancient, but slightly better Tourances)

Wet or dry the TKC 70s will be much better, and should have more off-road ability as well.

 

[Buckeye56]

I have around 3K miles on the TKC70s so far and I am happy with them. No dirt or gravel use yet but did ride in heavy rain on the way to Arkansas in late June. Our rally was in the Ozarks and I never was wishing for more traction! The front tire is a little buzzy due to the tread pattern, but I have gotten used to that. I will buy them again.

 

[Scott Williams]

Well, thanks for the replies, guys. Turns out that the DunlopTrail Smarts are only avail. in Europe, so far. So if three S10 owners tell me to look at the Conti TKC70 's, I sure will. Happy to spend more on a bike tire. Thanks again. Much appreciated.
Scott

 

[racer1735]

I am a fan of Avon's Distanzia. I have run through to rears and one front this far. They are being discontinued as Avon is bringing out a new 80/20 tire. I need to replace both tires this fall....deciding between another set of Avon's or the Shinko 705

 

[pugsley]

TKC 70s great so far, 7000 Ks.

 

[squarebore]

Don't know if anyone is still with me on this. I am down to either the TKC70 or the Tourance, after reading about 500 posts on various forums. I notice front tire problems with the TKC70 and high satisfaction with the Tourance. Has anyone out there used both on the same bike? General thoughts? My Battlewings have 8000 km. on them and i want to move up in quality with safety and grip most important. Thanks,
Scott

I had the Torrance exp as original equipment and they were great on the road. After heavy braking and cornering the front tyre started to cup pretty bad. Replaced at about 11000kms. Had k60s next but don't want to talk about those chaff bags dipped in tar. Tkc 70s now and pretty happy. Both front and rear have some uneven wear following hard riding fully loaded. Great grip wet and dry and better on dirt than the tourance. I like them but will probably get PR4 next time around as I am getting another dirt bike for the dirt and riding the S10 mainly on the road.

 

[Rasher]

Don't know if anyone is still with me on this. I am down to either the TKC70 or the Tourance.......

But different tyres entirely, the Tourances are really road tyres:

The original Tourance is a little blocky and may provide some benefits over a road tyre on dirt, but is so ancient the road perfermance is way behind the latest rubber - having said that they are still fairly good and wear well, I am still running a pair on my V-Strom.

The Tourance EXP is grippier at the expense of wear and less blocky, probably no noticeable advantage off road, and is way behind more modern road tyres such as latest Pilot Roads and Roadsmarts, and will wear much faster than these later dual compound wonders.

The Tourance Next is just a road tyre IMO.

The TKC70 is probabl the only half-way house offering really good pavement behavior and a noticeable amount of off-road ability - it may come with a penalty in wear, but if you want an 80/20 | 70/30 type tyre it is about the only option out there.

 

[klunsford]

I have two that I like, 1. Shinko 705's. I have had many sets of these between two different Tenere's and really like them. 2. Heindenau K76's : Pricey, but handle great and get decent wear out of them. But...... The 705's are the 1st choice, price, handling and the entire package. Just sayn'

 

[Scott Williams]

Thanks to all you guys for offering your opinions. I like to go with the latest technology......about a year after they fix most of the bugs. You may recall I waited for the 2014 gen. II Tenere. Having worked at GM assembly taught me to be patient. Honduran "paved" roads come in several types....all harsh. Their concrete has a lot of stone, and doesn't hold up. Their asphalt can last for a year until it gets potholes, cracks, or the edges simple break away. Shoulders are only about 30". Generally, there is loose material on the road top, including sand, gravel from rain washing down from hillsides, dirt from same, etc. Throw in some dirt roads made with loose round river rock, and I think you get the picture. i have lived in the Blue Ridge Mtns., Montana and upstate NY, but have never seen such varied conditions. Coming around a sharp bend in a mountain pass here, you may find the road strewn with dirt and gravel from last night's rain. The road crew will get to it in maybe six months. However, on the single cement highway I ride to reach most of my fave destinations, it is clean and I can safely hit 80 mph. All this two-up. Crazy different third world roads here. Pretty much the same on monthly trip we take. At 73, I hope I have 10 more riding years left, and one goal, besides having fun, is not to fall again. My knowledge is still good, but I can feel my skills slowly diminishing.

Every damn tire out there is a compromise and after reading over 500 posts on this forum and ADVrider in the past two days, I have 95% decided to go with the TKC70's. Half my highway riding is like your off road riding. Continental has accepted some front TKC70's back on warranty claim, so I feel that by December they should have ironed out any kinks. Hopeful, anyway. Thanks again Rasher and the rest of you guys. All good info.

