Tyre Advice R1200GSA

[jono]

Its nearly time for a new back tyre the current Metzeler Tourance has done about 15000km probably 90:10 black top to dirt
So am asking for some advice or tips on tyres including where to go for the best prices. I bought the bike with the current tyres so this will be my first tyre shopping execursion. Here are my questions, any constructive advice is most welcome!

1) The front Metz has not worn quite as much as the back and probably has another 1-2K left in it, however is it better to replace both tyres together for handling or safety reasons?

2) I use the bike for commutes on the freeway, weekend rides including some dirt round Perth, the odd long ride round the state taking in a mix of road and dirt. For the most part the dirt riding is fairly basic. What tyres should I look at?

3) where do you get a good deal on purchase and fitting in Perth?

Thanks
JonO

[_Wilks]

Jon,

Heidenau K60's will be my next tyres (R1200GS). http://www.racewear.com.au/product/subc ... .cgi?sc=51. Whilst close, they're not an exact size match to the book specs. According to others on ADVrider they're reportedly within BMW's spec tolerance range.

Have used them on my 2008 KLR650 - best true 'dual sport' tyre I could find. Couldn't fault them as a 50/50 tyre. Great wear rate. Not too noisy either.

The TKC80's fail my daily freeway commute requirements.

Have tried the Anakees & now BattleWings - good for the freeway, but is like livin on the edge when getting semi-serious off-road.

I'll be picking up a set for only $290 when over in Qld later this month. To get them at that price I've got to place my order by Friday 5 Sept - let me know if you want a set. I won't be back from Qld until mid Oct.

Shane

[geoffcnc]

Jon,

You've seen how Shane rides, and you know how truthfull he is about his off-road experience. Hang back my foot! More like "Eat my dust" (or mud as it was on the day). Shane's experience that he later 'fessed up to around the fire that night means he probably has good opinions to give on rubber.

I like the look of those Shane recommended, and would be keen to see what Jon thinks of them if he gets them. Must check out Advrider discussion myself.
For me, the Tourance tyres have worked well with what I do, so some experimentation by some other greenie in the dirt would be watched by me.

Shane, have you ridden the Tourance tyres?

Geoff Edwards

[2volts]

I tried a set of Heidenau's a while back when I had my 1200GS. As Shane said, they are a slightly smaller width than the standard size fitting for the 1200. They are OK but I wasn't too excited using them off road. Their block pattern is a lot less aggressive than the TKC80, so they are a reasonable compromise for mostly road use with a bit of dirt thrown in. They will certainly give you a bit more off road confidence.
They are a low cost option, for that price they may be worth a try for you.
I got mine from Tyres for Bikes in Vic Park, but he had to order them in.

pete

[jono]

Thanks for the offer Shane, at 290 a set :shock : I think they are definately worth a trial, count me in! - Cheers JonO

[_Wilks]

Okely dokely Jon. One set of K60's comin up 4u.

Haven't tried the Tourances Geoff, but imagine they'll be quite similar to the Anakees & Battlewings. I didn't like the twitchy feeling with the Battlewings on the ball bearing roads in the hills. The original Dunlops on my KLR felt the same. But when I changed over to the K60's there was a reasonable improvement - not up to the TKC standard, but good enough for me.

While I'm thinkin of it Geoff, I honestly regret riding past you guys whilst we were mobile, chuckin up the dirt spray and all that... shoulda waited till we stopped. Bad move on my part and won't do it again; seriously. My desire to fang the GS for the first time got in the way of good manners. Nuff said.

For any interested souls out there, my satisfaction with the K60's came from a Ayres Rock trip last May via the abandoned section of the Gunbarrel and then Gt Central Road on an unladen KLR650 (had a support vehicle... definitely the way to go! Chris G - we had those camp chairs with fold out foot-stool thingy... very comfy after a hard day's ride. And had a cold beer everynight too).

Back to the story - there were three identical bikes, 2008 KLR650's, two fitted with the K60's, one with the TKC's. Quite clearly the TKC shod bike was faring better in the soft stuff (and there was plenty of it!) on the Gunbarrel. No falls for that rider. Still a bit hairy for him though and I saw him have some real close calls. I was fortunate enough to stay upright on my bike with the K60's but found myself doin the 'sand dance' many a time. The other guy with K60's didn't fare so well; fell off three times. He drove himself mad tryin to work out whether he should blame the tyres or himself. We were no help... we told him tyres would have made no difference, it was his fault he kept falling off .

