Tire of Tyre

I was looking all over the site for a specific tyre section but there doesn't seem to be one so I thought I'd post here, seeing as I do have an R1150GSA. I had hoped there might be a section looking at what tyres are out there currenty and what sort of miles people are getting on them and how they find them.

I will be needing to get some new tyres in the next couple of months. I mainly do motorway miles and quite a few but I will be doing some camping and going down some tracks but not full on off road. I would really like something fairly quiet on the motorway at 70mph and can last well but also can go slightly off road when needed.

I was looking at the Metzeler Tourance and also the Roadtec.

What tyres are others using and what sort of miles are you getting on a rear tyre?

Is there a tyre section that I haven't managed to find?

Thanks.

... personally I'd suggest you start by looking here; you may find it a bit dated, but so is your bike

Bandare said:

I was looking all over the site for a specific tyre section but there doesn't seem to be one so I thought I'd post here, seeing as I do have an R1150GSA. I had hoped there might be a section looking at what tyres are out there currenty and what sort of miles people are getting on them and how they find them.

I will be needing to get some new tyres in the next couple of months. I mainly do motorway miles and quite a few but I will be doing some camping and going down some tracks but not full on off road. I would really like something fairly quiet on the motorway at 70mph and can last well but also can go slightly off road when needed.

I was looking at the Metzeler Tourance and also the Roadtec.

What tyres are others using and what sort of miles are you getting on a rear tyre?

Is there a tyre section that I haven't managed to find?

Thanks.

Click to expand...

There is the old thread on the subject.
To answer your immediate question, the best mileage I have got was from STANDARD (not the EXP or other versions) of Tourance. Same bike, 1150A, least i got was 13,400, best was 15,200. I replace as a pair, even though there was more in the front each time, not enough to worry about, but I do wear the rear right down to get my monies worth out of them. I am not a fast rider, but I cover high mileages in short spaces of time. The trick is simply to build speed, rather than squirt like mad, then having got up to speed, keep it there. Tyres wear out faster due to changes in speed, accelerating or braking - just rolling along hardly wears them.

I wanted a change to do more green lanes, not muddy lanes, grassy, tractor lanes mostly. I tried TKC80s and they do the grassy stuff well, but are horrible on the road - like riding a pneumatic drill, especially at city limit speeds. Karoo 3s are what I have on at the moment, so far done about 4000 miles and prhaps 50% worn. They are not as noisy or rough as TKCs, but not as smooth as Tourance. Tourance are OK on gravel type roads, but not for me on wet grass or those tractor lanes. other people manage on them quite well, but they are riding gods. These findings are over about 220,000 miles on 1150GSs, last Adv, standard 1150GS, plus current Adv combined mileage.

As an all rounder (60% road) Avon Trekriders (not Trailriders) is worth a look. I used them on a trip to New Zealand on my 1100 and they were great on dual carriageways, piss wet twisties on the south island west coast and more than adequate on the gravel and dirt of the various tracks we tackled. Quiet too.

A little left field compared with the usual recommendations, but I fitted a pair of Mitas E08 (marketed as 80/20% road/off road) to my 1150 GSA last September then took off on a 2000 mile trip through France, Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg. I found them fine on everything from motorway, Ardenne forest roads with wet bends and plenty of cow sh*t and the 4km forest track that led to the pension (B&B) in Germany. I'm by no means the most spirited rider, but couldn't tell any significant difference from the Michelin Pilot Road Trails fitted before. I was a little concerned that the blockier tread would lead to less grip in bends, but didn't notice any problems and wasn''t holding back after the initial scrub-in period. I run 36 psi front and 42 psi rear and after 4500 miles so far I'd estimate about 1/3rd worn on the rear and less on the front. Can't find the receipt at the moment but they were around £140 for the pair delivered from mytyres.com

Continental TKC 70 ,s will do what you require .
Not the cheapest out there , but good tyres .

Thanks all. What fabulous varying posts but all super useful info

There seem to be so many different tyres out there currently that merge certain factors across the spectrum from cost to mileage, off road, on road etc.

I do like the look of the Tourance. When I bought the bike it has had Continental on and they've been really good so far but with the mileage, I'm starting to do with commuting each week on motorways mainly, I want something that will last and not flat spot too fast and not break the bank

Bandare said:

Thanks all. What fabulous varying posts but all super useful info

There seem to be so many different tyres out there currently that merge certain factors across the spectrum from cost to mileage, off road, on road etc.

I do like the look of the Tourance. When I bought the bike it has had Continental on and they've been really good so far but with the mileage, I'm starting to do with commuting each week on motorways mainly, I want something that will last and not flat spot too fast and not break the bank

Click to expand...

The 'bus?