Which tire for my F650GS?

[steveh]

Being a newby to Adventure riding here in beautiful NZ, I need some tire advice from this great forum!

The used 2007 BMW F650GS (not a Dakar) I bought arrived with Continental TKC 80's as fitted by the previous owner. Plus he left me the factory Metzeler Tourance's. Both in the photo below.

Here's my riding profile. Ratio of riding sealed / unsealed roads will be around 60/40. Ratio of solo / 2-up riding will be around 90 / 10. Riding style will be fairly mellow, with occasional jaunts above the speed limit, for no known reason.

To be honest, true off-road riding will be nil.

So, do I really need the TKC 80's? How often will I wish I had them fitted while I'm on metal roads? What's the grip of TKC 80's on sealed roads, especially in the wet?

Cheers.

Steve in Hamilton

[Crisis management]

I can only provide limited advice on this topic running TKC 80's on a DR 650. My choice of these tyres is based on the preconception that they will be off road able as well as capable on the road.
For road use they are certainly adequate, a bit noisy and take about 5 - 10km's to warm up properly. Plenty of grip in the dry with a predictable gradual let go when they've had enough. In the wet, they hate those shiny tar snakes, wheelspinning and stepping out each time but again grabbing back on when real road is found again.
I think they're great on gravel and certainly adequate on seal with lots of feedback. I'm a bit concerned about the rate of wear on the rear and will probably only 6,000kms out of it.

And they're bloody expensive!

To change the topic, how about joining the WWWW ride on the weekend of the 1st & 2nd, it's in your backyard and we're all mostly harmless.

[Transalper]

Well, you have both tyres already so if I were you I try them both out. If you don't know how to change them then as an adventurer it's time to learn and have the tools in your kit to do it, because that's how we fix punctures too.

If you can be bothered letting some air out when you go gravel then you may well be ok with either and maybe for your next set look in to the Mitas E07 as something of a half way between those two for a good price and long life which is awesome in the wet on seal and pea gravel and very good in shingle and elsewhere. worst thing with the E07 are that they are sometimes hard to find.

[Transalper]

Sorry, forgot my manners, Hi and welcome to KB and espically the wonderful world of Adventure Riding.

[clint640]

Welcome aboard mate!

Like the boys say, try out both sets & see what you like. It's probably a good idea to leave the TKCs on while you get used to the bike on gravel as they'll give you a bigger margin for error!

I run a TKC 80 on the front of my 640 & reckon it's pretty good, I don't push it too much on wet tar but it gets a thrashing everywhere else. Different bike & tyre size but.

I run a (much) cheaper Pirelli MT70 on the back 'cos the TKCs are too expensive to trash every 5000km.

Cheers
Clint

[tri boy]

Welcome steveh.
For the Waikato gravel, I'm staying with the TKC on the front of the Scrambler, but using a mix of rears.
I've tried the B/Stone Trailwings. (average).
Metz Sahara 3. (Nice rear tyre, but 90% worn at 6000km).
Fitting a Mitas E-07 this week for the WWW ride. (PM me for details, or check the thread. Your welcome to join in).
If a 60/40 mix is expected, its hard to beat a front TKC.
MHO

I'm expecting at least 8-9000km from the front TKC.

[tipper]

I need some tire advice from this great forum!

If you have a spare evening (it is looooong), the tyre 'sticky' at the top of the page is an interesting read

[ZReX12]

I ran the TKC's on my GS650 for about 6months before I sold it, had Bridgestones and a V rubber rear prior to that.
TKC's worked well off road and as well as anything else on road, wear was acceptable. Never gave me any surprises, however if your never going off road, gravel does really count that much then the tourances would be the bestter bet I reckon. I hear they last forever.

[Transalper]

.... however if your never going off road, gravel does really count that much then the tourances would be the bestter bet I reckon. I hear they last forever.

at the price of them they'd have tolast forever that is.

[What?]

at the price of them they'd have tolast forever that is.