My previous comment about the K60's being a good 50/50 relates to their performance on the dirt 'highways' such as most of the Gt Central Rd, the 'maintained' Gunbarrel (west of Carnegie Stn only), the Hyden-Norseman Rd etc etc, and also their performance around town.

Jon - are they still what you want? I reckon they'll serve us well on the Ayres Rock trip I'm planning. Jeez, I gotta get on to that soon.

Also Jon, can you track down someone who won't whack us too hard in the wallet to do owner-supplied tyre changes?

Shane

[jono]

Thanks Shane, yes I am still keen on a set. I have an idea on where we can get the tyres fitted, I will follow it up and let you know. Then on to the Rock! Kevin is keen to come along and perhaps we can persuade Geoff.
Cheers JonO

[jono]

Here is alink to a Heidenau K60 Review
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=363297

includes "I'm still running the size 140 for rear and 100 front with absolutely no problems what so ever both on dirt and tar)
Now over 50K with K60s, they're God-sent for GSers at their price level! I do around half of my mileage gravel and dirt roads, haven't had a single puncture (the walls are so bloody strong). They can hold up to 160kph highways 2 up full of luggage, they last for 15-20Kkm rear, 20-25Kkm for front and with slighly defleated they make decent dirt tire for GS"

To my view they look like a good mid way point between my current Tourances and the TKC80's. I also not that a larger 150/K60 is due out around November ?

[_Wilks]

I can't believe I got a reply

I sent an email to Heidenau in Germany yesterday - written in German (sort of) - and, no, I don't speak or understand German.

I wrote:
Ich tun Sie nicht sprachen Deutsch. Ich sprachen english.
K60 fur BMW1200GS.
Herstellung 150/70 H 17 & 110/80 H19 bald?
Vorhanden Australien?
Danke
Shane

They replied in english:
Dear Shane,
thanks for your interest on our tires. These tires are available in November this year. There is a dealer in Australia.
Bruce Collins Enterprises , 14 Rocklea Drive, 3207 Port Melbourne-Vic.
bce@pacific.net.au
Please contact him directly.
He has ordered these tires but we could not deliver .Sorry! I think we can deliver with his next order in November.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen/with best regards

Bloody amazing! Feeling rather proud of myself atm.

I'll call you Jon to see if you want to wait till Nov.

Cheers
Shane
(aka BMWMCCWA Foreign Correspondent )

[_Wilks]

Advice received from Bruce Collins Enterprises last week was the production run is scheduled for November (in Germany) with the tyre not expected to be on Australian shores until January 2009.

Will keep you posted.

Shane

[_Wilks]

Update:

The new 150/70 H17 & 110/80 H19 Heidenau K60 tyres are now available in Australia.

It seems as though the RRP in the eastern states for the new K60 is $224 front and $275 rear plus freight. The cheapest freight I have seen is from http://www.pablos.com.au/ at $10 per tyre delivered anywhere in Oz.

Of course I would urge club members to support our club magazine advertisers by giving them a chance to price match. It might be better to get the tyres fitted by your local retailer because, speaking from experience, the K60's are tough buggers to fit - the bead seems to be a bit more rigid than other brand off-road tyres I've fitted.

It's disappointing to see such a price variation from the other tyre size used by some GS'ers which is still listed at $140 front and $220 rear. The rim size hasn't changed and speed rating looks to be the same therefore the profile change has added about 38% to the new size that fits the GS... mmmm... wonder why that would happen .

Shane

[jono]

Well just to update this old thread, I fitted a set of Heidenau's about 8000Km ago. I intended to use this set for road/dirt trips and then switch over to the Tourances for normal road use, but as it transpired I did not switch them back over. The Heidenaus have worn very well and there is still plenty of tread left, in fact it looks like they will do another 8000km.
So how have they performed?....
They did really well on gravel and sand and have been fine on the bitumen and in the wet. I tried a set of Karoo's a while back and only got 4500km out of the back tire, it was brilliant for grip but just wore out too fast. The Heidy's did as good a job on gravel and sand but last much better on bitumen. So far I have only one complaint, they are noisy on the black stuff in fact they have now developed a howl that comes on at 90Km/h drowning out the engine sound and only subsiding at 100Km/h. Its so bad that you would not want to hang around at 90Km/h any longer than absolutely necessary.
Apart from that little issue I would/will buy another set when the time roles around.

JonO