Comments on a Bridgestone Trail Wing TW22, anyone?

**Odakyu-sen** · 10th February 2013, 16:01

The salesman at Cyclespot has talked me into getting a Bridgestone TW22 rear to replace the knackered (at 4,200 km) original Dunlop rear. (The Dunlop front is still good.) Some of my riding mates are also looking at Bridgestones. We'll be touring on the unsealed roads of the South Island, but won't be doing any serious off-road stuff.

How does the TW40 compare with the TW22? The TW40 is more like the original Dunlop (kind of a gentle knobbly tyre), whereas the TW22 has a road-tyre-like centre tread, and more dirt-like outer treads.

Any other TW-series suggestions?

**tri boy** · 10th February 2013, 16:11

Nordie boy to the lobby phone.
Paging Mr N................

**Jantar** · 10th February 2013, 16:23

I have had those deathwings (the more correct name for trail wings) fitted to two bikes (DL1000) as OEM. They are satisfactory as road tyres when new, but lose any feeling of confidence at around 4000 km. They can handle hard packed gravel with ease, but on loose gravel you need to slow down a long way before the corner. Even on straight stretches of road they are not quite adequate, but there are worse tyres out there.

If you must go the Bridgestone way then Battle wings are better than Deathwings on the seal, and are almost adequate on gravel.

I would suggest Heidenau K60s would be a far better choice. Next choice would be Conti Trail Attacks.

**Night Falcon** · 10th February 2013, 16:44

Originally Posted by Jantar

I have had those deathwings (the more correct name for trail wings) fitted to two bikes (DL1000) as OEM. They are satisfactory as road tyres when new, but lose any feeling of confidence at around 4000 km. They can handle hard packed gravel with ease, but on loose gravel you need to slow down a long way before the corner. Even on straight stretches of road they are not quite adequate, but there are worse tyres out there.

If you must go the Bridgestone way then Battle wings are better than Deathwings on the seal, and are almost adequate on gravel.

I would suggest Heidenau K60s would be a far better choice. Next choice would be Conti Trail Attacks.

I havn't tried the bridgestones but can also vouch for the K60's. They are pretty good on gravel but expensive. Metzler Enduro3 is another option

**Waihou Thumper** · 10th February 2013, 16:49

Nice little sticky about three threads north of this one

**Odakyu-sen** · 10th February 2013, 17:54

Originally Posted by Waihou Thumper

Nice little sticky about three threads north of this one

Thanks, guys. Yes, I checked out the sticky, but when I did a search for "TW22" it drew a blank. Not wanting to read through 14 pages, many of them now out of date, I posted my little note.

I am going to go ahead and get the TW22 rear fitted. It will be a learning curve for me, and I may regret it, but that's lift. (If I wanted certainty, I'd drive on unsealed roads on my Honda Jazz and leave the KLR for the suburbs). I must confess, the OEM Dunlops have been great; it's just that the rear has worn down to the legal limit at 4,000 of mostly road riding (80%) at 27-29 psi.

Thanks for the feedback so far.

**Waihou Thumper** · 10th February 2013, 18:11

Originally Posted by Odakyu-sen

but when I did a search for "TW22" it drew a blank. Not wanting to read through 14 pages, many of them now out of date, I posted my little note.

aah, that explains it grasshopper.....you didn't search Deathwings
Good luck out there.....Kampai!

**Woodman** · 10th February 2013, 18:18

Bridgestones...not a big fan, but its only the rear you are talking about so you will get used to it. Fronts are the important ones.

**Odakyu-sen** · 10th February 2013, 20:59

Originally Posted by Woodman

Bridgestones...not a big fan, but its only the rear you are talking about so you will get used to it. Fronts are the important ones.

This will be a bridge for me to cross when I get back from the South Island: what tyre to put on the front. I'll do some research.

Does anyone have any suggestions at this stage? (Before I start poking around in the sticky....)

**Eddieb** · 11th February 2013, 09:20

Originally Posted by Odakyu-sen

This will be a bridge for me to cross when I get back from the South Island: what tyre to put on the front. I'll do some research.

Does anyone have any suggestions at this stage? (Before I start poking around in the sticky....)

I've just taken a D606 off which I thought was ok but never truely inspired confidence, An MT21 has just gone on and I love it so far.

**Transalper** · 11th February 2013, 09:39

Originally Posted by Eddieb

I've just taken a D606 off which I thought was ok but never truely inspired confidence, An MT21 has just gone on and I love it so far.

That's so funny, was the opposite for me, liked the D606, the MT21 not so much.

**Rosie** · 11th February 2013, 10:12

Originally Posted by Transalper

That's so funny, was the opposite for me, liked the D606, the MT21 not so much.

Small bikes seem to have quite different tyre preferences to larger bikes. Tyres that work well on my bike aren't so good on the 640, and vice versa. That said, Clint and I both like MT21 fronts.

