Can't decide whether or not to dump the OEM Battle Wings for a 50/50 tire

[The Mountain]

I only have about 4000 on my original OEM Bridgestones (thanks to NH's short riding season among other things). So they do still have a decent amount of tread left. However, they're pretty hopeless once you get off the pavement. I have discovered the joys of class-6 roads in NH, and the all-dirt (or nearly so) long trail rides up here in New England. So I'm agonizing over whether or not to have the Stealership swap out my still-good OEMs for some knobbies before I pick it up for the season. I am having a hard time convincing myself mainly because I'm also waffling over which knobby. I really like the Michelin Anakee Wild. It did great in the ChapMoto tire shootout, and being a Michelin I know it's going to be a quality tire. When I do my Kashmir ride, I'll be mounting a set of them, no question. But, do I really need $370 (plus mounting) worth of high-end knobbies for the back roads in NH? And do I need them so badly that I am willing to throw away a set of 80/20 tires with more than 70% tread left to get them?

 

[Longdog Cymru]

Only you can answer if it is worth fitting the knobbies for NH but if you do decide to fit them and there is 70% life left in the Bridgestones, then why not simply store them and re-fit at a later date perhaps when you are not riding quite such demanding off-road trails.

 

[JamesGang]

The travel restrictions due to COVID-19 have curtailed any long distance trips I had planned for the second year now. It has actually been a benefit for me in that I have taken to exploring the absolute maze of gravel roads (some goat trails) in my neck of the woods and that has greatly improved my riding skills.
Therefor, I am also shopping for 50/50 tires as the OEM Battlewings really fall flat once you leave the pavement. I have selected the MOTOZ Tractionator GPS tires mainly because of the excellent reviews and reported longevity.
Ryan F9 at Fortnine has a decent review video on adventure and dual sport tires and the MOTOZ tires are at the 3:25 minute time stamp.

 

[Cycledude]

Personally I would keep running the Bridgestone until worn out , but if YOU don’t feel safe it’s definitely time to try something different.

 

[fac191]

If your going off road get suitable tires.

 

[ballisticexchris]

I highly recommend the Anakee Wild tires. They are not only good on pavement (at legal speeds), but fantastic off the highway. Well worth every penny. If you are riding like a sport bike on the track in the corners they are not the best choice on the pavement. Otherwise it's just as good as any road tire.

Please disregard mileage and "percentage" of use when choosing a tire. There should be zero compromise in handling, stopping distance, and traction. The Michelin Wilds are very noisy. It's the nature of an open block knobby. This is an acceptable compromise as you can just wear earplugs.

I did a pretty extensive review of them here.

Michelin Anakee Wild: Ongoing performance and tire life review

First off let's address the mounting issues. Zero drama! Easiest set of motorcycle tires I have ever mounted in my life. Not much harder than a bicycle tire. No UHD tubes, no pinched tubes, no double rim locks, no vice grips. Only took 1/2 oz of weight per wheel to balance. I'm really liking...

www.yamahasupertenere.com

I ended up swapping them out for a Michelin Road 5 Trail only because I am doing zero off highway on my Super Tenere for the time being.

 

[gapmtn1]

50/50 tires work better on the road than OEM BW's work off the road.

I'm in a similar position. Like you said, it's a short riding season (or, just not enough time to ride). My bike came with BWs, and I was thinking I'd go much dirtier after I burned through these. That's not happening fast enough. So be it; time to take these off and give them away on CL. Personally, I'm getting something much less costly than $370.

In a perfect world, I'd be accumulating equipment and skills to mount my own tires. But that's another reality to face... time, money, garage space are all limited. I can pull my wheels and truck them to a local shop and get it done for not much cash. In most cases, I'd say stay away from the stealership for such tasks and go to a local independent with a good rep.

Get some better rubber so you can enjoy the non-tarmac without worry. Time is short.

 

[The Mountain]

50/50 tires work better on the road than OEM BW's work off the road.

I'm in a similar position. Like you said, it's a short riding season (or, just not enough time to ride). My bike came with BWs, and I was thinking I'd go much dirtier after I burned through these. That's not happening fast enough. So be it; time to take these off and give them away on CL. Personally, I'm getting something much less costly than $370.

In a perfect world, I'd be accumulating equipment and skills to mount my own tires. But that's another reality to face... time, money, garage space are all limited. I can pull my wheels and truck them to a local shop and get it done for not much cash. In most cases, I'd say stay away from the stealership for such tasks and go to a local independent with a good rep.

Get some better rubber so you can enjoy the non-tarmac without worry. Time is short.

This is just about where I am, excepting only that I simply don't have the facilities or tools currently to pull my wheels and bring them to an independent shop. The bike is already at the dealership since I had it stored there for the winter, so it's the path of least resistance for having tires done before I pick it up. It's a very good place, and I discredit them fairly groundlessly with the term "stealership" as they have been excellent to deal with; they're where I bought the bike initially, have stored it with them all but one winter since, and they didn't bat an eye when I asked them to install the non-Yamaha protection (T-rex bars and plate) where some dealerships would hedge about not guaranteeing non-Yamaha work.

Please disregard mileage and "percentage" of use when choosing a tire. There should be zero compromise in handling, stopping distance, and traction. The Michelin Wilds are very noisy. It's the nature of an open block knobby. This is an acceptable compromise as you can just wear earplugs...

