Offroad/onroad tyre choice
 

Although I have an XTR, it seems the majority of you have Teneres..so, I am looking at some tyres that will cope with mud and loose gravel/rock as well, while being ok on the road.

Choices I have been looking at are:

Continental TKC80
Pirelli MT21
Dunlop 606

Has anyone tried all three? I would be interested to hear feedback from anyone who has tried two out of the three choices.

No experience of any of the above, mostly because I get on so well with the Mitas E-09s that I've had three pairs now and not felt the need to try anything else :D.

http://wildchild.org.uk/blog/images/...8_1000x665.jpg

Cheaper than TKCs, good enough road manners for me to run them all the time. Easily lasted the run down to Spain and back with the HUMM in the middle.

They will still get a bit clogged up if you ride on wet clay...

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._7963232_n.jpg

...but you need a proper enduro tyre to avoid that, which would be horrible on the road. They shed normal mud fine.

TBH though, you need to just bite the bullet and buy a set of something. Everyone has their own taste in tyres.

Hi Rich.
I have used Conti TKC's and Pirelli MT21's.

When I got my XTZ last April I fitted a set of TKC's...a great all round tyre and fine off road on anything but wet grass and mud.

When we had the Plain ride-out I had then fitted a MT21 on the front but had left the TKC on the rear as I thought it would last longer,but by 2,500 miles the rear was over half worn, so I fitted the MT21 I had,and that is how it is today.Mind you....if I did not allready have the MT21 then I think I would have run with the TKC for another thousand miles and then fitted another.

So my choice-
Pirelli MT21 on the front (for more off road grip when wet and will last for ages).
Conti TKC on the rear (wet off road grip not so much an issue on the rear and more miles on the road).

BTW...on my XTR,all I ever used were the Pirelli's.

Cheers,
Andy.

thanks Andy...yes the Dunlop 606 and Pirelli MT21 look more "offroad" on the front , in that the blocks are wider apart.

I haven't used any of the other tyres on your list, but settled on a combination of MT21 in front and Karoo in the back.

And since I have my manual tyre changing machine I'm thinking of switching back and forth between these and a set of TrailWings or something for the longer tarmac trips (5000km tarmac trip planned for this summer)

will the MT21 shorten my braking distance offroad too, Andy? :icon_redface:

I think there is a thread where Jenny talks about tyres,and from what I remember,she prefered the Conti's over the Pirelli when riding in the states.
I will say though,I found the MT21's great on my XTR.


http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/j...g?t=1296126840

I think a bit less right hand might help.:rotf[1]:

BTW...are you up for another Jolly when it warms up a bit.:thumbsup:

I am, but only if Richard promises to take the advice above :D

of course! Andy....I have lessons with Patsy meantime, so hopefully we will see less damage claims at the end of the day's ride.

And I am coming on the SuperTenere weekend at Salisbury, sometime in early May too....I know you're on that one....


Here's to lots more fun and laughter in 2011!:bowling:

Do you use the brakes ?

hey ricky...you're coming too!!!!!!

(he says, avoiding the question):o

We can always let him stay at the front!!

Bit of a hi-jack....but if you all fancy an early spring ride then i'm sure we can sort it out.But.........it will be a bit different from the last time-

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/j...g?t=1296130737
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/j...g?t=1296131498
There won't be to much of a dust problem but you might need to cover up your lower air intake Rich.

Count me in on that.......yes it will be sticky this time of year!!!!

thanks Andy.

Definitely up for a run whenever - still annoyed that Tom and I had to abandon our pre-Christmas run because of the snow. :(

(Was the right call though :D I was sat at my parents place in Cheltenham watching the local news the day we were supposed to be going, and they said Avebury - where we were supposed to be meeting - had been cut off most of the day with drifts of up to a metre across the roads)

Yup, what he said ^

Anyway, tyres. I've only tried TKC80s. Despite UTs pushing for me to try the e09s. I just harbour a deep resentment towards Mitas... :120:

Ahh, I'm not pushing that hard, I just pointed out that I got mine in a few days, while you waited a month for your TKC :D

Well Jason (Jasext) uses the Mitas CO2 and C19..but says they are not much good on the road (maybe too offroad-bias for me)

I think I will go with the Pirelli MT21 rear, possibly either MT21 or Michelin Comp 4 front, for starters.

Guys go with the MT21s they transformed my Ten, really wouldnt change for anything else now
also had them on my R and BMW 800GS all of which went offroad really well

Tyre choice
 

For mainly off road, Dunlop D606 front and rear. IMHO much better than M21 - on and off road and last longer.

For 50/50 riding the Mefo's explorers are fantastic. Recently did some extreme 4wd tracks and they were great.

Just my 2 cents.

Brocksamoyed
XT660Z

As Brocksamoyed says, the Dunlop 606 is popular in both AUS and the US, but in the UK is almost impossible to find (I don't think it is officially imported?)

I've used both Pirelli MT21s and TKC80s (extensively x), and to compare the two, I found the TKC80s lasted significantly longer (so much so that after the first set of MT21s, I switched to TKCs for the rest of my time in the States, even though they were more expensive), and the TKCs were far more comfortable and sure-footed on-road.