[rant]
While we are on the subject of trailwings - Bridgestone make a very wide range of tyres under the Trailwing brand. The road-oriented ones that come stock on a lot of dual purpose bikes are (apparently) nasty and scary (thus Deathwings). This does not automatically mean that all other flavours of Trailwing are also nasty and scary - I quite like some of the more off-road oriented ones (but see above; they may not necessarily work on larger bikes).
[/rant]

**awa355** · 11th February 2013, 12:38

Originally Posted by Transalper

That's so funny, was the opposite for me, liked the D606, the MT21 not so much.

Great video, I've just subscribed and will watch the other vids in time. Looking at the track surfaces, wouldn't the strength of tyre case construction be just as important as the tread pattern?

**JayRacer37** · 11th February 2013, 13:44

Originally Posted by Odakyu-sen

The salesman at Cyclespot has talked me into getting a Bridgestone TW22 rear to replace the knackered (at 4,200 km) original Dunlop rear. (The Dunlop front is still good.) Some of my riding mates are also looking at Bridgestones. We'll be touring on the unsealed roads of the South Island, but won't be doing any serious off-road stuff.

How does the TW40 compare with the TW22? The TW40 is more like the original Dunlop (kind of a gentle knobbly tyre), whereas the TW22 has a road-tyre-like centre tread, and more dirt-like outer treads.

Any other TW-series suggestions?

Hi, I work for the Bridgestone importer so thought I would run though what is available in the sizes for the rear of the KLR650. In the Bridgestone dual sport range, there are three available options in a 130/80x17.

Most road based (80% on road base according to Bridgestone) is the BattleWing BW501, has a Silica rich compound for wet and cold grip and Mono Spiral Belt design which gives it more structure strength for stability and hard wearing. It is a radial tyre.

Next most roadie is the TrailWing TW152, approx 60-70% road based pattern and design. Has more open pattern than the BW501 but still the full rounded and shaped road profile. Should give good life and road grip with some trade off for superior offroad performace but still secondary to its fairly road based road design. This is a radial.

Finally there is the TW22 which it sounds like you have opted to go for. This is approximately 50/50 on/off road design, as you say with the rounded profile so it works on the road, but a very open tread (relative to the two above) pattern that should give you better offroad grip, at the expense of life during road use, and outright grip on the road. This is a bias ply construction.

The final option in a slightly different size (130/90x17) is the TW42, which has larger blocks but still an open pattern, probably 60 off road based. This is also a bias ply.

Sounds like you have made the right choice for the riding you are looking at, depending on construction of the front Dunlop (bias ply or radial) it may be worth looking at the TW152 for a little more longevity?

Originally Posted by Jantar

I have had those deathwings (the more correct name for trail wings) fitted to two bikes (DL1000) as OEM. They are satisfactory as road tyres when new, but lose any feeling of confidence at around 4000 km. They can handle hard packed gravel with ease, but on loose gravel you need to slow down a long way before the corner. Even on straight stretches of road they are not quite adequate, but there are worse tyres out there.

If you must go the Bridgestone way then Battle wings are better than Deathwings on the seal, and are almost adequate on gravel.

I would suggest Heidenau K60s would be a far better choice. Next choice would be Conti Trail Attacks.

Gidday Jantar, possible (probable?) you have had experience with OEM tyres that were not that awesome...Suprised though that the V-Strom Thou wouldn't have BattleWings on it not TrailWings? Or perhaps an OEM TrailWing construction that was mostly road based.

Originally Posted by Rosie

Small bikes seem to have quite different tyre preferences to larger bikes. Tyres that work well on my bike aren't so good on the 640, and vice versa. That said, Clint and I both like MT21 fronts.

[rant]
While we are on the subject of trailwings - Bridgestone make a very wide range of tyres under the Trailwing brand. The road-oriented ones that come stock on a lot of dual purpose bikes are (apparently) nasty and scary (thus Deathwings). This does not automatically mean that all other flavours of Trailwing are also nasty and scary - I quite like some of the more off-road oriented ones (but see above; they may not necessarily work on larger bikes).
[/rant]

Hi Rosie,

Rant makes sense! They do do a very large range of model names, some only built in one size for OEM and the range is quite convoluted. In there there are some gems and we usually are able to provide some options (as with the KLR above) but it certainly helps to have the catalog available to see whats what! We certainly get good feedback from customers when we get them onto Trailwings that suit their riding. Sometimes the compromise between road and offroad is not worked though right, and the rider gets something that is one way or the other of what the need or expect.

**R650R** · 11th February 2013, 13:47

Still got my OEM trailwing on the front at 8000km. Rubber went a bit hard around 6000km mark but touchwood no serious issues. The only nasty slides have been on soft loose stuff where it doesn't matter what tyre you have. On the tarmac side of things they seem primo. Just about laying the bike on its side on roadrides and feels fine. Can chiro it on the brakes a bit but your at the limits of the feeble front braking system anyway so extra grip is a bit redundant. As another member of this site says, the front wheels only there to keep the engine off the ground

The OEM rear trailwing was ok too although it was dead after 2800km of fun riding.