Kind of where I'm going as well. Michelin just makes very good tires, and does so consistently. Other makes do have instances of "good" tires e.g. they don't develop tread block cracks or other defects after just a few thousand miles, but there are enough times where those other makes also exhibit premature failure symptoms. I have always found Michelin to make superior severe-duty products, whether it be true LT truck tires or proper sport bike and track tires, and I see no reason why their Adventure tire would be any different. Plus the Anakee Wild seems to be one of the few 50/50 tires that has true sipes in the tread blocks, which is an important consideration up here in the northeast. Noise isn't a problem. I always ride with earplugs anyway, and I used to drive a truck running bias-ply Super Swamper mud tires and a big-block v8 with an open exhaust. And due to my unfortunately-sparse riding schedule, I'm likely to get a couple of years out of the Michelins anyway.

 

[~TABASCO~]

This could be a very long topic- because of MANY factors... IMOP- 'and my opinion means nothing':

I would say "yes" give a set a shot, and then YOU will know if YOU like them, and YOU will know if it benefits YOU or not. Because you brought up 'cost', maybe try a less expensive set if you're on the fence. One of the least expensive that Ive ridden many times (that I really like) is the Shinko 804/805. About $200.

I could sit and write a short book on the pro's and con's of 50/50 tires, and then add several chapters on what to expect from each tire depending on how and where you ride. Would be a boring read, Ha -

There are SO many factors involved, you just have to try a set(s) out yourself and then judge for yourself. In the back of your mind, just remember that there are always "trade offs". There is no street tire that works awesome off road, there is no off-road tire that works awesome on the street. "trade off" I aways crack up when people want a street tire to do awesome on the BDR and then they complain, or (most of the time) they have 50/50 tires that they ride on the street most of the time and they complain because it doesn't work as well as a full street tire......... Duuuuuuuu "trade off"

I have a bunch of 50/50 take/off tires for free you can try. You pay shipping and you can try for free........ There ya go... They are decent take off used tires if you're interested.

 

[SuperTforme]

Im in a similar situation but have chosen to just wear them out this summer. Giving myself a goal like that deserves a pat on the back . Plus I feel pretty comfortable with them off road if I avoid mud as much as I can. Im going with either the Anakee Adventure or Trailmax Missions next. Leaning Trailmax as of now. Good luck!

 

[The Mountain]

This could be a very long topic- because of MANY factors... IMOP- 'and my opinion means nothing':

I would say "yes" give a set a shot, and then YOU will know if YOU like them, and YOU will know if it benefits YOU or not. Because you brought up 'cost', maybe try a less expensive set if you're on the fence. One of the least expensive that Ive ridden many times (that I really like) is the Shinko 804/805. About $200.

I could sit and write a short book on the pro's and con's of 50/50 tires, and then add several chapters on what to expect from each tire depending on how and where you ride. Would be a boring read, Ha -

There are SO many factors involved, you just have to try a set(s) out yourself and then judge for yourself. In the back of your mind, just remember that there are always "trade offs". There is no street tire that works awesome off road, there is no off-road tire that works awesome on the street. "trade off" I aways crack up when people want a street tire to do awesome on the BDR and then they complain, or (most of the time) they have 50/50 tires that they ride on the street most of the time and they complain because it doesn't work as well as a full street tire......... Duuuuuuuu "trade off"

I have a bunch of 50/50 take/off tires for free you can try. You pay shipping and you can try for free........ There ya go... They are decent take off used tires if you're interested.

Believe me, my intention was not to light off Yet Another Tire Thread. I'm not trying to find a "better deal" or some intermediate alternative, or ask "which tire is best". I'm just trying to examine my thoughts on whether or not to pull the trigger on knobbies *at this particular time* given that my OEMs still have a good amount of tread, and also given the (admittedly shrinking) possibility that I'll be headed to the Himalayas. As mentioned in the OP, the bike *will* get new Anakee Wilds for the trip up the mountains. I'll just have to wince even harder when I shell out for that new set, if I already have a 1/3-worn set on the bike. There's no way I'm going to take a chance with a 600+ pound bike on those roads on anything other than fresh (but properly scrubbed in) rubber.

ETA: on the plus side, spending some time on familiar roads with those tires will help me get used to their handling before I have to try it on the narrow, non-guardrailed and poorly paved roads in the mountains of Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir.

ETA2: pulled the trigger on the first set of Anakee Wilds, $260 for the rear and $220 for the front (ouch).

 

[Ronzo]

As others have said, run those OEM tires to the max unless you’re doing any serious off-road.
I was able to get about 13,000 km out of my stock Bridgestones.
Like you,I wanted a 50-50 tire and had the Dunlop Trail missions installed. Still waiting to put them through the paces but by the looks of them I’m sure they’ll pass.

 

[fac191]

This could be a very long topic- because of MANY factors... IMOP- 'and my opinion means nothing':

I would say "yes" give a set a shot, and then YOU will know if YOU like them, and YOU will know if it benefits YOU or not. Because you brought up 'cost', maybe try a less expensive set if you're on the fence. One of the least expensive that Ive ridden many times (that I really like) is the Shinko 804/805. About $200.

I could sit and write a short book on the pro's and con's of 50/50 tires, and then add several chapters on what to expect from each tire depending on how and where you ride. Would be a boring read, Ha -

There are SO many factors involved, you just have to try a set(s) out yourself and then judge for yourself. In the back of your mind, just remember that there are always "trade offs". There is no street tire that works awesome off road, there is no off-road tire that works awesome on the street. "trade off" I aways crack up when people want a street tire to do awesome on the BDR and then they complain, or (most of the time) they have 50/50 tires that they ride on the street most of the time and they complain because it doesn't work as well as a full street tire......... Duuuuuuuu "trade off"

I have a bunch of 50/50 take/off tires for free you can try. You pay shipping and you can try for free........ There ya go... They are decent take off used tires if you're interested.

You da man !

 

[Checkswrecks]

A problem with asking on a forum like this is that NH and New England roads and even the mud and slicker stones of the gravel are so different from the South or West. Glad you've pulled the trigger and looking forward to hearing your experience after some time with them.