Personally I'd say the TKCs are best 'all round' tyre for the Tenere - of course I'm basing all this on the fact I was riding a lot of desert and mountain trails, not slogging through a UK winter of mud and slime!

I would admit that in wet slippery conditions, you might want something slightly more aggressive - although I've not found the MT21 much better in that regard - the front end can still wash out.

I found the MT21s were far more susceptible to tyre pressures, and anything less than 25psi made the MT21s ponderous on the road. Conversely, 25psi seemed to be the sweet spot for the TKCs, although you could run them harder if you wanted. Certainly raising the pressure in the MT21s made them noticeably better on the road, but they never felt as 'secure' as the TKC did, especially at the front end.

I'd say you probably don't want to run any tyre on the Tenere much less than 20psi - it's a big heavy bike remember.

The MT21s were great in the dirt - check out my USA trip photos form New Mexico and Colorado (in the snow!), but the TKCs seemed to just work better everywhere?

Just my opinion...

Jx

To really throw the cat amongst the dragons:

As probably already mentioned in other posts I run and am happy with TKC's.
HOWEVER -the grass is always greener etc etc.
Anybody out there got or have tried the metzler karoo T - note the T.
Yes they are only available in 140/80/17 I believe, but in my memory from another post, the tenere can take the 140.
At the time of the post I remember calculating the speedo error at only 2mph so that is no problem.

The Metzlers are pretty similar to the TKCs... I ran a Metzler Karoo on the front of my XR650R (together with a Dunlop 908RR - now that is a good tyre, except only available in 18")... anyway, the Karoo was fine, felt pretty similar to a TKC on the front and lasted a good long while... however, I still think the TKC offers the best 'feel' on the road compared to the others, it just feels more sure-footed in my opinion - maybe it's the compound, I don't know...

Jx

Jenny- you have now almost talked me out of getting the MT21's !!!!!

Hee hee - the thing with tyres is they wear out... typically with knobblies if you don't like a particular brand, they'll be worn out in around 3000 miles anyway, so you can just change to something else. And if you like what you've got, stick with them?

This time of year, and particularly if you are planning on riding off-road, the MT21s will be great (and a revelation after the OEM tyres!)...

All I'd suggest is that if going on a longer trip, say into Europe in the summer or Morocco or somewhere like that, the TKCs will be smoother on the road, and last longer... and also offer great traction in dry off-road conditions...

Jx

Jenny, was it the 'T' you ran? - was looking at the Metzler website this evening and it does have a different profile to the 'standard' karoo. The comparison chart on the site points me in the 'T' direction for the riding I do.

Yes, it was the Karoo T front I used on the XR - looks basically the same as a TKC (ie. blocks across the tyre, rather than the V pattern of the regular Karoo)...

I didn't use the rear Karoo T at the time - looking at their website, to me that looks like a cross between a TKC and an MT21?!

Worth a go I'm sure, the Karoos seem to be significantly cheaper than the TKCs these days?

Jx

Well I have been sliding around on the Tourances on the road recently, with a more-or-less standard engine. Fitting MT21/TKC80 with my new engine is going to make things interesting on the road at the moment!

Bring on the Spring and warmer roads!

mmmmm, karoos next me thinks.:smilies0948:

New Karoo 3
 

I love the MT 21 for trail riding, but like any other knobby setup they are not high performers on the road. Never tried the TKC but everybobby seems to like them. Today I am piciking up a set of the new Karoo 3, they seem (in theory at least) to be the perfect blend for mixed riding. I will let you know how it goes.

I have now done 1000 k on my Karoo 3's. Very mixed riding (Alps) with freeway, highway, narrow mountain roads, gravel, mud and river crossings. They perform fully as expected. Outstanding road performaces (for a 50%-50% tire), very nice on the gravel and dirt. Main drawback seem to be under muddy conditions, where they clearly do not grip like knobby (no surprice). I will monitor wear and let you guys know what I find.

Well, I'm up to around 6,000 miles on my Conti Trail Attack 2 tyres.

No visible signs of wear except the Conti logo is disappearing from the rear.

I did have to ride the bike about half a mile on a flat rear at one point, and I think my rear needs replacing now.

But I would highly recommend these tyres for on-road.
I've seen them on Tigers, GS, KTM adventures... If they're good enough for the bigger adventures, they're good enough for my Tenere :D

So going back a few pages on this thread can anyone expand on any feedback about these MEFO tyres.......or am i to be the guinea pig?

http://www.zenoverland.com/tyres_tub..._explorer.html



and how do i get these lakes attendee thingys back underneath here....

Good reviews on the Zen Overland pages and from what I have read no one has a bad word to say about them. I will be trying a pair next on my R.

Currently on TKC80s which have been great - great tyres once you get used to them - loads written about them so I wont repeat except the wear rate - I don't think I have done 2500miles on them yet the rear its approaching time to change. Front still looks Ok though.

If you get a set of exploreres I am definitely interested in feedback whether its on a Z or an R.

Shinko 700... just got another set for the DB1K again...
If you are a rear wheel steerer..You will love them on gravel..

Skjold, how they perform on the wet on-road? I'm planning to have them next season, but there were some bad opinions about wet prerformance.

the golden tyre importer called me yesterday and they have a new set of tyres they'd like me to review - so stay tuned :)