I have had both Tourances and Bridgestones on my F650's. I would have to say that the Tourances are better values for money - cost a bit less than double what TW152/101's do, but last about twice the distance, and grip a LOT better.

[Transalper]

I have had both Tourances and Bridgestones on my F650's. I would have to say that the Tourances are better values for money - cost a bit less than double what TW152/101's do, but last about twice the distance, and grip a LOT better.

That's all right, you are allowed to like them if you want. I do not dispute that the Tourance has some of the best dry seal grip available for a so called dual sport tyre.

I've been there and done that with an F650GS and Tourances when I first got in to Dual sporting. For me they were over priced for their performance and life span.
Then the more I got in to Dual Sporting the dirtier I wanted to get. I pay $120 for a front and $140 for a rear that lasts at least 12000km. I can not out ride them on the seal (maybe you can) and I'm no snail through the bends. The E07 (now used on the F650GS, Transalp and now days its the DR650) gave me much better all round traction. One special place it also excels is on the seal when wet or pea graveled.
Off seal when you run them at pressures nearer 21psi they are a huge improvement over the Tourance. Mud would be a bit of an equaliser, but then knobs are the only way to go in mud IMO and the thread starter said he's not going there anyway.

A question I suddenly have since now days I may be a bit out of the loop on the price of Tourances (I have not used the TW152/101s so have no practical comment on them), how much are people paying for Tourances or those TWs now days? and how many kms do you get on them. Just to bring it all in to perspective for me.
Thanks.
TA.

[_Shrek_]

Being a newby to Adventure riding here in beautiful NZ, I need some tire advice from this great forum!

The used 2007 BMW F650GS (not a Dakar) I bought arrived with Continental TKC 80's as fitted by the previous owner. Plus he left me the factory Metzeler Tourance's. Both in the photo below.

Here's my riding profile. Ratio of riding sealed / unsealed roads will be around 60/40. Ratio of solo / 2-up riding will be around 90 / 10. Riding style will be fairly mellow, with occasional jaunts above the speed limit, for no known reason.

To be honest, true off-road riding will be nil.

So, do I really need the TKC 80's? How often will I wish I had them fitted while I'm on metal roads? What's the grip of TKC 80's on sealed roads, especially in the wet?

Cheers.

Steve in Hamilton

welcome to KB
I use E07's front & rear & get 14500 to 16000 ks out of them & i run them @ 23 & 30 psi great on tar seal wet or try, gravel low psi for mud not good on wet grass great value for your $$$

cheers Shrek

[What?]

A question I suddenly have since now days I may be a bit out of the loop on the price of Tourances (I have not used the TW152/101s so have no practical comment on them), how much are people paying for Tourances or those TWs now days? and how many kms do you get on them. Just to bring it all in to perspective for me.
Thanks.
TA.

Nice little bit of the web you've got there TA.

I think my last set of Tourances came in at around $550, and the TW's were quoted somewhere around $280, but that was quite a few months back, so things may have changed. I look for 15 to 20K out of Tourances, versus 7 to 8K out of a TW rear, and up to 12K on a front.

As for Mitas tyres, I have yet to hear a bad word said about them, particularly the E07. BUT... availability is an issue; most shops up here haven't even heard of them, let alone know where to source them from. Methinks the importer needs to do some promo work...

[NordieBoy]

As for Mitas tyres, I have yet to hear a bad word said about them, particularly the E07. BUT... availability is an issue; most shops up here haven't even heard of them, let alone know where to source them from. Methinks the importer needs to do some promo work...

The importer actually needs to get them so we can buy them.

"They're on their way" - Tui.

[Transalper]

Cheers What?.
Yeah, our local Cycletreads man and the other main shops in town don't know them either.
I count myself lucky as the local guys at Dirt Action Services try to keep a good stock of them mitas now days. The boats are few and far between though so even we still get dry spells in supply.
I buy mine several months in advance.