 

[BravoBravo]

Scott, I realize you have decided on the TKCs, but for future consideration, you might want to look at the Mitas E-07s. I currently have the non-Dakar version on my Super Tenere. Like you, I wanted a tire that was good on the road but also had more bite for dirt and gravel. So far, I am very happy with the Mitas. I have only had them on for less than a month, and it has been very dry, so I cannot yet speak to their performance in the rain, but under all other circumstances, they seem great, both on pavement and on dirt/gravel.

Cheers,

Bruce

 

[Scott Williams]

Thank you, Bruce. That is a mighty nice looking tire, my friend. I had never seen a Mitas before. Am reading a few threads on them now. If you nave time, could you tell me what tires these replaced, and maybe some feedback as to likes/dislikes? Why did you pass up the TKC70's? Do you feel the Tourances , Anakees and Battlewings did not offer enough bite? I am sure you did your research and would appreciate knowing why you chose these. My eyes are now wide open again. Glad I didn't say 100%. Do you ride two-up? What is your usual highway speed? As soon as you leave the main highway down here, there are all types of dirt and gravel conditions.
Thanks, much appreciated,
Scott

 

[BravoBravo]

Thank you, Bruce. That is a mighty nice looking tire, my friend. I had never seen a Mitas before. Am reading a few threads on them now. If you nave time, could you tell me what tires these replaced, and maybe some feedback as to likes/dislikes? Why did you pass up the TKC70's? Do you feel the Tourances , Anakees and Battlewings did not offer enough bite? I am sure you did your research and would appreciate knowing why you chose these. My eyes are now wide open again. Glad I didn't say 100%. Do you ride two-up? What is your usual highway speed? As soon as you leave the main highway down here, there are all types of dirt and gravel conditions.
Thanks, much appreciated,
Scott

Hi Scott. The tires I had prior to this were Anakee 3s. The original tires that came with my Super Tenere were Tourances. I found both those tires to be excellent on pavement, but a bit squirmy on gravel and dirt, not particularly confidence-inspiring. The tread was simply not deep enough for my liking. In replacing the Anakees, I looked at two prime candidates, Heidenaus and Mitas. I spoke to some other Super Ten guys, as well as a few Moto Guzzi Stelvio riders, who were pretty high on the Mitas. One summed up their performance by saying, "There's no down side to these tires. They are great on and off road, and they last for a very long time." He expected to get at least 16,000 km. out of his set. I thought the price for the Mitas was very reasonable as well. Both of these tires have a reputation for longevity, which was also important to me. You also asked about the TKC70, which looks like a very interesting tire as well. It may be that its road performance is better than the Mitas, but I would expect the Mitas to have the edge off pavement, simply because the Mitas' tread pattern is more aggressive. I hadn't really considered the TKCs, as they are a relatively new product, and I had already narrowed my decision down to the two I mentioned. I do ride two-up a fair amount, with my wife as my passenger. My usual highway speed is around 120 kph. After I got the Mitas, I tested them on a couple of dirt and gravel roads not far from where I live. Up to about 100 kph, they were impressively stable. I don't like to go faster than that on gravel anyway, and usually ride more in the 80-90 kph range. The only unknown quantity for me now is how they will behave in the rain. They are also a lot noisier than my more road-oriented tires were. They buzz and hum like crazy, but I have pretty much gotten used to that now.
So far, I have no complaints about the Mitas, but as I have said, I am still early in the game on them. I really like the way they look. They certainly have an adventure-bike vibe! ::008::
Cheers,
Bruce

 

[Checkswrecks]

There are numerous threads dedicated to Mitas and every other brand here in the new Tires board, so you may want to read some of those from the folks who have preceded you.

 

[Scott Williams]

Thanks for the details, Bruce. Looks like lots of people on big adventure bikes like tbem a lot...and also in tbe wet. One thread even showed a guy having a good time in the mud with them. FYI, I avoid mud. Another thread video showed a Kiwi guy blasting down wet asphalt with great grip in the curves. I would be more straight-up and slower in tbat condition, especially w with the missus aboard. I don't push it anymore, but the more I can build my confidence, the less worrisome and more reassuring the ride. Never thought about the Mitas E07's before, but am duly impressed. No more consideration for Tourance, Anakee, Battlewing, dunlop, etc., as they are not best for conditions down here. Will be buying this fall, and I have to say tbey are up there neck and neck with the TKC70's. Thanks again! Much appreciated.
Best,
Scott
Honduras, where a oaved road turns to loose dirt, loose rocks and loose gravel every time you pull off for gas, food or rest. Some paved roads are only half done, waiting for $$$ in the next budget. Third world fun!

 

[Checkswrecks]

Total thread hijack here but -


How's it really down there for cost of living for a retired couple, compared to being in the US?